But if thou art content to
return to the earth and assume a form which shall be neither mortal
nor immortal, neither man nor beast, be it so. Remember thou shalt not
be endowed with the shape of a human being till thou shalt hear in the
cataract, where I doom thee to dwell, the voice of one crying, 'Now is
the time.' Then shalt thou leave the flood, repair to the land of my
beloved people, the Ottawas, and there gradually return to the shape
which once was thine. But, an immortal soul shalt thou not possess
till thy bosom shall be lit up by the flame of love.'

"Thus spake the Great Being, and in a breath I found myself descending
from the land of the stars upon the glorious rainbow. Speedy and
uninterrupted was my descent, till I came to the mighty cataract; its
capacious and stormy bosom received me, and there have I dwelt with
the Spirits of the Flood, the adopted daughter of their chief, till
now. Lo, Ottawa! I am at thy door, a strange creature, but demanding
hospitality and protection from thee. Wilt thou give it me till I am
permitted to take that form which shall give me the powers of a human
being, and feel my bosom lit up by that flame which may give me one
bound to feed and protect me?"

The Ottawa answered, that "his cabin had a quiet corner, and there
should the strange maiden--if, indeed, she were a woman--rest; his
house was always the abode of plenty, and of that should the stranger
partake." So the creature, who was neither fish nor flesh, continued
to reside in the cabin of the Ottawa warrior.

But each day was she observed to be assuming more and more the
appearance of a mortal maiden. The scales fell from her arms and
hands, which lost their red tints, and became soft and fair as the
flesh of a new-born child. The two fishes gradually became two well
proportioned legs. But though she had now become identified in form
with the human race, she retained many of the propensities of that
with which she had formerly dwelt. She loved to sport in the cataract,
and lave herself in the lakes and rivers. Often would she fly from the
company of the Ottawas to that of her old friends, the Spirits of the
Flood. How her eyes would glow with childish delight, when the rain
dashed from the clouds in torrents, and how mirthful she would be when
the spring thaws swelled the noise and the volume of the cataract! And
she better loved to feed on the ooze and the seeds of the grass, which
were found in the torrent, and