As the days went by, the raven grew poor and weak, and his eyes were blurred with the thick smoke, and he cried continually to Old Man to pity him.  One day Old Man untied him, and told him to take his right shape, saying:  “Why have you tried to fool Old Man?  Look at me!  I cannot die.  Look at me!  Of all peoples and tribes I am the chief.  I cannot die.  I made the mountains.  They are standing yet.  I made the prairies and the rocks.  You see them yet.  Go home, then, to your wife and your child, and when you are hungry hunt like any one else, or you shall die.”

THE BEARS

Now Old Man was walking along, and far off he saw many wolves; and when he came closer, he saw there the chief of the wolves, a very old one, and sitting around him were all his children.

Old Man said, “Pity me, Wolf Chief; make me into a wolf, that I may live your way and catch deer and everything that runs fast.”

“Come near then,” said the Wolf Chief, “that I may rub your body with my hands, so that hair will cover you.”

“Hold,” said Old Man; “do not cover my body with hair.  On my head, arms, and legs only, put hair.”

When the Chief Wolf had done so, he said to Old Man:  “You shall have three companions to help you, one is a very swift runner, another a good runner, and the last is not very fast.  Take them with you now, and others of my younger children who are learning to hunt, but do not go where the wind blows; keep in the shelter, or the young ones will freeze to death.”  Then they went hunting, and Old Man led them on the high buttes, where it was very cold.

At night, they lay down to sleep, and Old Man nearly froze; and he said to the wolves, “Cover me with your tails.”  So all the wolves lay down around him, and covered his body with their tails, and he soon got warm and slept.  Before long he awoke and said angrily, “Take off those tails,” and the wolves moved away; but after a little time he again became cold, and cried out, “Oh my young brothers, cover me with your tails or I shall freeze.”  So they lay down by him again and covered his body with their tails.

When it was daylight, they all rose and hunted.  They saw some moose, and, chasing them, killed three.  Now, when they were about to eat, the Chief Wolf came along with many of his children, and one wolf said, “Let us make pemmican of those moose”; and every one was glad.  Then said the one who made pemmican, “No one must look, everybody shut his eyes, while I make the pemmican”; but Old Man looked, and the pemmican-maker threw a round bone and hit him on the nose, and it hurt.  Then Old Man said, “Let me make the pemmican.”  So all the wolves shut their eyes, and Old Man took the round bone and killed the wolf who had hit him.  Then the Chief Wolf was angry, and he said, “Why did you kill your brother?” “I didn’t mean to,” replied Old Man.  “He looked and I threw the round bone at him, but I only meant to hurt him a little.”  Then said the Chief Wolf:  “You cannot live with us any longer.  Take one of your companions, and go off by yourselves and hunt.”  So Old Man took the swift runner, and they went and lived by themselves a long time; and they killed all the elk, and deer, and antelope, and moose they wanted.