For his very strength he loved Where a brooklet led them on Never fished and never hunted, 'Lazy Kwasind!' said his mo- 'In my work you never help me! 100 From the lodge went forth in silence, Took the nets, that hung together, Dripping, freezing at the doorway; Like a wisp of straw he wrung them, Like a wisp of straw he broke Let us pitch the quoit to Kwasind sailed with his compan- Build a swift Cheemaun for sail. ions, In the stream he saw a beaver, Saw Ahmeek, the King of Bea vers, Struggling with the rushing currents, Rising, sinking in the water. Without speaking, without pausing, Kwasind leaped into the river, Plunged beneath the bubbling surface, Through the whirlpools chased the beaver, 160 Followed him among the islands, Stayed so long beneath the water, That his terrified companions Cried, Alas! good-by to Kwasind! We shall never more see Kwasind!' But he reappeared triumphant, And upon his shining shoulders Brought the beaver, dead and dripping, Brought the King of all the Bea And the sun, from sleep awak. ing, · 20 Started up and said, ' Behold me! Geezis, the great Sun, behold me!' And the tree with all its branches Rustled in the breeze of morning, Saying, with a sigh of patience, Take my cloak, O Hiawatha !' With his knife the tree he gir dled; And the very strong man, Kwa- Just beneath its lowest branches, sind. Long they lived in peace together, Spake with naked hearts together, Pondering much and much contriving Down the trunk, from top to bottom, How the tribes of men might Sheer he cleft the bark asunder, 'GIVE me of your bark, O Birch- Make more strong and firm be But it whispered, bending down- All your quills, O Kagh, the Hedge ward, 'Take my boughs, O Hiawatha!' Down he hewed the boughs of cedar, Shaped them straightway to a frame-work, hog! I will make a necklace of them, Like two bows he formed and With his sleepy eyes looked at shaped them, him, With the juice of roots and ber Into his canoe he wrought them, 60 On its breast two stars resplen- Closely sewed the bark together, Bound it closely to the frame-work. 'Give me of your balm, O Fir tree! Of your balsam and your resin, Sobbed through all its robes of Birch Canoe was In the valley, by the river, Rattled like a shore with peb- Like a yellow water-lily. 'Give me of your quills, O Hedge- To his friend, the strong man Sailed through all its deeps and Sat the squirrel, Adjidaumo; they, 130 Waited vainly for an answer, Break the line of Hiawatha!' In his fingers Hiawatha Felt the loose line jerk and tighten; As he drew it in, it tugged so That the birch canoe stood endwise, Like a birch log in the water, With the squirrel, Adjidaumo, 70 Perched and frisking on the summit. Full of scorn was Hiawatha When he saw the fish rise upward, Saw the pike, the Maskenozha, Coming nearer, nearer to him, And he shouted through the water, 'Esa! esa! shame upon you! You are but the pike, Kenozha, You are not the fish I wanted, You are not the King of Fishes!' 80 Reeling downward to the bottom Sank the pike in great confusion, And the mighty sturgeon, Nahma, Said to Ugudwash, the sun-fish, To the bream, with scales of crim son, Swung with all his weight upon it, Till the circles in the water But when Hiawatha saw him Esa! esa! shame upon you! You are Ugudwash, the sun-fish, You are not the fish I wanted, You are not the King of Fishes!' Slowly downward, wavering, 'Take the bait of this great Till he felt a great heart beating, boaster, Break the line of Hiawatha!' Slowly upward, wavering, gleaming, Rose the Ugudwash, the sun-fish, Seized the line of Hiawatha, 90 Throbbing in that utter darkness. And he smote it in his anger, 131 With his fist, the heart of Nahma, Felt the mighty King of Fishes Shudder through each nerve and fibre, |