The Carriers give the following account of the
tradition, which they believe, respecting the formation of the earth, and the general destruction of
mankind, in an early period of the world. Water
at first overspread the face of the world, which is
a plain surface. At the top of the water, a muskrat was swimming about, in different directions. At length he concluded to dive to the bottom, to
see what he could find, on which to subsist; but
he found nothing but mud, a little of which he
brought in his mouth, and placed it on the surface
of the water, where it remained. He then went
for more mud, and placed it with that already
brought up; and thus he continued his operations,
until he had formed a considerable hillock. This
land increased by degrees, until it overspread a
large part of the world, which assumed at length
its present form. The earth, in process of time,
became peopled in every part, and remained in
this condition for many years. Afterwards a fire
run over it all, and destroyed every human being,
excepting one man and one woman. They saved
themselves by going into a deep cave, in a large
mountain, where they remained for several days,
until the fire was extinguished. They then came
forth from their hiding place; and from these
two persons, the whole earth has been peopled.
Harmon, Daniel Williams, A Journal of Voyages and Travels in the Interior of North America, Andover: printed by Flagg and Gould, 1820, pp. 302-303.
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