The story was told with strange gestures and weird pathos: The ong was a big bird, bigger than the houses of the white man.

Its body was like the eagle's, and its wings were longer than the tallest pines.

Its face was that of an Indian, but covered with hard scales, and its feet were webbed.

Its nest was deep down in the bottom of the Lake, out in the center, and out of the nest rushed all the waters which fill the Lake.
There are no rivers to feed the Lake, only the waters from the ong's nest.

All the waters flow back near the bottom, in great under-currents, and after passing through the meshes of the nest are sent forth again.