(1) wîsahkêcâhk mistahi kitimâkisiw; nama wiya kêkway otayôwinis ê-wîkicik, ê-ayâcik. kîtahtawê takosinwak wêmistikôsiwak, ê-papâ-atâwêcik ahtaya, mahîhkana êkwa mostoswayâna. êkwa wîsahkêcâhk nama kêkway ayâw atâwâkan. kotakak ayîsiyiniwak mistahi ayâwak; atâwêwak êkonik mistahi ayiwinisa; êkwa wîsahkêcâhk nama kêkway.

(1) Wisahketchahk was very poor; he had not even clothing in his house, where he dwelt with his family. Then at one time arrived some Frenchmen who were going about buying furs, wolf-pelts and buffalo-robes. But Wisahketchahk had no furs to sell. The other people had many; they bought many clothes, but Wisahketchahk none at all.

(2) êkwa ômisi itêw wêmistikôsiwa: "nama cî nika-kî-masinahikân?" "nama kêkway atâwâkan nitayân." "mâka kiyipa mihcêt nika-ayân ka-tipahikêyân." êkosi ômisi itwêw; wêmistikôsiwa itêw wîsahkêcâhk awa: "nama kêkway ka-kî-tipahikâkân." "kîspin miyiyani, kiyipa nika-ayân."

(2) Then he spoke to the Frenchman as follows: “Won't you let me have credit? I haven't any furs. But in a short time I shall have a good many with which to pay my debt.” Thus Wisahketchahk spoke to the Frenchman: “You will not need to pay anything. If you give me credit, in a short time I shall have them.

(2a) "êha!"- wêmistikôsiwak- "kêkway kinitawêyihtên, wîsahkêcâhk?"

(2a) “Very well,” the Frenchmen “What do you want, Wisahketchahk?”

(3) "wâpowayâna nîso, mîna mitâs nîso, miskotâkay mîna nîso, pâskisikan."

(3) “Two blankets, two pairs of breeches, and two coats, and a gun.”

(4) êkota mistahi ayôwinis otinam. êkosi êkwa kîwêw wîsahkêcâhk. owîkimâkana miyêw kahkiyaw.

(4) Then he took a great deal of clothing. Then Wisahketchahk went home. He gave all of it to his wife.

(5) ômisi itik owîkimâkana: "môhco-kisêyiniw, tânita kî-otinaman ta-tipahikâkêyan?"

(5) This is what his wife said to him: “Crazy old man, where can you get anything with which to pay?”

(6) êkosi itwêw, "nôtokêsiw, pêyakwâw nina-nitawâpamâw wêmistikôsiw."¹

(6) He answered, “Old woman, once more I shall go see the Frenchmen.”

(7) êkosi êkwa sipwêhtêw.

(7) So he set out.

(8) ê-pîhtokêt, wêmistikôsiw awa ômisi itêw: "â, wîsahkêcâhk, kipê-tipahikân?"

(8) When he entered, the Frenchmen said, “Well, Wisahketchahk, have you come to pay?”

(9) "namôya," itwêw wîsahkêcâhk; "miyin piscipôwin."

(9) “No,” said Wisahketchahk; “Give me some poison.”

(10) "tânisi kitôtên?"

(10) “What do you want that for?”

(11) "â, mahîhkanak nika-nipahâwak."

(11) “Oh, I am going to kill wolves.”

(12) êkwa miyik maskihkiy, piscipôwin. êkwa kîwêw wîsahkêcâhk.

(12) So the other gave him some medicine, poison. Then Wisahketchahk went home.

(13) ê-pîhtokêt wîkiwâhk, "nôtokêsiw, miyin pimiy."

(13) When he came into the tent, “Old woman, give me some fat.”

(14) miyik pimiy. êkwa êkota piscipôwin astâw pimîhk; êkwa apisâsin oyâkanis, sîkinam êkota pimiy. mihcêt êkota osîhtâw apisâsiki pimîsa âhkwatinah.²

êkwa kahkiyaw otinam; êkwa sipwêhtêw ê-nitonawât mahîhkana.

(14) She gave him fat. Then he put the poison into the fat; and into a small dish he poured the fat. He shaped a great many little lumps of fat and rolled them until they were hard. He took them all, and went out to look for wolves.

(16) kîtahtawê wâpamêw mahîhkana pêyak.

(16) Presently he saw a wolf.

(17) "â, nisîm, âstam!"- ôhi mahîhkana.

(17) “Hey, brother, come here!” to that wolf.

(18) "â, namôya!" itwêw mahîhkan, "ê, kiwî-nipahin osâm!"

(18) “Oh dear, no!” said the wolf; “Why, you want to kill me!”

(19) "namôya, nisîm. ê-wî-masinahikêhitin."

(19) “No, little brother. I want to employ you.”

(20) "tânisi ê-wî-isi-masinahikêhiyan."

(20) “How do you want to employ me?”

