ey first
saw him, he was high in the air, higher than the summit of Haup--high as
the mighty hills which Indians call the Alleghany, or hills of the
Allegewi. Gradually he descended, and, when he came near, they saw that
he bore a man upon his back. Nearer and nearer came the eagle and his
rider, and soon alighted on a little hill, a few steps from the Indians.
The man then got down from his strange horse. "Oh! ho!" said he, "I wish
I had taken my buffalo-cloak with me, it will be cold flying back."

"What have you brought us now?" asked the people, crowding around him.

"Oh, a thing or two," answered he that rode the eagle.

With that he pulled out of the pouch at his side a long black,
dirty-looking leaf, which smelt very strong, and also a little bowl
about the size of a man's thumb, with a long, slender handle fixed to
it. Said he to a boy standing near him, "Run, my pretty fellow, and
bring me some fire." Whilst the boy was bringing the fire, he fell to
rubbing the black leaf to pieces between the palms of his hands. The boy
brought him the fire. Then he put the powdered dust into the little
bowl, placed the fire upon the top of the dust, and fell to making a
great smoke, like that which the wind of spring brings from off the face
of the Great Waters. The Indians asked him what he called the black
leaf.

"Bacca, bacco, tobacco," answered he.

"What is it good for?" demanded they.

"Good for--good for--why--why," exclaimed he, seemingly puzzled, "why,
good for many things. Good for the tooth-ache--good to drive away the
blue devils."

The Indians, though they were well enough acquainted with devils, did
not know what he meant by "blue ones," nor do they know to this day.
They asked him to let them smoke in _the pipe_, which was the name by
which he called the instrument with the little bowl. They liked it very
well upon trying it, but they could not be persuaded to think it of as
much value as the bow and arrows which the Bad Spirit had given them.
The man who rode the eagle perceived their minds, and said "I have
another present."

He bade them bring him a small stick, which they did, and then he began
to beat the eagle. It screamed terribly beneath the lash, and turned
round upon him with its mouth open, as if it would fight him, but he
only beat it the harder. At last it did the thing he wanted it should
do, and dropped a little heap of seeds, white, flat, and not so large
over as the nail upon the litt