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 forest, across streams, and
over the prairie. At nightfall he reached a
town where many Indians lived. The chief made
him welcome and let him stay the night. In the
morning, he set out once more, and by night he had
reached a second town. He stayed there till
morning and then continued his race.
By the next night, he had reached
a lodge where a magician lived. The old man
treated him very kindly. He made him sit down
by the fire. Then he spoke a few words, and a
metal pot with legs walked out and stood by the fire.
He spoke a few more words and put one grain of corn
and one berry into the pot. At once it became
full of porridge. He told Odjibaa to eat this,
and when he had done so, the pot became full again.
It continued to do this until Odjibaa had eaten all
he could. Then the magician told the hunter to
lie down and rest, and in the morning he said to him:
“My grandchild, you are in search
of the Red Swan. Be brave and travel on, and
at last you will be successful. When you near
the end, you will come to a lodge of another magician,
and he will tell you what to do.”
Odjibaa thanked the old man, and went
once more on his way.
When he had gone some distance, he
shot an arrow ahead of him and it fell behind him,
so he knew that he was still going his best.
He went on for some days and at last saw the lodge
of the magician. This second old man was as
kind as the first and treated him in much the same
way. He gave him food from a magic kettle exactly
like the first, and then bade him stay the night.
Then in the morning he said to him:
“My grandchild, you are following
the Red Swan. Many a hunter has done the same
and has never returned. For she is the sister
of a great chief. He once had a wampum cap which
was fastened to his scalp. One day some warriors
came and told him that the daughter of their chief
was very sick. She said the only thing that would
cure her was this cap of wampum and that the sight
of it would make her better at once. The chief
did not like to lend his cap, for if he took it off,
his head would be bare and bloody. But he thought
again of the sick girl and at last gave it to the
warriors.
“That is many years ago, but
they have not returned the cap yet. They were
cheats and are keeping it to make fun of it.
They carry it from one village to another to dance
around it, and at every mean thing they say, the old
man groans with pain. Many young men have tried
to get it for him, but all have failed. He has
offered many gifts to the one who gets it, and even
the Red Swan will belong to the successful one.
She is a very beautiful maiden, and for her many
young men have risked their lives. You are very
brave and will face great dangers. Go as you
have come, and you will be the one to win the precious
wampum.”
So Odjibaa travelled for several more
days. At last he saw a lodge, but before he
came up to it he could hear the groans of some one
inside. Coming up to the door, he knocked, and
a voice bade him come in. On entering he saw
a very old man seated in one corner. His face
was withered and his head bare and bloody. He
seemed to be in great pain.
The young man spoke kindly to him
and asked him how he lost his scalp. Then the
old man told his story: how the young men had
cheated him, and how they were abusing the scalp now.
Odjibaa looked very sorry, and when the old man saw
this, he began to coax him to try and get it back.
He promised him blankets and many other things that
make an Indian rich. But he did not mention
the Red Swan. Odjibaa noticed that a wall divided
the lodge into two parts. He guessed that the
Red Swan was behind the wall, for he thought he heard
her dress rustle. After he had talked with the
old man, and had learned many things about the unfriendly
Indians, he said:
“I shall go in search of the
cap. When you hear the noise of a hawk, put
your head out of the door, so I may put the scalp on
you quickly.”
Early next morning he set out, and
before the day was over had come near the Indian village.
As he drew near he could hear the sound of much shouting,
and in a few minutes could see hundreds of warriors
dancing and yelling around a pole. On the top
of this pole was the scalp. He changed himself
into a humming-bird and flew by their heads.
When they heard the soft, humming noise, they said,
“What is that?” He flew on, until he
came near the pole. Then he changed himself into
a blue butterfly and fluttered up to it. He
took the scalp in his mouth and lifted it from the
pole. A mighty shout went up from the Indians
when they saw what was happening. But they could
not reach the butterfly, as it was so high up in the
air. It began to float slowly away with the
scalp. This was hard work, and the load was almost
too heavy for Odjibaa, but he hung on until he was
safe outside the village. Then he changed himself
into a hawk and flew rapidly away. When he came
near the lodge of the old man, he uttered the cry of
the hawk. The old man put his head out, and
with a great blow Odjibaa clapped his scalp on.
The old man fell senseless and lay very still for
a long time.
Odjibaa entered the lodge and sat
down to wait. At length the old man opened his
eyes and arose. But he was no longer an old man.
Instead there stood a handsome, young warrior.
He reached out his hand to Odjibaa and said:
“I can never thank you for all
you have done for me. See, you have given me
back my youth and strength. Now I shall never
grow old. You must stay and live with me and
I shall make you a great chief.” Odjibaa
replied:
“No, I must go back to my brothers.
I shall leave early to-morrow morning.”
Then the magician began to get ready a bundle for
Odjibaa. He put blankets, beads, feathers, and
paints in it, but he said no word about the Red Swan,
and Odjibaa did not like to ask him. The next
morning the hunter said good-bye to the magician and
prepared to go.
“Wait, my friend,” he
said, as he opened the door in the wall. A beautiful
maiden stepped forth. “This is my sister,
Red Swan. She is to be yours, as you saved my
scalp.”
Odjibaa was overjoyed at this.
He thanked the magician again; then taking the maiden
by the hand, they set out for his home.