distressed to learn that there were lice in his head, and readily consented to have them taken out, straightway laying his head face downwards in her lap for the purpose. Without loss of a moment the revengeful, jealous wife seized the favourable opportunity and caught her husband by the back of his head with her sharp teeth and made them meet in his skull, killing him instantly. Flinging his body into the bush, she hastened home, anxious to taste the supper she had bidden her son prepare for her.
In the meantime events at home had not turned out as she had desired. After the mothers had gone to the root-ground, the two eldest boys made their soup as they had been instructed, and when it was cooked each exchanged soup with the other. When the black-bear boy shared the soup he had received from the grizzly boy with his own brothers, he bade them eat sparingly of it. When the little grizzly boys tasted the soup they had received, they found it so nice that they ate it all up at once; but the little black-bear boys complained of theirs, and ate but little, declaring that it had no more flavour than water. When the meal was done, the eldest of the black-bear boys suggested that they should all go down to the river and bathe, and play in the water. As this suited the plans of the other, it was agreed to, and to the river they went. On reaching the bank, the black bear’s eldest son said: “Let our two youngest brothers have a swim together, and see who will beat.” The two little ones jumped forthwith into the river, but not being able to swim were both drowned. They were pulled out by the others and laid on the bank. The two middle boys now made an attempt, and were drowned in like manner. “Now let us try,” said the grizzly boy to the other, intending to drown him when he got him into the water. The other agreed. They both jumped into the river; but as the grizzly boy had eaten so much soup, he was in no condition for swimming, and in the struggle which followed was himself drowned.
The black-bear boy now returned to shore, pulling his half-brothers with him. When he was out of the water he took his own two brothers and held them head downwards, so that all the water ran out of their lungs, and they presently began to breathe once more, and in a little time were all right and well again. He then built a big fire, and taking the youngest of the grizzly boys he spitted him with a big stick and set him to roast before the fire. The other two he threw into the fire, which soon reduced them to ashes, so that no sign of them remained.
When the little grizzly boy was sufficiently roasted he stood him up on his legs by the fire to keep warm for the old grizzly mother’s supper. When this was done, he called his two brothers to him, and told them that they would now have to leave their home and run away by themselves. So the second brother3 took his little brother on his shoulders, and they all three thus set off together as fast as they could, and when the grizzly mother got home they were well on their way.
The first sight that met her eyes as she entered the house was the roast body of her youngest son, the hot steam from which made her mouth water. “Ah!” said she, “my son is a good boy; he has done what I told him, I see; and now I shall have the pleasure of eating the body of my rival’s child. But I wonder where my own children are,” she went on, as she looked round the house in search of her sons. “Ah! there they are in bed, I see; they are doubtless tired from their exertion in the water and have fallen asleep. I won’t disturb them till I have eaten my supper.” And without approaching the bed, whereon lay three small logs, placed there by the eldest of the black-bear boys for the purpose of misleading her, she fell to, all unconscious of what she was eating, and devoured the carcase of her own child.
Now it had happened that her last child was born just about the same time as the black-bear mother gave birth to her third son, and in order to distinguish hers from the black bear’s she had made three incisions on the claws of her son’s fore-paws. She had nearly eaten the whole body when the little talker-bird (not identified) alighted on the roof of the house and began to whistle and talk. Said he: “Oh, you shocking, unnatural mother! why are you eating the body of your own child? How can you be so wicked?” “Be off with your babble!” answered the bear, with her mouth full of meat. “What do you know about the matter? You talk too much.” But the bird whistled and chattered on, and continued to upbraid her for eating her own child. “It is not my child,” said the grizzly. “There are my three children in bed yonder.” “Are you sure?” replied the bird; “look at the claws in your hand.” The grizzly did so, and perceived in a moment the three familiar marks which she had made on her youngest son’s nails. Springing up, she rushed to the bed, and, snatching off the blanket, discovered that what she had taken for the forms of her children were only three rotten logs. Raging with fury, she rushed about in search of the other children, realising that she had been outwitted by the son of the murdered black bear. Presently discovering their trail, she hastened after them, vowing vengeance as she went.
In the meantime, the three boys had been making the best of their way through the forest. Presently the youngest said to his brothers:4 “The old grizzly will be after us, and must soon overtake us. Now, if you will do as I tell you, all will be well. I want you to be quick and find me some wasps, some ants, and some dry wood-dust.” His brothers did as he requested, and had barely accomplished their task when the old grizzly was seen rushing after them. They both became much alarmed, and thought their last hour was come; but their little brother told them they must all climb a tree, and take the wasps and the ants and the wood-dust with them. This they quickly did, managing to get among the branches just as their enemy reached the foot of the tree. Being unable to climb, she had to resort to cunning. Dissembling she began to mildly scold them, telling them their father had sent her after to bring them home; that they were naughty boys, and that if they didn’t come back with her their father would beat her with a big stick and be very angry. The little one whispered to his eldest brother, bidding him tell her to open her eyes and her mouth and her ears as wide as she could, and look upwards. Thinking it best to humour them, she complied. “Now sit down and open your arms wide, and I will drop my brothers down to you,” said the eldest again at his little brother’s suggestion. Again the grizzly complied; and as she sat thus, with her breast and face all exposed, expecting to receive the brothers as they fell, she received the wasps and ants and dust instead; and what with the stinging of the wasps, and the biting of the ants, and the dust in her eyes and ears and mouth, she was fain to leave the boys and attend to herself. While she was rolling and scratching and tearing herself in her agony and pain, the boys slipped down from the tree and made off as quickly as they could. It was a long time before the wretched grizzly was able to see again; for, in addition to the dust which had filled her eyes, the wasps had stung her so badly about the face that her swollen cheeks and eyelids quite obstructed her sight. But as soon as she was able to see her way again, she started in pursuit once more, vowing a terrible revenge when she should catch them.
As the boys were hurrying along, they came to the dwelling of an old man who went by the name of Groundhog. He was sitting in his doorway as they passed, and having knowledge of their distress he accosted them kindly. “Hullo, children!” said he, “keep your spirits up. I’ll help you, and hinder the old grizzly when she comes by. You run on to the river, and my brother the ferryman there will put you over the river before the grizzly can overtake you. I have sent word to him by the talking-bird that you are coming, and will want to cross in a hurry.” The boys thanked the old man and ran on towards the river. By this time, however, the angry grizzly was after them again, and they had not gone far beyond Groundhog’s when she arrived at his house. As she was dashing past, the little old man popped his head out of his door, which was fashioned by two large stones, after the manner of a spring trap, which he could open and shut from within, and called out to the grizzly to stop a moment. She made to rush past him; but he laughed so exasperatingly at her woeful plight, and mocked and abused her so roundly, that he at length provoked her to turn aside for the purpose of punishing him. The little man waited till she was quite close, scoffing at her the while; and when she sought to seize him he suddenly popped down his hole, pulling his door close after him with a sudden click that nearly took the old grizzly’s nose off. Seeing that he was safe from her reach, she started off again after the boys, but had not gone a dozen yards when Groundhog opened his door and popped his head out again, and jeered and taunted and mocked her worse than before. Though loth to delay, so biting and exasperating were the words he flung at her that she
