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MODOC MYTHS AND LEGENDS and other stories.

1. KLAMATH LEGEND OF LLAO

O.C. Applegate in Steel Doors for 1907 published in Oregon Out of Doors 1922

According to the mythology of the Klamath and Modoc Indians, the chief spirit who occupied the mystic land of Gay-was, or Crater Lake, was La-o. Under his control were many lesser spirits who appeared to be able to change their forms at will. Many of these monsters of various kinds, among them the giant crawfish (dragon) who could, if he chose reach up his mighty arms even to the top of the cliff and drag down to the cold depths of Crater Lake any too adventuresome soul.

The spirits or beings who were under the control of La-o, assumed the forms of many animals of today when they chose to go abroad on dry land. The lesser spirits were dominated by other chief spirits who occupied separate localities; all these were subject to the will of Komoo-kumps, the great spirit.

Now, on the north side of Mt. Jackson, or La-o Yaina (La-o's Mountain), the eastern escarpment of which is known as Llao Rock, is a smooth field, sloping a little toward the north, which is the common playground for the fabled inhabitants of Gay-was and neighboring communities. Skell was a mighty spirit, whose realm was the Klamath Marsh country, his capital being near the Yamsay River, on the eastern side of the marsh. He had many subjects who took the forms of birds and beasts when abroad on the land, as the antelope, the bliwas or golden eagle, among them being many of the most sagacious and active of all the beings then upon the earth.

A fierce war occurred between Skell and La-o and their followers, which raged for a long time. Finally Skell was stricken down in his own land of Yamsay and his heart was torn from his body and was carried in triumph to La-o Yaina. Then a great gala day was declared and even the followers Skell were allowed to take part in the games on Mt. Jackson. The heart of Skell was tossed from hand to hand in the great game of Ball. If the heart of Skell could be borne away so that it could be restored to his body, he would live again. So with a secret understanding among themselves the followers of Skell watched for an opportunity to bear it away. Eventually, when it reached the hands of Antelope, he sped away to the eastward like the wind. When nearly exhausted, he passed it to Eagle, and he in his turn to Bliwas, and so on. Though La-o's followers pursued with their utmost speed, they failed to overtake the swift bearers of the precious heart. At last they heard the far-away voice of the Dove, another of Skell's people, and then they gave up the useless pursuit.

Skell's heart was restored and he lived again but the war was not over. Finally La-o himself was overpowered and slain and his bleeding body was borne to the La-o Yaina on the verge of the great cliff. A false message was conveyed to La-o's followers that Skell had been killed instead of La-o, and when a quarter of the body was thrown into the lake, La-o's monster devoured it, thinking it was part of the body of Skell. Each quarter was thrown over in turn, with the same results, but when the head was thrown in the lake, the monsters recognized it as the head of their master and would not touch it. So it remains today in the lake, known to all people now as Wizard Island.

2. LEGEND OF LLAOS by William Gladstone Steel

While at Fort Klamath, in 1885, the writer obtained from Allen David, then chief of the Klamath Indians, the following tradition. When telling the story, David placed his partly closed hands before him to describe the rock on which the Indian's throat was cut by Llaos. Next day Llaos Rock was named, and need to be seen, with this explanation, to understand the reason why.

A long time ago, long before white men appeared in this region to vex and drive out the proud native race, a band of Klamaths, while hunting, came suddenly upon a lake and were startled by its remarkable walls and awed by its majestic proportions.

