This is a LibreVox recording. All LibreVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information and to find out how you can volunteer, please visit LibreVox.org. Recorded by Chip in Tampa, Florida on January 13, 2006. American Indian fairy tales, collected by Henry R. Schoolcraft, and retold by W. T. Larnet. Iagu, the storyteller. There never was anyone so wise and knowing as old Iagu. There never was an Indian who saw and heard so much. He knew the secrets of the woods and the fields, and understood the language of birds and beasts. All his life long he had lived out of doors, wandering far in the forest where the wild deer hide, doors skimming the waters of the lake in his birch bark canoe. Besides the things he had learned for himself, Iagu knew much more. He knew the fairy tales and the wonder stories told him by his grandfather, Iagu had heard them from his grandfather, and so on a way back to the time when the world was young and strange, and there was magic in almost everything. Iagu was a great favorite with the children. No one knew better where to find the beautiful colored shells which he strung into necklaces for the little girls. No one could teach them so well just where to look for the grasses which their nimble fingers wove into baskets. For the boys he made bows and arrows, bows from the ash tree that would bend far back without breaking, and arrows strong and straight from the sturdy oak. But most of all Iagu won the children's hearts with his stories. Where did the robin get his red breast? How did fire find its way into the world so that an Indian can get it out by rubbing two sticks together? Why was coyote the prairie wolf so much cleverer than all the other animals, and why was he always looking behind him when he ran? It was old Iagu who could tell you where and why. Now winter was the time for storytelling. When the snow lay deep on the ground, the north wind came howling from his home in the land of ice, and the cold moon shone from the frosty sky. It was then that the Indians gathered in the wigwam.  The sparks leapt up and Iagu laid another log on the fire. What a mischievous old fellow was this north wind. One could almost see him. His flowing hair all hung with icicles. If the wigwam were not so strong he would blow it down, and if the fire were not so bright he would put it out. But this wigwam was made on purpose for just such a time as this, and the forest nearby had logs till last forever. So the north wind could only gnash his teeth and say, One little girl more timid than the rest would draw nearer and put her hand on the old man's arm. Oh Iagu, she said, just listen. Do you think he can hurt us? Have no fear, answered Iagu. The north wind can do no harm to anyone who is brave and cheerful. He blusters and makes a lot of noise, but at heart he is really a big coward, and the fire will soon frighten him away.  The story of how Shingibis fooled the north wind. So ends Iagu the storyteller. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information and to find out how you can volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recorded by Chip in Tampa, Florida on January 13, 2006. American Indian fairy tales collected by Henry R. Schoolcraft and retold by W. T. Larnet. Shingibis fools the north wind. Long, long ago, in a time when only a few people lived upon the earth, there dwelt in the north the tribe of fishermen. Now the best fish were to be found in the summer season, far up in the frozen places where no one could live in the winter at all. For the king of this land of ice was a fierce old man called Khabibnoka by the Indians, meaning in our language the north wind. Though the land of ice stretched across the top of the world for thousands and thousands of miles, Khabibnoka was not satisfied. If he could have had his way, there would have been no grass or green trees anywhere. All the world would have been white from one year's end to another, all the rivers frozen tight, and all the country covered with snow and ice. Luckily there was a limit to his power. Strong and fierce as he was, he was no match at all for Shawandasi, the south wind, whose home was in the pleasant land of the sunflower. Where Shawandasi dwelt it was always summer. When he breathed upon the land, violets appeared in the woods. The wild rose bloomed on the yellow prairie and the cooing dove called musically to its mate. It was he who caused the melons to grow and the purple grapes. It was he whose warm breath ripened the corn in the fields, clothed the forests in green and made all the earth glad and beautiful. Then, as the summer days grew shorter in the north, Shawandasi would climb to the top of a hill, fill his great pipe and sit there, dreaming and smoking. Hour after hour he sat and smoked, and the smoke, rising in the form of a vapor, filled the air with a soft haze until the hills and lakes seemed like the hills and lakes of dreamland. Not a breath of wind, not a cloud in the sky, a great peace and stillness overall. Nowhere else in the world was there anything so wonderful. It was Indian summer. Now it was that the fishermen who set their nets in the north worked hard and fast, knowing the time was at hand when the south wind would fall asleep and fierce old Khabibonoka would swoop down upon them and drive them away. Sure enough, one morning a thin film of ice covered the water where they set their nets, a heavy frost sparkled in the sun on the bark roof of their huts. That was sufficient warning. The ice grew thicker, the snow fell in big feathery flakes. Coyote the prairie wolf trotted by in his shaggy white winter coat. Already they could hear the muttering and moaning in the distance. Khabibonoka is coming, cried the fisherman. Khabibonoka will soon be here. It's time for us to go. But Shingibus the diver only laughed. Shingibus was always laughing. He laughed when he caught a big fish, and he laughed when he caught none at all. Nothing could dampen his spirits. The fishing is still good, he said to his comrades, I can cut a hole in the ice and fish with a line instead of a net. What do I care for old Khabibonoka? They looked at him in amazement. It was true that Shingibus had certain magic powers and could change himself into a duck. They had seen him do it, and that is why he came to be called the diver. But how would this enable him to grave the anger of the terrible north wind? You had better come with us, they said. Khabibonoka is much stronger than you, the biggest trees of the forest, than before his wrath, the swiftest river that runs freezes at his touch. Unless you can turn yourself into a bear or a fish, you have no chance at all. But Shingibus only laughed the louder. My fur coat lent me by brother Beaver and my mittens borrowed from cousin Muskrat will protect me in the daytime, he said.  Let Khabibonoka come in by my fire, if he dares. So the fishermen took their leave rather sadly, for the laughing Shingibus was a favourite with them and the truth is they never expected to see him again. When they were gone, Shingibus set about his work in his own way. First he made sure he had plenty of dry bark and twigs and pine needles to make the fire blaze up when he returned to his wigwam in the evening. The snow by that time was pretty deep, but it froze so hard on top that the sun did not melt it and he could walk on the surface without sinking in at all. As for fish, he knew well how to catch them through the holes he made in the ice. And at night he would go tramping home, trailing a long string of them behind him and singing a song he had made up himself. Khabibonoka, ancient man, come and scare me if you can, big and blustery though you be, you are mortal, just like me. It was thus that Khabibonoka found him, plodding along late one afternoon across the snow. Oooo! Oooo! cried the north wind. What impudent two-legged creature is this who dares to linger here so long after the wild goose and heron have winged their way to the south? We shall see who is master of the land of ice. This very night I will force my way into his wigwam, put his fire out and scatter all the ashes around. Oooo! Oooo! Night came.  Each backlog was so big it would last for a moon. That was the way the Indians, who had no clicks or watches, counted time instead of weeks or months, they would say a moon, the length of time from one new moon to another. Shingibis had been cooking a fish, a fine fresh fish caught that very day. Broiled over the coals, it was a tender and savoury dish, and Shingibis smacked his lips and rubbed his hands with pleasure. He had tramped many miles that day, so it was a pleasant thing to sit here by the roaring fire and toast his shins. Oh, foolish he thought his comrades had been to leave a place where fish was so plentiful so early in the winter. They think that Khabibonoka is a kind of magician, he was saying to himself, and that no one can resist him. It's my own opinion that he's just a man, just like myself. It's true I can't stand the cold as he does, but then neither can he stand the heat as I do. This thought amused him so much that he began to laugh and sing, Khabibonoka, frosty man, try to freeze me if you can, though you blow until you tire, I am safe beside my fire. He was in such a high good humour that he scarcely noticed a sudden uproar that began without. The snow came thick and fast. As it fell it was caught up again like so much powder and blown against the wigwam where it lay in huge drifts. But instead of making it colder inside, it was really like a thick blanket that kept the air out. Khabibonoka soon discovered his mistake and it made him furious. Down the smoke vent he shouted and his voice was so wild and terrible it might have frightened an ordinary man, but Shingibis only laughed. He was so quiet in the great silent country that he rather enjoyed a little noise. Ho-ho! he shouted back. How are you, Khabibonoka? If you are not careful you will burst your cheeks. Then the wigwam shook with the force of the blast and the curtain of buffalo-hide that formed the doorway flapped and rattled and rattled and flapped. Come on in, Khabibonoka, called Shingibis merrily. Come on in and warm yourself. It must be bitter cold outside. At these jeering words Khabibonoka hurled himself against the curtain, breaking one of the buckskin thongs and made his way inside. It was an icy breath. So icy that it filled the hot wigwam like a fog. Shingibis pretended not to notice. Still singing he rose to his feet and threw on another log.  From the corner of his eye he watched Khabibonoka and what he saw made him laugh again. The perspiration was pouring from his forehead. The snow and icicles in his flowing hair quickly disappeared. Just as a snowman made by children melts in the warm sun of March so the fierce old north wind began to thaw. There could be no doubt of it. Khabibonoka, the terrible, was melting. His nose and ears became smaller. His body began to shrink and made where he was much longer. The king of the land of ice would be nothing better than a puddle. Come on up to the fire, said Shingibis cruelly. You must be chilled to the bone. Come up closer and warm your hands and feet. But the north wind had fled even faster than he came through the doorway. Once outside the cold air revived him and all his anger returned as he had not been able to freeze Shingibis he spent his rage on everything in his path. Under his tread the snow took on a crust. The brittle branches of the trees slapped as he blew and snorted. The prowling fox hurried to his hole and the wandering coyote sought the first shelter at hand. Once more he made his way to the wink-wam of Shingibis and shouted down the flu, Come out, he called. Come out if you dare and wrestle with me here in the snow. We shall see whose master then. Shingibis thought it over. The fire must have weakened him, he said to himself, and my own body is warm. I believe I can overpower him. Then he will not annoy me any more and I can stay here as long as I please. Out of the wink-wam he rushed to bebenoka came to meet him. Then a great struggle took place. Over and over the hard snow they rolled locked in each other's arms. All night long they wrestled and the foxes crept out of their holes sitting at a safe distance in a circle watching the wrestlers. The effort put forth kept the blood warm in the body of Shingibis. He could feel the north wind growing weaker and weaker. His icy breath was no longer a blast but only a feeble sigh. At last, as the sun rose in the east the wrestlers stood apart, panting. Kibbenoka was conquered. With the despairing wail he turned and sped away far, far to the north he sped even to the land of the white rabbit. And as he went the laughter of Shingibis rang out and followed him. Cheerfulness and courage can overcome even the north wind. And so ends Shingibis fools the north wind. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information and to find out how you can volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. Recorded by Chip in Tampa, Florida on January 14, 2006. American Indian fairytales collected by Henry R. Schoolcraft and retold by W. T. Larnit. The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds Iago the storyteller was seated one evening in his favorite corner gazing into the embers of the log fire like one in a dream. At such a time the children knew better than to interrupt him by asking questions or teasing him for a story. They knew that Iago was turning over in his mind the strange things he had heard and the wonderful things he had seen that the burning logs and red coals took on curious shapes and made odd pictures that only he could understand and that if they did not disturb him he would presently begin to speak. On this particular evening however though they waited patiently and talked to one another only in low whispers Iago kept on sitting there as if he were made of stone. They began to fear that he had forgotten them and that bedtime would come without a story so at last Little Morning Glory who was always asking questions thought of one she had never asked before. Iago, she said, and then she stopped fearing to offend him. At the sound of her voice the old man roused himself as if his mind had been away on a long journey into the past. What is it, Morning Glory? Iago, can you tell me were the mountains always here? The old man looked at her gravely no matter how hard the question was or how unexpected Iago was always glad to answer. He never said, I'm too busy, don't bother me or wait till some other time so when Morning Glory asked him this very peculiar question he nodded his wise old head saying do you know I've often asked myself that very thing were the mountains always here? He paused and looked once more into the fire as if the answer was to be found there if only he looked long enough. At last he spoke again. Yes, I think it must be true that the mountains were always here the mountains and the hills they were made when the world was made a long, long time ago and the story of how the world was made you have heard before but there is one high hill that was not always there a hill that grew like magic all of a sudden did I ever tell you the story of the big rock how it rose and rose and carried the little boy and girl up among the clouds? No, no shouted the children in chorus you never told us that one tell it to us now and this is the story of the magical big rock as old Iagu heard it from his grandfather who heard it from his great-grandfather who was almost old enough to have been there himself when it happened in the days when all animals and men lived on friendly terms when coyote the prairie wolf was not a bad sort of fellow when you came to know him even the mountain lion would growle pleasantly and pass you the time of day there lived in a beautiful valley a little boy and girl this valley was a