siOBX; - Smithsonian Institution

206 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Boll. 103
degree of fear and uneasiness among the people. Their fears were increased
at seeing the terrible buffaloes, and the fleet deer making their appearance, and
after them the bears and panthers, wolves, and others approaching their
habitations ; suspicious at first of their intentions, they thought of placing them-
selves beyond the reach of the more dangerous animals, but instead of exhibiting
any disposition of ferocity, they seemed rather to claim protection at their
hands. This presented an opportunity of having a jubilee of feasting, and
they therefore indulged themselves to the fullest bent of their propensity and
inclinations by an indiscriminate massacre of the animals. Having thus feasted
for some time, they at last saw daylight appearing. But what surprised them
much, was, they saw it coming from the north. They were at a loss what to
think of it. They, however, supposed that the sun must have missed his path,
and was coming up from another direction, which caused the unusual long
night, or perhaps he had purposely changed his course, to rise hereafter in the
north instead of the east. While such conjectures were making, some fast
runners arrived as messengers coming from the direction of the supposed day
light, and announced to them that the light which tliey saw was not the day
light, but that it was a flood slowly approaching, drowning and destroying
everything. Upon this report the people fled to the mountains, and began to
construct rafts of sassafras wood, binding them together v>'ith vines, believing
this expedient would save them from a watery grave. But alas, delusive hope
for the bears were swimming around in countless numbers, [and] being very
fond of vine twigs gnawed them through, thereby setting loose the materials of
the raft, and bringing the people under dark waters. Their cries, wailing and
agony, were unheard and unseen. But there was one man who prepared and
launched a strong peni or boat, in which he placed his family and pi-ovisions
and thus floated upon the deep waters. For days the Penikbi (boat builder)
strained his eyes looking all around for the purpose of discovering the existence
of some animal life, and a place at which to anchor his vessel.
Nothing met his sight save the cheerless waste of waters. The hawks, eagles
and other birds of the same class, had all, when they found that the tops of
the mountains could not render them a lighting place from the flood, flown
to the sky and clung on to it with their talons, and remained until the flood
abated, when they returned to their old haunts and resumed their natural pro-
pensities and habits. An indication of the disappearing of the flood thus
manifested itself. A crow made its appearance and was so much delighted to
see the boat, that it flew around and around it. The Penikbi, overjoyed
beyond measure, addressed the sable bird, wishing to elicit some information
from it as to their whereabouts, and whether or not the flood was subsiding
any, but it heeded him not, seeming to be determined to consult its own safety
before that of anyone else ; but scarcely had the crow winged away from the
peni before a dove was descried flying toward it, and on reaching it, tlie
Penikbi with joy perceived a leaf in its bill. It flew several times around but
did not alight; after doing so [it] took its course slowly flying toAvard the
west, but seemingly anxious that Penikbi would steer in the direction [which]
it [pursued], which he did, faithfully following the course. In this way many a
weary mile was traveled, before seeing a place to land. At length a mountain
became visible, and never did a benighted mariner hail the sight of land as
Penikbi did, when its summit became visible. When he had safely landed, the
dove flew away to return no more.*'
«! Cushman, Hist. Inds.. pp. S65-366.