 Section 13 of Canadian Wondretales. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Canadian Wondretales by Cyrus McMillan. Section 13, How Turtle Came. On the shores of a great water in Canada is a land where Indians once dwelt. In the days of French rule it was a garrison to fort. The remains of the old moat and ramparts and stockade are still seen in the centre of what is now a large green meadow. They are now overgrown with grass, and should you go there on summer days you can see children playing upon them, picking wild flowers and making daisy chains, unmindful of the past fortunes of the spot on which they play. Behind you across the river which empties here is a city in modern dress. Before you is the sea with two little islands not far away resting in the summer haze upon its bosom. Moaning gas buoys toss about in the gentle roll of the waters. By night red beacon lights lift their bright heads all about to light the sailor's road. Summer cottages nestle on the beach before you. The hum of modern life is in your ears and the sight of it is in your eyes as you stand today upon the cliff. But it was not always so. Long before the coming of the white race, before beacon lights and cities and summer cottages were known this land was the home of Indians. Many of their descendants live there still at peace with the white folk who took their lands and their forests. They are the remnants of Gluccaps people. It was here on the beach in the little cove that the turtle was first created and where he first dwelt. Long ago after the white men came he fled from these waters and although his descendants are still sometimes caught by fishermen off the coast neither he nor his children nor any of his tribe ever went back to the place of his creation but the place of his birth is still pointed out. It was in Gluccaps time that the turtle came into being. There dwelt in the land an old Indian, a lazy, poor and by no means beautiful man. As a hunter he had been of no value. He lived alone and now he had come to the end of his life with little of the world's goods to his credit. But although he was poor he was of a merry heart and a good nature and he was well liked by all. Now the chief of the tribe had three beautiful daughters who were much sought for by the young men of the village all of whom wished to win their love. The eldest was the loveliest in the land. Her name was Flower of the Corn. The old Indian would gladly have made one of these girls his wife for he was tired of living alone but she on her part thought him worthless and he on his part feared that if he wooed her her many other suitors would be jealous and would perhaps take his life. So the old man kept his secret to himself and continued his sad existence. It happened that one day Glooscap came into the land to see his people. Of all the tents in the village he chose that of the old man as his resting place for he had known him a long time and liked him because of his good nature and his merry heart. He was not with him long before he knew his secret that he loved Flower of the Corn and he also learned of his fear to woo her. Glooscap encouraged him and urged him to make his wishes known to the chief but the old Indian said I am old and poor and I have no good clothes to wear and I know that I should meet only with scorn but Glooscap placed upon him his magic belt and at once the old man became young and handsome he also gave him fine clothes then he sent him to the chief's home and the old man said after the fashion of Indians when they wished to marry I am tired of living alone I have come for your eldest daughter and the old chief when he saw him so beautiful because of Glooscap's magic power could not refuse his request and Flower of the Corn became his bride as the old man had feared the young men of the village were very angry because he had won so beautiful a wife and they resolved to do him harm at first they tried to take vengeance on Glooscap for as they had seen little of him they did not know of his great power a great wedding feast was held for the old man and his bride to which all the young men were invited two of the most jealous sat next to Glooscap one on each side and during the feast they plotted to kill him but Glooscap heard them plotting against his life and he knew that the time had come for him to show his strength so at the end of the wedding feast as he arose from the table he turned to each one and tapped him gently on the nose when each rubbed the spot that Glooscap had touched he found that his nose had disappeared in great shame and anger they fled from the feast and never afterwards dwelt among men one of these was Toad the other was Porcupine and since that time neither Toad nor Porcupine has ever had a nose and their faces have always been flat because of Glooscap's touch at the banquet long ago some days after the wedding feast a great festival was held in the village Glooscap knew that here again an attempt would be made upon the old Indian's life by his jealous enemies he feared too that after he had gone from the village his old friend would surely be treacherously killed and as the time of his going away was at hand he resolved upon a plan to save him from danger he told the old man that at the festival his enemies would try to trample him under their feet during a game of ball and he gave him a magic route which if he ate it before the game would give him power to jump high when they crowded in upon him sure enough in the game of ball the young men surrounded the old man and watched for a chance to crush him twice he jumped high over their heads and escaped unhurt and when he jumped he stuck upon the top of a tent and could not get down inside the tent sat Glooscap quietly smoking his pipe and waiting for this very thing to happen he made a smoldering fire from which the smoke rose in great clouds and passed out at the top of the tent around the old man and he smoked and smoked great pipefuls of tobacco until fur into the night and the old man hung to the tent poles dangling in the smoke until midnight he hung there so long that from the smoke of the smoldering fire and that of Glooscap's pipe his old skin became as hard as a shell and Glooscap said to him I have done this thing for your own good I fear that if I leave you here after I have gone your enemies will kill you I make you now chief of the tortoise race and your name shall be called Turtle hereafter you may roll through a flame of fire and you will not be burned nor will you feel pain and you may live in water or on land as you prefer and you shall have a very long life and although your head be cut off you shall live nine days afterwards and when your enemies throw you into the fire or into the water you need have no fear then he took them down from the tent pole the next day the old Indians enemies angry because he had escaped at the festival built a great fire in the forest and seizing him as he walked alone in the woods they threw him upon it but he went to sleep in the flame and when he awoke he called for more wood telling them that he was very cold they wondered greatly and after plotting together they resolved to throw him into the sea they carried him far out in a canoe and dropped him overboard and went ashore well pleased with their work for they believed that at last they had taken vengeance the next day was a day of great heat at low tide when some of his enemies looked out to sea they saw basking in the sun on a sandbar far away a strange figure they were curious and they wrote out to see what it was that Sean saw brightly in the sun when they reached the sandbar after paddling a long time they saw that it was the old Indian there he was sunning himself on the sandbar his heart smoked back shining in the bright light as they came near he said good day and grinning at them mischievously he rolled lazily off the sandbar and disappeared in the water Glooscap before he left the island used his magic power to change flower of the corn in the same way and he sent her into the sea to live with her husband and he gave her power to lay eggs in the sand and the two lived happily for many long years and raised up a mighty race but still the turtle rolls sideways into the sea like his old ancestor of men come near him as he suns himself on the sand and you can still see on his back the marks of Glooscap's smoke when the white men came he left the land of his creation but his descendants to this day live to a great age and grow to a great size along the Atlantic coast End of Section 13 Recording by Sean Michael Hogan St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada Section 14 of Canadian Wonder Tales This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Canadian Wonder Tales by Cyrus McMillan Section 14, The First Mosquito When Glooscap lived with his people it happened once that the tribes grew jealous of his power this jealousy was not because of any evil in themselves it was prompted by a wicked sorceress who during the absence of Glooscap prevailed upon the people to do him harm some said that the sorceress was angry because she had once loved Glooscap and he had refused to return her love others said that she was much older than Glooscap that before his birth she had herself rule the earth for a long time and that when Glooscap came he had put an end to her reign the truth of the matter no man knows but it is certain that she was very powerful and that she always watched for a chance to harm Glooscap her chance came when Glooscap went for six weeks on a hunting trip far into the forest she then told the people that he was neglecting them and she soon persuaded them to pack up and leave him for she believed that he would perish if he were left alone when the people went away they took with them Dame Baer Glooscap's old grandmother and his little brother whom Glooscap had left behind the band had journeyed hastily across the land to the sea then they sailed in their canoes to a great island where they stopped and set up their tents and the sorceress left the road they travelled well guarded by evil beasts and dragons who she hoped would kill Glooscap if he tried to follow them she made Dame Baer and the little boy her slaves and compelled them to do much hard work she gave them but little food and but scanty clothing so that they were soon very miserable when Glooscap came back to his home at the end of six weeks he found that his people had disappeared his friend Fox who had watched slyly the people's departure and the wicked woman's tricks told him all that had happened Glooscap did not blame his people for he knew that their going away had been brought about by his old enemy but that he might teach his people the folly of their act for he knew that they would now be very hungry and poor he tarried alone in his homeland for many years before he set out to find them and to take vengeance on their wicked leader then taking his magic belt and his two dogs he set out upon his long journey he went across the sea to another land and then he travelled eastward his dogs following close behind him here he was far from the road that his people had travelled and there were no dragons to bar his progress soon he came to a village where the people were friendly he heard from an old man and woman about the road along which the sorcerers and his own people had passed the old man told him of the dragons ahead of him and of the evil hideous creatures that had been left to guard the way but Glooscap unafraid and trusting in his dogs and his magic belt set out a longly enchanted road at last he came to a narrow pass in the hills watched over by two terrible dogs he put his magic belt around the necks of his own dogs for a moment and at once they grew to an immense size and they easily killed the beasts of his enemy and he passed on unharmed after some hours he came to a high hill at the bottom was a large tent in which he knew from the tale of the old man of the friendly village that a wicked man lived with his two beautiful daughters he knew too that they waited his coming for prompted by the sorcerers they wished to kill him as he looked down from the top of the hill he saw the two daughters approaching afar off they were very beautiful and fair but Glooscap remembered the old man's warning and he resolved to be on his guard one of them carried in her hands a string of costly beads they met him with pleasant smiles and invited him to the tent below the hill and they tried to place the beads about his neck to show him their great love but Glooscap knew that the beads were enchanted and that if he placed them around his neck he should lose his strength and power so he set his dogs upon the girls and the dogs were so terrible because of his magic belt that the girls ran away in great fear as they ran they dropped the string of beads without which they had no power Glooscap picked up the beads and then cautiously entered the tent of his enemies on a couch of skins near the door the old man was dozing and before he could rise Glooscap placed the beads about his neck and killed him with a blow then he went on his way he met with many enemies on this evil road but by the aid of his dogs and his magic belt and the enchanted beads he overcame them all and was unharmed at last he reached the sea and he looked over the dark water to another land and wondered how to get across finally he sang the magic song that the whales always obeyed old Blob the whale came quickly to his call and getting on her back he sailed away to the eastward his two dogs swam close behind old Blob the whale soon brought him to the land where he knew that his people dwelt he sprang ashore, his dogs following him and set out with long rapid strides in search of his enemies at the end of a few hours journey he found traces of old campfires and he knew that his people were not far away at last he reached the place where they were living in the distance he saw a camp which because of his magic power he knew to be that of the sorceress nearby was his little brother whom the wicked sorceress had made her slave he was pale and much worn and he was glad only in rags he was seeking wood for a fire and as he gathered up the dry sticks he cried and sang a song of lament where is Glooscap my big brother alas he is far away and I shall never see him again then Glooscap took pity on his little brother and gave a signal that the little boy knew well and