Native American Legends
Chipmunk and Meadow-Lark
A Sanpoils Legend
An old woman (Sti'mtimä) had warned her children, Chipmunk
and Meadow-Lark, not to go too far into the woods, because a hairy
monster might kill them. One day the children disobeyed. The monster
shot Chipmunk, and, when trying to seize him, scratched his back.
The boy made his escape and hid in his grandmother's tent. She
put him first into a basket, then into a bag, but he would not sit
still. Soon the monster Pcua'nitim arrived, and searched for Chipmunk.
The old woman denied having seen him. The boy's sister, Meadow-Lark,
flew to the pole of the tent, and sang, "Look in the clam-shell
under the blanket in the bosom of grandmother!" The monster
took out the shell and found Chipmunk.
At the same time he saw that the skin of the old woman was very
fair. He asked her, "What did you do to make your skin so white?"
She replied that she dropped hot pitch on it. He asked to be treated
in the same way. The old woman heated some pitch and held the monster
down with two forked sticks. Then she poured the pitch over him,
so that he died.
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