Malecite tales / by W.H. Mechling.

  • Mechling, W. H.
Date:
1914
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Malecite tales / by W.H. Mechling. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    In the following winter, when the snow covered the ground and the time was good for hunting moose and all the sons of the chief were making snowshoes, Gluskap said to his uncle, “You go with them too, and make snowshoes.’’ Turtle asked how big he should make them. “Seven times the span of your palm,” replied Gluskap. So Turtle went home and told the old chief that he wanted a pair of snowshoes, as he was going out hunting with him. He wanted them seven spans in length and wanted them with fine meshes. The chief’s wife, who did not like her son-in-law, replied, “He cannot go away from the house without getting snowed under.” “Never mind,” replied the chief, “do you not remember the time he brought the whale home?” So they got the snowshoes ready and started out. When his brothers-in-law saw him following, they said, “What good can you do here‘s You had better go back. You can scarcely walk on snowshoes. You will only be a bother to us.” For as they were going along Turtle would fall down every now and then, until he became so sore that he could scarcely walk. One of his brothers-in-law said, “We told you not to come along, as you would only bother us.” Another said, “Put him on the toboggan, and when we reach camp we will let him attend to it. That is all he is good for anyway.” The next morning they began to hunt the moose. Turtle insisted on going with them, but they wished to send him back. They came to a yard and one of the brothers said, “The moose have started,” and they told Turtle to follow and perhaps he might overtake them by night if he went straight along. So they started after the moose and Turtle tried to go too. But he fell down immediately and they passed on their snowshoes right over him. Turtle was way under dhe snow. He had great difficulty in regain- ing his feet. Gluskap thought it was time he was doing better. So Turtle started. He jumped over low trees instead of going round them. He passed his brothers-in-law, but they did not recognize him, so fast was he going. They could not even follow his trail, as the steps were too long for them. WTien they finally overtook him, he had killed and skinned the moose and had cooked dinner for them. They felt very much ashamed when they arrived at the way they had been abusing him. After the meal they went back for their toboggans. When they returned they took two
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