cessful, and shared the same
fate. At length he threw out a musk-rat, that dived and brought up a
little mud in its mouth, which Waesackoochack took, and placing in the
palm of his hand, he blew upon it, till it greatly enlarged itself, and
formed a good piece of the earth. He then turned out a deer that soon
returned, which led him to suppose that the earth was not large enough,
and blowing upon it again its size was greatly increased, so that a
loom which he then sent out never returned. The new earth being now of
a sufficient size, he turned adrift all the animals that he had
preserved. He is supposed still to have some intercourse with and power
over them as well as over the Indians, who pray to him to protect them
and keep them alive. Sir Alexander Mackenzie, in speaking of the
Chipewyan or Northern Indians, who traverse an immense track of
country, to the north of the Athabasca lake, says, "that the notions
which these people entertain of the creation are of a singular nature.
They believe that the globe was at first one vast and entire ocean,
inhabited by no living creature except a mighty bird, whose eyes were
fire, whose glances were lightning, and the clapping of whose wings was
thunder. On his descending to the ocean, and touching it, the earth
instantly arose, and remained on the surface of the waters. They have
also a tradition amongst them, that they originally came from another
country, inhabited by very wicked people, and had traversed a great
lake, where they suffered much misery, it being always winter, with ice
and deep snow. At the Copper-Mine River, where they made the first
land, the ground was covered with copper. They believe also that in
ancient times their ancestors lived till their feet were worn out with
walking, and their throats with eating. They describe a deluge, when
the waters spread over the whole earth, except the highest mountains,
on the tops of which they preserved themselves." There appears to be a
general belief of a flood among all the tribes of this vast continent;
and the Bible shews me from whence spring all those fables, and wild
notions which they entertain; and which prevail in other parts of the
heathen world upon these subjects. They are founded upon those events
which the sacred scriptures record, and which have been corrupted by
different nations, scattered and wandering through the globe as the
descendants of Noah, without a written language. The Hindoo therefore
in hi