lovely place to live in never was such a playground anywhere on earth it was like a great green carpet stretching up for miles and miles and when the wind blew upon the long grass like looking at waves of the sea flowers of all colors bloomed in the beautiful valley berries grew thick on the bushes and birds filled the summer air with their songs best of all there was nothing what ever to fear the children could wander at will watching the gay butterflies making friends with the squirrels and rabbits or following the flight of the bee to some tree where his honey is stored as with the wild animals it was all very different from what it is today when they keep the poor things in cages or coop them up in a little patch of ground behind a high fence in the beautiful valley the animals ran free and happy as they were meant to do the bear was a big lazy good natured fellow who lived on berries and wild honey in the summer and in winter crept into his cabin in the rocks and slept there till spring the deer were not only gentle but tame as sheep and often came to crop the tender grass that grew where the two children were accustomed to play they loved all the animals and the animals loved them but perhaps their special favorites were Jackrabbit and Antelope Jackrabbit had long legs and long ears almost as long as a mule and no animal of his size could jump so high but of course he could not jump as high as Antelope the name of a beautiful little deer with short horns and slender legs who could run like the wind another thing that made the happy valley such a pleasant place to live was the river that flowed through it all the animals came from miles around to drink from its clear cool waters and to bathe in it till a hot summer day one shallow pool seemed made especially for the little boy and girl their friend the beaver with his flat tail like an oar and his feet webbed like a ducks and taught them to swim almost as soon as they had learned to walk and to splash around in the pool on a warm afternoon was among their greatest pleasures one day in mid-summer the water was so pleasant that they remained in the pool much longer than usual so that when at last they came out they were quite tired and as they were a little chilled besides they looked around for a good place where they could get dry and warm let's climb up on that big flat rock with the moss on it said the little boy we've never done it before it would be lots of fun so he clambered up the side of the rock which was only a few feet high and drew his sister up after him then they lay down to rest and pretty soon without intending it at all as to sleep nobody knows how it happened that exactly at this time the rock began to rise and grow but it did happen because there it is today high and bare and steep higher than the other hills in the valley as the children slept it rose and rose inch by inch foot by foot by the next day it was taller than the tallest trees meanwhile their father and mother were searching for them everywhere but all in vain nor was any trace of them to be found no one had seen them climb up on the rock and everyone concerned was much too excited to notice what had really happened to it the parents wandered far and wide saying Antelope have you seen our little boy and girl Jack rabbit you must have seen our little boy and girl but none of the animals had seen them at last they met Coyote the cleverest of them all trotting along the valley with his nose in the air so they put the same question to him no said Coyote I have not seen them for a long time but my nose was given me to smell with and my brains were given me to think with so who can tell but that I may help you he trotted by their side along the banks of the river and pretty soon came to the pool where the children had been swimming Coyote sniffed and sniffed he ran around and around with his nose to the ground and then he ran right up to the rock put his fore paws up as high as he could reach and sniffed again hmm he grunted I cannot fly like the eagle and I cannot swim like the beaver but neither am I stupid like the bear nor ignorant like the Jack rabbit my nose has never deceived me yet your little boy and girl must be up there on that rock but how could they get there asked the astonished parents for the rock was now so high that the top was lost to sight in the clouds that is not the question said Coyote severely unwilling to admit there was anything he did not know that is not the question at all anyone could ask that the only question worth asking is how are we to get them down again so they called all the animals together to talk it over and see what could be done then the bear said if I could only put my arms around the rock I could climb it but it is much too big for that and the fox said if it were only a deep hole instead of a high hill I would be able to help you and the beaver said if it were just a place out in the water I could swim to I'd show you very quickly but as this kind of talk did not take them very far they decided to try what jumping would do there seemed to be no other way and as each one was anxious to do his part the smallest one was permitted to take the first attempt so the mouse made a funny little hop about as high as your hand the squirrel went a little higher the jackrabbit made the highest jump of his life and almost broke his back to no purpose Antelope gave a great bound in the air but managed to light on his feet again without doing himself any harm and finally the mountain lion went a long way off to get a good start ran toward the rock with great leap sprang straight up and fell and rolled over on his back he had made a higher jump than any of them but it was not nearly high enough no one knew what to do next it seemed as if the little boy and girl must be left sleeping on forever up among the clouds suddenly they heard a tiny voice saying perhaps if you let me try I might climb up the rock they looked around in surprise wondering who it was that spoke and at first they could see nobody and thought that Coyote must be playing a trick on them but Coyote was as much surprised as anyone wait a minute I'm coming as fast as I can said the tiny voice again then a measuring worm crawled out of the grass a funny little worm that made its way along by hunching up its back and drawing itself ahead an inch at a time Ho Ho said the mountain lion from deep down in his throat he always spoke that way when his dignity was offended Ho Ho did you ever hear such impudence if I a lion have failed how can a miserable little crawling worm like you hope to succeed just tell me that it's downright silly said Jack Rabbit that's what it is I never heard of such conceit however after much talk they agreed at last that it could do no harm to let him try so the measuring worm made his way slowly to the rock and he began to climb in a few minutes he was higher than Jack Rabbit had jumped soon he was farther up than the lion had been able to leap before long he had climbed out of sight it took the measuring worm a whole month climbing day and night to reach the top of the magic rock when he got there he awakened the little boy and girl who were much surprised to see where they were and guided them safely down along a path no one else knew anything about thus by patience and perseverance the weak little creature was able to do something that the bear for all his size and the lion for all his strength could never have done it all that was a long time ago today there are no more lions or bears in the valley and no one ever thinks of them but everybody thinks of the measuring worm because the big rock is still there and the Indians have named it after him to Tokenula they call it a big name indeed for a little fellow yet by no means too big when you come to think of the big brave thing that he did so ends the little boy and girl in the clouds this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information and to find out how you can volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recorded by Chip in Tampa, Florida on January 16th, 2006 American Indian fairy tales collected by Henry R. Schoolcraft and retold by W. T. Varnit The Child of the Evening Star Once upon a time on the shores of the Great Lake Gichigumi there lived a hunter who had ten beautiful young daughters their hair was dark and glossy as the wings of a blackbird and when they walked or ran it was with the grace and freedom of the deer in the forest thus it was that many suitors came to court them brave and handsome young men straight as arrows, fleet of foot who could travel from sun to sun without fatigue they were sons of the prairie wonderful horsemen who could ride at breakneck speed without saddle or stirrup they could catch a wild horse with a noose tame him in a magical way by breathing into his nostrils then mount him and gallop off as if he had always been ridden there were those also who came from afar in canoes across the waters of the Great Lake those which shot swiftly along urged by the strong silent sweep of the paddle all of them brought presents with which they hoped to gain the father's favour feathers from the wings of the eagle who soars high up near the sun furs of the fox and beaver and the thick curly hair of the bison beads of many colours and wampum the shells which the Indians used for money the quills of the porcupine and the claws of the grizzly bear deerskin dressed to such a softness that it crumpled up in the hands those and many other things they brought one by one the daughters were wooed and married until nine of them had chosen husbands one by one other tents were reared so that instead of the single family lodge on the shores of the lake there were tents enough to form a little village for the country was a rich one and there was game and fish for all there remained the youngest daughter Owini the fairest of them all gentle as she was proud none was so kind apart unlike her proud and talkative elder sisters Owini was shy and modest and spoke but little loved to wander alone in the woods with no company but the birds and squirrels and her own thoughts what these thoughts were we can only guess from her dreamy eyes and her sweet expression one could but suppose nothing selfish or mean or hateful ever came into her mind yet Owini modest though she was had a spirit of her own more than one suitor had found this out more than one conceited young man confident that he could win her went away crestfallen when Owini began to laugh at them the truth is Owini seemed hard to please suitor after suitor came handsome tall young man the handsomest and the bravest in all the country round yet this fawn-eyed maiden would have none of them one was too tall another too short one too thin another too fat at least that was the excuse she gave for sending them away her proud sisters had little patience with her it seemed to be a questioning of their own taste for Owini had she said the word might have gained a husband more attractive than any of theirs yet no one was good enough they could not understand her so they ended by despising her as a silly and unreasonable girl the father too who loved her dearly and wished her to be happy was much puzzled tell me my daughter he said to her one day is it your wish never to marry the handsomest young men in the land have sought you in marriage and you have sent them all away often with a poor excuse why is it? Owini looked at him with her large dark eyes father she said at last it is not that I am willful but it seems somehow as if I had the power to look into the hearts of men it is the heart of a man and not his face that really matters and I have not yet found one youth who in this sense is really beautiful soon afterward a strange thing happened she came into the little village an Indian named Oseo many years older than Owini he was poor and ugly too yet Owini married him how the tongues of her nine proud sisters did wag had the spoiled little thing lost her mind they asked oh well they had always knew she would come to a bad end but it was pretty hard on the family of course they could not know what Owini had seen at once that Oseo had a generous nature and a heart of gold that beneath his outward ugliness was the beauty of a noble mind and the fire and passion of a poet that is why Owini loved him knowing too that he needed her care she loved him all the more though Owini did not expect it Oseo was really a beautiful youth upon whom an evil spell had been cast he was in truth the son of the king of the evening star that evening star which shines so gloriously in the western sky just about the rim of the earth as the sun is setting often on a clear evening it hung suspended in the purple twilight like some glittering jewel so close it seemed and so friendly that the little children would reach out their hands thinking that they might grasp it ere it was swallowed by the night and keep it always with their own but the older ones would say surely it must be a bead on the garments of the great spirit as he walks in the evening through the garden of the heavens little did they know that the poor despised Oseo had really descended from that star and when he too stretched out his hands toward it and murmured words they could not understand they all made sport of him there came a time when a great feast was prepared in a neighbouring village and all of Owini's kinfolk were invited to attend they all set out on foot the nine proud sisters with their husbands walking ahead much pleased with themselves and their finery and all chattering like magpies but Owini walked behind in silence and with her walked Oseo the sun had set in the purple twilight over the edge of the earth sparkled the evening star Oseo pausing stretched out his hands toward it as if imploring pity but when the others saw him in this attitude they all made merry laughing and joking and making unkind remarks instead of looking up in the sky said one of the sisters he had better be looking on the ground else he may stumble and break his neck then calling back to him she cried look out here's a big log do you think you can manage to climb over it? Oseo made no answer but when he came to the log he paused again it was the trunk of a huge oak tree blown down by the wind there it had lain for years just as it fell and the leaves of many summers lay thick upon it there was one thing though the sisters had not noticed the tree trunk was not a solid one but hollow and so big a round that a man could walk inside it from one end to the other without stooping but Oseo did not pause because he was unable to climb over it there was something mysterious and magical in the appearance of that great hollow trunk and he gazed at it a long time as if he had seen it in a dream and had been looking for it ever since what is it Oseo? asked Owini touching him on the arm do you see something that I cannot see? but Oseo only gave a shout that echoed through the forest and leaped inside the log then as Owini a little alarmed stood there waiting the figure of a man came out the other end could this be Oseo? yes it was he but how transformed no longer bent and ugly no longer weak and ailing but a beautiful youth vigorous and straight and tall his enchantment was at an end but the evil spell had not been wholly lifted after all as Oseo approached he saw that a great change was taking place in his loved one her glossy black hair was turning white deep wrinkles lined her face and she walked with a feeble step leaning on the staff though he had regained his youth and beauty she in turn had suddenly grown old oh my dearest one he cried the evening stars mocked me in letting this misfortune come upon you better far that I had remained as I was gladly would I have borne the insults and laughter of your people rather than you should be made to suffer as long as you love me answered Owini I am