ed Sea-Gull, saying,
"See!--I swing above the billows!
Dare you swing above the billows--
Swing like me above the billows?"

To herself said Sea-Gull--"Surely
I will dare whatever danger
Dares the Red Fox--dares my rival;
She shall never call me coward."
So she swung above the waters--
Dizzy height above the waters,
Pushed and aided by her rival,
To and fro with reckless daring,
Till the strong tree rocked and trembled,
Rocked and trembled with its burden.
As above the yawning billows
Flew the Sea-Gull like a whirlwind,
Red Fox, swifter than red lightning,
Cut the thongs, and headlong downward,
Like an osprey from the ether,
Like a wild-goose pierced with arrows,
Fluttering fell the frantic woman,
Fluttering fell into the waters--
Plunged and sunk beneath the waters!
Hark!--the wailing of the West-wind!
Hark!--the wailing of the waters,
And the beating of the billows!
But no more the voice of Sea-Gull.

[Illustration: FLUTTERING FELL THE FRANTIC WOMAN]

In the wigwam sat the Red Fox,
Hushed the wail of Waub-omee-mee,
Weeping for her absent mother.
With the twinkling stars the hunter
From the forest came and Raven.
"Sea-Gull wanders late," said Red Fox,
"Late she wanders by the sea-shore,
And some evil may befall her."
In the misty morning twilight
Forth went Panther and the Raven,
Searched the forest and the marshes,
Searched for leagues along the lake-shore,
Searched the islands and the highlands;
But they found no trace or tidings,
Found no track in marsh or meadow,
Found no trail in fen or forest,
On the shore-sand found no footprints.
Many days they sought and found not.
Then to Panther spoke the Raven:
"She is in the Land of Spirits--
Surely in the Land of Spirits.
High at midnight I beheld her--
Like a flying star beheld her--
To the waves of Gitchee Gumee
Downward flashing through the ether.
Thus she flashed that I might see her,
See and know my mother's spirit;
Thus she pointed to the waters,
And beneath them lies her body,
In the wigwam of the spirits--
In the lodge of Nebe-naw-baigs."[24]

Then spoke Panther to the Raven:
"On the tall cliff by the waters
Wait and watch with Waub-omee-mee.
If the Sea-Gull hear the wailing
Of her infant she will answer."

On the tall cliff by the waters
So the Raven watched and waited;
All the day he watched and waited,
But the hungry infant slumbered,
Slumbered by the side of Raven,
Till the pines' gigantic shadows
Stretched and pointed to