his brother turning around spied Glooscap behind the trees of far off and running to him cried out with joy for he knew that help had at last come but Glooscap knew that to overcome his great enemy and to free his people he must be very careful and use his craftiest tricks he told his little brother to be silent and to tell no one but old Dame Bear the grandmother that he had come he sent him back to his hard work in the camp and promised that when the twilight came he should be freed and he said do what you can to make the wicked woman angry for when anger comes to her her power leaves her when you were sent to rock her baby to sleep at twilight snatch it from its cradle and throw it into the campfire then run to me where I hide here among the trees take Dame Bear with you and all will be well his little brother then went back to his hard work in the woman's tent and told Dame Bear what he had seen and heard and the two waited patiently for the twilight at the sunset hour the little boy still supperless was sent by the sorcerers to rock her baby to sleep for the first time in his long separation from his big brother he worked with joy and without hunger for he knew that he would soon be free suddenly he snatched from the cradle hammock the woman's baby a wicked child like her mother and hurled her into the campfire then taking Dame Bear by the arm he ran towards Glooscap's hiding place the baby howled with pain and cursed loudly as she had heard her mother do and rolled herself out of the fire and the sorcerers was very angry and muttering dire threats she ran after the boy and Dame Bear they soon reached Glooscap who sprang from his hiding place his magic belt around him when the sorcerers saw Glooscap she was more angry than before so that her strength left her and she was powerless yet she gave battle Glooscap tore up a huge pine tree from its roots and hurled it at his enemy it entered her side and stuck there and although she tried with all her might she could not draw it out Glooscap could now have killed her with a blow but he did not wish to do that he wanted to let her live in misery and to give her a greater punishment than death and so yelling with pain and shame the sorcerers ran back to her tent while Glooscap took Dame Bear and his little brother to his own camp among the trees and gave them food he knew now that the battle was over for it had long been known that if the wicked woman's side was once pierced her power would never return when Glooscap's people heard that he had come they rejoiced greatly for they were hungry and cold the sorcerers had failed to provide food for them and they were tired of her wicked and cruel rule which was very unlike that of Glooscap but Glooscap tarried before making friends again with them and remained for many days in his own camp in the trees watching them from afar his dogs guarded his grove and kept all away except Dame Bear and his little brother meanwhile the wicked sorceress in pain with the pine tree in her side moved about in great anger but as her power was now gone the people refused longer to obey her and they all laughed at her because of the pine tree sticking in her side at last being very angry she said I do not wish to live like this when my power is gone all the people laugh at me because of the pine tree sticking in my side I wish that I might change to something that would always be a plague and a torment to man for I hate mankind Glooscap heard her wish although he was far off and with his magic power he changed her at once to a mosquito then he forgave his people and as they were hungry he gave them much food and drink he killed many moose in the land and the people all rejoiced and promised never again to forsake him or to be jealous of his power then Glooscap gathered his people on the shore of the great ocean and calling the whales his sea carriers he bade them carry him and his people from this land back to their old home there they settled down again in peace but to this day the wicked sorceress roams over the earth as a mosquito and the pine tree in her side is a sharp sting she is never at rest but she shall always remain as she wished a torment to mankind the only thing on earth she dreads is fire and smoke for she still remembers that the throwing of her baby into the fire long ago caused the outburst of anger that in the end deprived her of her strength and by fire and smoke in the summer twilight men still drive her and her descendants from their dwellings End of section 14 Recording by Sean Michael Hogan St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada Section 15 of Canadian Wonder Tales This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Canadian Wonder Tales by Cyrus McMillan Section 15 The Moon and His Frog Wife When Glooscap first rained upon the earth what is now the moon shone by day and what is now the sun shone by night their work was exactly opposite to what it is today for the present moon was then the sun and the present sun was then the moon the moon was then very red and bright the sun was pale and silvery at that time the sun, the present moon kept a very irregular hours and was very careless about his work sometimes he rose very early in the morning and set very late at night at other times he rose very late and went to bed very early for weeks in the winter he refused to shine at all even when he did appear at his work he gave very little warmth and he might just as well have been covered in his clouds the moon, the present sun, was on the other hand always faithful to his duties at last the people grew tired of the sun's strange actions and irregularities they protested loudly against his methods of work until in the end they sent some of their number to complain to Glooscap Glooscap rebuked the sun but the latter answered that he had done his work as well as he could and that his accusers were merely his enemies Glooscap had really been too busy to notice the sun's way of working so that he might treat all with fairness he said to the accusers charge the sun formally and openly with neglect of his duty I will call a great meeting of all my people we will hold a trial to judge him I myself will be the judge whoever wants to give evidence may do so and the sun may make his defence to this all the people and the sun agreed now in those days the sun had many wives with some of them he was far from happy for often they sorely tormented him and tried his patience and a few of them he would gladly get rid of if he could one of his scolding wives was Frog she had a crumpled back and a wrinkled face and a harsh voice she was always jumping about and with her of all his wives he was on the least friendly terms when she heard that her husband was to be tried before Glooscap on a serious charge she wished to be present at the trial for she was very inquisitive but the sun said this trial is for men not for women your place is at home and not in the courts of warriors you must not come the frog wife pleaded to be allowed to go but the more she pleaded the more sternly the sun refused his permission however being a woman and not to be outdone by a man she resolved to go to the trial whether her husband permitted it or not and she decided to steal into the court quietly after the trial had commenced at last the day of the trial arrived the great court tent was filled with Glooscap's people in the centre of the platform sat Glooscap and near him sat the sun eager to defend himself from the charges of his enemies when the trial was well advanced and the evidence had nearly all been taken the sun's frog wife appeared suddenly at the door all the seats were filled but Glooscap with his usual politeness arose to find her a place but when the sun saw her there contrary to his wishes he was very angry he looked at her sternly with a frown making at her a wrigh twisted face and drawing down his right eyelid he said to Glooscap oh master do not trouble yourself to find her a seat let her sit on my eyelid that is a good enough seat for her she can hang on there well enough for she always wants to stick to me and follow me wherever I go and at once the frog wife jumped to his eyelid and sat there quite comfortably then the trial went on because of the sun's clever defence of himself he was declared not guilty of the charges against him he was decided by the judge Glooscap and all the people even the accusers agreed that under the circumstances he had done his work as well as he could and that he deserved neither blame nor punishment but at the close of the trial when the sun attempted to go back to his work he could not get rid of his frog wife he tried with all his might but he could not shake her off she stuck fast to his eyelid and stubbornly refused to leave her seat and she said that henceforth she would stay with him to see that he did his work well all the people pulled and tugged and coaxed but they failed to move her the strongest men in the land came but even they could not pull her away then the people lamented and said to Glooscap she covers the side of the sun's face and hinders his work she makes him ugly we must not have our light of day disfigured like this and bright on one side only the world will laugh at us what are we to do? and they were in great sorrow and distress but Glooscap in his wisdom found a way out of the difficulty he said be not troubled oh my people we will make the moon and the sun exchange places the moon who was still perfect and unharmed shall become the light of day instead of night and shall take the name sun the sun shall become the light of night instead of day and shall take the name moon it will matter little if one side of his face is dark and his frogwife hanging to his eyelid will by night be little noticed to this the people all agreed and so the sun was changed with the moon to shine by night and the moon was changed with the sun to shine by day so now when the moon, the old sun first appears at his work he holds away from the earth the side of his face to which his frogwife is hanging for he is very much ashamed of his appearance when he turns his head full upon the earth you can still see when the sky is clear his black frogwife hanging to his right eyelid and covering one side of his face and always when his month's work is nearly done he turns his head abruptly in a frantic effort to shake her off but he never succeeds she hangs there always and because of his frogwife's curiosity he shall never again shine by day End of section 15 Recording by Sean Michael Hogan St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada Section 16 of Canadian Wonder Tales This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Canadian Wonder Tales by Cyrus McMillan Section 16 Glooscap and the Fairy One day Glooscap was in his tent with his old grandmother They heard a great noise A very big man is coming said Glooscap I hear his footsteps Time passed but no one came Soon they heard a great noise again He must be a very big man said Glooscap The earth is trembling under his tread For the calves of my legs are shaking He is coming nearer Soon there was a knock at the door Come in said Glooscap In came a little fellow no bigger than a man's thumb You walk very heavily and make a great noise For so small a man said Glooscap Yes said the little fellow But not another word would he say They sat silent for a long time Then Glooscap tried to put his strange little collar to the test Take something to eat he said And he passed him a plate full of food With his magic power he made the plate very heavy And he thought that the little man could not hold it But would let it fall on his toes But the little fellow took it easily And held it while he ate all it contained When he had finished eating he passed it back But it had grown so heavy because of the little man's power That Glooscap could hardly hold it up Then they went outside it was blowing very hard It is a windy day said Glooscap Oh no said the little fellow It is very common pleasant I should like to have a sail on the sea Glooscap had a very large heavy canoe He thought it would be fun to send the little fellow sailing in it For he thought he could not paddle it He told him there was a canoe on the beach And that he might take it for a sail The little man thanked him and went to the beach Glooscap went back to his tent on the high cliff To watch what would happen Soon he saw the little man out on the sea In the big heavy canoe Then he untied the wings of the great wind bird And the winds blew harder than ever And the waves rolled high But the little man weathered the storm all right He seemed to be enjoying his sail And after a time he came ashore safely When he came in Glooscap said Did you have a good sail? Very good replied the little man But I like stronger winds and a rougher sea And Glooscap wondered much Then they went outside again It was still blowing hard The little man blew through his nostrils And the wind from them blew so hard That the grass fell down before it And Glooscap was knocked head over heels And had to put his arms around a big tree And hold on tight to keep from blowing over the cliff Then the little man stopped blowing And they agreed to end their contest And to rest together But the little man was the strong fairy Of the forest of whom he had long heard The fairy gave him new power to overcome evil And then went back to the land of little people From which he had come End of Section 16 Recording by Sean Michael Hogan St. John's Newfoundland, Canada Section 17 of Canadian Wonder Tales This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Canadian Wonder Tales by Cyrus McMillan Section 17 The Passing of Glooscap Glooscap, the magic master of the Indian tribes Along the Atlantic coast of Canada Had very great power for many ages But as he grew old his power gradually grew less He had done in his long lifetime Many great and noble deeds He had freed his land of all the mighty monsters That had inhabited it before his coming No evil beasts nor serpents Nor dragons were now found near his home And there were no longer cruel giants In the forest hard by He had made his people happy But strangely enough his people showed him But scanty gratitude When he grew old they became evil And they were not as faithful as in the days Of his youth and strength Even the animals grew treacherous His dogs once loyal were no longer eager To do his bidding And one stormy day as he fished