perfectly content if I had the choice to make and only one of us could be young and fair it is you that I would wish to be beautiful then he took her in his arms and caressed her vowing that he loved her more than ever for the goodness of her heart and together they walked hand in hand as lovers do when the proud sisters saw what had happened they could scarcely believe their eyes they looked enriously at Oseo who was now far handsomer than any one of their husbands and much their superior in every way in his eyes was the wonderful light of the evening star and when he spoke all men turned to listen and admire him but the hard-hearted sisters had no pity for Owini instead it rather pleased them to see that she could no longer dim their beauty and to realize that people would no longer be singing her praises in their jealous ears the feast was spread and all made merry but Oseo he sat like one in a dream neither eating nor drinking from time to time he would press Owini's hand and speak a word of comfort in her ear but for the most part he sat there gazing through the door of the tent at the star besprinkled sky soon a silence fell on all the company from out of the night from the dark mysterious forest came the sound of music a low sweet music that was like yet unlike the song sung by the thrush in the summer twilight it was magical music such as none had ever heard coming as it seemed from a great distance and rising and falling on the quiet summer evening all those at the feast wondered as they listened and well they might for what to them was only music was to Oseo a voice that he understood a voice from the sky itself the voice of the evening star these are the words he heard suffer no more my son for the evil spell is broken and hereafter no magician shall work you harm suffer no more for the time has come when you shall leave the earth and dwell here with me in the heavens before you is a dish upon which my light has fallen blessing it and giving it a magic virtue eat of this dish Oseo and all will be well so Oseo tasted the food before him and behold the tent began to tremble and rose slowly into the air up up above the treetops up toward the stars as it rose the things within it were wondrously changed the kettles of clay became bowls of silver the wooden dishes were scarlet shells while the bark of the roof and the poles supporting it were transformed into some glittering substance that sparkled in the rays of the stars higher and higher it rose then the nine proud sisters and their husbands were all changed into birds the men became robins, thrushes, and woodpeckers the sisters were changed into various birds with bright plumage the four who had chattered most whose tongues were always wagging now appeared in the feathers of the magpie and the bluejay Oseo sat gazing at Owini would she too change into a bird and be lost to him the very thought of it made him bow his head with grief then as he looked at her once more he saw her beauty suddenly restored while the color of her garments was the color only to be found where the dyes of the rainbow were made again the tent swayed and trembled as the currents of the air bore it higher and higher into and above the clouds up, up, up till at last it settled gently on the land of the evening star Oseo and Owini caught all the birds and put them in a great silver cage where they seemed quite content in each other's company scarcely was this done when Oseo's father the king of the evening star came to greet them he was attired in a flowing robe spun from stardust and his long white hair hung like a cloud upon his shoulders welcome, he said, my dear children welcome to the kingdom in the sky that has always awaited you the trials you have passed through have been bitter but you have borne them bravely now you will be rewarded for all your courage and devotion here you will live happily yet one thing you must beware he pointed to a little star in the distance a little winking star hidden from time to time by a cloud of vapor on that star he continued lives a magician named Wabeno he has the power to dart his rays like so many arrows at those he wishes to injure he has always been my enemy it was he who changed Oseo into an old man and cast him down upon the earth have a care that his light does not fall upon you luckily his power for evil has been greatly weakened for the friendly clouds have come to my assistance to form a screen of vapor through which his arrows cannot penetrate the happy pair fell upon their knees and kissed his hands in gratitude but these birds said Oseo rising and pointing to the cage is this also the work of Wabeno the magician no answered the king of the evening star it was my own power the power of love that caused your tent to rise and bear you hither it was likewise my power that the envious sisters and their husbands were transformed into birds because they hated you and mocked you and were cruel and scornful to the weak and old I have done this thing it is not so great a punishment as they deserve here in their silver cage they will be happy enough proud of their handsome plumage strutting and twittering to their hearts content hang the cage there at the doorway of my dwelling they shall be well cared for thus it was that Oseo and Owini came to live in the kingdom of the evening star and as the years passed by the little winking star where Wabeno the magician lived grew pale and paler and dim and dimmer till he quite lost its power to harm meanwhile a little son had come to make their happiness more perfect a charming boy with the dark dreamy eyes of his mother and the strength and courage of Oseo it was a wonderful place for a little boy to live close to the stars and the moon with the sky so near that it seemed a kind of curtain for his bed and all the glory of the heavens spread out before him but sometimes he was lonely and wondered what the earth was like the earth his father and mother had come from he could see it far far below so far it looked no bigger than an orange and sometimes he would stretch out his hand toward it just as the little children on earth would stretch out their hands for the moon his father made him a bow with little arrows and this was a great delight to him but still he was lonely and wondered what the little boys and girls on earth were doing and whether they would be nice to play with the earth must be a pretty place he thought with so many people living on it his mother had told him strange stories of that far away land with its lovely lakes and rivers great green forests where the deer and squirrel lived and the yellow rolling prairies swarming with buffalo these birds too in a great silver cage had come from the earth he was told and there were thousands and thousands just like them as well as others even more beautiful that he had never seen at all swans with long curved necks that floated gracefully upon the waters whipper-wills that called at night from the woods the robin-red breast, the dove, and the swallow what wonderful birds they must be sometimes he would sit near the cage trying to understand the language of the feathered creatures inside one day a strange idea came into his head he would open the door of the cage and let them out then they would fly back to earth and perhaps they would take him with them when his mother and father missed him they would be sure to follow him to the earth and then you could not quite see just how it would all end but he found himself quite close to the cage and the first thing he knew he had opened the door and let out all the birds round and round they flew and now he was half sorry and little afraid as well if the birds flew back to earth and left him there what would his grandfather say come back, come back he called but the birds only flew around him in circles and paid no attention to him at any moment they might be winging their way to the earth come back, come back I tell you he cried stamping his foot and waving his little bow come back I say or I'll shoot you then as they would not obey him he fitted an arrow to his bow and let it fly so well did he aim that the arrow sped to the plumage of a bird and the feathers fell all around the bird itself a little stunned but not much hurt fell down and a tiny trickle of blood stained the ground where it lay but it was no longer a bird with an arrow in its wing instead there stood in its place a beautiful young woman now no one who lives in the stars has ever permitted to shed blood whether it be that of man, beast or bird so when the few drops fell upon the evening star everything was changed the boy suddenly found himself sinking slowly downward held up by invisible hands yet sinking closer and closer to the earth soon he would see its green hills and the swans floating on the water till at last he rested on a grassy island in a great lake lying there and looking up at the sky he could see the tent descending too down it softly drifted till in turn it sank upon the island and in it were his father and mother, a seo and a weenie returned to earth to live once more among men and women and teach them how to live where they had learned many things in their life upon the evening star and the children of earth would be better for the knowledge they stood there hand in hand all the enchanted birds came fluttering after falling and fluttering through the air and as each one touched the earth it was no longer a bird they saw but a human being a human being yet not quite as before for they were only dwarfs, little people or pygmies pakwajis as the Indians called them happy little people they became seen only by a few fishermen they say would sometimes get a glimpse of them dancing in the light of the evening star on the summer night on the sandy level beach of the great lake so ends Child of the Evening Star this is the Libervox recording all Libervox recordings are in the public domain for more information and to find out how you can volunteer please visit Libervox.org recorded by Chip in Tampa, Florida on January 18th, 2006 American Indian fairy tales collected by Henry R. Schoolcraft and retold by W. T. Larnand the boy who snared the sun a deep crusted snow covered the earth and sparkled in the light of a wintry moon the wind had died away it was very cold then still not a sound came from the forest the only noise that broke the perfect quiet of the night was the cracking of the ice on the big seawater Gichigumi which was now frozen solid but inside old Iagoo's teepee it was warm and cheerful the teepee as the Indians call a tent was covered with the thick tough skin of the buffalo the winter coat of Mukwa the bear had now become a pleasant soft rug for Iagoo's two young visitors Morning Glory and her little brother Eagle Feather squatting at their eaves on the warm fur they waited for the old man to speak suddenly a white-footed mouse crept from his nest in a corner and advancing close to the children sat up on his hind legs like a dog that begs for a biscuit Eagle Feather raised his hand in a threatening way but Morning Glory caught him by the arm no, no she said you must not harm him see how friendly he is and not a bit afraid there is game enough in the forest where a brave boy's bow and arrow why should he spend his strength on a weak little mouse Eagle Feather pleased with anything that seemed like praise of his strength let his hand fall your words are true words Morning Glory he answered against Akmeek the beaver or Wabisi the wild swan it is better that I should measure my hunter's skill at this Iagoo turning around broke the long silence there was a time he said mysteriously when a thousand boys such as Eagle Feather would have been no match at all for that mouse as he used to be when was that asked Eagle Feather looking uneasily at his sister in the days of the great door mouse answered Iagoo in the days long ago where there were many more animals than men on the earth and the biggest of all the beasts was the door mouse then something strange happened something that never happened before or since shall I tell you about it oh please do beg Morning Glory the story I am going to tell you began Iagoo is not so much a story about the door mouse as it is a story about a little boy and his sister yet had it not been for the door mouse I would not be here to tell about it and you would not be here to listen to begin with you must understand that the world in those days was a different sort of place from what it is now oh yes a different sort of place people did not eat the flesh of animals they lived on berries and roots and wild vegetables the great spirit who made all things on land and in the sky and water had not yet given men Mondamin the Indian corn there was no fire to give them heat or to cook with in all the world there was just one small fire watched by two old witches who never let anybody come near it and until coyote the prairie wolf came along and stole some of this fire the food that people could manage to get was eaten raw and the way it grew they must have been pretty hungry said morning glory oh yes they were hungry a great Iagoo but that was not all there were so many animals and so few men that the animals ruled the earth in their own way the biggest of them all was Bosch Quadosh the mastodon he was higher than the highest trees and he had an enormous appetite but he did not stay long on earth or there would not have been food enough even for the other animals I thought you said the door mouse was the biggest interrupted eagle feather Iagoo looked at him severely at the time I speak of he continued Bosch Quadosh the mastodon had just gone away he had not gone a bit too soon either therefore by this time the only people left on the whole earth were a young girl and her little brother like eagle feather in me asked morning glory the girl was much like you said Iagoo patiently but the boy was a dwarf who never grew to be more than three feet high being so much stronger and larger than her brother she gathered all the food for both and cared for him in every way sometimes she would take him along with her when she went to look for berries and roots he's such a little boy she said to herself that if I leave him all alone some big bird may swoop down and carry him off to its nest she did not know what a strange boy he was and how much mischief he could do when he set his mind upon it one day she said to him look little brother I have made you a bow and some arrows it's time you learn to take care of yourself so when I am gone practice shooting for this is the thing you must know how to do winter was coming and to keep himself from freezing the boy had nothing better than a light garment woven by his sister from the wild grasses how could he get a warm coat as he asked himself that question a flock of snowbirds flew down nearby and began pecking at the fallen logs to get the worms ha! said he their feathers would make me a fine coat bending his bow he let an arrow fly but as he had not yet learned how to shoot straight it went wide of the mark he shot a second and a third then the birds took flight and flew away each day he tried again shooting at a tree where there was nothing better to aim at at last he killed a snowbird then another and another when he had shot ten birds he had enough see sister he said I shall not freeze now you can make me a coat from the skins of these little birds so his sister sewed the skins together and made him the coat the first warm winter coat he had ever had it was fine to look at and the feathers kept out the cold ee-ya! he was proud of it with his bow and arrows he strutted up and down like a little turkey-cock is it true he asked that you and I are the only persons living on earth perhaps if I look around I may find someone else it will do no harm to try his sister feared he would come to some harm but he had made up his mind to see the world