the
Sturgeon, King of all the Fishes.

"Take my bait!" shouted Hiawatha, dropping his line of cedar into the
calm water. "Come up and take my bait, O Nahma, King of Fishes!" But the
great fish did not move, although Hiawatha shouted to him over and over
again. At last, however, Nahma began to grow tired of the endless
shouting, and he said to Maskenozha, the pike: "Take the bait of this
rude fellow, Hiawatha, and break his line."

Hiawatha felt the fishing-line tighten with a snap, and as he pulled it
in, Maskenozha, the pike, tugged so hard that the canoe stood almost on
end, with the squirrel perched on the top; but when Hiawatha saw what
fish it was that had taken his bait he was full of scorn and shouted:
"Shame upon you! You are not the King of Fishes; you are only the pike,
Maskenozha!" and the pike let go of Hiawatha's line and sank back to the
bottom, very much ashamed.

Then Nahma said to the sunfish, Ugudwash: "Take Hiawatha's bait, and
break his line! I am tired of his shouting and his boasting," and the
sunfish rose up through the water like a great white moon. It seized
Hiawatha's line and struggled so that the canoe made a whirlpool in the
water and rocked until the waves it made splashed upon the beaches at
the rim of the lake; but when Hiawatha saw the fish he was very angry
and shouted out again: "Oh shame upon you! You are the sunfish,
Ugudwash, and you come when I call for Nahma, King of Fishes!" and the
sunfish let go of Hiawatha's line and sank to the bottom, where he hid
among the lily stems.

Then Nahma, the great sturgeon, heard Hiawatha shouting at him once
again, and furious he rose with a swirl to the top of the water; leaped
in the air, scattering the spray on every side, and opening his huge
jaws he made a rush at the canoe and swallowed Hiawatha, canoe and all.

Into the dark cave of Nahma's giant maw, Hiawatha in his canoe plunged
headlong, as a log rushes down a roaring river in the springtime. At
first he was frightened, for it was so inky black that he could not see
his hand before his face; but at last he felt a great heart beating in
the darkness, and he clenched his fist and struck the giant heart with
all his strength. As he struck it, he felt Nahma tremble all over, and
he heard the water gurgle as the great fish rushed through it trying to
breathe, and Hiawatha struck the mighty heart yet another heavy blow.

Then he dragged his canoe crosswise, so that he might not be thro