With spirits subdued and trembling with fear, they silently approached and gazed upon its face; something within them told them that the Great Spirit dwelt there, and they dared not remain, but passed silently down the mountain and camped far away. By some unaccountable influence, however, one brave was induced to return. He went up to the very brink of the precipice and started his campfire. Here he laid down to rest; here he slept till morn—slept till the sun was high in the sky; then rose and joined his tribe far down the mountain. At night he came again; he slept until morn/ Each visit was a charm that drew him back again. Each night found him sleeping above the rocks; each night strange voices arose from the waters; each night mysterious noises filled the air. At last, after a great many moons, he climbed down to the lake and there bathed and spent the night. Often he climbed down in like manner, and frequently saw wonderful animals, similar in all respects to a Klamath Indian, except that they seemed to exist entirely in the water. He suddenly became hardier and stronger than any Indian of his tribe because of his many visits to the mysterious waters. Others than began to seek its influence. Old warriors sent their sons for strength and courage to meet the conflicts awaiting them. First they slept on the rocks above, then ventured down to the water's edge. Last of all they plunged beneath the flood and the coveted strength was theirs. On one occasion the brave who had first ventured there was killed a monster, or fish, was at once set upon by untold numbers of excited Llaos (for such they were called), who carried him to the top of the cliffs, cut his throat with a stone knife, then tore his body into small pieces, which were thrown down to the waters far beneath, where he was devoured by the angry Llaos.

 3. MOUNT SHASTA from Diller, Mt. Shasta National Geographic Monograph 1895

The Great Spirit created this mountain first of all. He pushed down snow and ice from the skies through a hole in the sky which he made by turning a stone round and round. Then he stepped out of the cloud onto the mountain top, and descended and planted the trees all around by putting his finger on the ground. The sun melted the snow and the water ran down and nurtured the trees and made the rivers.

After that he made fish for the rivers out of the small end of his staff. He made birds by blowing some leaves which he took up from the ground among the trees. After that he made beasts out of the remainder of his stick, the grizzly bear out of the big end and made him master over all the others. He made the grizzly so strong that he feared him himself, and had to go up on top of the mountain to sleep at night.

Afterward, when the Great Spirit wished to remain on earth, and to make the sea and some more land, he converted Mt. Shasta, by a great deal of labor, into a wigwam, and built a fire in the center of it and made a pleasant home. After that his family came down from the heavens and they have all lived in the mountain ever since. Before the white man came they could see the fire ascending from the mountain by night and the smoke by day.

One late and severe springtime many thousand years ago there was a great storm about the summit and the Great Spirit sent his youngest and fairest daughter up to the hole in the top, bidding her speak to the storm that came from the sea, and tell it to be more gentle or it would blow the mountain over. He bade her do this hastily, and not put her head out, lest the wind would catch her in the hair and blow her away. The child hastened to the top, but having never yet seen the ocean (where the storm was born), when it was white with the storm she put her head out to look that way. Lo! The storm caught her long red hair, and blew her out on the mountain side. Here she could not fix her feet on the hard smooth ice and snow, and so slid on and on down to the dark belt of firs below the snow.

Now the grizzlies possessed all the wood and all the land even down to the sea at that time, and they were very numerous and powerful. They were not exactly beasts then, although they were covered with hair, lived in caves and had sharp claws; but they walked on two legs, talked, and used clubs to fight with instead of their teeth and claws as they do today. At this time there was a family of grizzlies living close up to the snow. The father found this child, red like fire, hid under a fir bush, and took her to the old mother who said she would rear her with the other children. When their eldest son was grown up he married her and many children were born to them. But, being part of the Great Spirit and part of the grizzly bear, these children did not resemble either parent, but partook somewhat of the nature and likeness of both. Thus the red man was created, for these children were the first Indians.  4.SHASTA LEGENDS from Bancroft Native Races, Vol. 3 pg. 547. He credits Powers.

The world was created by Old Ground mole, Ididoc, a huge animal that heaved creation into existence on its back, by rooting underneath somewhere. When the flood came it destroyed all animals except squirrel, as large as a bear, which exists to this day on a mountain near Happy Camp, called by the Shastas, Wak-way-nu-ma.

