scended and revealed its character, its
flight was attended with the greatest swiftness and force, and with no
little of the impetuosity of a stroke of lightning. To the dismay of
all, it struck the daughter of Hiawatha with such force as to drive her
remains into the earth, completely annihilating her. The bird itself
was annihilated in annihilating Hiawatha's daughter. All that remained
of it were its scattered white plumes, purely white as silver clouds,
and these plumes the warriors eagerly gathered as the chief tokens, to
be worn on their heads as symbols of their bravery in war--a custom
maintained to this day. Hiawatha stood aghast. He did not know how to
interpret the terrible token. He deeply mourned his daughter's fate;
for a long time he was inconsolable, and sat with his head down. But,
in the end, and by persuasion, he roused himself from his reverie. His
thoughts revolved on his original mission to the Indian tribes. The
Great Spirit perhaps tells me, he said to himself, that my work here
below is finished, and I must return to him. For a while, he had not
heeded the invitations to attend the largely gathered council which
waited for him, but as soon as his grief would enable him to attend, he
roused himself for the task. After tasting food, he assumed his usual
manly dignity of character, and assumed the oratorical attitude.
Waiting till the other speakers had finished, he addressed his last
counsels to the listening tribes. By his wisdom and eloquent appeal, he
entranced them. By this valedictory address, replete with political
wisdom, he closed his career. Having done this, he announced the
termination of his mission; then, entering his magic canoe, he began to
rise in the air--sweet strains of music were heard to arise as he
mounted, and these could be heard till he was carried up beyond human
sight.

[72] Cusic tells us there were thirteen of these magistrates
before America was discovered. Here mythology takes the shape of
historical tradition.

IENA, THE WANDERER,

OR

MAGIC BUNDLE.

A CHIPPEWA ALLEGORY.

There was once a poor man called Iena,[73] who was in the habit of
wandering about from place to place, forlorn, without relations and
almost helpless. One day, as he went on a hunting excursion, he hung up
his bundle on the branch of a tree, to relieve himself from the burden
of carrying it, and then went in quest of game. On returning to the
spot in the evening,