and spoiled the
shot. Other bears tried, but they all had long claws, and they all failed.
Then some one suggested that this difficulty could be overcome by their
cutting off their long claws. But here the chairman, the white bear,
interposed, saying that it was very necessary that they should have their
long claws in order to climb trees, or up steep rocky places. 'It is
better,' said he, 'for us to trust to our claws and teeth than to man's
weapons, which certainly were not designed for us.'

"The bears remained in council until they got very hungry, but think as
much as they might they could not devise any satisfactory plan, for they
are stupid animals after all, and they dispersed to their different homes
no better able to fight the human race than before.

"Then the deer next held a council. Representatives of all the different
kinds of deer, from the great elk and moose down to the smallest species in
existence, assembled in a beautiful forest glade. The moose was selected as
chief. After a long discussion it was resolved that in revenge for man's
tyranny they would inflict rheumatism, lumbago, and similar diseases upon
every hunter who should kill one of their number unless he took great care
to ask pardon for the offense. That is the reason why so many hunters say,
just before they shoot, 'I beg your pardon, Mr. Deer, but shoot you I must,
for I want your flesh for food.' They know that if they do this they are
safe.

"The Cree legend is that it is the bear that has to be propitiated by
gentlemanly expressions when he is being approached to be killed. I well
remember being with a couple of hunters closely following up a bear, and
just before they fired they kept saying, 'Excuse us for shooting you,
Brother Bear, but we must do it. We want your warm fur robe, our families
want your meat, our girls want your grease to put on their heads, so you
must excuse us, Brother Bear. Please do, Brother Bear; please do.' Thus
they went on at a great rate until he was killed.

"But many forget it, and the spirit of their chief knows it and is angry,
and he strikes those hunters, or their relatives, down with rheumatism or
some other painful disease.

"Next the fishes and snakes and other reptiles held their council, and they
decided that as the human race had now become such enemies to them they
would trouble them with 'fearful dreams' of snakes twining about them, and
blowing their poisonous breath in their faces, by whi