for himself and off he went but his legs were short and he was not used to walking far and he soon grew tired when he came to a bare place on the edge of a hill where the sun had melted the snow he lay down and soon was vast asleep as he slept the sun played him a trick it was a mild winter's day the bird skins of which the coat were made were still fresh and tender and under the full glare of the sun they began to shrivel and shrink ee-ya! what's wrong he muttered in his sleep feeling the coat become tighter and tighter then he woke stretched out his arms and saw what happened the sun was nearly sinking now the boy stood up and faced it and shook his small fist see what you have done he cried with a stamp of his foot you have spoiled my new bird skin coat never mind you think yourself beyond my reach up there but I'll be revenged on you just wait and see but how could he reach the sun? asked Morning Glory her eyes growing rounder and rounder that is what his sister said when he told her about it and what do you think he did first he did nothing at all but stretch himself out on the ground where he lay for ten days without eating or moving then he turned over on the other side and lay for ten days more at last he rose to his feet I have made up my mind he said sister I have a plan to catch the sun in a noose find me some kind of cord from which I can make a snare she got some tough grass and twisted it into a rope that will not do he said you must find something stronger he no longer talked like a little boy but like one who was to be obeyed then his sister thought of her hair she cut enough from her head to make a cord and when she had plated it he was much pleased and said it would do he took it from her and drew it between his lips and as he did this it turned into a kind of metal and grew much stronger and longer till he had so much that he wound it round his body in the middle of the night he made his way to the hill and there he fixed a noose at the place where the sun would rise he had to wait a long time in the cold and darkness but at last a faint light came into the sky as the sun rose it was caught fast in the noose and there it stayed Iagu stopped talking and sat looking into the fire one might have supposed that when he did this he saw pictures in the flames and in the red coals and that these pictures helped him to tell the story but morning glory was impatient to hear the rest Iagu, she said timidly, did you forget about the door-mouse? Yeah, the door-mouse, no I have not forgotten, answered the old man rousing himself when the sun did not rise as usual the animals could not tell what had happened Ajidamo, the squirrel, chattered and scolded from the branch of a pine tree Kagaji, the raven, flapped his wings and croaked more hoarsely than ever to tell the others that the end of the world had come only Mukwa the bear did not mind he had crept into his cave for the winter and the darker it was the better he liked it Wabon, the east wind, was the one who brought the noose he had drawn from his quiver the silver arrows with which he chased the darkness from the valleys but the sun had not risen to help him and the arrows fell harmless to the earth Wake, wake, he wailed someone has caught the sun in a snare which of the animals will dare to cut the cord but even Coyote, the prairie wolf, who was the wisest of them all could think of no way to free the sun so great was the heat thrown out by its rays that he could not come within an arrow's flight of where it was caught fast in the magical noose of air leave it to me screamed Ken Yu the war eagle from his nest on the cliff it is I alone who soared to the sky and looked the sun in the face without winking leave it to me down he darted through the darkness and up he flew again with his eagle feathers singed then they woke the door mouse they had a very hard time doing it because when he once went to sleep he stayed asleep for six months and it was almost impossible to arouse him Coyote crept close to his ear and howled with all his might it would have split the eardrum of almost any other animal but Cougabine Guacou the door mouse only groaned and turned over on his other side and Coyote had a narrow escape from being mashed flat like a corn cake there is only one thing that will wake him said Coyote getting up and shaking himself I will run to the mountain cave of Animiki the thunder his voice is even more terrible than mine so off he went to the gallop soon they could hear Animiki coming boom boom when he shouted in the ear of the door mouse the biggest beast on earth rose slowly to his feet in the darkness he looked bigger than ever almost as big as a mountain Animiki the thunder shouted once more to make sure that the door mouse was really wide awake and would not go to sleep again now said Coyote to the door mouse it is you that will have to free the sun if he burned one of us there would be little left but bones but you are so big that if part of you is burned there will still be enough then in that case you would not have to eat so much or work so hard to get it the door mouse was a stupid animal and Coyote's talk seemed true talk besides he was the biggest animal he was expected to do the biggest things so he made his way to the hill where the little boy had snared the sun and began to nibble at the noose as he nibbled away his back got hotter and hotter soon began to burn till all the upper part of him had burned away and become great heaps of ashes at last when he had cut through the cord with his teeth and set the sun free all that was left of him was an animal no larger than an ordinary mouse what he became then so he is today still he is big enough for a mouse and perhaps that is what Coyote really meant Coyote the prairie wolf is a cunning beast up to many tricks and it is not always easy to tell exactly what he means so ends the boy who snared the sun this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information and to find out how you can volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recorded by Chip in Tampa, Florida on January 20th, 2006 American Indian fairy tales collected by Henry R. Schoolcraft and retold by W. T. Larnand How the summer came morning glory was tired of the winter and longed for the spring to come sometimes it seemed as if Khabibnoka the fierce old north wind would never go back to his home in the land of ice with his cold breath he had frozen tight and hard the big sea water gitchy-goomy and had covered it deep with snow till you could not tell the great lake from the land except for the beautiful green pines all the world was white a dazzling silent world in which there was no musical murmur of water and no song of birds Willow peachy the robin ever come again side morning glory suppose there was no summer anywhere no shawandasi the south wind to bring the violet and the dove oh Iyagu would it not be dreadful be patient morning glory answered the old man soon you will hear Wawa the wild goose flying high up on his way to the north I have lived many moons sometimes he seems long in coming but he always comes when you hear him call then oh peachy the robin will not be far behind I will try to be patient said morning glory but Khabibnoka the north wind is so strong and fierce I can't help wondering if there was a time when his power was so great that he made his home here always it makes me shiver to think of it Iyagu rose from his place by the fire and drew to one side a curtain of buffalo hide that screened the doorway he pointed to the sky clear and sparkling with stars look he said there in the north see that little cluster of stars do you know the name we give it I know said eagle feather it is ojig anong the fisher stars if you look just right you can see how they make the body of the fisher he stretched out flat with an arrow through his tail sister the fisher repeated morning glory you mean the furry little animal something like a fox is martin another name for it that's it said eagle feather yes I see not in morning glory but why is the fisher spread out flat that way in the sky with an arrow sticking through his tail I don't know just exactly why admitted eagle feather I suppose some hunter was chasing him perhaps Iyagu can tell us Iyagu closed the curtain and went back to the fire you thought there might have been a time when there was no summer on earth he said to morning glory and you were right until ojig the fisher found a way to bring the summer down from the sky the earth was everywhere covered with snow and it was always cold if ojig had not been willing to give his life so that all the rest of us could be warm the north wind would have ruled the world as he now rules the land of ice then morning glory and eagle feather sat down on the soft rug that was once the winter coat of mukwa the bear and Iyagu told them the story of how the summer came in the wild forest that borders the great lake there once lived a mighty hunter named ojig no one knew the woods as well as he where others would be lost without a trail to guide them he found his way easily and quickly by day or by night through the trackless tangle of trees and underbrush where the red deer fled he followed the bear could not escape his swift pursuit he had the cunning of the fox, the endurance of the wolf the speed of the wild turkey when it runs at the scent of danger when ojig shot an arrow it always hit the mark when he set out on a journey no storm or snow could turn him back he did everything he said he would do and he did it well thus it was that some men came to believe that ojig was a manitou the Indian name for one who has magic powers this much was certain whenever ojig wished to do so he could change himself into a little animal known as the Fisher or Martin perhaps that is why he was on such friendly terms with some of the animals who were always willing to help him when he called upon them among these were the otter, the beaver, the lynx, the badger and the wolverine there came a time as we shall see when he needed their services badly and they were not slow in coming to his assistance ojig had a wife whom he dearly loved and the son of thirteen years who promised to be as great a hunter as his father already he had shown great skill with the bow and arrow if some accident should prevent ojig from supplying the family with the game upon which they lived his son felt sure he himself could shoot as many squirrels and turkeys as they needed to keep them from starving with ojig to bring them venison, bears meat and wild turkey they had thus far plenty to eat had it not been for the cold the boy would have been happy enough they had warm clothing made from deerskin and furs to keep the fire burning they had all the wood in the forest yet in spite of this the cold was a great trial for it was always winter and the deep snow never melted some wise old men had somewhere heard that the sky was not only the roof of our own world but also was the floor of a beautiful world beyond a land where birds with bright feathers sang sweetly through a pleasant warm season called summer it was a pretty story that people wished to believe and likely enough they said when you came to think that the sun was so far away from the earth and so close to the sky itself the boy used to dream about it and wonder what could be done his father could do anything some men said he was a money to perhaps he could find some way to bring summer to the earth that would be the greatest thing of all sometimes it was so cold that when the boy went into the woods his fingers would be frostbitten then he could not fit the notch of his arrow to the bow string and he was obliged to go back home without any game whatever one day he had wandered far into the forest and was returning empty handed when he saw a red squirrel seated on his hind legs on the stump of a tree the squirrel was gnawing a pine cone and did not try to run away when the young hunter came near then the little animal spoke my grandson said he there is something I wish to tell you that you will be pleased to hear put away your arrows and do not try to shoot me and I shall give you some good advice the boy was surprised but he unstrung his bow and put the arrow in his quiver now said the squirrel listen carefully to what I have to say the earth is always covered with snow and the frost bites your fingers and makes you unhappy I dislike the cold as much as you do to tell the truth there is little enough for me to eat in these woods with the ground frozen hard all the time you can see how thin I am for there is not much fat in a pine cone if someone could manage to bring the summer down from the sky it would be a great blessing it really is true then said the boy that up beyond the sky there is a pleasant warm land where winter only stays a few moons yes it is true said the squirrel we animals have known it for a long time can you the war eagle who soars near the sun once saw a small crack in the sky the crack was made by we wasimo the lightning a great storm that covered all the earth with water can you the war eagle felt the warm air leaking through but the people who live up above mended the crack at that very moment and the sky has never leaked again then our old wise men were right said the boy oh jeeg my father can do most anything he's a mind to do you suppose if he tried hard enough he could get through the sky and bring the summer down to us of course exclaim the squirrel that's why I spoke to you about it your father is a money to if you beg him hard enough and tell him how unhappy we are he is sure to make the attempt when you go back show him your frost bitten fingers tell him how you tramp all day through the snow and how difficult it is to make your way home tell him that someday you may be frozen stiff and never get back at all then he will do as you ask because he loves you very much the boy thanked the squirrel and promised to follow his advice from that day he gave his father no peace at last oh jeeg said to him my son what you ask me to do is a dangerous thing and I do not know what may come of it but my power as a manatee was given to me for a good purpose and I can put it to no better use than to try to bring the summer down from the sky and make the world a more pleasant place to live in then he prepared a feast to which he invited his friends the otter the beaver the lynx the badger and the wolverine they all put their heads together to decide what was best to be done the lynx was first to speak he had traveled far on his long legs and had seen many strange places besides if you had good strong eyes and you looked at the sky on a clear night when there was no moon you could see a little group of stars which the wise old men said was exactly like a lynx it gave him a certain importance especially in matters of this kind so when he began to speak the others listened with great respect there is a high mountain said he that none of you has ever seen no one ever saw the top because it is always hidden by the clouds I am told it is the highest mountain in the world and it almost touches the sky the otter began to laugh he is the only animal that can do this sometimes he laughs for no particular reason unless it is that he thinks himself more clever than other animals and likes to show off what are you laughing at asked the lynx oh nothing answered the otter I was just laughing it will get you into trouble some day said the lynx just because you never heard of this mountain you think it is not there do you know how to get to it asked Ogig if we could climb to the top we might find a way to break through the sky it seems a good plan that is just what I was thinking said the lynx it is true that I don't know where it is but a moon's journey from here there lives a money to who has the shape of a giant he knows and he could tell us so Ogig bade goodbye to his wife