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After the second had disappeared, his wife went to the
mother of the boys, and said: "Should another boy be born to you, let us
conceal the fact from my husband, and make him believe the child a girl.
In that case he will not harm him, and we may succeed in bringing him up."
Not long after the above conversation another nephew was born. Unnatural
Uncle, hearing that a child was born, sent his wife to ascertain the sex
of the child. She, as had been agreed upon, reported the child a girl.
"Let her live," he said.
The two women tended and dressed the boy as if he were a girl. When he
grew older, they told him to play with the girls, and impressed upon him
that he should at all times imitate the ways, attitudes, and postures of
the girls, especially when attending to the calls of nature. Unnatural
Uncle watched the boy as he was growing up, and often wondered at his
boyish looks. One day the boy, not knowing that his uncle was about and
observing him, raised up his parka, and so exposed his body.
"Ah," said Unnatural Uncle to his wife, on reaching home, "this is the way
you have fooled me. But I know everything now. Go and tell my nephew I
wish to see him." With tears in her eyes the poor woman delivered the
message to the nephew, told him of the disappearance of his brothers, and
of his probable fate. The father and mother of the boy wept bitterly, for
they were certain he would never return. The boy himself, although
frightened, assured his parents to the contrary, and begged them not to
worry, for he would come back safe and sound.
"Did my brothers have any playthings_" he asked before going.
He was shown to a box where their things were kept. In it he found a piece
of a knife, some eagle-down, and a sour cranberry. These he hid about his
person, and went to meet his uncle. The latter greeted him, and said:
"Nephew, let us go and fetch some wood."
When they came to a large forest, the boy remarked: "Here is good wood;
let us take some of it, and go back."
"Oh, no! There is better wood farther on," said the uncle.
From the forest they stepped into a bare plain. "Let us go back. There is
no wood here," called the boy. But the uncle motioned to him to come on,
telling him that they would soon find better wood. A little later they
came to a big log. "Here is what I want," exclaimed the uncle, and began
splitting it. "Here, nephew, jump in, and get that wedge out," called the
uncle to the boy, as one of the wedges fell in. When the boy did so, the
man knocked out the other wedges; the log closed in on the boy, and held
him fast. "Stay there!" said Unnatural Uncle, and walked off.
For some time the boy remained in this helpless condition, planning a
means of escape. At last he thought of his sour cranberry, and, taking it
in his hand, he rubbed with it the interior of the log from edge to edge.
The sourness of the berry caused the log to open its mouth, thus freeing
him.
On his way back to the village, he gathered a bundle of wood, which he
left at his uncle's door, announcing the fact to him: "Here, uncle, I have
brought you the wood." The latter was both surprised and vexed at his
failure, and determined more than ever to kill the boy. His wife, however,
warned him: "You had better not harm the boy; you have killed his
brothers, and if you hurt him, you will come to grief."
"I will kill him, too," he savagely replied.
When the boy reached his father's home, he found them weeping and
mourning. "Don't weep!" he pleaded. "He cannot hurt me; no matter where he
takes me, I will always come back." In the morning he was again summoned
to appear at his uncle's. Before going, he entreated his parents not to
feel uneasy, assuring them that no harm would befall him, and that he
would be back. The uncle called the boy to go with him after some ducks
and eggs.
They passed several places abounding in ducks and eggs, and each time that
the boy suggested, "Let us take these and go back," the uncle replied:
"Oh, no! There are better ducks and eggs farther on." At last they came to
a steep bluff, and, looking down, saw a great many ducks and eggs. "Go
down carefully, nephew, and gather those ducks and eggs. Be quick, and
come back as soon as you can.
The boy saw the trap at a glance, and prepared for it by taking the
eagle-down in each hand, between thumb and finger. As the boy took a step
or two downward, the uncle gave him a push, causing him to lose his
footing. "He will never come back alive from here," smiled the uncle to
himself, as he walked back. If he had remained awhile longer and looked
down before going, he would have seen the boy descending gently instead of
falling.
The eagle-down kept him up in the air, and he lighted at his own pleasure
safe and sound. After gathering all the ducks and eggs he wanted, he
ascended by holding up the down, as before, and blowing under it. Up, up
he went, and in a short time stood on the summit. It was night before he
sighted his uncle's home. At the door he deposited the birds and eggs, and
shouted: "Here, uncle, are the ducks and eggs."
"What! back again!" exclaimed the man very much mortified. His wife again
pleaded with him to leave the boy in peace. "You will come to grief, if
you don't," she said. "No; he cannot hurt me," he replied angrily, and
spent the remainder of the night thinking and planning.
Although he assured them that he would return, the boy's parents did not
have much faith in it; for he found them on his return weeping for him.
This grieved him. "Why do you weep_" he said. "Didn't I say I would come
back_ He can take me to no place from which I cannot come back."
In the evening of the third day the aunt appeared and said that her
husband wished the boy. He told his parents not to be disturbed, and
promised to come back soon. This time the uncle invited him to go with him
after clams. The clams were very large, large enough to inclose a man. It
was ebb tide, and they found plenty of clams not far from the beach.
The boy suggested that they take these and go back, but the uncle put him
off with, "There are better clams farther out." They waded into the water,
and then the man noticed an extraordinarily large clam. "Take him," he
said, but when the boy bent over, the clam took him in. So confident was
Unnatural Uncle of his success this time that he uttered not a word, but
with a triumphant grin on his face and a wave of his hand he walked away.