for porpoises They stubbornly refused to obey his command To head off the fish Thereupon in anger he changed his dogs Into a stone island Now a rocky lighthouse island on the Atlantic coast All around him he saw signs of faithlessness And often he was in great sorrow Because of his people's ingratitude One afternoon in the autumn Glooscap walked alone by the ocean Thinking silently of his people's evil ways And of his own vanished strength Behind him the tall trees rose on the hills Their leaves now turned to a mass of many colours Yellow and red under the autumn sun Here and there clusters of red autumn berries Peeped through the dying leaves On the high bank long stalks of golden rod Knotted their faded heads The grass was withered brown And from its depths came the doleful sounds of crickets Before him lay the sea still in idle and grey In the soft mellow light Subdued noises came from the tents nearby Where his people busy and expectant Were making arrows for the great annual autumn hunt For the hunter's moon had come Otherwise a strange silence The silence of nature's death Filled the air Glooscap knew as he moodily walked along the beach That summer had gone That she had fled from the Northland Following the moose-hide cord he had placed for her Along the rainbow road to the wilderness of flowers Closing his eyes he could see her again in all her beauty As he had really seen her many years before When he had first found her dancing among her children The fairies of flowers and light All the incidents of his long journey In search of her came back to him The sail with old blob the whale The southern cross in the sky The song of the clams under the golden sands The lilac country with its magnolia and jesamine The fair maiden dancers on the green And summer herself with her brown hair and her blossoms Even his lost youth and his vanished strength Seemed to come back to him He could feel on his old cheeks again The soft air of the Southland He could hear the music of its tiny streams And he opened his nostrils wide and fancy To pleasant odours from scented flowers And as he dreamed of the old days He was lonely for summer his fairy queen For although he was a great warrior He had a woman's tender heart Somehow on this autumn day He was filled with a strange feeling of melancholy Such as he had never known before He could not shake the feeling from him It brought him a deep sense of coming danger Which he could not explain Suddenly he was aroused from his dreaming By the appearance of his messengers, the loons Who were still loyal to him They had been away many days in search of news And now they came back to him over the water Uttering strange cries that sounded like foolish laughter Loosecap knew from their cries That they brought unwelcome tidings When they met him on the beach they said Oh master, we bring you a sad message From away across the ocean A race of strange, pale-faced men is coming Smaller in size than our people But more powerful One of their number is more than a match For a score of your best warriors For they carry with them many deadly weapons The like of which you have never seen They are coming in wonderful ships Greater than your canoes They will take all your lands And will kill those of your people Who have nothing to submit to their rule The loons would have continued their story But Loosecap wished to hear no more He understood now the cause of his melancholy dread He knew that the pale race of which the loons Had spoken was the race of which he had long heard And that the white men were coming at last He knew too that it would be useless To stay to give them battle His reign on earth he knew well Was ended for a time And now he must go away But to see was another hunting ground To which he must sail to join his fathers It was a place he had been told Pleasenter by far than his old home On the shores of the great water A place to which good warriors went When their work on earth was done So he returned silently to his tent To get ready for his long journey That night he called all his people To the gathering place He told them that he was going away Far away, miles and miles over the sunlit sea Not one of them should go with him He would be away, he said, many long years But some day he would come back He told them nothing of the message of the loons Nothing of the white men's coming But he offered as a parting gift To grant them each one last wish And at once all the people wished For what they most desired And all their requests were granted For Glooscap's great power returned For a brief space before he went away The people's wishes were very strange And varied An old man who had been of little value As a hunter asked that he might be great In the killing of game And Glooscap gave him a magic flute Which when played upon won the love of women And brought the moose and caribou To his side to meet their death And the old man with not a care In his heart went his way For he knew now that he should always have food A young Indian asked that he might have The love of many people Glooscap gave him a bag very tightly tied He told him not to open it until he reached his home And then his wish would be granted But the youth being curious Opened the bag on the way At once there flew from it numberless girls All of whom strove for his affection Until in the struggle they trampled him to death What became of the people no man knows Another, a gay frivolous fellow Asked that he might always amuse people Glooscap gave him a magic root from the forest Which would cause anyone who ate it To amuse all whom he met He told him not to eat it until he reached his home And then his presence would always be like sunshine to all But he, being curious, ate the root on the way For a time he amused all who met him So that they all laughed and were of a merry heart But soon because he had not heeded Glooscap's command The people grew tired of him And no longer laughed at him And he grew weary of himself And found no pleasure in his power Which now no longer moved people to laughter And his life became a burden until in despair He killed himself in the forest An old night-hawk, the evil spirit of the night Came down from the clouds and carried him away To the dwelling place of darkness And he was never afterwards heard of among men Another wished to become a fairy of the forest Glooscap washed him in the sea And put a magic belt around his waist And at once he became a fairy Prince dwelling among the elves And he gave him a small pipe And to this day you can hear his pipe On sunny days in the meadows But the wish that was most difficult to gratify For it tried Glooscap's greatest power Was that of a youth who wanted to win A beautiful girl for his wife She was the daughter of a powerful chief Who placed such hard work and cruel tasks On all who desired her that they died In attempting them Glooscap gave him his stone canoe And bait him sail away to the chief's home He gave the fairies of the deep charge over him And he tied the wings of the great eagle, the windbird So that there might be no wind during his voyage He gave him also a magic belt and taught him a magic song Both of which should help him in his need Soon the youth came without mishap To a large island, the home of the girl he loved He hid the canoe in the trees and set out inland At the end of a long road he reached the village Where the cruel chief and his daughter lived He said to the chief after the fashion of Indians When they want to marry I am tired of the lonely life I have come for your daughter The chief replied that the youth might have his daughter If he could do certain feats of strength The youth knew that these were the feats The attempt of which had cost many before him their lives But trusting the Glooscap's help he consented The chief told him he must slay a great horned dragon That lived in the forest hard by And that he must bring the dragon's head To his tent on the following morning In the night the youth went to the dragon's den Over the mouth of it he placed a great log Then standing near it he sang the magic song That Glooscap had taught him Soon the dragon came out in answer to the magic call He waved his head all about looking for the sound Then he placed his head over the log to listen At once the youth severed the creature's head With a blow of his axe and taking it by One of its great horns he brought it In the morning to the chief's camp And the chief greatly surprised said to himself I fear he will win my daughter There were other difficult feats to try the young man's courage But all of them he did without harm to himself And with great wonder to the old chief Finally the chief used one of his last and hardest tests He said there is a man of my tribe Who has never been beaten in running You must race with him and beat him If you would win my daughter You must both run around the world The old man was sure that here at last The youth would fail But the youth put on the magic belt That Glooscap had given him And when all the people were gathered to watch the contest He met his rival without fear He said to the chief's runner What do men call you? And he answered I am northern light and what do men call you? The youth answered I am chain lightning The starting signal was given by the chief And the two rivals set out on their race In a moment they were out of sight Away behind the distant hills The people all waited patiently for their return Soon the youth chain lightning appeared He had been around the world but he was not breathing hard And he was not even tired from his long run There was yet no sign of his rival Late in the evening northern light came in But he was very weary And as he came near he trembled and tottered He confessed that he had not been all around the world He had turned back for chain lightning had gone too fast for him Yet he was very tired He admitted his defeat The people wondered greatly at the power of the victorious youth And the old chief said I fear he has won my daughter There was still a final test The chief said There is a man of my tribe who has never been overcome In diving and swimming under water You must strive with him and defeat him if you would win my daughter And the youth agreed Again he put on the magic belt and met his rival without fear When they met by the sea the youth asked the chief's swimmer What do men call you? And he replied I am black duck and what do men call you? And he answered I am loon When the chief gave the signal they dived and swam under water In a few minutes black duck rose again for he was out of breath But the people waited in wonder many hours before loon rose And when he came up he was not tired but laughing heartily And the old chief well content said to him My tests are ended you have won my daughter That night the great wedding feast was held Taking with him his bride set sail for his home in Glooscap's canoe A few of those who asked gifts Glooscap punished before he went away because of their foolish requests One who came was very tall and proud of his good looks He always covered his moccasins with bright beads And wore colored coats and sprinkled himself with strange perfumes And on the top of his cap he wore a long feather He asked Glooscap to make him taller and straighter than any of his fellows And when Glooscap heard his wish to punish him for his pride He changed him at once to a pine tree He made him very tall and straight until his head rose above the forest There he stands to this day the high green feather in his cap Waving always in the wind And when the wind blows you can still hear him singing with a moaning voice I am a great man I am a beautiful Indian taller than my fellows Many others Glooscap punished But all who had diseases he healed and sent away happy When Glooscap knew that the wishes of all the good people who had obeyed his commands had been granted He was ready to set out on his last journey One day on the shore of the wide ocean he made a great feast To which all his people came and all the animals with them But it was not a merry gathering For they knew that they met with Glooscap for the last time before his long absence In the late autumn afternoon when the feast was ended Glooscap prepared to leave them He threw his kettle into the sea for he would need it no more And it became an island And he tied one wing of the windbird So that after he had gone away the gales would not blow so strong on the Atlantic coast As they had blown in his lifetime And he talked long to his people and smoked his last pipe with them And gave them good advice He spoke of his going away but of the land to which he was going He would say nothing He promised that some day after many years had passed he would come again among them Then in the evening a great stone canoe came over the ocean Guided by two of the children of light And Glooscap seeing it said It is now the sunset hour and I must leave you Many of his people, his good followers who throughout his lifetime had been faithful to him Begged him to allow them to go with him But he answered No, this last great journey I must make alone For no man can come with me or help me And just at the turn of the tide as the sun set behind the distant hills He embarked in the great stone canoe and sailed far out to sea with the ebbing tide Singing as he went a strange sad song His people and all the beasts looked after him until in the deepening twilight They could see him no more But long after they had lost sight of him His song came to them, weird and dull, full across the water Gradually the sounds grew fainter and fainter until when night came they died entirely away Then a strange silence fell upon the earth The beasts mourned until they lost the power of speech They fled into the forest in different ways And since that time they have never met together in peaceful council as in the olden days And they have never spoken like men The great owl departed in sorrow and hid himself in the deep forest Since that time he has seldom appeared by day But at night he always cries, coo coo coo Which in the Indian language means, I am sad, I am sad And the loon, Glooscap's old messenger, wanders up and down the beach Calling for his master with loud, wild cries And Glooscap's people grow smaller and smaller in number because of their master's absence And they slowly waste away until someday they too shall vanish from the earth So Glooscap sailed away over