The league of the Iroquois and other legends : from the Indian muse

280 ORIGIN OF THE RED WILLOW.
But Manabo-zho sleeping yet,
They brought, and on the leggins tried ;
Their color, warmth, elate with pride,
Admiring, all their shape and fit ;
When Manabo-zho woke ;
said he
" Where is the bird, the Kee-wau-nee ?"
" It came to life and flew away,"
They said " The Master of
;
Life, He blew
Upon the fowl, and off it flew.
"And whence these leggins ?" Ah !
"We found them in the woods ;
we did
Indeed, there by some hunter hid."
said they
Them Manabo-zho taking, he
Did smell them ;
then more wroth he grew ;
" I see, what I had thought was true,"
He said
"who stole the Kee-wau-nee;
I see, as I had cause to fear,
The Wolf, my cousin, has been here."
As him his legs did homeward bear,
He cut a switch ;
at every stride
He switched them, till all gory-dyed ;
The willows, that so yellow were
Before, became, as you can see,
As red with blood as red can be.