Cape Breton's Magazine

A Micmac Tale: IVIagic Flight' Pilip and his two brothers went hunting. They went different ways, shot different things. While Pilip is hunting he finds a house, a nice house in the woods, nice girls there. He spends his time with the girls in their lumbermen's place. He doesn't bring much game home with him. He always comes home later than the other fel? lows . One day they wonder why he is so late. At last they ask Pilip, "Where were you last night?" Pilip does not answer them. One night Pilip didn't come home at all. He stayed there in that house. The girl gave Pilip a lapieleh'wi box, "So you won't forget me any more," she said. She told Pilip, "Don't open the box until you are seeing hard times. If anybody chases you, say 'I'm going to be a tree, or squir? rel, or bird.' That's the time to open the box." Pilip thinks, "My brothers must be worried about me. Better go home." He left, but he went farther down the moun? tain, and at last he didn't know where he was going. He was lost. He came to a lit? tle log house, inside he finds a pretty girl, very striking-looking, and an old lady. "Well, my son-in-law ('ntlusuk) where did you come from?" the old lady asked.--"Quite a piece away, I am lost." --"No, you are not lost. You have come to see my daughter. You will have a good home here." The girl liked Pilip. (That's the time Pilip was mistaken. He didn't know the devil had a log house an5rwhere in this world.) Fine looking girl this. In the evening the old man came--short, with wide shoulders, and awful dark. The old lady said to him, "Well, we have a son- in-law, today." Pilip slept that night with this girl. The old man said, "I have to go out hunting, I'll give you a little job. Take this basket (biganahsi). I want you to clean that pond before night, and harrow it, and sow it with wheat before I come." Pilip was scared. He worked hard dipping water with the basket. The girl came out to him with dinner. She told him, "Well, Pilip, you never can drain this lit? tle pond. That is what my father (nuch') does with every husband I get. Take your dinner." The girl went back home and brought a dipper covered with gold and a little pick. She dipped out the water. She sent the water away altogether. (Devil's daughter can do as well as her father.) She said, "Water, I want you to run off al? together." The water went away in two hours' time. The girl said, "You go get three bushels of wheat." Pilip went to the log house, and brought out the wheat. They sowed it, and they were through at four o'clock. At five o'clock, he harrowed it, the Devil would be back at half past six. They watched the grain grow up, before six o'clock the grain grew up that far (indi? cating two finger joints). At half past six the Devil came. He was smiling. This was the first man who could dry up that pond. "You done fine," he said. C' Next morning, the Devil went away again on some business, he never said what he did. Near by was a big hill. Before he went he brought one old dull hoe, and a pick, and gave them to Pilip. "Well, Pilip, I want you to level down that hill, and sow buck? wheat this time." • "My goodness," thought Pilip, "I cannot run away, the Devil will catch me." He started to dig, he got scared, near eleven o'clock. At noon the woman came with his dinner. She brought a gold pick and a rake. She told Pilip, "You can never level down that mountain. Wait for me, sit down one side," She struck one blow on the mountain, and said, "Level yourself, mountain, I want to sow that buckwheat before father comes." She gave Pilip a little book to read. Now they sow buckwheat, the buckwheat grows well. At five o'clock, she says, "Now we'll go down. You chop wood, and I'll make supper." Pil? ip took the ax, chopped wood, the girl made supper. The father came home, he could see the mountain all leveled, the buckwheat five inches high. He said, "Well done, Pilip, I didn't expect you could lev? el that hill." Every evening they played cards, Pilip and his wife, in their little bed-room. In the morning the Devil told Pilip, "I want you to do another job. There is a high black pole two hundred feet, I got a fellow up there. At ten o'clock, he will fall down. (60)