A long time ago there was a fire-stone in the distant east, white and glistening, like the purest quartz. Coyote journeyed east, brought this fire-stone and gave it to the Indians, and that was the origin of fire. Originally, the sun had nine brothers, all, like himself, flaming hot with fire, so that the world was like to perish; but Coyote slew nine of the brothers, and thus saved mankind from burning up. The moon also had nine brothers, all like himself, made of the coldest ice, so that in the night, the people were like to freeze. But Coyote went away out to the eastern edge of the world with a mighty knife of flint stone, heated stones to keep his hands warm, then laid hold of the nine moons, one after another, and slew them likewise, and thus men got warm again. When it rains, there is some Indian sick in heaven, weeping. Long, long ago there was a good young Indian on earth, and when he died all the Indians cried so much that a flood came on the earth and rose up to heaven, and drowned all people except one couple.

 5. INDIAN LEGEND from San Francisco paper

In the summer of 1900, Alex J. Roseborough was a member of a party from Yreka, California, outfitted for a hunting trip into that then wild country. “One of our objectives”, he says, “was to find and have a look at Crater Lake. After we had passed the Klamath Reservation and before the wagon road lost itself, we came to the last little ranch by the fading roadway. There we stopped to ask the way to the lake and obtain any information about places to camp, where grass could be found for the horses.

 The old man who came out to greet us asked where we were going, and when we told him we wanted to see Crater Lake, he said, “Don't try to go there; take my advice; they never come back alive.” Nor could we get an Indian to guide us to the place. He would point out its general direction, but “Me not go see 'em”. To look at on the guarded waters of this mystic lake, by any Klamath, was death.

Their legend told of how, in the long ago, the Lleolus, a huge serpent living in and protecting its pure blue waters, was defied by a young Klamath chief, who dared to bathe in and thus pollute it. The Lleolus, much angered, cast the chief from the top of a very high cliff into the lake, where he was gobbled up by the offended waters, never to be seen again. With this act came the warning that henceforth any member of the Klamath tribe who ever dared to gaze on the waters of this lake would find a similar fate.

This sounded spooky, but we wandered on to a beautiful spring, the head of Jennie Creek, and made camp. Early next morning we climbed up a steep side of mountain and came to a sloping, open flat area, dotted with big pine and fir trees. To our great surprise we saw, driving fast across it a man in an old buckboard behind two mules. There was no sign of a road and, on seeing us, he steered up along side and stopped. He proved to be a shoemaker from Linkville and explained his wild ride to nowhere, as being a search for the Lost Cabin Mine. He said that this was not his first attempt to locate the great place of gold, and that when spring and summer came around he always closed his little shoe shop and took into the big way over yonder. Any doubt we had as to existence of such a place he shook off as he started on his somewhere journey, with a “Goodbye, boys, I'll find her this time.”

I mused to myself, two gone and another going ! They found two skeletons far away in those spooky mountains, wrapped in the weather-worn blankets, lying each in his bed,--- Charley Burns and the barber--- their rusted guns and dried-up saddles, undisturbed nearby. But there was no Lost Cabin Mine amongst those mythical peaks guarding the lake, home of the terrible Lleolus.  6. FULL ETHNOGRAPHIC SKETCH OF THE KLAMATH AND MODOC PEOPLE, SOUTHWESTERN OREGON. 1879-88. ca. 220p., fcp.

Gatschet, Albert Samuel.

Authors note: Intended to form the third part of his “Klamath Indians of S.W. Oregon.”

Washington, D.C. 1890

Incomplete.

 7. IDENTYFING CHARACTERS

The second Kumuc and his daughter is a similar version to Kumusn and his daughter. P. 39.

Latkakawas the mother of Aisis is similar version of Latkaka'was. p.1

Tsakiak marries the Daughter of South Wind = Moasam Beps, the daughter of South Wind. p. 91.

Aisis and Yaulilks' Daughters = Isis and Yaulilks' Daughters. p. 27.

Gaukos (Moon) marries Weketas (a common frog) = Gaukos and Kulta. p. 81.

The war between Birds and Beasts Naninlas goes from one victorious party to the other = War between Beasts and Birds. p. 213.

