“‘Nanahboozhoo is killing us!’

“All the fowl that were still alive when they heard these words at once flew out at the top opening of the lodge, except the loon, or diver, and he being at the door turned and ran out of the lodge as fast as he could toward the shore of the lake.

“Nanahboozhoo was so angry at him for daring to open his eyes, and then for warning the others, enabling many of them to get away, that he ran after him and stamped upon him as he had just reached the shore.  Hence it is, because of Nanahboozhoo’s cruelty, that the loon has had a flat back and red eyes, and its feet are so unlike those of any other waterfowl.

“When Nanahboozhoo had made a large fire he took the waterfowls he had killed before the diver gave the alarm, and covered them under the ashes, leaving only their feet sticking out.  While he was waiting for them to cook he felt very sleepy, so he lay down to rest.

“But before he went to sleep he said, ’My face side has always done all the watching.  This is not fair.  I will make my back do its share of the watching.’

“So, as he cuddled down to have a sleep before the fire, he said to his back: 

“‘Now, you do the watching, you lazy, broad back, while I am sleeping.’  Then, being very tired, he fell into a heavy sleep.

“After a time the watcher called out: 

“‘Nanahboozhoo!  Indians are coming!’

“Nanahboozhoo slightly raised himself, but he saw no Indians, so he lay down to sleep again.

“But again and yet again, for three times, did his faithful watcher call and warn him against his approaching enemies.  Nanahboozhoo was now so stupid with sleep that he only aroused himself a little, not enough to enable him to detect the lurking enemy.  So he became very angry with his watcher, his broad back, and gave it a great thrashing, saying: 

“’There! take that, you great stupid watcher, for so disturbing me with your false reports!’

“Then Nanahboozhoo fell asleep again.  The broad back was very much offended at the treatment he had received, for he knew he was right, and now, though the Indians were close at hand, he did not again warn Nanahboozhoo, so the enemies came and stole all of his cooked fowls.  The Indians carefully lifted out the fowls by their legs, which Nanahboozhoo left sticking up.  When they had eaten the bodies of the fowls they stuck back the legs in the ashes, as Nanahboozhoo had left them.

“When at last his sleep was ended Nanahboozhoo arose ready for his meal of nicely cooked fowl.  Great, indeed, were his surprise and indignation when he pulled out the feet from the ashes and found that the bodies of the fowls were not there.

“He flew into a passion and resolved to punish his back.  So he made a fire of big trees and stood with his back very close to it.  When his flesh began to be badly burned it blistered, and made a noise like the roasting of meat.  Nanahboozhoo did not at first seem to mind the pain, and only said: