had he reached it ere he heard the roar of the floods of
water that were coming to overwhelm him. He saw his great danger and he ran
away west, to the great mountains; but the floods of water continued rising
and drove him up higher and higher. When he saw that he was nearing the
highest peak he began to think what he must do next. Around him in the
raging waters were quantities of logs and trees, and among them, or on the
now small peak of land, were numbers of various animals.

"With all his powers he set to work and it was not very long ere he had a
large raft made out of the floating logs. As the last spot of land was now
being overwhelmed by the flood, and he pitied the animals that were
swimming about, he took them on the raft with him. As Nanahboozhoo knew all
the animals and their languages he held a council on the raft. He told them
that if he could get even a very little of the old world that was drowned
he could make a new world for them all. He first asked the otter if he
would try, and see if he could dive down and bring up a little portion of
the earth. The otter at once made the attempt, but after a while he came up
to the surface apparently quite dead. Nanahboozhoo reached out and lifted
him in and placed him in a sunny spot on the raft. Then the beaver tried.
He took a great header and down he dived, resolved to succeed if possible,
but after a time even he came up apparently as lifeless as the otter.
Nanahboozhoo lifted his body up out of the water and laid it in the sun by
the side of the otter. The muskrat next volunteered to try what he could
do, so down he dived and, after a much longer time than the others had been
down, he too floated up senseless and cold. Nanahboozhoo took him up, and
as he did so he noticed that there was earth in his mouth and on his paws.
He carefully collected this in his hand, and then placed the body of the
muskrat beside the otter and the beaver. He then blew upon the earth and
thus made it dry and porous, so that when it was placed in the water it
would not sink but float. He then put a lively little mouse upon it, which
by running round and round upon the earth made it grow larger and larger.
Nanahboozhoo then put a squirrel upon it for the same object. Then the
marten and mink--for the new earth was now so extended that it could hold
up these light animals.

"For a time Nanahboozhoo had to guard the now rapidly growing young world
from the larger animals with a stick,