The boy and the Skoks (spirit) = A Skoks story. p. 376.

The Kaiutsis Brothers and Gak visit Skel = Gak and the Kaiutois Brothers. p. 207.

The Red Cloud of the West = Djakalips. p. 89.

8. GAK

Gak always turned people to stone. He was one of the strongest men in the world; whenever he saw people in trouble he laughed and turned them to stone. There are many places in Klamath and Modoc country where Gak turned people to stone, the stones still remain. He did it just for fun. People never tried to punish him. Whenever he saw a line of people traveling through the world he turned them to stone.

9. A SNAKE TEACHES A BOY THE LANGUAGE OF EVERY BIRD AND BEAST.

A boy was hunting on the mountain, could find no game. While looking among the rocks for squirrel he saw a large snake and rolled a heavy stone upon it.

The snake screamed out and said, “Take the rock off from me and I will teach you the language of every bird and beast.

“Oh I didn't know that you could talk” said the boy, “ and I don't believe you can do as you say”.

The boy rolled the stone off and the snake said, “Touch your tongue to mine and then you will know every language.”

The boy did as the snake told him and immediately he knew all languages, knew what every bird and beast said.

10. THE DECEIVER

Once an old woman who lived alone, she used to call all kinds of water fowl to her house. She would look out of her old house just as dusk and call to them. As soon as she called a great many would come and go into the house to stay all night.

About midnight when she thought they were asleep she would creep around and kill them by pinching their throats. This went on for a very long time but once she left two, didn't see them. When she picked up those she had killed one of the two flew away calling to her “I'll tell what you do to people”. She tried to catch it but couldn't. Then the other one flew out in front of her and said, “I'll tell on you old woman”. She tried to hit this one but it flew off. Both spread the news everywhere and all the ducks became afraid, before this they were very tame, from this time forth they were wild.

11. KIUKS AND HIS DOCTOR HAT

Once there was a Kiuks he had just a wife and Molwastsoyes (his doctor hat). This man always sent his hat around to do things, he would send it for a sack of wokus to some house, the people were terribly afraid of the hat, it would fly off through the air and perch on a stick like a bird. When people saw it they would always ask “what do you want?” It would tell. This time it said, “I want a sack of Wokus” they said, “All right we'll bring it”. They were afraid if they didn't bring what it asked for they would fall dead. When he sent for boks, the boks was brought. Sometimes he sent the hat for Ges two or three times in a day. Then he would sent it for Leqyas. Whatever this Kiuks wanted he sent for. The people never refused for they thought they would be struck dead if they did.

12. SKUNK AND ANTELOPE. MODOC MYTH

Skunk was sick. He lived on Sprague River and whenever he was sick he sent a boy to the top of a hill near by to look around and see if he could find a doctor. He now sent the boy to the hill, the boy looked around and on the flat saw an Antelope who was a doctor. He called to Antelope, Antelope heard the call but lay down. The boy started for the flat. Antelope sprang up to run away. The boy called “Come this way, don't run”. Antelope turned and looked, then ran towards the woods, Again the boy called “Don't run, don't delay, come and cure Skunk”. Antelope now came back and hurried across the river to doctor Skunk. Skunk wasn't sick at all. He was a poison man and as soon as Antelope came he killed him, then he sent the boy to Tule Lake for wood saying that is the only place we can get wood that will roast Antelope. The boy was away several days. Skunk ate the Antelope all up while the boy was gone.

