h Nanahboozoo thought of forming a new world, but how to
accomplish it without any materials he knew not. At length the idea
occurred to him that if he could only obtain a little of the earth,
which was then under the water, he might succeed in making a new world
out of the old one. He accordingly employed the different animals he
had with him that were accustomed to diving. First, he sent the loon
down into the water in order to bring up some of the old earth; but it
was not able to reach the bottom, and, after remaining in the water some
time, came up dead. Nanahboozoo then took it, blew upon it, and it came
to life again. He next sent the otter, which, also failing to reach the
bottom, came up dead, and was restored to life in the same manner as the
loon. He then tried the skill of the beaver, but without success.
Having failed with all these diving animals, he last of all took the
muskrat. On account of the distance it had to go to reach the bottom it
was gone a long time, and came up dead; on taking it up Nanahboozoo
found, to his great joy, that it had reached the earth and had retained
some of the soil in each of its paws and mouth. He then blew upon it,
and brought it to life again, at the same time pronouncing many
blessings on it. He declared that as long as the world he was about to
make should endure, the muskrat should never become extinct.

"This prediction of Nanahboozoo is still spoken of by some Indians when
referring to the rapid increase of the muskrat. Nanahboozoo then took
the earth which he found in the muskrat's paws and mouth, and having
rubbed it with his hands to fine dust he placed it on the waters and
blew upon it. Very soon it began to grow larger and larger, until it
was beyond the reach of his eye. Thus was spread out the new world
after the great flood. In order to ascertain the size of this newly
created world, and the progress of its growth and expansion, he sent a
wolf to run to the end of it, measuring its extent by the time consumed
in the journey. The first journey he performed in one day; the second
trip took him five days; the third consumed ten days; the fourth a
month; then a year; then five years. Thus it went on until the world
became so large that Nanahboozoo sent a young wolf that could just run.
This animal died of old age before he could accomplish his journey.
Nanahboozoo then decided that the world was large enough, and commanded
it to cease from growing.