Algonquin Indian Tales

t by Dog Train, at Fifty-five Below Zero-Souwanas Tel

ail reaches every six months, and where they wait half a year for the daily paper. After this long waiting it is no wonder that a great shout was raised when far away in the distanc

ming was hailed with special delight by the children; for even in that Northland Santa Claus was not unexpect

nds had remembered these little ones in their Northern home, where the Fro

ouwanas some of my ca

him a nice red silk hand

ness for these things, and it was a pleasure now for them

y-five below zero. Yet so impatient were these spirited children to be off with their gifts to Souwanas, and with something also for each member of the family, that thei

e cariole was still at some distance on the trail. Cordially were they welcomed, and strong arms speedily

wo hours, it was decided that Kennedy should return home at once with the d

ted the contents-their own gifts as well as those which had been sent to Souwanas and his family from the mission. Minnehaha reserved her special gift for the last. W

t he was, was much moved by her

ps he would like to admit and those who saw it were thankful that they had observed it, knowing that it meant so much. Sagastao, who had already given him several pr

around, I have got some fine sweeties for you, but we

to be for sweeties let us have a nice

I begin let us fix up the fire and a

ould. Little cared they for the cold without or even for the occasional puffs of smoke which seemed at time

bears, and wolves, and wildcats, and wolverines!" Then he paused long e

some years I dwelt, many, many moons ago. A land where the Se-se-pas

came a great embassage of Indians from the far South with words of peace and good will. They said that in their country they had no cold weather, and very seldom saw any snow. They said that the trees were different, and that many things grew there

rth. It was very much prized, and was very carefully divided among the people so that each one had a small quantity. It did not last very long, for everybod

abundance of the sugar. Some weeks passed by before word was heard from them, and the news was very bad. Fierce wars had broken out among the tribes that lived between ours and those who dwelt in that far South. Our In

gar among them, and it happened that

send to Na

ha; "that is just what

"just as like as not Nanahboozhoo would give them sal

t of the children, and gladly availed himself of the opport

ways looked on the bright side of things, and who

Nanahboozhoo gave them salt inst

e his story, amused by the earnestness with which the child appeale

ive in, retorted, "O 'tapwa, tapw

t this criticism, and p

oo to tell him of the wish of the tribes to have Se-s

n Nanahboozhoo and some of the underground Muche Munedoos-bad spirits, sometimes called the Ana-mak-quin-who had determined to kill Nokomis, the g

some of his pranks on them, and that was

that Nanahboozhoo had been up

o long to tell you n

heard of what the Muche Munedoos were threatening he took up his grandmother on his strong back and carried her far away and made for her a t

spirits following after Nanahboozhoo and Nokomis saw the brilliant colors through the haze of that Indian Summer day they thought the whole country was on fire, and they turned back and troubled them no more. Na

putation found Nanahboozhoo. He received them kind

ell knew how the sugar was there made. He had seen the fields of sugar cane, and knew the whole process by which the juice w

hoo several times, when returning from those trips to the South, brought back to her some of the sugar?-and she had

s had been so good to him and Nokomis, from this time forward they should, like the sugar cane

ar making. He told them that only in the spring of the year would the sweet sap flow. Then they were to have ready their tapping gouges, their spiles and buckets. Great fireplaces were to be built and

the tree from which the sap would flow. With his knife he made a sample spile of cedar, the thin end of which was to be driven into the hole made by the gouge and along which the sap would flow. Then he told them to make plenty of buckets of birch bark, and thus be ready when the

ones of the silvery bells on the collars of the dogs that had

lly wrap her up for the return ride, "for that sweet, sweet story. It was so good of Nanahbooz

edit," said Sagastao. "It seems to me that Nanahboo

dians have our maple sugar and molasses, and I am glad.

ried her out to the cariole, where she and her brother

ay they sped over the icy trail with such speed that it was not