the sea to the distant hunting grounds of his fathers There he lives still in a great long tent Where he is making arrows preparing for his last great battle And when the thunder rolls and the lightning flashes Those of his people who still remain on earth know that he is angry Where the sea sparkles most brightly in the sunlight Or moans most dismally in the storm They know that Glooscap is there When the phosphorescent lights appear at night upon the sea They know that he is working late by the strange light And when there are no stars they know that Glooscap lies asleep, taking his rest But when his great tent is filled with arrows Glooscap will come back to fight his last battle And overcome the evil creatures of the world He will then bring back the golden age of happiness to earth And his people in hope and patience still await his coming End of Section 17 Recording by Sean Michael Hogan, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada Section 18 of Canadian Wonder Tales This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Canadian Wonder Tales by Cyrus McMillan Section 18, The Indian Cinderella On the shores of a wide bay on the Atlantic coast There dwelt in old times a great Indian warrior It was said that he had been one of Glooscap's best helpers and friends And that he had done for him many wonderful deeds But that, no man knows, he had, however, a very wonderful and strange power He could make himself invisible He could thus mingle unseen with his enemies and listen to their plots He was known among the people a strong wind at the invisible He dwelt with his sister in a tent near the sea And his sister helped him greatly in his work Many maidens would have been glad to marry him And he was much sought after because of his mighty deeds And it was known that strong wind would marry the first maiden Who could see him as he came home at night Many made the trial, but it was a long time before one succeeded Strong wind used a clever trick to test the truthfulness of all who sought to win him Each evening as the day went down His sister walked on the beach with any girl who wished to make the trial His sister could always see him, but no one else could see him And as he came home from work in the twilight His sister, as she saw him drawing near, would ask the girl who sought him Do you see him? And each girl would falsely answer, yes And his sister would ask, with what does he draw his sled? And each girl would answer, with the height of a moose Or with a pole, or with a great cord And then his sister would know that they all had lied For their answers were mere guesses And many tried and lied and failed For strong wind would not marry any who were untruthful There lived in the village a great chief who had three daughters Their mother had been long dead One of these was much younger than the others She was very beautiful and gentle and well-beloved by all And for that reason her older sisters were very jealous of her charms And treated her very cruelly They clothed her in rags that she might be ugly And they cut off her long black hair And they burned her face with coals from the fire that she might be scarred and disfigured And they lied to their father telling him that she had done these things herself But the young girl was patient and kept her gentle heart And went gladly about her work Like other girls the chief's two eldest daughters tried to win strong wind One evening as the day went down They walked on the shore with strong wind's sister And waited for his coming Soon he came home from his day's work, drawing his sled And his sister asked as usual, do you see him? And each one lying answered, yes And she asked, of what is his shoulder strap made? And each guessing said, of rawhide Then they entered the tent where they hoped to see strong wind eating his supper And when he took off his coat and his moccasins they could see them But more than these they saw nothing And strong wind knew that they had lied And he kept himself from their sight And they went home dismayed One day the chief's youngest daughter with her rags and her burnt face resolved to seek strong wind She patched her clothes with bits of birch bark from the trees And put on the few little ornaments she possessed And went forth to try to see the invisible one as all the other girls of the village had done before And her sisters laughed at her and called her fool And as she passed along the road all the people laughed at her Because of her tattered frock and her burnt face But silently she went her way Strong wind's sister received the little girl kindly And at twilight she took her to the beach Soon strong wind came home drawing his sled And his sister asked, do you see him? And the girl answered, no And his sister wondered greatly because she spoke the truth And again she asked, do you see him now? And the girl answered, yes, and he is very wonderful And she asked, with what does he draw his sled? And the girl answered, with the rainbow And she was much afraid And she asked further, of what is his bowstring? And the girl answered, his bowstring is the milky way Then strong wind's sister knew that because the girl had spoken the truth at first Her brother had made himself visible to her And she said, truly you have seen him And she took her home and bathed her And all the scars disappeared from her face and body And her hair grew long and black again like the raven's wing And she gave her fine clothes to wear and many rich ornaments Then she bathed her take the wife's seat in the tent Soon strong wind entered and sat beside her and called her his bride The very next day she became his wife And ever afterwards she helped him to do great deeds The girl's two elder sisters were very cross And they wondered greatly at what had taken place But strong wind, who knew of their cruelty resolved to punish them Using his great power he changed them both into aspen trees And rooted them in the earth And since that day the leaves of the aspen have always trembled And they shiver in fear at the approach of strong wind It matters not how softly he comes For they are still mindful of his great power and anger Because of their lies and their cruelty to their sister long ago Section 19 This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Canadian Wonder Tales by Cyrus McMillan Section 19 The boy and his three helpers An Indian boy lived alone with his parents in the Canadian forest His parents were very old And the boy took care of them and hunted and provided them with food He was always kind to them And they told him that because of his goodness to them He would never lack happiness and good fortune But soon his parents died And the boy was left alone in the world He lived far from other people And now that his parents were gone He decided to leave his old home And find friends elsewhere One day before he left home While he was hunting he killed a raven with his arrow When he picked up the bird from the snow it was bleeding The red blood stained his black glossy feathers He looked at the dead bird and said I wish I could find a comrade whose hair is as black as the raven's wing Whose skin is as white as the snow And whose lips are as red as these blood stains As he spoke an old man came along and said I will help you to find such a comrade I have heard of your goodness So he gave the boy a belt and told him to wear it always And that it would bring to him those who could help him He went away and the boy went back to his own home The next day he left his old home And set out to see the world beyond the hills He was not merry as he went on his way For he did not gladly leave all behind him As he went along he met a man on the trail One of the man's legs was bent up at the knee And his foot was tied to his thigh And he hopped along on one foot The boy said Why are you hopping along on one foot? The man said If I did not tie up my leg I would run so fast that it would be around the world in a few seconds I know that you were in search of a beautiful comrade I have come to go along with you Then he untied his leg And in a moment he was out of sight In a few seconds he came back from the opposite direction He had been around the world So the man and the boy went along together The next day they met a man on the trail With his nose covered up The boy said Why do you keep your nose covered? The man said If I did not keep my nostrils covered I would blow so hard that there would always be a whirlwind where I am You were in search of a beautiful comrade I have come to help you Then he uncovered his nostrils And at once there was such a wind that trees were torn down And the man and the boy were knocked head over heels So the three went along together The next day they saw a man in the forest Who was cutting down a hundred trees with one blow of his axe He said to the boy You were in search of a beautiful comrade I have come to help you So the four went along together Soon they came to a village where a great chief lived The chief had a beautiful daughter Her skin was as white as snow Her lips were as red as blood And her hair was as black and glossy as the raven's wing The boy said She shall be my comrade I must win her So he went to the chief and made known to him his wishes But the chief said The task of winning my daughter is difficult and dangerous The men of your party must do very hard feats of strength If they fail they shall all be put to death If they succeed you may have my daughter But I do not want to give her to a stranger The boy agreed to attempt the difficult feats And to risk his life and the lives of his party in the effort The first feat was a test of speed Between one of the boy's party and one of the chief's The boy untied his friend's leg And the two rival runners set out on their race They were to run around the world The boy's runner came in far ahead and won the race The next feat was a test of strength In moving rocks down a mountainside The boy took the windblower to the mountaintop He uncovered his nostrils and the contest began The windblower blew so hard That the rocks on his side of the hill were all blown down In an instant and he won the contest Then the chief said The next and last contest is a test of skill and strength In building a house from trees in the forest I want to see how quickly you can build a house for my daughter Then the pine chopper went to work Striving with the chief's builder With one blow of his axe he fell to a hundred trees Then he trimmed them and he had the house completed Before his rival had trees enough cut down Then the chief said You may take my daughter After the wedding feast the four men and the brides Set out on their journey home The chief gave them a canoe And told them to go home by sea as the way was shorter So one morning they set out But when they were far out on the ocean They saw a great storm coming behind them on the water The chief had sent it after them He hoped to drown them all For he would rather see his daughter dead Than wedded to a stranger But before it reached them The windblower rose in the canoe And uncovered his nostrils and began to blow Soon his breath met the windstorm And there was a great struggle But he soon overcame the storm and forced it back The sea around them remained calm And they reached the land unharmed Then the pine chopper built a house for the boy and his bride The boy thanked his three friends for their help They told him that if he ever needed them again They would come quickly to his aid Then they went on their way The boy and his bride lived happily in their new home But he always kept the old man's belt near him And ate him in times of need End of section 19 Recording by Sean Michael Hogan St. John's Newfoundland, Canada Section 20 of Canadian Wonder Tales This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Canadian Wonder Tales by Cyrus McMillan Section 20 The Duck with Red Feet A hunter in old times Lived on the bank of a river far away In the Canadian forest He passed all his days in the deep woods Where he had great success in catching and killing game There was no better hunter than he in all the country Every evening he returned to his home Bringing his day's catch with him His father and mother were both dead And he had no sister, he had only one brother This brother was very small He was so small that the hunter kept him in a little box When he went away in the morning to hunt He always closed the box up tight So that his little brother could not get out For he feared that if he got out harm would come to him Every night he took him out of the box to give him food And the little man was so hungry That he always ate a great lot of food The little man slept always with his brother But every morning he was carefully locked up in the box And in time he grew very tired of his prison One evening as the hunter came down the river From his hunting journey He saw a very beautiful girl sitting on the bank of the stream He decided he would catch her And take her home to be his wife For he was very lonely He paddled to the beach as silently as he could But she saw him coming and she jumped into the water and disappeared She went to her home at the bottom of the river And told her mother that the hunter had tried to catch her But her mother told her that she should not have run away She said, the hunter who tried to catch you Was intended to be your husband You must wait for him tomorrow and tell him you will be his wife The next night as the hunter came down the river The girl was again sitting on the bank He paddled over as he had done on the evening before But this time she did not run away She said, I have been waiting for you You may take me for your wife And the man well pleased with his beautiful prize Placed her in his canoe and took her home He did not tell her of his little brother in the box He cooked a beaver for the evening meal He and his wife ate half of it But he placed the other half away in the cupboard Then he told his wife to go to sleep And she went to bed and soon fell asleep When she awoke in the morning her husband had gone for his days hunting For he had to leave early to go a long distance into the forest She found, too, that the half of the beaver he had put in the cupboard was gone And she wondered what had become of it That evening when her husband came home He cooked another beaver for their meal Again they ate one half of it And the man placed the other