Page:Myths and Legends of British North America.djvu/250

 REDBIRD AND BLACKBIRD

Ojibwa

NCE there were two men named Redbird and Blackbird. They had a house on the shore of the lake, and they lived on wild potatoes. They spent all their time digging for wild potatoes, and that was all the food they ever had.

One day Blackbird said to Redbird, "There are great fields of wild rice across the lake. We ought to go and gather it." So the very next day they crossed the lake and found themselves among large fields of wild rice. They began gathering the rice, then they saw people near by. They went to the people and said, "How do you do?"

The people said, "We have never seen you before."

Blackbird said, "No. We live on the other side of the lake. We live on the wild potatoes we find there."

The people said, "Well, you did right in coming over here. You ought to have good food."

Then Blackbird and Redbird shook hands all around and went home.

Now these people talked about the wild potatoes. Just about that time, Redbird said to Blackbird, " Those