knew what
Aseelkwa had meant. For, from the topmost point of the high rock,
Aseelkwa's face, carved in stone, looked down over the lake and valley.
There, calm and serene and peaceful, it still watches over the hills
that have been made fruitful, over the tribe that is always at peace,
and over the lake whose deep, blue waters are always ready to frown on
the canoes of their enemies.

THE RED SWAN

Three brothers, who were hunters, once lived together in a forest.
They were very skilful and always returned well laden from the chase.
One day they all agreed to go hunting. They were each to kill the
animals that they usually killed, and then see who could get back to
the lodge first and have the game cooked. So they took their finest
arrows, and off they went.

The youngest brother, whose name was Odjibaa, had not gone far when he
saw a bear. Now this was one animal that he was not supposed to kill,
but he forgot his bargain and shot it. Then everything seemed to grow
red, and he heard a queer noise. He followed it, and as he tramped on,
the noise seemed closer. At last he came to the edge of the lake and
there, floating on the water, was a beautiful Red Swan. Every once in
a while it uttered the queer noise he had been hearing. He shot an
arrow at the bird, but it flew past her. He shot another and another.
They all fell near her, but she was quite unharmed. She swam around in
the water, bending her head and arching her neck and not even noticing
Odjibaa. This made him want her more than ever, so he shot the rest of
his arrows. Still she was untouched.

Then he remembered that, in his dead father's medicine sack, there were
three magic arrows, so he ran back at once to the lodge and took them.
When he again reached the shore of the lake, he put one in his bow. He
took good aim and shot. It came close to the bird. The second arrow
came closer, and the third went through her neck. She did not fall
into the water, but rose slowly into the air, and flew away towards the
setting sun, with the arrow still in her neck.

Odjibaa waded into the lake and picked up the two magic arrows which
were floating on the water. When he reached the shore again, he set
out to follow the Red Swan. He was a great runner, for when he shot an
arrow ahead of him, he could run so fast that it fell behind him.

So now he ran at his greatest speed. But the Red Swan was already out
of sight. On he went through the for