Sacred Texts Native American Southeast Index Previous Next
While a certain man was lying sick, at the point of death, his wife was stolen from him without his knowledge. He had many Dogs, and an old one among them came in and said to him, "We think you had better go hunting." "I can't do anything," he answered. "Still, you must go," the Dog said to him. "If you can get into the canoe you can go." "I can't carry my gun and bed," he answered, but the Dog replied, "We ourselves will take them." "If that is so, go ahead," he said, and the Dog went out and told the others. Then the Dogs all came in and sat about. They seized the bed in their mouths and dragged it out. Two of them took the gun in their mouths. Then the man started to crawl off, raised himself by leaning against the wall of the house and went along until he came to the canoe. The canoe was already full of things and the Dogs stood about as be got in. Then they untied it and pushed it off and when it was afloat they jumped in and went with him. After it had floated along of itself for some time it grounded at a river bend.
Then the Dogs jumped ashore, took the painter in their mouths and pulled it up and tied it. Then they went up the bank. Presently they came back. "Now go up the hill," they said to him. "When you reach the camping place you must not stop. Go on past the fire and when you get tired come back. When you have gotten back return without stopping. If you get tired on the way and before you get to the top come back again. And when you have gotten back you must go up once more without stopping. You must try to reach the top and if you get tired turn back again, and when you get back turn round and try it over. You must try as hard as you can. When you finally get to the top and have gotten back without stopping take your gun and go off hunting."
Then the man rose and started up the bank; though he could hardly proceed from weakness he got to the top. They had said to him, "Keep on to the fire (or camp)," so he went there. He moved a short distance toward the hill beyond, got tired and came back. Immediately he started up again. He went a little farther, got tired, and turned back. This time he came down a little faster, and after he had gotten back and set out once more he had nearly reached the top when he became tired and turned around. He went back. He came down on a jog trot, set out again and went up faster. This time he got to the top. He turned back, came down fast, and, without stopping, took his gun and went into the woods to hunt. Before he had gone far he killed a deer and the Dogs ate it. They had said to him, "All of the first one you kill shall be ours," so they ate this. "Half of the second one you kill shall be ours," they said, and when he killed another they took half of it,
After that he hunted about and killed many deer. That night the old Dog came to the place where he was lying and talked to him, saying, "Your wife and the one who stole her when you were lying in bed are at a house standing in the field and I think we will go and kill them, if you agree. Your first wife was a good woman but you sent her away, though she was not of the whipping kind. 1 We will all go there. This other one who is of the whipping kind we want to kill tonight," he said, "and if you agree we will do so." So they yelped and started off.
Before they had gone far they uttered a long howl and were then quiet, but for some time, from the place where he was lying, he heard them howling in the distance. Some time later they came back howling with their mouths covered with blood. "We have done it," they said. "When you have plenty of meat we will start off." So he went about hunting until he had gotten enough. Then they said, "Now get ready," so he put into the boat the deer meat he had prepared, and they got in and started off.
As they went along they said to him, "Let us go to the house where your first wife lives. She will not say anything against it. When we get there you must say, 'I want some boiled chicken,' and after she has killed and cooked it but before it is done you must say, 'Perhaps that is enough.' If you are told that it is not done you must answer, 'I want it nevertheless.' When she puts it into a dish and gives it to you, we will be near. You must give it to us. We will eat first. Afterwards you must eat. And if they tell you that your former wife and her husband were killed by wolves, you must say, 'It had to be so.' We ourselves will die, and if one says to you, 'They are dead with colic because you fed them too much hot food' you must reply, 'It had to be so.' Keep this a secret. If you tell anyone of our doings, you will die."
So they started off and reached the place. "I want boiled chicken," he said. So they killed a chicken and cooked it. When the water had just begun to boil, he said, "That is perhaps enough. I am very anxious to have it." It was put into a dish for him but he gave it to the dogs. When the woman said to him, "Why do you do that?" he answered, "I want them to eat it at the same time as myself." They began eating, devoured all, and went out. Afterwards, while the others were eating, he was told that wolves had killed his former wife and her husband. "It had to be so," he replied. Now when that woman went out and walked around outside she saw the dogs lying scattered about dead and said to her former husband, "They have died of colic because you fed them that hot stuff." He stood by and answered, "It had to be so."
As they had said to him "You must not tell what happened" he did not say anything about it but he wanted to tell very badly and finally did so. After he had told it, and as they had warned him, he died.
244:1 That is, she was not in the habit of whipping the dogs.