half of it to one side But not a word did he say of his brother in the box Then the man sent his wife to bed as on the previous night And soon she was fast asleep When she awoke in the morning her husband was gone for his days hunting The half of the beaver which he had placed to one side was also gone But she knew he had not taken it She was afraid and all day she wondered where the meat had gone She decided that she would find out what had happened to it That night when her husband came home He cooked half a small mousse for their evening meal They ate part of it and the man placed the remainder of it to one side as usual Then he told his wife to go to sleep She went to bed and pretended to sleep But she stayed wide awake peeping through half closed eyelids When her husband thought she was sleeping soundly He unlocked a little box that stood on a low shelf And took out a little man and gave him the mousse meat he had put aside The little man ate every bit of it He looked very strange He was all red from head to heels As if he were covered with red paint And he said not a word When he had greedily eaten all the meat The man washed him and combed his hair And then put him back in the box and locked him up The woman wondered greatly at this strange happening But she could not keep from laughing heartily to herself Because of the funny appearance of the little red man The next day the man left early for his days hunting When she was sure he was far away She thought she would take a peep at the queer little red man in the box She found the key hanging on the wall And opened the box and called to the little man to come out But he would not come He seemed to be very much afraid of her She coaxed him to come out but he refused Then she caught him and pulled him out He looked at her for a long time but he would say not a word Then he ran to the door which was open And with a sudden jump he sprang into the air and disappeared The woman called to him but he would not come back He was never seen again The woman was very much afraid But she was more frightened when she looked at her hands They were all red because she had caught the little red man And many red spots were on her arms And on her feet where the red colouring from the man had dropped She tried to wash off the red spots But she could not remove them She washed and rubbed her hands all day But the stains would not come off When her husband came home in the evening He knew when he saw her red hands what had happened He knew that his brother of the box had gone And he was very angry He seized a rod and ran at her to beat her She was afraid he would kill her And she ran to the river and jumped in To go back to her old home She reached the water she was changed from what she was At once she became a shell-drake duck The red spots remained on her And the sea could not wash them off And to this day the shell-drake duck Has red stains on her feet and feathers Because she was curious and took the funny little red man From the box in the olden days One autumn day in old times A woman and her infant son were lost in the Canadian woods The woman was going back to her home from a long journey And in some strange way she wandered from the path The more she walked about the more confused she became And for many days she searched for the right road But she could not find it All the time she lived on berries And on the little food she carried At last she found a cave in the woods And she decided to use it for a home She had not been long in the cave When a large bear came in And she knew then that she had taken refuge in a bear's den She thought the bear would kill her and her child But the bear was good He looked upon them as his own kind And soon they all became friends The bear hunted during the day And each night he brought to the cave much meat Which the woman cooked Comfortably through the long winter After a time the woman's child Grew to be a very strong boy The bear taught him to wrestle And after a few weeks practice The boy could throw down his teacher And the mother said he will be a great warrior For she knew that his strength was more than human When the boy grew large and strong enough To take care of his mother They decided to try to find the way back to their old home So one day they said goodbye to the bear And set out on their journey After many hardships and dangers They reached their native village Where the people who had thought them dead Received them with great rejoicing The boy continued to grow in strength Until the people said they had never seen anyone so powerful There was no limit to his strength One day the boy said to his mother I am going to travel far away Until I find other men who are as strong as I am Then my strength will be tested And I will come back to you His mother agreed that he should go In the morning he set out on his strange journey He came to the bank of a river And there he saw a man standing not far ahead of him As he looked a large canoe came drifting down the river Filled with people They had lost their paddles One of the people called to the man on the bank And asked him to help them to land The man put out a long pole And placed the end of it under the canoe And lifted the canoe and all the people to the beach There thought the boy is a man as strong as I am The boy ran to the spot and picked up the canoe full of people And carried it up to the bank He spoke to the man and told him of his own great strength Then he said we are two strong men Let us go along together until we find a third man as strong as we are The man agreed and he went along with the boy They travelled far that day And in the afternoon they came to a country of high rocky hills It was a lonely and silent place And no people seemed to be living in it At last they saw a man rolling a large stone up the side of a mountain The stone was as large as a house And the mountain was very steep But the man rolled the stone up with ease He had rolled it half way up when the two strangers came along The boy picked up the stone and threw it to the top of the mountain without difficulty And the roller man looked at them with great wonder Then the boy told him of the strength of himself and his comrade and said We are three strong men Let us go hunting together The man agreed and the three went along together They built a house for themselves to live in while they hunted They agreed that only two of them should go away at once to hunt And that the other should stay at home to look after the place and to prepare the evening meal They decided that each should stay at home in his turn The next day the man of the riverbank who had lifted the canoe stayed at home Towards evening he got ready for the coming of his comrades And he cooked a good meal to have waiting for them As he had finished cooking it a small boy came in and asked for food He was very small and worn and ragged and the man pitted him and told him to eat what he wanted The boy ate and ate until he had eaten all the food prepared for the three strong men Then he went away and disappeared in the side of the mountain When the two hunters came home they were very hungry and they were cross When they heard that their meal had all been eaten up And they vowed vengeance on the little glutton who had taken all their food The next day it was the turn of the stone-rolling man to stay at home In the evening he cooked a good meal for himself and his comrades But before the hunters came home the little boy came in again and asked for food He looked so small and worn and he cried so bitterly that the man did not have the heart to send him away And he told him to eat what he wanted The boy ate and ate until not a scrap of food was left Then he laughed and went out and disappeared in the mountain When the two hunters came home they were again very cross to find that their food had all been eaten up by a tiny boy The next day the strong boy stayed at home while the canoe-lifter and the stone-roller went hunting In the evening the small boy came again just as he had done on the two previous days He wept and asked for food The strong boy told him to eat what he wanted He ate and ate as before until he had eaten up the whole meal then he got up to go out But the strong boy caught him and held him fast There was a long struggle for the tiny boy was very powerful and he was almost a match for the strong boy But at last he was thrown down and he pleaded for his life The strong boy said he would spare him on condition that he would take him to his home He wanted to see what kind of a place he lived in And the small boy agreed Then the strong boy went with him to the side of the mountain When they reached it the little boy said I am the servant of a terrible giant who has never been defeated in battle I think you can overcome him Take this stick and beat him with it for it is the only thing that can give him pain Then he gave him a stick that lay on the ground and they went on to the giant's cave in the side of the hill When they went in the giant sprang upon the strong boy There was a long fight it lasted for a whole day And at last the strong boy overcame the giant and beat him dead with the magic stick Then the little boy said I will reward you for freeing me from my terrible master I have three beautiful sisters and you may have whichever one you want for your wife He took the strong boy to his home in a cave far down in a valley on the other side of a mountain And there they found the three beautiful girls The strong boy took the youngest one for himself and he took the other two for his comrades When they came out of the cave the strong boy found that they would have a very hard path to climb up the steep side of the mountain Then luckily as he thought he saw his two strong comrades standing on the top of a high cliff far above him They saw him and the three girls far below them He called to them to let down a rope and said The three girls I have with me cannot climb the steep path you must pull them up So the men above let down a strong cord and the young boy sent up the two oldest girls first one at a time Then before sending up his own choice the youngest he thought he would test the loyalty of his comrades They were standing far back from the top of the cliff holding the rope And they could not see the boy and the girl below The boy tied a heavy stone to the end of the rope and called I am going up next pull away The men pulled and pulled until they had drawn the weight near the top of the cliff Then they cut the rope and down crashed the stone to the bottom of the cliff where it broke into many pieces The men above hoped that they had killed their comrade They did not think that he had meant the two fairy wives for them so they decided to kill him But they were outwitted by the boy and the stone That is a fine way to reward my kindness said the boy to his girl companion when he saw the stone in pieces on the rocks As he spoke he looked up and saw the two fairy girls running away from the two men above who were left all alone Then with the magic help of the little boy the girl's brother the strong boy at once punished the two men by making them follow the girls They followed them on and on but they never found them And they still follow them they wander always and they are never at rest Then the strong boy left the little boy behind him to look after himself And he took his fairy wife and climbed up the path and went to live far away in the forest For a time they lived very happily One day the boy said I am going back to my old home to see my people You must wait here and in a few days I shall come back The girl did not want him to go she feared he would forget her but he told her that he must go Then she said when you reach your home a small black dog will meet you at the door It will jump to lick your hand but do not let it touch you it is an evil spirit and disguise And if it licks your hand you will forget all about me and you will not come back to me The man promised to be on his guard and he set out for his native place leaving his wife behind him Soon he reached his home and as he opened the door sure enough the black dog of which his wife had spoken jumped towards him Before the strong boy could turn aside the dog licked his hand as his wife had said Then he forgot all about his old life in the forest and he lived with never a thought of the fairy girl he had left behind him far away His wife waited long for him to come back Then she knew that her husband had forgotten her because of the black dog And late in the autumn she set out to find him Soon she came to the place where he dwelt It was morning and she decided to hide until night and then go to his home She went to a stream that ran beside the village and climbed into a tree that stretched out over the water Nearby was an old house in which an old man lived The old man came to the brook for water and as he bent down to fill his pail he saw the face of the beautiful girl in the tree reflected in the stream He called to her to come down from the tree He had never seen a creature so lovely He brought her to his tent and gave her food And he told her that her husband had gone far up the river to hunt In the evening she went along the river to wait for her husband as he came home When she saw him coming in his canoe she sat on the bank of the stream and sang her magic song It was a song of wonderful melody such as only fairy maidens can sing And the sound went far over the water and charmed all who heard it When her husband heard the song he stopped to listen He soon knew that the music was that of his fairy wife of the forest For no one else on earth could sing so wonderful a song Then his old life in the forest came back to his mind With memories of the two strong men and the tiny boy and the three fairy girls And he remembered his wife to whom he had promised to return Then he paddled his canoe to the bank and found his wife And they were happy again It was a cold autumn night and the moon was full And his wife said we must not stay here This is a wicked place where men forget If you stay here you will forget me again Then she shuddered when she thought that her husband might forget her again And he shuddered when he thought that he might lose her again And they continued to tremble in fear Then she said we must go to another land It is a more beautiful land than this It is the land of eternal memory Where men and women