and his little son and on the next day the lynx began the long journey with Ogig and the others following close behind it was just as the lynx had said when they had traveled a day and a night for a moon they came to a lodge as the white men call an indian's tent and there was a manitou standing in the doorway he was a queer looking man such as they had never seen before with an enormous head and three eyes one being set in his forehead above the other two he invited them into the lodge and set some meat before them but he had such an odd look and his movements were so awkward that the otter could not help laughing at this the eye in the manitou's forehead grew red like a live coal and he made a leap for the otter who barely managed to slip through the doorway out into the bitter cold and darkness of the night without having tasted a morsel of supper when the otter had gone the manitou seemed satisfied and told them that they could spend the night in his lodge they did so and Ogig who had stayed awake while his friends slept noticed that only two of the manitou's eyes were closed while the one in his forehead remained wide open in the morning the manitou told Ogig to travel straight toward the north star and that in twenty sons the indian name for days they would reach the mountain as you are a manitou yourself he said you may be able to climb to the top and to take your friends with you but I cannot promise that you will be able to get down again if it is close enough to the sky answered Ogig that is all I ask once more they set out on their way they met the otter who laughed again when he saw them but this time he laughed because he was glad to find them and glad to get some meat that Ogig had saved from the manitou's supper in twenty days they came to the foot of the mountain then up and up they climbed till they passed quite through the clouds up once more till at last they stopped all out of breath and sat down to rest on the highest peak in the world to their great delight the sky seemed so close they could almost touch it Ogig and his comrades filled their pipes but before smoking they called out the great spirit asking for success in their attempt in indian fashion they pointed to the earth to the sky overhead and to the four winds now said Ogig when they had finished smoking which of you can jump the highest the otter grinned jump then commanded Ogig the otter jumped and sure enough his head hit the sky but the sky was the harder of the two and he fell back when he struck the ground he began to slide down the mountain soon he was out of sight and they saw him no more oh grunted the lynx he is laughing out the other side of his mouth it was the beavers turn he too hit the sky but fell down in a heap the badger and the lynx had no better luck and their heads ached for a long time afterwards it all depends on you said Ogig to the wolverine you are the strongest of them all ready now jump the wolverine jumped and fell but came down on his feet sound and whole good cried Ogig try again this time the wolverine made a dent in the sky it's cracking exclaimed Ogig now once more for the third time the wolverine jumped through the sky he went passing out of sight and Ogig quickly followed him looking around them they beheld a beautiful land Ogig who had spent his life among the snows stood like a man who dreams wondering if it could be true he had left behind him a bare world white with winter whose waters were always frozen a world without song or color he had now come into a country that was a great green plain with flowers of many hues where birds of bright plumage sang amid the leafy branches of trees hung with golden fruit streams wandered through the meadows and flowed into lovely lakes the air was mild and filled with the perfume from a million blossoms it was summer along the banks of the lake were the lodges in which lived the people of the sky who could be seen some distance away the lodges were empty but before them hung cages in which there were many beautiful birds already the warm air of summer had begun to rush through the hole made by the wolverine and Ogig now made haste to open the cages so that the birds could follow the sky dwellers saw what was happening and raised a great shout but spring summer and autumn had already escaped through the opening into the world below and many of the birds as well the wolverine too had managed to reach the hole and descend to the earth before the sky dwellers could catch him but Ogig was not so fortunate there were still some birds remaining that he knew his son would like to see so he went on opening the cages by this time the sky dwellers had closed the hole and Ogig was too late as the sky dwellers pursued him he changed himself into the fisher and ran along the plain toward the north at the top of his speed in the form of the fisher he could run faster also when he took this shape no arrow should injure him unless it hit a spot near the tip of his tail but the sky dwellers ran even faster and the fisher climbed a tall tree they were good marksmen and they shot a great many arrows until at last one chance to hit the fatal spot then the fisher knew his time had come now he saw that some of his enemies were marked with the totems or family arms of his own tribe my cousins he called to them I beg of you that you go away and leave me here alone the sky dwellers granted his request when they had gone the fisher came down from the tree and wandered around for a time seeking some opening in the plain through which he might return to the earth but there was no opening so at last week and faint he stretched himself flat on the floor of the sky through which the stars may be seen from the world below I have kept my promise he said with a sigh of content my son will now enjoy the summer and so will all the people who dwell on the earth through the ages to come I shall be set as a sign in the heavens and my name will be spoken with praise I am satisfied so it came that the fisher remained in the sky where you could see him plainly for yourself on a clear night with an arrow through his tail the Indians call them the Fisher Stars O. G. Gannon but to the white man they are known as the constellation of the plow so ends how the summer came recorded by Chip in Tampa Florida on January 20th 2006 American Indian fairy tales collected by Henry R. Schoolcraft and retold by W. T. Larnit Grasshopper there was once a merry young Indian who could jump so high and who played so many pranks that he came to be known as Grasshopper he was a tall handsome fellow always up to mischief of one kind or another and though his tricks were sometimes amusing he carried them much too far and so in time he came to grief Grasshopper owned all the things that an Indian likes most to have in his lodge were all sorts of pipes and weapons ermine and other choice spurs deerskin shirts wrought with porcupine quills many pairs of beaded moccasins and more wampum belts than one person could have honestly come by the truth is Grasshopper did not get these things by his courage and skill as a hunter he got them by shaking pieces of coloured bone and wood in a wooden bowl and throwing them on the ground that is to say Grasshopper was a gambler and such a lucky gambler that he easily won from others in his game of bowl encounters the things that they had obtained by risking their lives in the hunt if people put up with his ways and even laughed at some of his mad pranks it was because he could dance so well never had there been such a dancer when there was a wedding to be celebrated or some feast following a successful hunt then who but Grasshopper could so well supply the entertainment he could dance with the steps so light that it seemed to leave no mark upon the earth he could dance as the Indian dances when he goes to war or when he holds a festival in honour of the corn but the dance in which he excelled was a furious dizzy dance with leaps and bounds that fairly turned the heads of the beholders it was then that Grasshopper became a kind of human whirlwind as he spun round and round his revolving body drew up the dry leaves and the dust till the dancer all but faded from view and you saw instead what looked like a whirling cloud once when the great Manitou named Manaboso took a wife and came to live with the tribe that he might teach them best how to live Grasshopper danced at the wedding the beggar's dance it was called and such a dance on the shores of the big sea water Gichi Gumi are heaps of sand rising into little hills known as dunes had you asked Iagu he would have told you that these dunes were the work of Grasshopper who whirled the sands together and piled them into hills as he spun madly around in his dance at Manaboso's wedding but though Grasshopper came to the wedding and danced this crazy beggar's dance it seems probable that he did it more to please himself than to show his skill than to honor the great Manaboso Grasshopper really had no respect for anybody when Iagu's grandfather was in the middle of some interesting story and had come to the most exciting part Grasshopper likely is not would yawn and stretch himself and say in a loud whisper that he had heard it all before so too with Manaboso this great Manatou who was the son of the west wind Mujikiwis had magic powers which he used for the good of the tribe it was he who fasted and prayed that his people might be given food other than the wild things of the woods and whose prayer was answered with the gift of the Indian corn then when Kagaji king of the ravens flew down with his band of black thieves to tear up the seed in the ground it was Manaboso who snared him and tied him fast to the ridgepole of his lodge to croak out a warning to the others but Manaboso's goodness and wisdom had little effect on Grasshopper phew! he would say why should an Indian bother his head with planting corn when he can draw his bow and kill good fat deer? then he shook his wolfskin pouch and rattled the pieces of bone and wood as long as I have these he said to himself I need nothing more after all it is everybody else that works for the man who knows how to use his head he walked through the village very proud and straight with his fan of turkey feathers a swan's plume fastened in his long black hair and the tails of foxes trailing from his heels in his white deerskin shirt edged with ermine his leggings and moccasins ornamented with beads and porcupine quills he cut a fine figure there was to be a dance that night and Grasshopper who was a great dandy and a favorite with all the young girls and women had decked himself out for the occasion he had painted his face with streaks of blue and vermilion his blue black hair parted in the middle and glistening with oil hung to his shoulders in braids plated with a sweet grass the warriors might call him shagodaya a coward and make jokes at his expense but he did not care could he not beat them all when it came to playing ball or quartz and were not the maidens all in love with his good looks meanwhile Grasshopper wished to pass the time in some pleasant way glancing through the door of a lodge he saw a group of young men seated on the ground listening to one of old Iago's stories ha! he cried have you nothing better to do? here's a game worth playing and he drew from his pouch the thirteen pieces of bone and wood and juggled them from one hand to the other but no one paid any attention to him after all, Grasshopper had more brains in his heels than in his head for once he had been too cunning fearing his skill no one could be found who would play with him phew! muttered Grasshopper as he turned away I see how it is the pious Manaboso has been preaching to them again this village is getting to be pretty tiresome to live in it's about time for me to strike out and find a place where the young men don't sit around and talk to the squaws he walked along, bent on mischief even the dance was forgotten he wondered what he could do to amuse himself as he came to the outskirts of the village he passed the lodge of Manaboso I would like to play him some trick he said under his breath so he will remember me when I am gone but he was well aware that Manaboso was much more powerful than himself so he hesitated not knowing exactly what to do at last he walked softly to the doorway and listened but could hear no sound of voices good he said with a grin perhaps nobody is at home with that he spun around at the outside of the lodge on one leg raising a great cloud of dust no one came out but on the ridge pole of the lodge the captive Kagaji king of the ravens flapped his big black wings and screamed with a horse rasping cry fool cried grasshopper noisy fool with a bound he leaped over the lodge and then back again at which the ravens screamed even more harshly than ever but within the lodge all was silent grasshopper grew bolder going to the doorway again he rattled the flap of buffalo hide nobody answered so cautiously drawing the curtain to one side he ventured to peer in then he chuckled softly the lodge was empty this is my chance he exclaimed Manaboso was away and so is his foolish wife I'll just pay my respects before they come back and then I'll be off for good saying this he went in and began to turn everything upside down he threw all the bowls and kettles in the corner pulled the drinking gourds with ashes from the fire flung the rich furs and embroidered garments this way and that and strewed the floor with wampum, belts and arrows when he finished one might have thought a crazy man had been there no woman in the village was more neat or orderly than the wife of Manaboso and grasshopper knew this would vex her more than anything else he could do now for Manaboso he went in as he left the lodge well pleased with the mischief he had brought Ka! Ka! screamed the king of the ravens Ka! answered grasshopper mocking him a pretty sort of pet you are does Manaboso keep you sitting there because you are so handsome or is it because of your beautiful voice when with that he made a leap to the ridge pole seized the raven by the neck whirled it round and round still it was quite limp and lifeless he ended hanging there as an insult to Manaboso he was now in high good humor and went his way through the forest whistling and singing and turning handsprings to amuse the squirrels there was a high rock overlooking the lake from the top of which one could view the country for miles and miles grasshopper climbed it he could see the village plainly so he thought he would wait there till Manaboso came home that would be part of the joke as he sat there many birds darted round him flying close over his head Manaboso called these fowls of the air his chickens and had put them under his protection but grasshopper had grown reckless along came a flock of mountain chickens and he strung his bow and shot them as they flew for no better reason than because they were Manabosos and not because he needed them for food bird after bird fell pierced by his arrows when they had fallen he would throw their bodies down the cliff upon the beach below at last Kaosch the seagull spied him at his cruel sport and gave the alarm grasshopper is killing us he called fly brothers fly away and tell our protector that grasshopper is slaying us with his arrows when Manaboso heard the news his eyes flashed fire and he spoke in a voice of thunder grasshopper must die for this he cannot escape me though he fly to the ends of the earth I shall follow and visit my vengeance upon him on his feet he bound his magic moccasins with which at each stride he could step a full mile on his hands he drew his magic mittens with which at one blow he could shatter the hardest rock then he started in pursuit grasshopper had heard the warning call of the seagull and knew it was time to be off he too could run so fleet of foot was he that he could shoot an arrow