The boy tried to force the valves apart, but not succeeding, he cut the
ligament with his piece of a knife, compelling the clam to open up little
by little until he was able to hop out. He gathered some clams, and left
them at his uncle's door as if nothing had happened.
The man, on hearing the boy's voice outside, was almost beside himself
with rage. His wife did not attempt to pacify him. "I will say nothing
more," she said. "I have warned you, and if you persist in your ways, you
will suffer."
The next day Unnatural Uncle was busy making a box.
"What is it for_" asked his wife.
"A plaything for our nephew," he replied.
In the evening the boy was sent for. On leaving his parents he said: "Do
not feel uneasy about my absence. This time I may be away a long time, but
I will come back nevertheless."
"Nephew, here is something to amuse you," said his uncle. "Get inside of
it, so that I may see whether it fits you." It fitted him; so did the lid
the box; and the rope the lid. He felt himself borne along, and from the
noise of the waves he knew it was to the sea.
The box was lowered, and with a shove it was set adrift. It was stormy,
the waves beat over the box, and several times he gave himself up as lost.
How long he drifted he had no idea; but at last he heard the waves dashing
against the beach, and his heart rejoiced.
Louder, and louder did the joyful peal sound. He gathered himself together
for the sudden stop which soon came, only to feel himself afloat again the
next moment. This experience he went through several times, before the box
finally stopped and he realized he was on land once more.
As he lay there, many thoughts passed through his mind; where was he_ was
any one living there_ would he be saved_ or would the flood tide set him
adrift again_ what were his people at home doing_ These, and many other
thoughts passed through his brain, when he was startled by hearing voices,
which he recognized, a little later, as women's. This is what he heard:
"I saw the box first," said one.
"No, I saw it first," said the other.
"I am sure I saw it before you," said the first speaker again, "and,
therefore, it is mine."
"Well, you may have the box, but its contents shall belong to me," replied
the other.
They picked up the box, and began to carry it, but finding it somewhat
heavy and being anxious to know what it contained, they stopped to untie
it.
"If there are many things in there, I shall have some of them," said the
first speaker, who rued her bargain. The other one said nothing. Great was
their surprise on beholding him. He was in turn surprised to see two such
beautiful girls, the large village, the numerous people, and their
peculiar appearance, for he was among the Eagle people in Eagle land .
The full grown people, like the full grown eagles, had white faces and
heads, while those of the young people, like those of young eagles, were
dark. Eagle skins were hanging about all over the village; and it amused
him to watch some of the people put on their eagle skins and change to
eagles, and after flying around, take them off and become human beings
again.
The girls, being the daughters of the village chief, led the boy to their
father, each claiming him. When he had heard them both, the chief gave the
boy to the older girl (the second speaker). With her he lived happily, but
his thoughts would very often wander back to his former home, the people
there, his parents; and the thought of his uncle's cruelty to them would
make his heart ache. His wife noted these spells of depression, and
questioned him about them until he told her of his parents and uncle.
She, like a good wife, bade him cheer up, and then went to have a talk
with her father. He sent for his son-in-law, and advised him to put on his
(chief's) eagle skin, soar up high until he could see his village, fly
over there, visit his parents, and bring them back with him. He did as he
was told, and in a short time found himself in the village. Although he
could see all other people, his parents were not in sight.
This was in the evening. During the night he went out to sea, brought back
a large whale, and placed it on the beach, knowing that all the villagers
would come out for the meat. The first person to come to the village beach
in the morning was Unnatural Uncle; and when he saw the whale, he aroused
the village, and a little later all, except the boy's father and mother,
were there, cutting and storing up the whale.
His parents were not permitted to come near the whale, and when some of
the neighbors left some meat at their house, Unnatural Uncle scolded, and
forbade it being done again. "I can forgive him the killing of my
brothers, the attempts on my life, but I will revenge his treatment of my
parents." With these thoughts in his mind, the eagle left his perch, and
flew over to the crowd. He circled over its head a little while, and then
made a swoop at his uncle. "Ah, he knows that I am chief, and the whale is
mine, and he asks me for a piece of meat." Saying this, he threw a piece
of meat at the eagle.
The second time the eagle descended it was still nearer the man's head,
but he tried to laugh it off, and turn it to his glory. The people,
however, did not see it that way, and warned him to keep out of the
eagle's clutches, for the eagle meant mischief. When the eagle dropped the
third time, it was so near his head that he fell on his face. The fourth
time the eagle swooped him, and flew off with him.
Not far from the shore was a high and steep rock, and on its summit the
eagle put down the man, placing himself opposite. When he had taken off
the skin, and disclosed himself, he said to his trembling uncle: "I could
have forgiven you the death of my brothers, the four attempts on my life,
but for the cruel treatment of my parents you shall pay.
The whale I brought was for my parents and others, and not for you alone;
but you took entire possession of it, and would not allow them even to
approach it. I will not kill you without giving you a chance for your
life. Swim back to the shore, and you shall be spared." As he could not
swim, Unnatural Uncle supplicated his nephew to take him back, but the
latter, putting on the eagle skin, and hardening his eagle heart, clutched
him, and from a dizzy height in the air dropped him into the sea.
From the beach the crowd watched the fatal act, understood and appreciated
it, and, till it was dark, continued observing, from the distance, the
eagle. When all had retired, he pulled off the skin, and set out for his
father's barrabara. He related to his parents his adventures, and invited
them to accompany him to his adopted land, to which they gladly consented.
Early in the morning he put on again his skin, and, taking a parent in
each claw, flew with them to Eagle land, and there they are living now.
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