 13. THE LIMAS BROTHERS

Two Limas brothers lived in a house together. In another house not far away lived five Tcihnek (Mosquito) brothers and five Mank' (house fly) brothers. Once one of the Tcihnek and one of the Mank brothers went to visit people who lived in the West. When they got there the people gave them nothing to eat. Tcihnek and Mank were very angry at this treatment for they were hungry. They bit the people and brought the blood that they sucked home, boiled it and began eating. When they were nearly through and only a little was the youngest Limas brother came in and said, “Oh that smells nice, whose blood is it”? Tcihnex and Mank didn't answer, just kept talking together. Limas asked three times, the the youngest of all the Mank brothers, Mankaga, whispered “It's peoples blood” but Limas didn't hear him. Now one of Tcihnek's brothers pushed Mankaga so he didn't say it again. Limas asked many times. At last Tcihnek said, “We got it from the Gos. As soon as Limas heard this he ran off and told his brother “I have found where we can get nice stuff to eat, tree blood. The two brothers went out , found the tree, got the blood, boiled it but it wasn't good and the youngest brother went to Tcihnek and said, “ You didn't tell us right, now tell me what it was. Tcihnek said as before that he got from the Gos. Limas kept trying the blood of all kinds of trees and always asking Tcihnek but he would never tell and to this day Thunders are tasting of trees to find out what kind of blood tasted so good.

14. COYOTE AND STIA (PITCH)

Coyote and his mother lived together near Yaneks, other people living around. They heard that Stia (Pitch woman)was coming, they looked out and saw her, she was singing “Gul, gul, gul” as she traveled. Wus said “I'll go and meet her, I'll go close up to her. The people said, “Don't you go near her, she is a queer woman”. But Wus wouldn't listen when the people didn't see he ran to meet her and ask “What is your name”? She kept singing “Gul, gul, gul”, wouldn't answer. People never said anything to her because they knew she was a strange kind of woman. “Why don't you answer “ asked Wus and he kicked her, she held his leg tight. “Don't hold me, let my feet go, I am tired” he kicked her again with the other foot. Now both feet stuck fast to Stia. “Let me loose or I'll bite” said Wus. He bit hard then he couldn't get his head away. Now she traveled East with Wus on her back, she traveled a long time. As she went through the woods she hit against the trees and some of her stuck to them, before that there was no pitch on trees. She journeyed around the world. Wus died and fell off in bones.

 15. GIWAS ( CRATER LAKE)

Leo is a man who lives in the water of this lake. He went once to wrestle with Skel. Skel lived East of Klamath Marsh, he has a house there, a big mountain, called Yamsi. Leo looked like a man but his home was in the water of Crater Lake. When he went to wrestle with Skel he went under the ground and came out right at Skel's spring. Skel was off hunting that day, he came in the evening and told his brother, Tcackai, to go and get water for him. Tcackai went to the spring. Leo stuck his head above the water and told Tcackai to go home, he couldn't have any water, to tell Skel that there was a man at the spring that wanted to wrestle with him.

Tcackai told Skel but Skel wouldn't go and sent Tcackai back five times. Every time he came back with the same message. Then Skel made ready to go. He hund up a wooden comb and said, “If he kills me the comb will fall”. He went to the spring and they began to wrestle. Leo came out of the ground as soon as Skel came. Leo threw Skel into the water and carried him on his back under the ground, till he came out on the bank of Giwas, then he said to Skel “I am going to kill you and feed you to my children that live in the bottom of this water. Grass, Stones, Trees, Brush, everything is my child and I'll give you to my children.” Skel tried to get his knife out, Leo asked “What are you trying to get?”Skel said, “A louse bites me.” He got his knife, cut of Leo's head , killed him. Then he threw one of his arms into the water and called out “Come and eat Skel's arm”. All the children came to the surface of the water and ate. He threw in one piece after another saying “this is Skel's arm, this is Skel's leg, at last he threw in the head and said “This is Leo's head” [Copied as written]

Now all Leo's children ran after Skel. Long flint stones were Leo's children, all kinds of stones, grass, trees, everything. Skel ran towards home and everything ran after him. He picked up on of the flint stones, but dropped it, when he dropped it stopped and Skel escaped. (They followed him about twenty miles.

Skel wished the comb to fall. It fell and all his family began to cry. Stokua was one of Skel's wives and Skoks the other. When Skel came they were very happy for they thought he was dead.