ahead of him and reach the spot where it fell before it dropped to earth also he had the power to change himself into other shapes and it was almost impossible to kill him if for example he entered the body of a beaver and the beaver was slain no sooner had its flesh grown cold than the Gibi or spirit of grasshopper would leave the dead body and grasshopper would become a man again ready for some new adventure but at first he trusted to his legs and to his cunning on rushed manabosal breathing vengeance swiftly like a moving shadow fled grasshopper through the forest and across the fields he fled faster than the hare his pursuer was hot on the trail once he came upon the forest bed where the grass was still warm and bent but the grasshopper who had rested there was far away once manabosal high on the mountain spotted him in the meadow below grasshopper had shown himself on purpose and mocked the great manatou and defied him the truth is grasshopper was just a bit conceited at last he grew tired of running not that his legs ached him or his feet were sore but this kind of life was not much to his liking and he kept his eye open for something new pretty soon he came to a stream where the water was backed up by some kind of dam so that it flooded the banks grasshopper had run about a thousand miles that day counting all the turns and twists he was hot and dusty in the pond with its water lilies and rushes looked cool and refreshing the far away came a faint sound it was the voice of manaboso shouting his war cry tiresome fellow said grasshopper I almost wish I were a beaver and lived there at the bottom of the pond where no one would disturb me then the popped the head of a beaver who looked at him suspiciously don't be alarmed I left my bow and arrows over there in the grass explained grasshopper besides I was just thinking I would like to be a beaver myself say to that I shall have to consult Amik our chief answered the friendly animal down he dived to the bottom and pretty soon Amik's head appeared above the water followed by the heads of twenty others let me be one of you said grasshopper you have a pleasant home down there in the clear cool water and I am tired of the life I lead Amik was pleased that such a strong handsome young Indians should wish to join their company but I can help you he answered only after you have plunged into the pond do you think you can change yourself into one of us that is easy said grasshopper he waded into the water up to his waist and behold he had a broad flat tail deeper and deeper he went as the water closed over his head he became a beaver with glossy black fur and wedged feet like a ducks down he sank with the others to the bottom which was covered with heaps of logs and branches that explained Amik is the food we have stored for the winter we eat the bark and soon you will be as fat as any of us but I want to be even fatter said grasshopper fatter and ten times as big as you please agreed Amik we can help to make you just as big as you wish they reached the lodge where the beavers lived and entered the doorway leading into a number of large rooms grasshopper selected the largest one for himself now he said bring me all the food I can eat and when I am big enough I will be your chief the beavers were willing they set to work getting quantities of the juiciest bark for grasshopper who was delighted with this lazy life and did little more than eat or sleep bigger and bigger he grew till at last he was ten times the size of Amik and could scarcely move around in his lodge he was perfectly happy but one day the beaver who kept watch up above among the rushes of the pond came swimming to the lodge in a state of great excitement the hunters are after us he panted it is indeed Manaboso himself with his hunters they are breaking down our dam even as he spoke the water in the pond sank lower and lower the next moment came the tramping of feet as the hunters leapt upon the roof of the lodge trying to break it open all the beavers but grasshopper scattered out of the lodge and escaped into the stream where they hid themselves in some deep pools or swam far down with the current grasshopper did his best to follow them but he could not the doorway was too small for his big fat body when he attempted to go through it he found himself stuck fast then the roof gave away and the head of an Indian appeared Tayao he called to Tayao see what's here this must be Mishomik the king of the beavers Manaboso came and gave one look it's grasshopper he cried I can see through his tricks it's grasshopper in the skin of the beaver then they fell upon him with their clubs and eight tall Indians having swung his limp carcass upon poles carried it off in triumph through the woods but his jibi or spirit was still in the body of the beaver and struggled to escape the Indians bore him to their lodges and prepared to make a feast then when the squaws were ready to skin him his flesh was quite cold and the spirit of grasshopper left the beaver's body and glided swiftly away as the shadowy shape fled across the prairie into the forest the watchful Manaboso saw it take the human form of grasshopper and he started in pursuit grasshopper's life among the beavers had made him lazier than ever and as he ran he looked around for some easier way than running soon he came upon a herd of elk a species of deer with large spreading horns the elk were feeding contentedly and looked sleek and fat they lead a free and happy life said grasshopper as he watched them why fatigue myself with running I'll change myself into an elk and join their band horns sprouted from his head in a few minutes the transformation was complete still he was not satisfied I am hardly big enough he said to the leader my feet are much too small and my horn should be twice the size of yours is there nothing I could do to make them grow yes answered the leader of the elks but you do it at your own risk he took grasshopper into the woods and showed him a bright red berry that hung in clusters on some small low bushes eat these he said and nothing else and your horns and feet will soon be much bigger than ours however it would be wise if you did not eat too many of them the berries were delicious grasshopper felt that he could not get enough and he ate them greedily whenever he could find them before long his feet had grown so large and heavy he could hardly keep up with the herd while his horns had such a huge spread that he sometimes found them rather in his way one cold day the herd went into the woods for shelter pretty soon some of the elks who had lingered behind came rushing by with snorts of alarm hunters were pursuing them run! called out the leader to grasshopper follow us out onto the prairie where the Indians cannot catch us grasshopper tried to follow them but his big feet waited him down and he ran slowly then as he plunged madly through a thicket his spreading horns were entangled in some low branches that held him fast already several arrows had whizzed by him another pierced his heart and he sank to the ground along came the hunters with a hoop TAYO! they exclaimed when they saw the enormous elk it is he who made the large tracks on the prairie TAYO! as they were skinning him Manaboso joined the party at that moment the G.B. or spirit of grasshopper escaped through the mouth of the dead elk and passed swiftly to the open plains like a puff of white smoke driven before the wind then as Manaboso watched it melt away he saw once more the mortal shape of grasshopper and once more he followed after breathing vengeance as grasshopper ran on a new thought came into his head above him in the clear blue sky the birds wheeled and soared there is the place for me he said far up in the sky let me have wings and I can laugh at Manaboso ahead of him was a lake approaching it he saw a flock of wild geese known as brant feeding among the rushes ha! said grasshopper admiring them as they sailed smoothly here and there they will soon be winging their way to the north I would like to fly in their company he spoke to them calling them pishniku his brothers and they consented to receive him as one of the flock so he floated on his back till feathers sprouted on him and he became a brant with a broad black beak and a tail that would guide him through the air as a rudder steers a ship greedy as ever he fed long after the others had had enough so that he soon grew to be the biggest brant ever seen his beak looked like the paddles of a canoe when he spread his wings they were as large as two large apukwa or mats the wild geese stared at him in astonishment they must fly the lead they said no answered grasshopper I would rather fly behind as you please they told him but you will have to be careful by all means keep your head and neck straight out before you and do not look down as you fly or you may meet with an accident it was a beautiful sight to see them flap their wings stretch their long necks and rise with a whir from the lake mounting the wind and rushing on before it they flew the breeze from the south faster and faster till their speed was like the flight of an arrow one day passing over a village they could hear the people shouting the Indians were amazed at the size of the big brant flying in the rear of the flock yelling as loud as they could yell their cries made grasshopper curious one voice especially seemed familiar to him and he could not resist the temptation to draw in his neck and stretch it down toward the earth as he did so the strong wind caught his tail and turned him over and over in vain he tried to recover his balance the wind whirled him round and round as it whirled relief the earth came nearer and the shouts of the Indians grew louder in his ears at last he fell with a thud and lay lifeless it was a fine feast of wild goose that had dropped so suddenly from the skies the hungry Indians pounced on him and began to pluck his feathers this was the very village where grasshopper had once lived little had he dreamed that he would ever return to supply it with such a dinner a dinner at which he himself was to be the best dish but again his G.B. or spirit went forth and fled in the form of grasshopper again Manaboso shouting his war cry followed after grasshopper had now come to the desert places where there were few trees and no signs of animal life Manaboso was gaining on him and he must play some new trek coming at last to a tall pine tree growing in the rock he climbed it pulled off all the green needles and scattered them about leaving the branches quite bare then he took to his heels again when Manaboso came the pine spoke to him saying see what grasshopper has done without my foliage I am sure to die great monotu I pray you give me back my green dress Manaboso who loves and protects all trees had pity on the pine he collected the scattered needles and restored them to the branches then he hastened on with such speed that he overtook grasshopper and put his hand out to clutch him but grasshopper stepped quickly aside and spun round and round on one leg in his whirlwind dance till the air all about was filled with leaves and sand in the midst of this whirlwind he sprang into a hollow tree and changed himself into a snake he crept out through the roots and not a moment too soon for Manaboso smote the tree with one of his magic mittens and it crumbled to powder grasshopper changed himself back into his human form and ran for dear life the only thing left for him to do was hide but where in his headlong flight he had come again to the shores of the Great Lake and saw rising before him the high cliff of the picture rocks if he could but manage to reach those rocks the Manitou of the mountain who lived in one of the gloomy cabins might help him sure enough as he reached the cliff calling out for help the Manitou opened the door and told him to enter hardly had the big door closed with a bang that along came Manaboso with his mitten he gave a tap on the rock that made the splinters fly open he cried in a terrible voice but the Manitou was brave and hospitable I have sheltered you he said to grasshopper and I would rather die myself than give you up Manaboso waited but no answer came as you will he said at last if the door is not open to me by night I shall call upon the thunder and the lightning to do my bidding the hours passed darkness fell then from a black cloud that had gathered over the Great Lake while we see Mo the red-eyed lightning shot his bolts of fire crash boom crash on a Mickey the thunder shouted hoarsely from the heavens a wild wind rose and the trees of the forest swayed and groaned and the foxes hid in their holes where was he Mo the lightning lapped from the black cloud and darted at the cliff the rock trembled the door was shivered and fell apart out from the gloomy cavern came the Manitou of the mountain asking Manaboso for mercy it was granted and the Manitou fled into the hills grasshopper then appeared the next moment he was buried under a mass of rock shaken loose by Animiki the Thunder this time he had been killed in his human form and could play his mad pranks no more but Manaboso the merciful remembered that grasshopper was not wholly bad your Gibi he said must no longer remain upon the earth in any form whatever as a man you lived an idle foolish life and you are no longer wanted here instead I shall permit you to inhabit the skies saying this he took the ghost of grasshopper and clothed it with the shape of the war eagle bidding him to be chief of all the fouls but grasshopper the mischievous is not forgotten by the people in the late winter days snow fine as powder fills the air like a vapor it keeps the hunter from his traps the fisherman from his hole in the ice certainly a puff of wind seizes this light powdery snow blows it round and round and sets it whirling along and when this happens the Indians laugh and say look there goes grasshopper see how well he dances so ends grasshopper this is a Libervox recording all Libervox recordings are in the public domain for more information and to find out how you can volunteer please visit Libervox.org recorded by Chip in Tampa Florida on January 21st 2006 American Indian fairy tales collected by Henry R. Schoolcraft and retold by W. T. Larnit Mishosha the magician in the heart of the great green forest once lived a hunter Raj was many miles distant from the wigwams of his tribe his wife had long since died and he dwelt there all alone with his two young sons who grew up as best they could without mother's care when the father was away on a hunting trip the boys had no companions but the birds and beasts of the forest and with some of the smaller animals they became fast friends Gidamo the squirrel scampering from tree to tree would let his nutshells fall plump on the roof of the lodge that was his way of knocking at the door coming to pay a morning call he was a great talker without much to say as is often so of those whose voices are seldom still but he was bright and merry chattering away cheerfully about nothing in particular and it made no difference whether you listen to him or not Wabose the little white hare was another friend one winter's day when forest food was scarce Onyota the lynx was about to pounce on him when the boys father let fly an arrow and Onotia was no longer interested in little white hares Wabose was grateful for this and sometimes in his shy way he tried to show it the father and the boys lived mostly on big game like bear and venison this meat would be cut into strips and cured sometimes it had to last them many a long day when game was scarce or the woods so dry for want of rain that the twigs would snap under the hunter's feet and mourn the animals he was coming so the boys were rather used to being left alone for weeks at a time when their father was absent then came a season of famine the blueberries grew on