Page:Myths and Legends of British North America.djvu/36

 When Wolf had been gone for a week, Wisagatcak said to the other animals, "I guess now the land must be large enough for us all to live on."

Beaver asked, "How are we going to live? We are eating willows and poplars here, but there are no trees on earth yet."

Wisagatcak said, "Um-m-m-m! Yes, you will need a little creek to live in also."

Beaver said, "Why, yes, of course."

Wisagatcak said, "I'll do something tonight."

That night Wisagatcak made magic again. He tried to dig down through the earth to his raft, to get a log from it; but the earth was so thick, and the pressure of it so great, he could not even find a trace of a log. When he failed to get even a stick, he said to Beaver, "I'll make a creek for you, and you will have to live on grass roots until trees grow up."

That is why, even today, Beaver eats certain white roots as well as bark.

When Wisagatcak came back, he found that Beaver had dug ditches in every direction in his search for roots.