East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1860-04-05
Mudjoe Monodo and Minnio Monedo,
The spirit of Evil and the Spirit of Good.
A SAGINAW TALE.


the purpose Of killing them. Although
the country yielded an abundance o
game, and every other production to sat
isfy his wants, yet it was the study Of hi
life TO destroy human beings, and subsis
upon their blood. The country had ono,
been thickly populated, but he haC
thinned it off by bis wickedness, and hi
lodge was surrounded by the bleache,
bones of his victims.
The secret of his success lay in hi,
great speed. lie had the power to as
sumo the shape of any quadruped, and il
was his custom to challenge persons tC
run with him. He had beaten path on
which he ran, leading around large
lake, and he always ran around this cir.
Gle, SO that the starting and winning
point were the same. At this point stood
post, having sharp and shining knife
tied to it, and whoever lost the race lost
his life. The winner Immediately took
up the knife and cut off his competitors
head. No man was ever known to beat
this evil Manito in the race, although he
ran every day; for whenever he was
pressed hard, he changed himself into a
fox, wolf, or deer, or other swift-footed
animal, and thus left his competitor be-
hind.
The whole country was in dread of
him, and yet, such was tho folly and
rashness Of the young men, that they
were continually running with him; for
if they refused, he called them towards,
which was taunt they could not bear.
They would rather die than be called
towards. In other respects, the Manito
had pleasing manners, and visited the
lodges around the country, like others;
but his secret object in these visits was
to see whether the young boys were get
ting to be old enough to run with him,
and he was careful to keep watch upon
their growth, and never failed to chal-
lenge them to run on his race ground
There was no family which had not lost
some of its most active members in this
way, and the Manito was execrated by
all the Indian mothers in tho country.
There lived near him widow, whose
husband aud ten sons he had killed in
this way, and she was now left with an
only daughter and son Of ten or twelve
years old, named MoNEDowA. She was
very poor and feeble, and suffered so
much for the want of food, that she
would have been glad to die, had it not
been for her daughter and her little son,
who was not yet able to hunt. The Man
ito had already visited her lodge to see
whether the boy was not sufficiently
grown to challenge him. And the
mother saw there was great probability
that he would be decoyed and killed as
his father and brothers had been. Still,
she hoped better fate would attend him,
and strove, in the best way she could, to
instruct him in the maXims of hunters
aud warriors life. To the daughter
she also taught all that could make her
useful as O wife, and instructed her in the
arts of working with porcupine quills on
leather, and various other things, which
the Indian females regard as accomplish
ments. She was also neat and tasteful in
arranging her dress according to their
customs, and possessing tall and grace
ful person, she displayed her national COS
tune to great advantage. She was kind
and obedient to her mother, and never
neglected to perform her appropriate do
mestic duties Her mothers lodge stood
on an elevation on the banks of lake,
which gave them fine prospect of the
country for many miles around, the inte-
rior of which was diversified with groves
and praries 1t was in this quarter that
they daily procured their fuel. One day
the daughter had gone out to these open
groves to pick up dry limbs for their fire,
and while admiring the scenery, she
strolled farther than usual, and was sud
denly startled by tho appearance of o
Young man near her. She would have
fed, but was arrested by his pleasing
smile, and by hearing herself addressed
in her own language. The questions he
asked were trivial, relating to her place
Of residence and family, and were an
swered with timidity. 1t could not be
concealed, however, that they were mutu.
ally pleased with each other, aud before
parting, he asked her to get her mothers
consent to their marriage. She returned
home later than usual, but was too timid
to say anything to her mother upon the
subject. The meetings, however, with
her admirers on the borders Of the prai-
rie, were frequent, and he every time re
quested her to speak to her mother on
the subject of their marriage, which,
however, she could not muster the reso.
luton to do. At last the widow sus-
pected something of the kind, from the
tardiness of her daughter in coming in
and from the scanty quantity of fuel she
sometimes brouget. In answer TO inqui'
ries, she revealed the circumstance of her
meeting the young man, aud of his re
quest. After rejecting upon her lonely
and destitute situation, the mother gave
her consent. The daughter went with
light step to communicate the answer
which her lover heard with delight, ant
after saying that lie would come to tn,
lodge at sunset, they separated. lie wa
punctual to his engagement, and came a
the precise time dressed out az warrio
with every customary decoration, and ap
lproachcd the lodge with mild and pleas