WHY THE LOWER ANIMALS ARE DUMB.

Otago Witness, Issue 1994, 12 May 1892, Page 40

WHY THE LOWER ANIMALS ARE DUMB.

A Oubiotjs Tradition of the American

Indians.

The American Indians, especially those of the lake regions of Southern Canada, relate a curious tradition to account for the fact that all lower animals are dumb. In very, very early times, they say. the father of all tribes lived in a beautiful country over against the rising sun. His form was perfect and his face handsome in the extreme, his descendants being all superb specimens of humanity. Knowing of their accomplishments and being much given to flattering each other, they became very haughty and arrogant. As a punishment for their bigotry the Great Father warned the father of the tribes in a dream that a deluge would be sent to drown them from off the face of the earth. Tn the | dream which forewarned the father of the tribes of the great calamity impending, there was presented in his visionary view the form and outlines of a raft, which was to be used in Baying a remnant of this bigoted people. In those days all animals talked as men do ; and, when the father of the tribes informed the beasts of the field of his dream, and of bis intentions concerning the building of the great raft, they protested, declaring their unwillingness to accompany him on any such expedition. But the man's superior intelligence prevailed. He built the raft, and lo! had hardly finished when the great flood came. The man's family and pairs of every beast took passage and floated for many months on. tbe surface of the deluge. The clouds cleared away on the second day of embarkation, and for 17 successive moons the man used the sun f>s a guide, continually steering towards his place of setting. The animals, however, every one of them (who, it will be remembered had the power of speech), protested against sailing to the west, declaring in one voice that they preferred steering towards the sun's rising- place. These murmurs bad been going on for some days when, to the infinite joy of the man, who had been holding the fort against this •horde of creatures who had the voices of men and the reason of beasts, great spots of dry land began to appear. Finally this rudelyconstructed ark grounded, and the man and his family and, the beasts were again permitted to presfl the face of the earth with their feet. But a great and lasting calamity had overtaken the animals. For their murmurs against the man while on the water they were deprived, of the power of speech, ana

have remained dumb from that day.— Old and Young.