the bushes grass withered on the stalk few acorns hung on the oaks some of the brooks went dry thus it happened that the hunter had gone far in search of game many months passed when Seguan the elder boy saw that but a little meat remained and he said to his younger brother Ioskota let us take what meat is left and strike out through the forest going north I remember our father saying that many moons distant lies a great lake called Gichigumi whose waters are alive with fish but can we find our way said Ioskota doubtfully never beer crawled out of voice from overhead it was uncheatable the squirrel frisky as ever though a little lean from lack of nuts I'll go along with you and so will Wobose the white hare we can hop ahead and find the trail and I can jump from tree to tree and keep a look out between us we're bound to go right it proved to be a good idea and Wobose took the lead where the trail was overgrown with grass he would nose his way along the ground without once going wrong where the track was plain he would run ahead then stop and sit upon his haunches to wait for the boys his long ears pricked up and moving to detect the slightest danger but nothing happened to alarm them the lynx the wildcat and the wolf had all fled before the famine and the silent forest was empty of savage beasts on and on they went till it seemed as if the woods would never end then one day a g-demo climbed a tall pine and from whose topmost bow he could see far over the forest the sun was shining bright as he cocked his eye and looked toward the north something that seemed to meet the sky sparkled like silver it was Gichigumi the great lake they had reached a place where nuts were plentiful and many green things grew that would fatten the white hare so Wobose and the squirrel bade goodbye to the boys who could now make their way with ease soon they came to the edge of the woods they heard a piping cry it was Twitwishkawe the plover flying along the beach in another moment the great glittering waters lay before them Seguan with his sharp hunting knife cut a limb from an ash tree and made a bow from an oak bow he whittled some arrows which he tipped with flint he found feathers fallen from a gulls wing for the shaft a strip cut from his deerskin shirt supplied the bow string then giving the bow an arrow to Ieskoda to practice with he gathered some seed pods from the wild rose to stay their hunger an arrow, badly aimed by his brother fell into the lake and Seguan waded in to recover it he had walked into the water till it reached his waist he held out his hand to grasp the arrow when suddenly, as if by magic a canoe came skimming along like a bird in the canoe was an ugly old man who reached out and seized the astonished boy and pulled him aboard if I must go with you take my brother too, begged Seguan if he is left there all alone he will starve but Mishosha the magician only left then striking the side of the canoe with his hand and uttering the magic words come on pole it shot out across the lake like a thing alive so that the beach was quickly lost to sight soon it came to rest on a sandy shore and Mishosha leaping out beckoned him to follow they had landed on an island before them in a grove of cedars were two wigwams or lodges from the smaller one two lovely young girls came out and stood looking at them to Seguan who had never before seen a girl these maidens looked like spirits from the skies he gazed at them in wonder half expecting they would vanish for their part they looked at him without smiling and their dark eyes were only sympathy and sadness my daughters said the old man to Seguan with a chuckle that displayed his long yellow teeth then turning to the girls are you not glad to see me safely back? he asked and are you not pleased with my handsome young friend here? they bent their heads politely but said nothing it's a long time since you were favored with such a visitor he went on and allowed whispered to the elder girl he would make a fine husband the maiden murmured something under her breath then Mishosha gave her a wicked look we shall see we shall see he muttered to himself laughing like a magpie and rubbing his long bony hands together Seguan much troubled in mind and hardly knowing what to make of it all resolved to keep his eyes open luckily Mishosha was sometimes careless he walked on ahead and entered the lodge leaving the others together whereupon the older girl approaching Seguan spoke to him quickly we are not his daughters she said he brought us here as he brought you he hates the human race every moon he sees as a young man and pretends he has borne him here as a husband for me but soon he takes him off in his canoe and the young man never comes back we feel sure Mishosha has made away with them all what must I do? asked Seguan I care less for myself than for my little brother he was left behind on a wild beach and may die of hunger ah said the maiden you are really good and unselfish so no matter what comes of it we must aid you co-co-co hold the great owl keeps watch all night on the bare limb of that big cedar wait till Mishosha falls asleep then wrap yourself from head to foot in his blanket and steal softly to the door of our lodge whisper my name Ninimocha and I shall come out and tell you what to do Ninimocha murmured the youth what a beautiful name then before he could thank her the girls were gone Mishosha now appeared and made a sign to Seguan to join him the old man seemed to be in a good humor and passed the time telling stories but Seguan was not deceived by this pretence of friendship when the magician was sound asleep he rose wrapped Mishosha's blanket around him and walked carefully to the door of the little lodge Ninimocha he whispered as his heart beat fast for Ninimocha in the Indian tongue is my sweetheart Seguan she answered and his name meaning spring came like music from her lips she drew the curtain aside and came out here she said is food that will last your brother for several days get into Mishosha's canoe pronounce the magic charm and it will take you where you wish you can be back before daybreak but the owl asked Seguan will he not cry out walk with a stoop the way Mishosha walks she explained Kokoko when he sees you will cry you must answer Mishosha then he will let you pass Seguan did as he was told and was soon skimmy across the lake having landed on the beach he began to bark like a squirrel and at this friendly signal his brother ran up and flung his arms around him Seguan made a shelter for the boy and told him he would come again then he returned in the canoe and was soon fast asleep in the magician's lodge Mishosha who trusted in his owl suspected nothing how should he know what lovers can do when they put their heads together you have slept well my son said he and now we have a pleasant journey before us we are going to an island where thousands of gulls lay their eggs in the sand and we shall get all we can carry away remembering what Ninimosa had said Seguan shivered but she kissed her hand and waved him a goodbye and this put heart in him as the canoe sped away he made sure that his hunting knife slipped easily in its sheath and he did not take his eyes off Mishosha for a moment when they reached the island the gulls rose in great numbers and flew screaming over their heads you gather the eggs said the magician while I keep watch in the canoe Seguan hastened ashore glad to quit the old man's company then the magician cried out to the gulls oh my feathered friends here is the human offering I promised you when you agreed to call me master fly down my pretty ones fly down and devour him striking the side of his canoe he abandoned the youth to the mercy of the birds with harsh cries the gulls swept down on Seguan never had he heard such a clamour ten thousand wings beat the air and it stirred it like a storm whirling and darting they came upon him in a cloud but Seguan did not flinch shouting the sosokwan or war cry he seized the first bird that attacked him then grasping it by the neck he held it high above his head in his left hand and with his right hand drew his knife which glittered in the sun hold he cried hold you poor fools beware the vengeance of the great spirit the gulls paused their attack but still circled round him with sharp beaks extended hear me oh gulls he continued the great spirit gave you life that you might serve mankind slay me and you slay one made to rule over all the beasts and birds I tell you beware but Mishosha is all powerful scream the gulls he has bitten us to destroy you Mishosha is no manitou answered Seguan he is only a wicked magician who would use you for his own evil ends bear me on your wings back to his island for it is he who must be destroyed then the gulls persuaded that Mishosha had tricked them drew closer together that the youth might lie upon their backs rising on the wind they carried him across the waters setting him down gently by the lodge before the magician had arrived there Ninimosa rejoiced when she saw it was really Seguan I was not mistaken in you she told him it is plain that the great spirit protects you but Mishosha will try again so be on your guard the magician now arrived in his magic canoe when he saw Seguan he tried to smile pleasantly but having had little practice and thinking kind thoughts he only grinned like a gargoyle which accepting perhaps the hyena has the most painful possible smile good my son he managed to say you must not misunderstand me I did it to test your courage and now Ninimosa is sure to love you ah my children you will make a happy pair Ninimosa turned away to hide her disgust but Seguan pretended to believe the malicious old man was in earnest however continued the magician I owe you something for having seemed to play you such a trick I see you wear no ornaments come with me then to the island of glittering shells and soon you will be a tired as becomes a handsome warrior the island where they landed was indeed a wonderful place covered with colored shells that gleamed in the sun-like jewels look said Mishosha as they walked along the beach out there a little way see it shining in the bottom Seguan waded in when the water reached his thighs the magician made a leap for the canoe and shoved it far out into the lake come king of fishes he called you have always served me well here is your reward then striking his canoe he quickly disappeared immediately an enormous fish which draws wide open rose to the surface a few feet away but Seguan only smiled saying as he drew his long blade no monster that I am Seguan named after him whose breath warms the icebound waters and clothes the hills with green the cowardly Mishosha fearing the anger of the great spirit seeks to make you do what he dares not do himself spill but one drop of my blood and it will die the waters of the lake in which all your tribe will miserably perish Mishosha has deceived me said the king of the fishes he promised me a tender maiden and has brought instead a youth with the eyes of a warrior how shall I aid you my master wretch exclaimed Seguan rejoiced that he did not keep his frightful promise you deserve to die at my hands but I shall give you a chance to repent take me on your back to the island of Mishosha and I will spare your life the king of fishes hastened to take Seguan astride his broad back and swam so swiftly that he reached the island soon after Mishosha the magician was explaining to Ninimosa how the youth had fallen from the canoe into the jaws of a big fish when along came Seguan himself strolling up from the lake as if he had returned from an everyday excursion even so Mishosha still sought to excuse himself my daughter said he I was only trying to find out how much you cared for him but all the while he was saying to himself that the next time he would not fail and the next time was to be the very next day my owl is growing old and cannot live much longer he explained I should like to catch a young eagle and tame him will you help me Seguan consented and went with him in the magic canoe to a rocky point of land reaching out into the lake there in the fork of a tall pine was an eagle's nest which there were some young eagles who could not yet fly quick said Mishosha climbed the tree before the old bird's return Seguan had almost reached the nest when the magician spoke to the pine commanding it to grow taller at once it began to rise until it was so high and swayed so in the wind that he felt it would take all his courage to get down again at the same time the magician uttered a peculiar cry at which the father and mother eagles came swooping from the clouds to protect their young ho ho laughed Mishosha this time I have made no mistake either you will fall and break your neck or the eagles will scratch your eyes out striking his canoe he vanished in the mist the eagles now circled round Seguan who resting on a branch thus addressed them my brothers behold the eagles feather in my hair it proves my admiration for your bravery and skill yet in me you see your master for I am a man and you are only birds obey me then and bear me to Mishosha's island this praise please the eagles who respected the youth's cool courage mounting on the back of the enormous male bird Seguan was born through the air and set down safely on the enchanted island Mishosha now saw that neither bird nor beast would harm this handsome youth who seemed to be protected by some powerful money to it must be done some other way one more test he said to Seguan and then you may take Nidimosa for your wife but first you must prove your skill as a hunter come they made a lodge in the forest and Mishosha by his magic caused a snowstorm with the stinging gale from the north like a flight of icy arrows Seguan that night before going to sleep had hung his moccasins and leggings by the fire to dry and Mishosha rising first at daybreak took one of each and threw them into the flames then he rubbed his hands and laughed like a prairie wolf what is it? asked Seguan sitting up alas my son it was just too late this is the season of the moon when fire attracts all things it has drawn to it one of your moccasins and leggings and destroyed them yo yo I should have warned you Seguan held his tongue though the thing was plain enough Mishosha meant that he should freeze to death but Seguan praying silently to his manitube for aid took from the fireplace a charred stick with which he blackened one leg and foot murmuring at the same time a charm then putting on his remaining moccasin and legging he was ready for the hunt their way led through snow and ice into thickets of thorn and over bogs half-throzen where Seguan sank to his knees but his prayer had been heard the charm worked and the youth walked on dry shod with his first arrow he slew a bear now he said looking the magician full in the eye I see you are suffering from the cold let us go back to your island at Seguan's bold look Mishosha bent his head and mumbled some foolish answer at last he had met his match and he knew it take up the bear on your shoulders commanded Seguan again the magician obeyed for the first time they returned together to the island where the two young girls looked on in amazement to see the proud Mishosha staggering under the weight of the bear grunting in helpless rage his power is broken agreed Ninimosa when Seguan had told her all but we shall never sleep in safety until we are really rid of him what is best to do they put their heads together and when they had talked it over Ninimosa laughed merrily it has served a greater punishment she said the world will not be safe as long as he has life yet what we plan to do will revenge us without shutting a single drop of blood the next day Seguan said to the magician it is time that we rescued my brother whom we left all alone on the beach come with me Mishosha made a rye face but prepared to go landing