---
title: Opening, part 9 — Kulóskap the master, and other Algonkin poems · full text with trees
description: Opening, part 9, «Kulóskap the master, and other Algonkin poems»: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: Therefore they swore they would drown him, And dragged him down to the shore; He screamed like a mad magician, And fought like a wolverine, Tearing 
---

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# Opening, part 9

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Opening, part 9 of «Kulóskap the master, and other Algonkin poems»: the whole text, 106 sentences and 2621 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself.

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**1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg78673/9/page/2/)

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Therefore they swore they would drown him, And dragged him down to the shore; He screamed like a mad magician, And fought like a wolverine, Tearing up trees and roots, Rending the rocks like a tempest; Yet at length they overpowered him, And took him in a canoe To the middle of the lake And throwing him in they watched him, Watched him as he was sinking Till he vanished far down below; And thinking him surely dead Returned to their homes rejoicing.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics")

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Now on the next day at noon There was a glowing sunshine, And something was seen basking Upon a great flat rock About a mile from the shore.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") So two of the younger men Took a canoe and went forth To see what this might be.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") And when they came to the rock Just hanging over the water, Whom should they see but Mikchik A-dozing in the sunlight\![4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") But, seeing them coming to take him, He only said “Good-bye!”[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") And rolled over into the lake Wherein it is said he is living Unto this very day.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") So in memory of this thing, All turtles in swamps or rivers When they see a man a-coming Tip-tilt them into the water With a \_plump\![7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") \_ which means “Good-bye!”-- Or which sounds like it in Indian\[29\]-- As their ancestor did of yore.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics")

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The Turtle lived with his wife Happily, long and contented.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") Then it happened in after years That Kulóskap came one day To visit his uncle, and saw A babe which uttered a word.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") As ’twere in a childish cry: “Knowest thou what he is saying?”[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") Inquired the Master smiling.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") “Truly not I,” said Mikchik, “For I deem it is in the language Which is spoken by the demons Or spirits of the air, Which ’tis said no mortal knoweth.”[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") “Well, I think,” replied Kulóskap, “That he is talking of eggs For he cries ‘\_Huwâh, Huwâh\_’ As if he were trying to say \_Wâhwun\_--which means an egg In the Passamaquoddy tongue.”[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") “But where are eggs to be found?”[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") Inquired the uncle amazed.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") “Seek in the sand,” said the Master, Where he sought and found full many And greatly he marvelled at them.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") In memory of which and the Master, All the female turtles Lay eggs to this very day.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") L.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics")

FOOTNOTES:[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics")

\[27\] When the Master left Newfoundland he came to Pictou.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics")

\[28\] It is usual to give as a mere matter of politeness terms of consanguinity to persons in conversation.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") Mikchik the Turtle appears in all the legends as a perfect Panurge or Falstaff, a worthless old scamp, who is nevertheless liked by everybody and privileged.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") P.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics")

\[29\] It is curious that in Italy a stone thrown into water is supposed by the sound which it makes to answer Yes or No to questions.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics")

V[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics")

HOW MIKCHIK THE TURTLE WAS FALSE TO THE MASTER[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics")

\[\_Passamaquoddy\_\][28](28/ "tree and pragmatics")

\_Kulóskap meiawet.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") \_\[30\][30](30/ "tree and pragmatics")

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Kulóskap the Master Was lord of beasts and men Even the one as the other He ruled them one and all.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") Great indeed was his army His tribe indeed was the whole.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") In it the Golden Eagle Was a leading chief who married A female Caribou; And the Turtle, Kulóskap’s uncle, Married the only daughter Of the Eagle and Caribou.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") Of these things are many traditions, Many and very long, Which are told by the fire in winter; Old people knew these stories, The younger now forget them And the wisdom in them all.[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics")

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It is said that Mikchik the Turtle Was ever loved by his nephew, While another tradition tells That he was false to the Master: I know not how it may be, I can only tell the story As it was told to me.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics")

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When the Turtle married, The Master bade him make A splendid feast, and for this He gave him wonderful power.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he bade him go down to a point Of very great rocks by the sea Where whales were always found, And told him to bring a whale, And gave him the might to do so.[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") But he set an appointed mark Or space, and said that he must not Go even an inch beyond it: So the Turtle went down to the sea, And caught a monstrous whale, And bore it up to the camp; It all seemed very easy, But he quite forgot that the power Was given him by the Master; So he took it all as his own.[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics")

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Like all men of his kind He was very vain and curious.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") So to see what would come of it He went beyond the mark While carrying the whale, And doing this he lost The strength on him bestowed; And sank beneath his burden Crushed by the mighty whale.[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics")

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Then many ran to the Master Saying that Turtle was dead, But he answered “Cut up the whale For the dead will soon revive.”[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") So they cut it up and cooked it; And when the feast was ready, The Turtle came yawning on, And stretching out his leg Cried out: “How tired I am\![42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") Truly, I think I must Have overslept myself!”[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") Then all men feared the Lord, For now they knew him a spirit, A spirit of terrible power.[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics")

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However it came to pass That the Turtle grew mightily All in his own conceit, And thought he could take the place Of the Master and reign in his stead; So he called together a council Of all the beasts, to find How Kulóskap might be slain.[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") Greatly the Great One laughed When he had learned all this And little did he care.[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics")

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And knowing all that passed In their evil hearts, he went Disguised as an agèd squaw Into the Council Lodge.[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") There were two witches there, The Porcupine and Toad, Bearing the human form; Of them he humbly asked How the Master was to die, And to him the Toad replied, “Well\![48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") What is that to thee?[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") And what hast thou to do With such a thing as this?”[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") “Truly I meant no harm,” Was all the Master said.[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") And then he softly touched The tip of either’s nose.[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") And rising, went his way.[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") But when the witches looked At one another--both Screamed out in dire dismay For neither had a nose\![54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") Their faces were smooth and flat; So it came that the Porcupine And Toad, are to this day Noseless among the beasts.[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") So the Council came to an end.[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics") L.[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics")

FOOTNOTES:[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics")

\[30\] Kulóskap the Master.[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics")

VI[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics")

HOW KULÓSKAP CONQUERED AKLIBIMO, THE GREAT BULLFROG[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics")

\[\_Passamaquoddy\_\][62](62/ "tree and pragmatics")

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\_Piʾchce uskichinwi otenesis Pakichiotote pemtanikek.[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") \_\[31\][64](64/ "tree and pragmatics")

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Long, long ago, Far, far away in the mountains An Indian village stood, Little known to other men; All lived therein at their ease, The men did well in their hunting The women worked at home, And all went well--save in \_one\_ thing And that one thing was this: That the town lay by a brook And except in the stream there was not A single drop of water In all the country round Save in the puddles of rain.[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") No one of all these Indians Had ever found a spring, Yet they all were very fond Of a drink of good, clear water And that in their brook was good.[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics") So over it they grew dainty And were very proud of it.[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics")

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But after a time they saw That the brook was running low, Not only in summer time, But in autumn after the rains; And as the water fell Their spirits, too, sank low; But day by day it grew less, Until its bed was as dry As a dead bone is, which lies In the ashes of a fire.[68](68/ "tree and pragmatics")

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Now they had sometime heard That, far away in the hills Where none of them had been, There was another village Upon this very stream; But what kind of people dwelt Therein, no one could say; So, thinking that these folk Knew something about the drought, They sent a man to look Into the thing.[69](69/ "tree and pragmatics") Three days Onward and upward he went, Till on the third he came Unto the village where He found a solid dam Built over the rivulet So that no water could pass, But all was kept in a pond.[70](70/ "tree and pragmatics")

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