Native American Legends
The cannibal who was burned
A Haida Legend
Five brothers were always hunting. After a while an unknown man
came in to them. He came in many times.
Once when he was there, the eldest brother's child began to cry,
and, after all of the brothers had tried to quiet it without success,
he offered to do so; but when they gave it to him, he secretly sucked
the child's brains out from one side if its head.
When he handed it back, and they saw what he had done, they seized
wood from the fire and beat the stranger. Then he became angry and
killed all of the brothers but the youngest, whom he chased about
in the house until morning.
The boy ran out, and after a long run, still pursued by the ogre,
crossed a high mountain. By and by he crossed another, and saw a
lake beneath it.
Running farther, he came to a log, composed of two trees growing
together so as to make a fork, floating upon the water. Going out
upon this, he threw himself into the crotch.
When the pursuer came up, he saw the man's shadow in the lake,
and began jumping at it. Now the man began to sing a North Song,
and the lake at once began to freeze over. When all had frozen over
except the small hole where the ogre was jumping, it froze so quickly
after he had gone in, that he could not get out again when he came
up. Then he saw the man on the tree, and asked him to pull him out;
but the man only sang louder, so that the ogre was held fast. The
man now began to cut some dry wood to build a fire over the ogre's
head, telling him at the same time that he was going to save him.
When the fire was lighted, the ashes flying up from the monster's
head turned into mosquitoes. That is how they started.
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