on the beach they soon spied the boy who joyfully clabbered into the canoe then Seguan said to the old man those red willows over on the bank would make a good smoking mixture could you manage to climb up there and cut me some to be sure my son to be sure answered Mishosha walking rapidly toward the willows I am not so weak and good for nothing as you seem to think Seguan struck the canoe with his hand pronouncing the magic words Kimaoan pole and away it went with the two brothers aboard leaving the magician high and dry and gnashing his yellow teeth the girls ran to meet them at the shore and Mishosha rejoicing that the old man had been left behind while her sister could think of nothing but the attractive boy who looked so much like his big brother but Mishosha can call the canoe back to him said Ninimosa until away is found to break the charm someone must keep watch with his hand upon it Yoskota begged permission to do his part so they left him with night coming on sitting on the sand and holding fast to the canoe it was a tiresome task for a little boy already weary with long waking to amuse himself he began to count the stars first he counted those in the big dipper and the little dipper then the ones that looked like a high back chair and the three big bright ones in the belt of Orion the hunter he did not know them by these names which were given them long afterward but he recognized the cluster called Oji Ganon the fisher who brought summer from the sky because his boy was cold Yoskota was also cold sitting there in the wet sand but Indian boys do not complain yet seeing the fisher stars he thought of his own dear father and wondered where he might be had Yoskota been a white boy instead of a red we think the sand he sat on might have been a little wetter for his tears as it was he found himself looking at the sky through a kind of fog what was it? he rubbed his eyes lost his count and began all over again the worst of it was that Indians could reckon only with their fingers unless you include their toes and Yoskota's toes were tucked away snugly in his moccasins quite out of sight in question how many fingers had he counted? and how many stars? the fog or whatever it was filled his eyes went the little waves rocking the canoe like a cradle Sue Sue sighed the wind in the cedars all else earthly and was still even the stars blinked and winked as if weary of watching the world and Yoskota slapped hmm hmm the cry of Kokokoho the owl shrilled evily on the ears it was only for a moment the shadows lifted the squirrel barked the east wind rising above the rim of the waters it was day Yoskota sat up only half aroused and looked out over the lake was he still on the wild beach waiting for his brother? then he remembered and gave a guilty start the canoe was gone gone but come again there it appeared gliding straight toward him and in it sat Miss Shoshia good morning child miss the canoe grated on the sand are you not glad to see your grandfather again Yoskota clenched his small fists he was very brave and angry you are not my grandfather and I am not glad to see you again Esa Esa shame, shame chuckled the old man but Seguan will be glad to see me and so will my dear daughters I hope they have not been worried about me he was much pleased with his cleverness in outwitting them all and was now as impudent as before but Seguan bided his time he thought of another plan grandfather he said it seems that we must continue to live here together let us therefore lay in a supply of meat for the winter come with me to the mainland I am sure you must be a mighty hunter Mishoshia's vanity was his weakest point aah he answered boastfully I can run all day with a dead deer on my back I have done it good said Seguan the wind is going north again and we shall need all your strength on the march now Seguan had somehow learned the magician's dearest secret which was this Mishoshia's left leg and foot were the only parts of his body that could be harmed no arrow could pierce his heart a war club brought down upon his head would be shivered into splinters as well strike him with a straw but his left leg and foot aah it was not for rheumatism that his legging was so well laced and why did he always sit down with his left foot tucked up under him aah why indeed, Seguan had found the answer they made a rude lodge in the forest just as they had done before and again it became bitter cold only this time it was Seguan that brought the storm he could not help laughing there was a blazing fire and there on the couch was Mishoshia sound asleep Seguan softly rose like both the magicians moccasins and leggings and threw them into the flames get up, grandfather it is the season when fire attracts all things and I fear you have lost something you may need when Mishoshia saw what had happened he looked so frightened that Seguan was almost sorry for him but remembering Ninimoshia and his little brother he could think no other way they set out through the snow my how cold it was Mishoshia began to run thinking this would help while Seguan followed fearing that if he led the magician might send an arrow through his back after running for an hour the magician was quite out of breath and his legs and feet were growing numb and stiff they had come to the edge of the forest and reached the shore of the lake here Mishoshia stopped when he tried to take another step he could not lift his feet how heavy they had grown he tried again but something strange had happened his toes sank into the sand and took the form of roots the feathers in his hair and then the hair itself changed gradually into leaves his outstretched arms were branches swaying in the wind bark appeared on his body Seguan looked and wondered that which had been Mishoshia was no longer a man but a tree a sycamore hung with button-balls leaning crookedly toward the lake at last the wicked old magician had met his master no more would his evil spell be cast on the young and innocent Seguan lingered for a moment to make sure that Mishoshia would not come to life then he took his way across the water where the others waited anxiously for him and were told the good news Mishoshia is no more said Seguan he can never harm us again let us leave this place where we have suffered so much and make our home on the mainland so together they went forth his sweetheart her sister and the boy with Seguan showing the way the trail he took led them again into the great forest and once more to the lodge from which he had set out and there they lived happily the rest of their days so ends Mishoshia the magician for more information and to find out how you can volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recorded by Chip in Tapa, Florida on January 21st, 2006 American Indian fairy tales collected by Henry R. Schoolcraft and retold by W. T. Larnet The Fairy Bride once there was a lovely young girl named Ninizu the only daughter of an Indian chief who lived on the shore of Lake Superior Ninizu in the Indian language means my dear life it was plain that her parents loved her tenderly and did everything in their power to make her happy and to shield her from any possible harm there was but one thing that made them uneasy Ninizu was a favorite with the other young girls in the village she joined them in their play but she liked best of all to walk by herself in the forest or to follow some dim trail that led into the heart of the little hills sometimes she would be absent for many hours and when she returned her eyes had the look of one who has dwelt in secret places and seen things strange and mysterious nowadays some persons would have called Ninizu romantic others who can never see a thing that is not just beneath their noses would have laughed a little in a superior sort of way and said she was a dreamer what was it that Ninizu saw and heard during these lonely walks in the secret places of the hills was it perhaps the fairies she did not say but her mother who wished her to be more like other girls and who would have liked the fairies and settled down was much disturbed in mind the mischievous little fairies known as pukwudgies were believed to inhabit the sand dunes where Ninizu so often went to walk these were the sand hills made by grasshopper when he danced so madly at Manibozo's wedding whirling the sand into great drifts and mounds that may be seen to this very day the pukwudgies loved those hills which were seldom visited by the Indians it was just the place where leapfrog and all hands round in the twilight of summer days they were said to gather here in little bands playing all manner of pranks then as night came they would make haste to hide themselves in a grove of pine trees known as monotoo walk or the wood of the spirits no one had ever come close to them but the fishermen paddling their canoes on the lake had caught glimpses of them from afar and had heard the tiny voices of those merry little men as they laughed and called to one another when the fisherman tried to follow the pukwudgies would vanish in the woods but their footprints no larger than a child's could be seen on the damp sand of the little lake in the hills if anything more were needed to convince those doubters even fairies the proof was quickly supplied by fishermen and hunters who were victims of their tricks the pukwudgies never really harmed anyone but they were up to many kinds of mischief sometimes a hunter picking up his cap in the morning would find the feathers plucked out sometimes a fisherman missing his paddle would discover it at last in a tree when such things happened it was perfectly plain that pukwudgies had been up to their pranks and few persons were still stupid enough to believe it could be anything else Ninizu had her own ideas concerning these little men for she, like morning glory had often listened to the tales that old Iagu told one of those stories was the story of a happy land a far off place where it was always summer where no one wept or suffered sorrow it was for this land that she sighed it filled her thoughts by day when she sought the secret places in the hills and sat in some lonely spot listening to the mysterious voices that whispered in the breeze where was this happy land this place without pain or care tired out at night she would sink into her bed then from their hiding places would come stealing from all messengers of Wiens the spirit of sleep these kindly gnomes too small for the human eye to see crept quickly up the face of the weary Ninizu and tapped gently on her forehead with their tiny war clubs called Pugamalguns tapped till her eyelids closed and she sought the happy land in that other pleasant land of dreams she too had seen the footprints Wajis on the sandy beach of the little lake and had heard their merry laughter ring out in the grove of pines was it their only dwelling place she asked herself or were they not messengers from the happy land sent to show the way to that mortal who believed in it and longed to enter Ninizu came to think that this must really be so oftener than ever she made her way to the meadow bordering on the spirit wood and sat there gazing into the grove perhaps the Pugwajis would understand and tell the fairies whom they served then some day a fairy would appear at the edge of the pines and beckon her to come that surely would happen she thought if she wished it long enough and could give her wishes wings so sitting there she composed the words to a song and set it to the music the pines when the south wind stirs their branches then she sang spirit of the lapping leaves fairy of the forest pine listen to the maid who greaves for that happy land of thine from your haunt in summer glade hasten to your mournful maid was it only her fancy that she seemed to hear the closing words of her song echoed from the deep woods where the merry little men had vanished or was it the Pugwajis mocking her she had lingered later than usual it was time to go the new moon swung low in the western sky with its points turned upward to the heavens an indian would say that he could hang his powder horn upon it and that it meant dry weather when the leaves crackled under the hunter's feet and the animals fled before him so that he was unable to come near and up to shoot and Ninizu was glad of this in the happy land she declared no one would suffer and no life would be taken yet it was a hunter that her mother wished her to marry a man who spent his whole life in slaying the red deer of the forest who thought and talked of almost nothing else came into her mind as she rose from her seat in the meadow and cast a farewell glance at the pines the rays of the crescent moon touched them with a faint light and again her fancy came into play what was it that seemed to move along the edge of the mysterious woods something with the dim likeness of a youth taller than the Pugwajis who glided rather than walked and whose garments of light greens stood out against the darker green of the pines Ninizu looked again but the moon hid behind the hills all was black to the eye to the ear came no sound but the creepy cry of the whipper-wheel she hastened home that night she heard from her mother's lips what she had long expected and feared Ninizu said her mother that is why I wish you to be safe and happy that is why I wish you to marry a good man who will take the best care of you now and will protect and comfort you when I am gone you know the man I mean yes mother answered Ninizu I know him well enough so well as ever I want to know him he hunts the deer he kills the deer that is all he does that is all he thinks that is all he talks about it is perhaps well that someone should do this lest we starve for one of meat yet there are many other things in the world and this hunter of yours is content if he does but kill poor child said the mother you are too young to know what is best for you I am old enough mother deer answered Ninizu to know what my heart tells me besides this hunter you would have to marry is as tall as a young oak while I am not much taller than one of the Pukwuchis when I stand up very straight my head comes up little higher than his waist a pretty pair we would make what she said was quite true Ninizu had never grown to be much larger than a child she had graceful slender body little hands and feet eyes black as midnight at a mouth like a meadow flower one who saw her for the first time passing upon the hills her slight figure sketched against the sky might have thought that she herself was a fairy for all her gentle quiet ways and her love of lonely places Ninizu was often merry but now she seldom laughed her step was slow and she walked with her eyes fixed upon the ground when she is married thought her mother she will have other things to occupy her mind and she will no longer go dreaming among the hills but the hills were her one great joy the hills and the flowery meadows with a lark swayed to and fro bidding her to be of good cheer as she perched on a mullen stock every afternoon she sat singing her little song soon she would sing no more the setting sun would gild the pine grove the whipper-wheel would complain to the stars but the picture would be incomplete there would be no Ninizu for the wedding day was named she must be the hunter's wife on the day set for her marriage to the man she so disliked she then put on the garments of a bride never had she looked so lovely blood-red blossoms flamed in her jet-black hair in her hand she held a bunch of meadow flowers mingled with the tassels of the pine thus a rage she set out for a farewell visit to the grove it was a thing they could not well deny her but as she went her way the hills hid her from sight the wedding guests looked uneasily at one another it was something they could not explain at that moment a cloud blew up from nowhere across the sun light that had been there was now a shadow, was