never forget those they loved I know where it is, we will go to it Then she sang her magic song And at once a great bird came through the air to where they sat And still trembling in fear lest they should forget each other They sprang to the bird's back And the bird carried them up to the sky And there they were changed into northern lights And you can still see them with their children around them In the autumn nights in the north country Beautiful in the northern sky And they still tremble when they think of the land of forgetfulness they have left And of the pain it caused them in the old days of their youth End of section 21 Recording by Sean Michael Hogan, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada Section 22 of Canadian Wonder Tales This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Canadian Wonder Tales by Cyrus McMillan Section 22 The Boy and the Robbers Magical Booty A very rich senior lived once in a large town He had three beautiful daughters and one son The son was but a baby The senior wasted his money in wicked living He spent much of his time feasting and drinking and gambling His wife and daughters were much troubled Soon his money was all gone But he decided that he would have to get more somewhere He wished to continue in his evil ways of living One day he met a man in the fields The man said, I have heard of your beautiful daughters Will you give me the eldest for my wife? The senior said, you may have one if you pay me a great sum of money So the man paid the money and took the eldest girl away Then the senior went back to his old ways He spent his money on worthless friends And he was idle for a long time Soon his money was all gone One day in the fields he met another man The man said, I have heard of your beautiful daughters Will you give me the oldest one at home for my wife? The senior said, you may take her if you will give me a great sum of money for her The man paid him the money and took the second girl away Then the senior spent this money as he had all the rest Soon it was all gone and he looked for more Again he met a man in the fields And he sold him his youngest daughter for a great sum of money So the three girls were sold to strangers No one knew where they had gone or what had become of them Their mother often wept over them Only her little baby boy was left with her The senior soon died because of his wicked life But he had not used up all the money he had received for the third girl And he left some of it behind When the little boy grew up he went to school His mother had told him nothing of his three lost sisters But his playmates in school told him For they had heard their parents speak of them They told him that his father had sold them And that no one knew where they were When he asked his mother about it She would not tell him at first But at last she told him all And she wept because she did not know where her daughters had gone The boy decided to go in search of his sisters His mother said goodbye to him and wished him good luck He passed through a lonely forest As he went along he came upon three robbers Sitting on a grass plot under the trees They were quarreling about something The boy stood and watched them He heard one of the robbers say The boy will decide for us And the others agreed They called the boy to them and one of them said We have here a coat, a sword, and a pair of shoes Which we have stolen All these things have magical power The coat can make its wearer invisible The shoes can make the wearer run faster than the winds And the sword can overcome all enemies We cannot agree on how to divide the booty We want you to be umpire in our dispute And decide for us The boy said he would decide the question But first he must think about it Then the robbers set about preparing their evening meal One gathered wood for a fire Another went to a stream for water And the third looked after the food When their backs were all turned to the boy He put on the strange coat and shoes And took the sword at once he was invisible The robbers soon prepared their meal And looked for the boy And the magical coat and shoes and sword had gone with him Then they knew that he had outwitted them And they were very angry The boy waved his sword And wished himself at the home of his eldest sister Away he went at once running like the wind And in an instant he stood before a very large house He went in and asked to see the mistress of the place When she came to him he called her sister But she greeted him coldly and said I have no brother big enough to travel But he told her of her old home And soon convinced her that he was indeed her brother She was very glad to see him She told him that her husband was a very wonderful man Who could do wonderful deeds Soon her husband came home He was pleased to see his brother-in-law And they all had a very happy time together For several days Then the boy decided to go on and find his second sister When he was leaving his brother-in-law Gave him a scale from a fish's back And said this has very wonderful power If you ever get into trouble speak to it And it will bring you help from the sea Then the boy waved his sword And wished himself at the home of his second sister At once he stood before a great house The mistress received him coldly Just as her elder sister had done Until he convinced her that he was indeed her brother She told him that her husband was a very wonderful man Who had great power Soon her husband came home And greeted him kindly And they had a happy time together for many days Then the boy decided to go on And find his youngest sister Before he left his second brother-in-law Gave him a small lock of soft wool And said this has great power If you ever get into trouble speak to it And it will bring you help from the fields Then the boy waved his sword And wished himself at the home of his youngest sister She received him as the others had done But he soon convinced her that he was her brother And he found that her husband was a man of great power The boy stayed with them a long time Then he decided to set out to find a wife His sister told him that in a town far away Lived a very rich senior who had two beautiful daughters He said I will go and win the younger Before he left his third brother-in-law Gave him a small feather and said This has wonderful power If you ever get into trouble speak to it And it will bring you help from the air Then the boy waved his sword And wished himself at the house of the rich senior And at once he reached the village Going faster than the winds Before going to the senior's house He went into a house on the border of the village Two old women were there They received him kindly He told them he had come far To seek the senior's younger daughter They said the senior's elder daughter Is to be married tomorrow But she will not belong with her husband Why? said the boy They wondered at the boy's ignorance They said have you not heard of the giant of the sea cave He said he had not Then they took him to the window The cliff far across the bay The waves were breaking at its base And the spray dashed high on its side But he could see a hole like a door In the face of the cliff One of the old women said In that cave lives the giant of the sea As soon as a girl is married in this land He carries her off to the cave And she has never heard of again His cave is full of brides He cannot be killed For he keeps the secret of his life hidden Where no one can find it The boy said nothing But he decided to kill the giant The boy then went on to the senior's home To see the wedding of the senior's elder daughter There was a great gathering And there was much rejoicing For the people did not think that the giant Would carry off the senior's daughter But during the wedding feast The bride disappeared and was seen no more The people knew that the giant had taken her And there was great sadness Then the boy went to the senior And told him that he wanted to marry his younger daughter The senior said Little good it will do you to marry her For she will be carried off at once By the giant of the sea But I can kill the giant, said the boy No man can do that, said the senior Then the boy convinced him of his power And the senior consented to the marriage The next day the wedding feast was held There was but little gladness For the people knew that the senior's only Remaining child would soon be stolen away By the giant of the sea Sure enough, at the feast the bride Disappeared She was taken to the giant's cave There was much sadness among the people But the boy said Tomorrow I will go and bring her back The next day the boy put on his magical coat And shoes and took his sword And went to the giant's cave The hole in the cliff was closed up And he could not enter But he cut a hole in the rock with his sword And went in He found himself in a very large room And sat around in a circle all sad and weeping But all very beautiful In the circle sat his own wife At the back of the cave sat the terrible Giant of the sea They could not see the boy because of his magical coat Soon the giant said quickly There is a wedding in the town And disappeared Then the boy made his presence known to his wife He told her to ask the giant when he came Back where the secret of his life was hidden He told her not to fear for he would Rescue her Not to say but few words when the giant came back Bringing a bride with him Then the boy's wife said to the giant Where do you keep the secret of your life He said, no one has ever asked me that before And since you were the first to ask me I will tell you I keep it in a box far out in the sea It is in an iron box There are seven boxes, one inside the other It is in the inside box Then he told her the exact spot Where the box was hidden Then she said, where do you keep the keys He said, they are hidden beside the box When the boy heard this He went away from the cave and sat on the shore He took out his fish scale And told it what he wished And at once help came to him from the sea As his brother-in-law had promised A large whale swam to him and said What do you want The boy said, bring me the iron box And the keys that lie at the bottom of the ocean He told him where to find them At once the whale went off And soon returned with the box and the keys But the keys were rusty And the boy could not open the lock Then he took out his lock of wool And told it what he wished And at once help came to him from the fields A large sheep came running to him And said, what do you want The boy said, break open this box In each box you find inside Then the sheep butted with his horns The outer box until he broke it And butted each one until he broke them all When he broke the last one The boy was not on his guard And the giant's secret of life flew out And escaped into the air Then the boy took out his feather And told it what he wished At once a great bird like a goose Came flying through the air and said What do you want The boy said, bring me the giant's secret of life It has just escaped from the box And is flying in the air The bird flew away and soon came back With his prisoner, the giant's secret of life And the boy killed it with his magical sword Then he went to the cave He was still invisible The giant had lost his power For the secret of his life had been found And killed So the boy easily killed him with his sword Then the boy removed his magical coat And showed himself to the brides Who sat in the cave He brought them all back to the senior's home And their husbands came and claimed them The senior gave the boy a large house Near to his own And there the boy and his wife lived happily And the boy sent for his mother And brought her to live with him and his wife Soon the senior died He left all his money and his possessions To the boy And the boy became senior in his stead And was lord of all the land He lived to be very old And he did many wonderful deeds with the sword And the shoes and the coat Which he had taken from the robbers in the forest End of section 22 Recording by Sean Michael Hogan St. John, Stephen Land, Canada Section 23 Of Canadian Wonder Tales This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Canadian Wonder Tales By Cyrus Macmillan Section 23 The Coming of the Corn In old times They're dwelt on the shores of a great lake A mighty warrior His people had all been driven far away Inland by hostile tribes But he remained behind to roam over the islands In the lake and to send his people word His wife was dead She had been killed by treacherous foes He had two little boys And he kept them with him in his wanderings by the lake He was a great magician As well as a man of great strength And he had no fear in his heart The islands in the lake were haunted by spirits Or manatews But the man was not afraid of them And with his boys he paddled his canoe up and down Watching for signs of his foes Each night he landed in a cove And pulled his canoe far up among the trees And slept in the woods out of the sight of travellers But he found it very hard to get game and fish And often his boys were very hungry One morning at dawn of day He rose and went to find food for breakfast He left his little boys asleep under the trees He walked through the forest until he came Suddenly upon a wide and open red plain There was not a tree Or a rock or a blade of grass upon it He set out across the plain And when he reached the middle of it There was a small man with a red feather in his cap Where are you going, said the little man I am going across the plain to the woods And the other side, said the man My boys are hungry without food And I am looking for game How strong are you, said the little man I am as strong as the human race, said the man But no stronger My name is Red Plume, said the little man We must wrestle If you should make me fall, say to me I have thrown you Tell me you will never want for food For you will have other nourishment than fish and game They smoked their pipes for a long while And then they wrestled They wrestled for a long time The warrior was growing weak For the little man was very strong But at last he threw Red Plume down And cried, I have thrown you And at once the little man disappeared When the warrior looked on the ground Where his opponent had fallen He saw only a crooked thing He picked it up and looked at it And as he looked a voice from it said Take off my outside covering Split me into many parts And throw the