mountains of water. He ran all over the earth, still pursued with the
mountains of water. So when he could not find any more dry land to run
to he commanded a great canoe to be formed in which he and the animals
who were fleeing before the water, were saved. After they floated, Ne-
naw-bo-zhoo wondered very much how deep was the water. Therefore, he
ordered one of the beavers to go down to the bottom of the deep and
bring up some earth if he could, as evidence that he did go to the
bottom. So the beaver obeyed, and he went down, but the water was so
deep the beaver died before he reached the bottom, and therefore, he
came up floating as a dead beaver. Ne-naw-bo-zhoo drew him up into his
canoe and resuscitated the beaver by blowing into his nostrils.

So he waited a little while longer, and afterwards he ordered the
muskrat to go down; but the muskrat did not like the idea, for he had
seen the beaver coming up lifeless. So he had to flatter him a little
in order to induce him to go down, by telling him, "Now, muskrat, I
know that thou art one of the best divers of all the animal creation;
will you please go down and ascertain the depth of the water, and bring
up some earth in your little paws, if you can, with which I shall try
to make another world? Now go my little brother,"--the legend says that
he called all the animal creation his little brothers,--"for we cannot
always live on the waters." At last the muskrat obeyed. He went down,
and descended clear to the bottom of the water, and grabbed the earth
and returned. But the water was yet so deep that before he reached the
surface of the water, he expired.

As Ne-naw-bo-zhoo drew him up into his great canoe to resuscitate him,
he observed the muskrat still grasping something in his little paws,
and behold, it was a piece of earth. Then Ne-naw-bo-zhoo knew that the
muskrat went clear to the bottom of the deep. He took this piece of