Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/519

Rh had just got. Next morning he shot a fat cow in the same way, and the old woman was still prouder of him. The meat she hid in a hole, the refuse she threw into a bush, where the snow covered it. Meanwhile the rest of the camp were starving, and cooking hides and saddles for food. On the fourth day the boy shot a very fat well-aged cow. All the meat of this his grandmother dried, and of the marrow she made sausage, and of the bones soup.

Their tent was apart, off on one side of the village. The principal chief had two daughters, of whom the youngest was very pretty. The boy was in love with her; but his belly was large, his legs short, his eyes sore and running; and every one called him Little-man. Now he told his grandmother to go to the principal chief, taking with her some fat in a piece of gut; and when going away, to drop it, as if by accident, so that it would be seen. If the chief asked her about it, she should say it was salve for his eyes. She did accordingly, and the starving chief and his family asked for some of the fat. She gave him all, saying that she had more; and the chief was pleased. She came home and told the boy what had happened. Next day he sent her to buy the youngest girl for him, taking a part of their meat to the principal chief. The chief asked her how she obtained the meat, and she said that the boy had the power to make game. So the chief gave his daughter, and a large tent was put up for Mátceit, and everything made ready for him to come at night.

Almost all the young men of the camp were in love with the chief's daughters, and even the younger girl was marriageable; but the boy was too young to marry. Her friends made fun of her, saying that her son went to sleep with her. She was also ashamed of the ugliness and sore eyes of her husband. At the same time White-man married the elder daughter, but he was given no tent, and slept in the same lodge as the boy. White-man told his wife to give the boy a separate vessel of water, as he did not want to use the same one with him. The boy heard this, and observed the ridicule of himself, and felt sorry. That night he became different: he was a young man, clean, with long dark hair, yellow skin, and bright eyes. Every one heard of his change and wondered. Now his sister-in-law tried to get him to drink of White-man's water, but he paid no attention to her. At night, when he coughed, bright shining colors came out of his mouth, and the two women saw it. White-man saw it too, and wondered. Next night, he went out to the cooking-place and got two brands. When he coughed, he hit the two sticks together, so that the sparks flew. But the boy and his wife continued to sleep. And in the morning it was found that White-man's blanket was burned, his wife's lip scarred, and himself burned on the cheek.