But they found no trace or tidings,
Found no track in marsh or meadow,
Found no trail in fen or forest,
On the shore-sand found no footprints. 
Many days they sought and found not. 
Then to Panther spoke the Raven: 
“She is in the Land of Spirits—­
Surely in the Land of Spirits. 
High at midnight I beheld her—­
Like a flying star beheld her—­
To the waves of Gitchee Gumee
Downward flashing through the ether. 
Thus she flashed that I might see her,
See and know my mother’s spirit;
Thus she pointed to the waters,
And beneath them lies her body,
In the wigwam of the spirits—­
In the lodge of Nebe-naw-baigs."[24]

Then spoke Panther to the Raven: 
“On the tall cliff by the waters
Wait and watch with Waub-omee-mee. 
If the Sea-Gull hear the wailing
Of her infant she will answer.”

On the tall cliff by the waters
So the Raven watched and waited;
All the day he watched and waited,
But the hungry infant slumbered,
Slumbered by the side of Raven,
Till the pines’ gigantic shadows
Stretched and pointed to Waubu-nong[21]—­
To the far-off land of Sunrise;
Then the wee one woke and, famished,
Made a long and piteous wailing.

From afar where sky and waters
Meet in misty haze and mingle,
Straight toward the rocky highland,
Straight as flies the feathered arrow,
Straight to Raven and the infant,
Swiftly flew a snow-white sea-gull—­
Flew and touched the earth a woman. 
And behold, the long-lost mother
Caught her wailing child and nursed her,
Sang a lullaby and nursed her.

Thrice was wound a chain of silver
Round her waist and strongly fastened. 
Far away into the waters—­
To the wigwam of the spirits—­
To the lodge of Nebe-naw-baigs—­
Stretched the magic chain of silver. 
Spoke the mother to the Raven: 
“O my son—­my brave young hunter,
Feed my tender little orphan;
Be a father to my orphan;
Be a mother to my orphan—­
For the crafty Red Fox robbed us—­
Robbed the Sea-Gull of her husband,
Robbed the infant of her mother. 
From this cliff the treacherous woman
Headlong into Gitchee Gumee
Plunged the mother of my orphan. 
Then a Nebe-naw-baig caught me—­
Chief of all the Nebe-naw-baigs—­
Took me to his shining wigwam,
In the cavern of the waters,
Deep beneath the mighty waters. 
All below is burnished copper,
All above is burnished silver
Gemmed with amethyst and agates. 
As his wife the Spirit holds me;
By this silver chain he holds me.

“When my little one is famished,
When with long and piteous wailing
Cries the orphan for her mother,
Hither bring her, O my Raven;
I will hear her—­I will answer. 
Now the Nebe-naw-baig calls me—­
Pulls the chain—­I must obey him.” 
Thus she spoke, and in the twinkling
Of a star the spirit-woman