Next day Skel went off hunting telling Tcackai no to go out of the house. But Tcackai went out and soon saw a nice looking woman sitting on a fallen tree near the house. This woman was Leoambep, Leo's daughter. Tcackai watched her and saw her spit out beautiful beads, he gathered up many, then ran home and told Skel's wives to go outside for Skel had a nice new wife.

About evening Skel came and told his brother to get water for him. Leo's daughter was in the house. It was near dark. She sat down and spat all kinds of beads. The two old wives came in and they too began to spit beads, to see if they couldn't spit more than the new woman. Skel knew that this was one of Leo's daughters and that she had come to kill him for killing her father. They all went to bed. Skel said to Tcackai “ Don't you sleep, stay by me and watch all the time.” Tcackai kept awake till about midnight then he fell asleep. Leo's daughter had a long sharp flint stone in her bosom, as soon as Tcackai slept she stuck Skel with it two or three times in the breast, killed him and took his heart out.

Skel's wives tried to get the heart back but couldn't. They put coals of fire on Tcackai but couldn't rouse him. As soon as the woman had gone Tcackai woke. When he saw his brothers dead body he asked “Why didn't you rouse me, she never could have taken my brother's heart if I had been awake.”

Tcackai had a great quantity of all kinds of beads, he went everywhere and gave beads to all fast runners to help him bring back the heart. Kumuc was chief at that time, and Tcackai went first to him. Kumuc turned himself into an old woman, put pitch on his head, went to the top bluffs of Giwas and said to the people who were playing foot ball with the heart “I'm glad you killed Skel, he has killed all my children.” There was a level place on the bluffs around the East side of the lake. They began in the morning and played with the hearts of five enemies. Many of Skel's friends had come to help Kumuc. The old woman took up Skel's heart and threw it to the next one of her party, that one threw it to another and so along the line. Wan was the last one, he could run fast Pisas was with him. Leos people called down to his daughter, who was in Giwas to come out. Skels heart was stolen. She came out and ran off towards Skel's house. Tcackai saw her coming, he hid by the road, shot an arrow at her, put out her eye and she died.

Kumuc was last of all and as the people of Giwas were running they caught him in the form of an old woman, but couldn't hold her. She turned herself into a lake which they had to go around, then she turned herself into a mountain which they had to climb and couldn't travel fast to follow those who were ahead. Next she turned into a smoldering stump, the fire almost dead, as if the people had camped there a long time before. Then into a dove which made a noise of people at a great distance. When the runners heard this they said, “They are far ahead, we cannot catch them.” They turned back to Giwas.

When he got to Skels house Kumuc told the people to put the heart in a basket with water and hot stones at night. They did so. Kumuc told Tcackai not to answer is Skel spoke to him, if he did Skel would die, if he didn't answer he would come to life. Just at daylight Skel came to life.

16. LATKAKAWAS, THE MOTHER OF AISIS

Latkakawas lived on the southern bank of Klamath Lake with her five brothers, salmon fishermen.

She gathered wihwi seeds for food. When working hard she was like a common old woman. When she shook herself and went out of the house she became very beautiful and blue.

Far off, on the west of the lake, lived many people. They often saw Latkakawas standing on her house top, beautiful to look at, but when they came near, she was old and sorry looking.

The young men of the western village counseled together and sent one of their own number each day to steal up to Latkakawas and look at her before she became old and ugly, and see if she would take one of them for a husband. All tried, but she was never young when they were near. One man came earlier than her work time to watch her go out of the house. She remained in the house a humpbacked old woman, stringing beads. She know in her mind when people were thinking of her or looking at her and knew where they were.

At last she said to her brothers “Men come to watch me and seeing me humpbacked and ugly laugh at me as a poor old thing. I don't like this.” “We'll take you to the island tomorrow”, said the brothers, “ and live where no man can annoy you.”

