Summer had nearly gone. They struck a great blow and cut Summer in
two, so that only part of it reached the earth. The wolverine heard
the noise and raced for the hole, getting through before they could
close it. But the fisher was farther away and could not reach the hole
in time. The spirits closed up the opening and turned to catch him.
He ran over the plains to the north, going so fast that he gained the
trees before they could catch him. He quickly climbed the largest one,
and they began to shoot at him with their arrows.

There was only one place in the fisher's body where he could be
hurt,--a spot near the tip of his tail; so the spirits kept shooting a
long time before an arrow struck that spot. At last one did, and he
fell to the ground. As it was now nearly night, the spirits went back
to their lodges and left him there alone. He stretched out his limbs
and said:

"I have kept my promise to my son, though it has cost me my life. But
I shall always be remembered by the natives of the earth, and I am
happy to think of the good I have sent them. From now on they will
have different seasons, and eight to ten moons without snow."

In the morning they found him lying dead with the arrow through his
tail, and to this day he may be seen in the northern sky.

THE SLEEP FAIRIES

A hunter was once going through a forest with his dogs. After he had
gone some distance he missed them. He called and whistled, but they
did not come, so he turned back to find them. Going some distance
farther, he thought he saw one lying under some low bushes, and when he
reached the spot, he saw his three dogs lying there fast asleep. He
tried to waken them, but they would open their eyes only for a moment,
then fall asleep again. Soon he began to feel a strange, sleepy
feeling coming over him. He shook himself and tried to keep awake.
Just then he noticed a very large insect on a branch of a tree. It had
many wings on its back, which kept up a steady, droning noise. When it
noticed the hunter looking at it, the insect said, "I am Weeng, the
spirit of sleep. Your dogs came too near my home, and so they have
fallen under my spell. In a few minutes you will be asleep yourself."

"Must I go to sleep?" said the hunter. "I would like to go back to my
lodge."

"You are a brave chief and have always been kind to the forest insects,
so this time I am going to let you go. Take a leaf from yonder little
tree, chew i