king down at her own shabby artege, she sighed and
remarked to the stranger, "What a beautiful coat you have." The woman
smilingly replied, "Yes, how would you like to have it?" Of course she
was delighted with the proposition, and when the stranger offered to
make the exchange, was only too glad to accept the offer. The exchange
was soon made, but on putting on the new coat she was instantly
transformed into a caterpillar. The stranger put on the old coat, then
picking up the bundle of willow brush went to the camp, where she took
the place of the real wife.

The hunter, on returning, remarked to his supposed wife, "Why, dear,
you don't look the same as usual, and you have a different odor." To
which she replied, "Why, husband, you know I have been working hard all
day, cutting and packing brush and have become overheated." The man,
not being very inquisitive, accepted the explanation and was satisfied,
especially so as there was a nice hot dinner awaiting him.

So matters continued for some time.

The real wife felt terribly over her misfortune, wishing sincerely she
had never coveted the other woman's coat. She slowly crawled back
toward the camp, but, make the greatest exertion she could, it was very
slow work. Then, when she thought she had nearly arrived at the place
where her husband was, he and the fraudulent wife would break camp and
move to a new site. It was such slow work crawling; besides, the poor
wife had several narrow escapes from hungry birds, only escaping by
hiding in the crevice of a rock or under a blade of grass. The season
was advancing and her husband would soon return to the village; she
must hurry or be left behind. So crawling night and day, she at last
reached the camp and managed to crawl in among the deerskins, as they
were being lashed preparatory to taking them home.

On arriving in the village she could only crawl around and see her
friends, but no one took any notice of her. She crawled around the iglo
and watched the fraudulent wife making love to her husband. It filled
her with jealousy and indignation, but she could do nothing to help
matters. The season was arriving when she would turn into a cocoon for
her long winter's sleep. If something did not happen quickly, her hopes
would be blasted forever. Crawling up over the place where her mother
was cooking, the caterpillar accidentally fell down at the edge of the
fire, burst open and the woman escaped from her prison. Her mother