"This morning, after seeing Judah and talking to him--or rather hearing
him talk--somehow a story got running in my head. I can't make out
exactly what it was--about a lot of animals on a raft; and there was
some one with them--I don't know who; I can't fit any name to him; but
he had a name."

Constance bent forward quickly. "Was the name Michabou?" she asked.

He returned her look, surprised. "That's it; how did you know?"

"I think I know the story; and Wassaquam would have known it too, I
think, if you'd ask him; but probably he would have thought it impious
to tell it, because he and his people are great Christians now.
Michabou is one of the Indian names for Manitou. What else do you
remember of the story?"

"Not much, I'm afraid--just sort of scenes here and there; but I can
remember the beginning now that you have given me the name: 'In the
beginning of all things there was only water and Michabou was floating
on the raft with all the animals.' Michabou, it seemed, wanted the
land brought up so that men and animals could live on it, and he asked
one of the animals to go down and bring it up--"

"The beaver," Constance supplied.

"Was the beaver the first one? The beaver dived and stayed down a long
time, so long that when he came up he was breathless and completely
exhausted, but he had not been able to reach the bottom. Then Michabou
sent down--"

"The otter."

"And he stayed down much longer than the beaver, and when he came up at
last, they dragged him on to the raft quite senseless; but he hadn't
been able to reach the bottom either. So the animals and Michabou
himself were ready to give it up; but then the little muskrat spoke
up--am I right? Was this the muskrat?"

"Yes."

"Then you can finish it for me?"

"He dived and he stayed down, the little muskrat," Constance continued,
"longer than the beaver and the otter both together. Michabou and the
animals waited all day for him to come up, and they watched all through
the night; so then they knew he must be dead. And, sure enough, they
came after a while across the body floating on the water and apparently
lifeless. They dragged him onto the raft and found that his little
paws were all tight shut. They forced open three of the paws and found
nothing in them, but when they opened the last one, they found one
grain of sand tightly clutched in it. The little muskrat had done it;
he'd reached the bottom! And out of that one grain o