us in this part of the country. They are
very fond of fishing, and so it was proposed to try and get a shot at
one or two, as the Indians well knew their favourite resorts. Indeed,
the Indian tradition of why the bear has such a short tail is the result
of his preference for fish diet. They say that originally the bear had
a beautiful tail, so long that with it he could easily whisk the flies
off his ears. One winter a greedy bear, not content to stay in his den
and sleep as bears ought to do, wandered out on a great frozen lake.
There he met a fox hurrying along with a fine fish in his mouth. The
bear being the larger and stronger animal, he rushed at him to capture
the fish. The fox, seeing him coming, quietly dropped it on the ice,
and, putting his forepaw upon it, said to the bear:

"Why bother yourself with such an insignificant fish as this, when, if
you hurry, you can get any number of fine large ones."

"Where are they to be found?" asked the bear.

"Why," said the fox, "did you not hear the thunder of the cracking ice
on the lake?"

"Yes, I heard it, and trembled," said the bear.

"Well, you need not fear," said the fox, "for it was only the Frost King
splitting the ice, and there is a great crack, and the fish are there in
great numbers. All you have to do is to go and sit across the crack and
drop your long, splendid tail in the water, and you will be delighted to
see with what pleasure the fish will seize hold of it. Then all you
will have to do will be to just whisk them out on the ice, and then you
will have them."

The silly bear swallowed this story, and away he rushed to a crack in
the ice. These cracks are very frequently found in these northern lakes
in bitter cold weather. They are caused by the ice contracting and thus
bursting.

Down squatted the bear on his haunches, and, dropping his beautiful tail
in the water, he patiently waited for the bite. But the water in these
cracks soon freezes again, especially when it is fifty or sixty degrees
below zero, and so it was not long before in this crack it was solid
again. And so when the bear got tired waiting for a bite, or even a
nibble, he tried to leave the place, but found it was impossible without
leaving his tail behind him. This he had to do, or freeze or starve to
death, and so he broke loose, and ever after has been tailless.

This is one of the many traditions that abound among the Indians. They
have traditions to account