parts over the plain Scatter every bit of me Throw my spine near the woods Then in a month come back to the plain The warrior did as he was told And then went back to his boys On the way he killed a rabbit And cooked it for breakfast He did not tell his boys what he had seen At the end of a month He went alone again to the plain In the place where he had scattered The pieces of the strange object He found blades of strange grass Keeping green above the ground And where he had thrown the pieces Of the spine near the wood Little pumpkins were growing He did not tell his boys what he had found All summer he watched for his foes And in the autumn he went again To the place where he had thrown down The man of the Red Plume The plain was covered with Indian corn Of great size near the woods The corn was golden yellow And red tassels grew from the top of the ears He plucked some ears of corn And gathered some of the pumpkins And set out to find his boys Then a voice spoke from the corn He knew it at once to be the voice Of the man of the Red Plume It said, you have conquered me If you had failed you would still have lived But often you would have hungered as before Henceforth you shall never want for food For when game and fish are scarce You will have bread And I will never let the human race Lack food if they keep me near them So corn came to the Indians In olden times And never afterwards did they want for food When the man came to his boys He told them what he had found He ground some of the corn Between stones and made bread from the meal And he cooked a pumpkin and ate it Then he thought of his poor old father And mother far away beyond the hills Perhaps without food So that night he took his boys And travelled far through the forest Until he found his parents He told them of his meeting with the man Of the Red Plume and of the coming of the corn And he brought them back with him To the Manitou Islands near the shores Of the Great Lake And ever afterwards the fields were fruitful And corn was abundant And never failed in the land where Red Plume fell End of section 23 Recording by Sean Michael Hogan Newfoundland, Canada Section 24 of Canadian Wonder Tales This LibriVox recording Is in the public domain Canadian Wonder Tales by Cyrus McMillan Section 24 The Dance of Death Once long ago There lived in the banks of a beautiful Canadian river A powerful Indian tribe In the tribe was a very handsome young man Very brave and a great hunter He was loved by a young Indian girl Who was likewise very beautiful But the young man repulsed her love He was a great warrior He was busy getting ready for the autumn And winter hunt And he had little time for such nonsense as love He frankly told the young girl That he did not love her And that she must follow him no more Now the young girl was very angry For she was proud and beautiful And of a high temper And she was little used to have her desires refused She had a very strange power Which the spirit of the night had placed In her cradle at her birth It was a power by which she could do great Harm to mankind But she had never used it in all her life But now in her anger She said to the young man as he went away with his comrades You may go But you will never return as you go The young man gave no heed to her words He neither cared for her nor feared her And with a merry heart He went his way with his companions One day Many weeks later He went away in the north country In the land of ice and snow The young man became suddenly ill Then he went raging mad With what the Indians call the wild madness of the woods The girl's strange power was upon him In the band of hunters Was the young man's older brother A very strong and powerful man He knew what ailed his brother He went to the river and sang The strange weird song that calls The evil spirit of the stream to man's assistance Now this was a very dangerous thing To do For the spirit of the stream had no love for cowards But the man being brave had no fear As he wished to save his brother's life After the usual custom He dared the evil spirit of the stream To come to him Soon the monster appeared and answered To the challenge Its great eyes shining like fire on the water And its horns rising above the surface It asked the man what he wished And the man answered I wish you to help me Remind again and free from the maiden's wicked power Then the monster said You may have what you wish If you are not afraid And the man said that he feared nothing And the monster asked Do you fear me? And the man said no Then said the monster take hold of my horns And scrape them with your knife The man did as he was told And he scraped and scraped until he had taken A handful of powder from the monster's horns The monster wondered at the man's bravery And said, go to your camp now Put half the scrapings into a cup of water And give it to your brother to drink Put the other half in another cup of water And give it to the maiden to drink When you go back home And all will be well Then the Indian returned to the camp And did as the monster had told him And his brother drank the powdered water And soon got back his senses and his strength When the hunt was ended The band returned home It was night in the springtime In the village the snow had already left the ground And the trees were in bud In a great tent in the village The annual spring dance was in progress And all the people of the place were gathered Among them was the maiden lover Dancing merrily with the rest None of the hunting band entered the tent But they watched the dance from outside the door The elder brother had mixed a drink As the evil spirit of the stream had told him By placing the remainder of the powder In a cup of water And he stood at the door waiting for his chance To the girl The night was hot and still And he knew that the dancers would soon grow warm And thirsty At last the maiden lover came to the door To breathe the cool night air The man passed her the cup And without looking at him or knowing him She took it and gladly drained it dry Because of her great thirst Then she went back to the dance Then a very strange shadow came upon her When she began to dance She was a young and beautiful girl She was the first woman in the land But after she had drunk the magic cup She grew gradually older Her friends noticed the change And stood rooted with terror The tales of their parents came back to their memories They knew that the girl was now passing Through the dance of death From which no power could save her Their fears were well founded At each turn of the dance A year was added to the girl's life The color faded slowly from her cheeks Her shoulders slowly stooped The girls appeared upon her face Her hands trembled as if palsied Her feet lost their nimbleness And her tread was no longer light She was growing old in the dance of death Yet she was unconscious of it all And her life ebbed away without her knowing it At last she reached the end of the room Tottering to the music of the dance But old age was now upon her And she fell dead upon the floor Her power over the young man Was forever ended The spirit of the stream had brought about The dance of death She will trouble you no more Said the elder Indian to his brother As he gazed upon the shrunken face and form Her dance is forever ended The people wondered greatly At the strange happening And their merrymaking was hushed And since that day The Indians in silent fear Still point you on the river To the scene of the dance of death End of section 24 According by Sean Michael Hogan St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada Section 25 of Canadian Wonder Tales This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Canadian Wonder Tales by Cyrus McMillan Section 25 The First Pig and Porcupine A man and his wife lived once long ago In the Canadian forest They lived far away from other people And they found it very lonely They were very poor For game was not plentiful Yet they were always happy and contented They had only one child A boy whom they loved well The boy grew up to be very strong and clever But he was often lonely Without any companions but his parents The birds and the animals of the woods Were his friends because he was kind to them And they looked upon him as a comrade At last he grew tired Of his lonely life He longed for adventure So one day he said to his parents I am going far away to see other men And to do great deeds His parents did not want to let him go At first for they would be very lonely Without him but they knew that he Could never become great where he was And they consented to let him go The next morning he set out on his journey He travelled all day At night he slept on the ground Under the stars In the morning Rabbit came to where he lay And woke him up Rabbit said hello friend where are you going I am going to find people said the boy That is what I want to do too Said Rabbit we shall go together So they went on together They travelled a long distance through the forest They crossed many small streams And climbed many hills At last they heard voices through the trees And soon they saw not far in front of them In Indian village Rabbit hid among the trees But the boy went forward alone to see the people The people were all kind to him And gave him food and asked him to stay with them But they were all very sad And many of them were weeping The boy asked them what was the matter They said the chief has a very beautiful daughter And word has come to us That tomorrow a great giant is coming to eat her up He will be useless to send her away For the giant will follow her He is a very terrible monster And cannot be killed Then they continued to weep and lament The boy went out to the woods And told Rabbit what he had heard He said we had better go on our way So that we may be far off when the giant comes But Rabbit said no Go back to the people and tell them You can save the chief's daughter Have no fear when night comes bring the girl Here to me and I will save her So the boy went back to the people And told them not to fear For he would save the girl from the giant They laughed at him at first For everyone who had attempted to stop the giant Had been killed But when they saw that the boy was quite sure Of his power they listened to him They went to the chief and told him The chief sent for him and said If you can save my daughter from the giant She shall be yours When evening came The boy brought the girl to where Rabbit was waiting Rabbit had a little carriage ready Drawn by two little squirrels When he spoke to the squirrels They grew until they were as large as dogs They all got into the carriage The boy and the girl and Rabbit And away went the squirrels It was a clear summer night And the moon was full They rode among the trees And soon they reached a village far away They came to a tent on the bank of a stream The boy went in and found only an old woman She said Death is not far away from you The giant is close on your heels Then she wept She told them to go to the river For her husband was there So they went to the river Rabbit and his squirrels stayed behind To see what the giant would do The boy and girl found an old man fishing from the bank He said Death is not far away from you For the giant is close on your tracks But I will help you He sprang into the water And lay there and spread out his arms and legs Then he said Stand on my back So they stepped to his back They feared at first that they would fall off But at once he grew as large as a big canoe And he swam with them across the river When they landed on the other side They turned to look at him They headed to a high mountain Go to the mountain, he said And there he will find Rabbit Then he swam away The boy and the girl went towards the mountain But they heard the giant roaring behind them And splashing in the stream as he crossed When they reached the foot of the mountain He was almost upon them At the foot of the mountain Rabbit was waiting for them The side of the mountain was very steep Was almost perpendicular Rabbit took a long pole and held it up As the boy and the girl climbed The pole lengthened until they stepped from it To the top of the mountain Rabbit climbed up after them with his squirrels The giant saw them all from the foot of the mountain And climbed up the pole after them But when he was near the top The boy pushed the pole out And it fell backwards taking the giant with it The giant was killed by the fall Then the boy and the girl and rabbit Got into the squirrel carriage They went quickly down the other side of the mountain And over the moonlit road There was a native village When they reached the border of the village Rabbit said, now old friend, goodbye I must go away, but if ever again You are in trouble, I will help you if I can Then Rabbit and his squirrels went away The boy brought the girl back To the chief's home The people all wondered greatly to see her alive The chief said to the boy, you may have her As your wife, so they were married And a great wedding feast was held But two young men Of the girl's village were very angry Because the girl had married a stranger Each wanted her for himself So they decided to kill her husband They asked him to go fishing with them Far out to sea The next day the boy went with them To the deep sea fishing place It was a long sail When they were almost out of sight of land The boy's enemies threw him overboard Before he could defend himself And sailed away leaving him struggling in the water The boy called for help Not far away it was a small island There was a large white seagull And answered to his cries When seagull saw his plight he said Have no fear old friend, I will help you Seagull flew away And the boy lay on his back And floated with the tide Soon seagull came back carrying a long cord He let down one end of it And told the boy to hold on to it tight Then he said It is a long swim to the island But I will tow you there And seagull towed him to the island There's such a long pull I can go no farther Goodbye old friend, others will help you As the boy sat shivering on the island beach Fox came along Hello old friend said Fox What are you doing here The boy told him what had happened And said I am very hungry Fox said I have no food for you But I can help you in another way Then Fox picked a blade of grass From the bank and said eat it The boy ate it And ate grass until he was full And his hunger had left