“’Ho, ho! great fish down in the sea,
  Come, if you dare, and swallow me. 
  My brothers all you’re fond of eating,
  ’Tis time some one gave you a beating. 
  He, he!  Hi, hi!  Ho, ho!  Ho, ho!

  “’You see I am not far away,
  So come and taste me while you may;
  Yet not afraid am I, no, no! 
  So hurry up, old fish.  Ho, ho! 
  He, he!  Hi, hi!  Ho, ho!  Ho, ho!’

“Nanahboozhoo sang this brave song over and over, to the weird harmony of his magic music sticks, until he reached the place where the great fish was resting.

“When the great monster Mooshekinnebik heard the voice of Nanahboozhoo he came up to the surface of the water to find out who was making all that music and shouting out such defiant words.

“When he saw that it was only one young man on a raft of dry logs, he ordered one of his children to go and knock the raft to pieces and swallow that noisy fellow.  But this was not what Nanahboozhoo wanted, and so he shouted out: 

“‘I want the old father fish to eat me.’

“This made old Mooshekinnebik very angry, and so, open mouthed, he rushed furiously at Nanahboozhoo who, when the great monster was close enough, took a leap into the open mouth and was immediately swallowed up.

“For a short time after being swallowed Nanahboozhoo was unconscious, but he soon recovered himself and was able to look around and see the queer prison in which he was now confined.  It was fortunate for him that he had eyes like a cat, and so could see as well in the dark as in the light.  He found that he was not the only inmate of this queer prison; there were a lot of creatures whom he called his brothers—­the bear, the deer, the fox, the beaver and even the squirrel.  Nanahboozhoo inquired of them and they told him how they had been captured and the length of time they had been in that horrid place.  They also informed him that many others who had been captured were now dead.  Nanahboozhoo found that they were quite hopeless, and looked forward to nothing but death.  However he called them around him and informed them that he had willingly come among them for the purpose of affording a speedy deliverance.

“This was indeed good news.  Then he explained to them the plan he had in his mind, and said that it was necessary for them to kick up a rumpus in the interior of this monster, that they would thus make him so very sick that he would have to go near to land, and when they should have him there he thought he had another plan that would enable them all to escape.

[Illustration:  “He took a leap into the open mouth.”]

“They all agreed to do anything they could to help on his plans, so Nanahboozhoo took out his magic singing sticks and began to play and sing.

“At once the bear, the deer, the fox, the beaver, and indeed all of the creatures that were still alive, caught up the lively tune, and such a dancing and jumping and flying around was hardly ever seen before.