(21) "ê-wî-atoskahitân ka-papâ-nitomacik mahîhkanak mîna mahkêsîsak, kahkiyaw kâ-miyosicik mahkêsîsak." "ôta nika-apin ispatinâhk, ê-wî-kakêskimitakok, ê-miywâsihk âcimôwin ka-wîhtamâtakok."

(21) “I want to give you the work of going round and summoning the wolves and foxes, all the good-looking foxes. I shall be sitting here on this knoll, ready to preach to you, to tell you good tidings.”

(22) êkwa tâpwê awa mahîhkan sipwêhtêw, ê-nitomât mahîhkana mîna mahkêsîsa. tâpwê pêtohtêwak mihcêt mahîhkanak. mitoni misiwê wâsakâm apiyiwa, ê-wî-nitohtâkot, tâpiskôc ayamihêwiyiniw wîsahkêcâhk.

(22) So that wolf went off to call the wolves and foxes. Indeed, many wolves came. In great numbers they sat round in a circle, to listen to Wisahketchahk, exactly as if he were a missionary.

(23) ômisi itêw: "nisîmitik, ayamihâwin kâ-nitohtamêk ta-otinamêk;" "êkosi êkwa namôya awiyak ka-nipahikowâwak, ayamihâyêko." "mâka êkâ tâpwêhtamêko, ka-nipahikowâwak." "îh ôhi wâpahtamok, îh ôhi!"³

mahîhkanak mahkêsîsak ê-wâpahtahkik ôhi pimiya, "hâw, ôma awiyak ôma mîcici kâ-wî-saskamohak, kinwês ka-pimâtisiw," êkosi itwêw wîsahkêcâhk.

(23) This is what he said: “My brothers, the tidings which you hear you should accept, and then no one will ever kill you, if you take on religion. But if you do not believe, someone will kill you. Look upon these things, these here!” As the wolves and foxes looked at those pieces of fat, “Now, then, if anyone eats this which I shall place between his teeth, long will he live,” spoke Wisahketchahk.

(24) êkwa kahkiyaw, "niya, niya!" itwêwak mahîhkanak, ê-miywêyihtahkik kinwês ka-pimâtisicik.

(24) Then all the wolves cried, “I, I!” glad that they were to live long.

(25) "êkwa ôma," êkwa miyêw pimiy.

(25) “Here you are!” and he gave them the fat.

(26) mîciw awa mahîhkan; êkosi êkwa sipwêhtêw.

(26) A wolf would eat it; then he would go.

(27) pâh-pêyak ê-saskamohât wâsakâm, mîna mahkêsîsa, kahkiyaw mêstinam ôma pimiy.

(27) He placed it in their mouths, one by one, round the circle, the foxes' too, using up all the fat.

(28) "êkosi kinwês ka-pimâtisinâwâw, nisîmitik, ôma kâ-otinamêk ayamihâwin."

(28) “So now long shall you live, brothers, now you have accepted this faith.”

(29) tâpiskôc ayamihêwiyiniw wîsahkêcâhk, ê-miyât mahîhkana ayamihâwin. kîtahtawê ê-apit mêkwâc wîsahkêcâhk, kahkiyaw kwâskwêpayihoyiwa mahîhkana, ê-pahkisiniyit, ê-piscipoyit, kahkiyaw ê-nipiyit.

(29) Just like a priest was Wisahketchahk, as he gave religious instruction to the wolves. Presently, as Wisahketchahk sat there, all the wolves leaped up in the air and fell down, poisoned, and they all died.

(30) "maci-kakêpâtisak ôki!" "nika-ôh-ta-tipahikâkêwâh!" itêw êsa ôhi mahîhkana wîsahkêcâhk.⁴

(30) “These stupid fools! I surely did need something to pay my debts with!” Wisahketchahk must have said to those wolves.

(31) êkwa wiyanihêw, ê-kîwêhtahât, êkwa mahkêsîsa mîna kahkiyaw. mahîhkana ayamihâwin kâ-kiskinôhamawât, kahkiyaw nipahêw. êkosi kahkiyaw tipaham omasinahikêwina, ê-wayêsimât mahîhkana.

(31) Then he skinned them and took their skins home, and all the foxes' too. Having taught the wolves religion, he killed them all. In this way he paid all his debts, by deceiving the wolves with talk.

(32) êkosi êkoyikohk.

(32) That is all.

Footnotes

¹LB's footnote to nna-ntawâpamâw: The combination nt does not exist in the full form of Cree words, but is due to the loss of an intermediate short vowel; See Introduction. Occasional forms like na-ntawâpamâw: “he goes to see him,” are allegro variants for such as na-nitawâpamâw; the first syllable here is reduplicative. This differs from Ojibwa, where nand- is probably the normal representation of older nat-.

²LB: Probably an error.

³LB original has hyphens in îh-ôhi and êh-ôhi. HCW: should be separate words.

⁴CHECK Weird verb form: HCW yup. (future + hpreterite = irrealis)