did so. He then
took the leg-bone of the moose, and looking first to see if the wolf was
well covered, he hit him a blow with all his might. The wolf jumped up,
cried out, and fell prostrate from the effects of the blow. "Why," said
he, "do you strike me so?" "Strike you!" he replied; "no, you must have
been looking at me." "No," answered the wolf, "I say I have not." But he
persisted in the assertion, and the poor magician had to give up.

Manabozho was an expert hunter when he earnestly undertook it. He went
out one day and killed a fat moose. He was very hungry, and sat down to
eat. But immediately he fell into great doubts as to the proper point to
begin. "Well," said he, "I do not know where to commence. At the head?
No! People will laugh, and say 'he ate him backward.'" He went to the
side. "No!" said he, "they will say I ate sideways." He then went to the
hind-quarter. "No!" said he, "they will say I ate him forward. I will
commence _here_, say what they will." He took a delicate piece from the
rump, and was just ready to put it in his mouth, when a tree close by
made a creaking noise, caused by the rubbing of one large branch against
another. This annoyed him. "Why!" he exclaimed, "I cannot eat when I
hear such a noise. Stop! stop!" said he to the tree. He was putting the
morsel again to his mouth, when the noise was repeated. He put it down,
exclaiming, "I _cannot eat_ with such a noise;" and immediately left
the meat, although very hungry, to go and put a stop to the noise. He
climbed the tree and was pulling at the limb, when his arm was caught
between the two branches so that he could not extricate himself. While
thus held fast, he saw a pack of wolves coming in the direction towards
his meat. "Go that way! go that way!" he cried out; "what would you come
to get here?" The wolves talked among themselves and said, "Manabozho
must have something there, or he would not tell us to go another way."
"I begin to know him," said an old wolf, "and all his tricks. Let us go
forward and see." They came on, and finding the moose, soon made way
with the whole carcass. Manabozho looked on wishfully to see them eat
till they were fully satisfied, and they left him nothing but the bare
bones. The next heavy blast of wind opened the branches and liberated
him. He went home, thinking to himself, "See the effect of meddling with
frivolous things when I had certain good in my possession."

Next day the old wolf addressed him t