Page:Myths and Legends of British North America.djvu/212

 NENEBUC AND BIG BEAR

Ojibwa

NCE when Nenebuc was traveling, he met Big Bear. Now Big Bear ate people, and he had eaten many Indians. They were all very much afraid of him. Nenebuc went to Bear and said, "If you eat so many Indians, they will soon all be gone. I shall make you very small and harmless."

Then Nenebuc turned Bear into Squirrel and Squirrel into Bear. Squirrel did not care at all, because he was fond of eating berries and roots anyway. He did not care to eat Indians.

But Big Bear felt very badly. He wept so much at being Squirrel that his eyebrows turned gray, and his eyes are all white and shiny. Nenebuc said to Bear, "Now what are you going to eat?" and Bear said, "I shall go right on eating people." But he was so small, now that he was Squirrel, he couldn't eat them at all.

Nenebuc said, "You are too small to eat people. Run up that black spruce there, and taste the seeds