th eggs and started home in the
canoe. A large, very beautiful bird flew over them. They both shot
their arrows at it. The bird fell, and Black Cat jumped into the
water to get what they had shot. When he got to where the bird fell he
could not find it. Pookjinsquess went off, singing as she went the
following song, which has been written out from the phonographic
record by Mr. Cheney, and left Black Cat on the island.

[Footnote 10: Probably Sable had a _m' toulin_, or magic power, and
his song was heard by Black Cat, although miles away beyond hills and
mountains.]

[Footnote 11: Evidently to excite the curiosity of the Snake.]

[Footnote 12: The fire was outside the wigwam, and the Snake put his
head out of the wigwam, when he was struck. Possibly the Snake watched
the process of straightening the stick through curiosity, and was off
his guard.]

[Footnote 13: In another story which was told me, Glooscap turned the
eyes of the Snake white in the following manner:--

"Once on a time Glooscap was cooking something in his wigwam, and the
Snake wished to see what it was. So the Snake crawled up the outside
of the wigwam and looked down through the smoke-hole into the cooking
vessel. But Glooscap, who was stirring the pot of cooking food, held
in his hand a great ladle. He noticed the Snake peering in at the
smoke-hole, and, filling the bowl of the ladle full of the hot food,
threw it into the eyes of the Snake. From that time the eyes of the
Snake have been white."]

[Music illustration:

Er tim lee ber nits nah o o o o Wait for me.

Nick ne ar ber yer nay ey.--]

I think there are internal evidences of the antiquity of this song,
although the English sentence, "Wait for me," shows the modern
character of certain of the words. This sentence seems to supply the
place of unknown Indian words. Several Indians assured me that the
song was old. According to Leland, Pookjinsquess sang the following
words when she left Black Cat:--

Niked ha Pogump min nekuk
Netsnil sagamawin!

Which he translates,--

I have left the Black Cat on an island;
I shall be the chief of the Fishers now.

The best I can make out of the phonographic record given me by Peter
Selmore of the words which she sang is,--

> > > >
Er tin le ber nits nah o o o o.
Wait for me.
Nick ne ar ber yer hay ey.

The second line sounds like the English "Wait for me," but is not
distinct. The