aughter of a magician, who has
plenty of everything, but he values his daughter but little less than
wampum. He wore a cap of wampum, which was attached to his scalp; but
powerful Indians--warriors of a distant chief, came and told him, that
their chief's daughter was on the brink of the grave, and she herself
requested his scalp of wampum to effect a cure. 'If I can only see it,
I will recover,' she said, and it was for this reason they came, and
after long urging the magician, he at last consented to part with it,
only from the idea of restoring the young woman to health; although
when he took it off, it left his head bare and bloody. Several years
have passed since, and it has not healed. The warriors' coming for it,
was only a cheat, and they now are constantly making sport of it,
dancing it about from village to village; and on every insult it
receives, the old man groans from pain. Those Indians are too powerful
for the magician, and numbers have sacrificed themselves to recover it
for him, but without success. The Red Swan has enticed many a young
man, as she has done you, in order to get them to procure it, and
whoever is the fortunate one that succeeds, will receive the Red Swan
as his reward. In the morning you will proceed on your way, and toward
evening you will come to the magician's lodge, but before you enter you
will hear his groans; he will immediately ask you in, and you will see
no one but himself; he will make inquiries of you, as regards your
dreams, and the powers of your guardian spirits; he will then ask you
to attempt the recovery of his scalp; he will show you the direction,
and if you feel inclined, as I dare say you do, go forward, my son,
with a strong heart, persevere, and I have a presentiment you will
succeed." The young man answered, "I will try." Early next morning,
after having eaten from the magic kettle, he started off on his
journey. Toward evening he came to the lodge as he was told, and soon
heard the groans of the magician. "Come in," he said, even before the
young man reached the door. On entering he saw his head all bloody, and
he was groaning most terribly. "Sit down, sit down," he said, "while I
prepare you something to eat," at the same time doing as the other
magicians had done, in preparing food--"You see," he said, "how poor I
am; I have to attend to all my wants." He said this to conceal the fact
that the Red Swan was there, but Odjibwa perceived that the lodge was
partit