him When Fox saw that he was full He gave him another blade of grass And said eat it He ate it and at once he was changed back to a boy Then Fox said When night comes I will take you home For there is no boat on the island So they waited for the evening When night came and the moon came out They went to the water's edge They could see the lights of the village Far away across the sea Catch hold of my tail said Fox And hang on tight The boy caught Fox's tail And Fox swam away towing the boy behind him The sea was very rough And the waves ran high And the boy thought he would never reach the land But he held on tight And after some hours they came to the shore Fox said goodbye old friend I must go no farther But if you were ever again in trouble Call me and I will help you Then Fox ran away along the beach The boy made a fire and dried his clothes And then went to the village The people all wondered greatly to see him alive They thought he was dead They said, tomorrow one of the men who took you fishing Is to marry your wife He told her you had drowned yourself Because you were sorry you had married her Then he asked her to be his wife And she consented The boy went to his old home And there found his wife She was very frightened when she saw him For she thought he had come back from the land She told her of the treachery of the two men She wept but he said Do not weep but rejoice For I shall punish the two men tomorrow There will be no wedding feast for them As they expected The next morning the boy went to the chief His father-in-law and told him what had happened The chief said Put the two men to death But the boy said No, I have a better form of punishment Then he called Fox When Fox came he said to him To change men into beasts Such as you used to change me yesterday Fox ran away and soon came back with the grass The boy took the two blades And went to the men who had tried to drown him He said Here is some sweet grass I found under the sea Taste it And each took a blade and ate it At once they were changed One became a pig and the other became a porcupine And both had coarse hair or bristles all over them And they had noses of a strange and funny shape The boy's punishment The boy's punishment of his enemies was then complete He said Live now despised by men With your noses always to the ground So the first pig and the first porcupine Appeared upon the earth End of section 25 Recording by Sean Michael Hogan St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada Section 26 of Canadian Wonder Tales This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Canadian Wonder Tales by Cyrus McMillan Section 26 The Shrove Tuesday Visitor In olden times in Canada Shrove Tuesday The day before the beginning of Lent Was more strictly observed than it is today The night was always One of great merriment and feasting Boys and girls of the villages and country places Gathered there for the last time Before the long period of quiet They danced until midnight But the youth or maiden who dared to dance After the hour of twelve The next fourth followed with little luck This rule was not often broken For when it was broken the spirits of evil Always walked the earth And brought disaster to the youthful dancers In a remote village On the banks of a great river That dwelt in the seventeenth century A French peasant, a kind and devout old man He had but one child, a daughter She was a handsome girl And naturally enough she had many suitors Among the young men of the place One of these she prized above all the others And she had promised to become his wife On the evening of the shrove Tuesday Before the date set for the wedding As was the custom, the young people Of the village gathered at her home It was a simple but joyous gathering The last which the girl could attend Before her marriage Right merrily the dance went on And all the guests were in high spirits Soon after eleven o'clock a sleigh Drawn by a great coal black horse Stopped at the door It contained but one man Without knocking at the door the newcomer entered The rooms were crowded But the rumours soon spread whisperingly Around that a new presence had appeared And the simple villagers strove to get A look at the tall figure in fine clothes The old man of the house Received the stranger kindly And offered him the best he had in his home For such was the custom in the old days One thing the gathering particularly noted The stranger kept his fur cap on his head And he did not remove his gloves But as the night was cold This caused but little wonder After the silence caused by the stranger's entrance The music swelled And again the dance went on The newcomer chose the old man's daughter As his partner He came to her and said, My pretty lass, I hope you will dance with me tonight And more than once, too Certainly replied the girl well pleased With the honour and knowing that her friends Would envy her During the remainder of the evening The stranger never left her side From a corner of the room The girl's lover watched the pair In silence and anger In a small room Opening from that in which the dancers were gathered Was an old and pious woman seated On a chest at the foot of a bed Praying fervently, she was the girl's aunt In one hand she held her beads With the other she beckoned to her niece To come to her It is very wrong of you, she said To forsake your lover for this stranger His manner is not pleasing to me Each time I utter the name of the Saviour Of the Virgin Mary as he passes the door He turns from me with a look of anger But the girl paid no heed to her aunt's advice At last it was midnight and Lent had come The old man gave the signal for the dance to cease Let us have one more dance, said the stranger Just one more pleaded the girl My last dance before my marriage And the old man wishing to please his only child For he loved her well, consented And although it was already Ash Wednesday The dance went on The stranger again danced with the girl You have been mine all the evening, he whispered Why should you not be mine forever? But the girl laughed at his question I am a strange fellow, said the stranger And when I will to do a thing It must be done Only say yes, and nothing can ever separate us The girl cast a glance towards her dejected lover In the corner of the room I understand, said the stranger I am too late, you love him Yes, answered the girl, I love him Or rather I did love him once For the girl's head had been turned By the attentions of the stranger That is well, said the stranger I will arrange all and overcome all difficulties Give me your hand to seal our plight She placed her hand in his But at once she withdrew it with a low cry of pain She had felt in her flesh the point of some sharp instrument As if the stranger held a knife in his hand In great terror she fainted And was carried to a couch At once the dance was stopped And the dancers gathered around her Wondering at the sudden happenings At the same time two villagers came in And called the old man to the door To see a strange sight without The deep snow for many yards Around the stranger's horse and sleigh Had melted in the hour since his arrival And a large patch of bare ground Was now showing Terror soon spread among the guests They spoke in whispers of fear And shrank from the centre of the room To the walls as if eager to escape But the old man begged them not to leave him The stranger looked with a cold smile Upon the dread of the company He kept close to the couch Where the girl was slowly coming back to life He took from his pocket a beautiful necklace And said to her, Take off the glass beads you wear And for my sake take this beautiful necklace But to her glass beads was attached A little cross which she did not want to part with And she refused to take his gift Meanwhile in the home of the priest Some distance away there was a strange happening While he prayed for his flock The old priest had fallen asleep He saw in his slumber a vision Of the old man's home And what was happening there He started quickly from his sleep And called his servant And told him to harness his horse at once For not far away a soul Was in danger of eternal death He hurried to the old man's home When he reached there The stranger had already unfastened the beads From the girl's neck And was about to place his own necklace upon her And to seize her in his arms But the old priest was too quick for him He passed his sacred stole around the girl's neck And drew her towards him And turning to the stranger he said What art thou evil one doing among Christians? At this remark terror was renewed among the guests Some fell to their knees in prayer All were weeping For they knew now that the stranger With the stately presence and the velvet clothes Was the spirit of evil and death And the stranger answered I do not know as Christians Those who forget their faith by dancing On holy days This fair girl has chosen to be mine With the blood that flowed from her hands She sealed the compact Which binds her to me forever In answer the old curie Struck the stranger hard across the face With his stole and repeated some Latin words Which none of the guests understood There was a great crash As if it thundered And in a moment amid the noise The stranger disappeared With his horse and sleigh He had vanished as mysteriously and quickly As he had come The guests were long and recovering from their fear And all night they prayed with the curie That their evil deeds might be forgiven That she might be cleansed from her sins And that her promise to the stranger Might be rightly broken As the remainder of her life A few years later she died And since that day in her little village On the banks of the great river The Shrove Tuesday dancers have always stopped Their dance at midnight For youths and maidens still keep in mind The strange dancer in the fine clothes Who wooed the peasant's only daughter And almost carried her off End of section 26 Recording by Sean Michael Hogan St. John's Newfoundland, Canada Section 27 of Canadian Wonder Tales This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Canadian Wonder Tales by Cyrus McMillan Section 27 The Boy of Great Strength And the Giants On the banks of a mighty river Near a great lake in the west There lived in old times a boy Who was very small in size As he grew older he did not grow larger And he remained very tiny He lived alone with his sister Who was older than he His sister looked upon him as a child And made him toys to play with One day in winter he asked his sister To make him a ball to play with On the ice of the river And she made him a ball out of strong cord The boy played on the ice Throwing the ball in front of him And running after it as it rolled To see if he could catch it At last the ball went very far in front of him And the wind blew it along So that it did not stop rolling But at a long distance And he saw in front of him four giant men Lying on the ice spearing fish When he came close to them They looked at him and laughed and once said See what a tiny might is here But they did not speak to him The boy was very cross Because they had laughed at his small size And he thought, I shall teach them That I am powerful although I am small As the boy passed them on his way back He saw four large fish Lying on the ice beside them He took the one nearest to him And ran away as fast as he could When the giant who owned the fish looked up He saw the boy running away And he said to his companions The small boy has stolen my fish When the boy reached home His sister asked him where he had got the fish And he answered that he had found it on the ice How could you get it there? She asked But he would not answer He merely said, go and cook it So they cooked it and ate it for their evening meal The next day the boy played again On the ice of the river The giant men were again fishing When he came up to where they were His ball rolled into a hole Through which they fished He asked one of the men to hand him his ball But the man laughed at him And pushed the ball under the ice with his spear Then the boy caught the man's arm And twisted it until he broke it For he had great strength He picked his ball from under the ice And went home The man's arm called his comrades And showed them what had happened And they all swore that they would kill the boy The next day The four giant brother fishermen Set out to find the boy Soon they reached his home among the rocks On the banks of the river The boy's sister heard the noise Of their snowshoes on the crusted snow As they came near And she ran into the house in great fear But the boy said, have no fear Give me something to eat A big shell and he began to eat Just then the men came to the door And were about to push it open When the boy turned his dish upside down And at once the door was closed With a large stone Then the men tried to crack the stone And at last they made a small hole in it One of them put his eye to the hole And peeped in but the boy shot An arrow into his eye and killed him Then the others, not knowing What had caused the brother to fall, Peeped through the hole and each one By an arrow shot through his eye Then the boy went out And cut them into small pieces And as he did so he said, henceforth Let no man be bigger than your pieces Are now So men became of their present size And they have never since grown To giant stature When the springtime came The boy's sister made him new bows and arrows He took one of the arrows And shot it far out into the lake Then he swam out after it His sister in fear watched him from the shore And called to him to come back But he cried loudly Fish of the red fins come and swallow me And at once a great fish came And swallowed him Then his sister tied an old moccasin To a strong cord and fastened it To a tree that grew out over the lake And the fish said to the boy What is that floating in the water? And the boy said, take hold of it And swallow it The fish swallowed it and was held fast By the cord Then the boy took hold of the line And pulled himself and the fish to the shore His sister cut the fish open And let the boy out Then they cut up the fish and dried it And the boy told his sister never again To doubt his strength For although he was small He was very powerful And since that time Men have never grown larger than he But although small They have had power over all other creatures by Sean Michael Hogan St. John's Newfoundland, Canada