In the western village was a young man,beautiful as Latkakawas. He lived in an underground house (duls). The people said, “Send him, maybe he can see her.” He refused saying “ Why should I go when others have failed.” But his father took him out, urged him to go, washed and prepared him. The father had a wonderful cap, which would last forever, of this he made clothes and put them on the young man, who was beautiful beyond anything in these clothes, blue and gold and green. He could run underground and had great power.

His father told him to wait near the house of Latkakawas at sundown, for she would go then to the house top to look at the setting sun. He was in the ground near the house with one eye looking out. Latkakawas shook herself after work then stood on the house, she knew she was watched and said to herself “This is the first man in the world who hasn't made sport of me.”

At night she told her brother how she had been watched, but not laughed at as before.

Next morning the brothers went away early. At sunrise the young man came again. As Latkakawas opened the door to go out a bright light shone in her face, it dazzled her, she turned back, and began to arrange her mat and beads before moving to the island.

He peeped through the cracks of the house for awhile before going home, she knew this but paid no heed.

The brothers came back in the forenoon and at midday were ready. They all sat in their canoe with their beads and mats, but could not stir from land—the young man, though invisible, held the canoe. Latkakawas had forgotten him, forgotten that they had fallen in love in the morning. After awhile the brothers got out and pushed the canoe forward. He pushed it back. They strove till the middle of the afternoon, the the canoe was freed and they went their way towards the island. As the canoe moved on the young man, in the form of a salmon, swam with to look at Latkakawas sitting in the middle of the canoe.

One of the brothers saw the salmon, speared and pulled him into the boat, then they saw it was not a salmon but a beautiful person. Latkakawas screamed, the young man died.

The brothers were grieved, but the sister said, “Haven't I told you about him, the only man who never made fun of me?” They turned the canoe back immediately, and next day put everything they had on one pile with the body and burnt them together.

When the pile was burnt to ashes there remained a disk as large as the sun seems in heaven. This was the crown of the young man's head. The brothers who killed him took up the disk, gave it to Latkakawas and said “Take this to Kumush, who is in his sweat house at Nihlaksi raises people to life with one of their hairs.

She put the disk in her bosom next to her body and started immediately. When going she said, “If Kumush does not bring him to life I will never come back. You will never see me again.”

She set out in the morning and in the evening camped at Koaskise, not far from Kumush's house.

She became pregnant from the disk and next morning gave birth to a boy, a wonderful child! She fixed the infant on a board, put it on her back and went to Kumush.

When he asked what she wanted she drew the disk from her bosom and said, “I want you to bring this to life.” When Kumush saw the disk he thought it the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Soon he had a good fire in the sweat house. Then he took Latkakawas to lie down with the child and warned her to keep quiet.

The disk came to life, but Kumush wished the young man dead again and forever. As Kumush wished it was—the young man died.

Latkakawas cried bitterly and then brought wood to burn the body. When the body was half consumed she asked Kumush to put another log on the fire. She did this to call away his attention so he might not see her, though he could see a good deal for he had eyes in the back of his head. She had the infant on her back and jumped into the fire as Kumush turned, but he saw her and struck the child off her back and saved it, but Latkakawas was burned to ashes with the young man.

Kumush looked in the ashes, found the disk and was very glad. He put it on his knee, under his arm, on his breast, forehead, back, everywhere his body. It wouldn't stick anywhere. At last he put it on his back, just below his loins. That moment it grew into him and Kumush was beautiful and bright, the brightest being in the world. The disk had become a part of him. He was now the father of the infant, for the disk was its father.

The child cried bitterly, Kumush tried to pacify it, called it many names, but it stopped only when he called it Aisis. He hid the infant in his knee, where it seemed a boil, and went North. In the evening he stopped at the house of two old widows at the edge of a village. All night he complained that his knee pained him. In the morning one of the old women dressed it, pressed the boil, soon hair appeared “What is the matter “ she said, “I told you it was not a boil.” Then she pressed again and brought out the infant. People all said, “Old man Kumush has got a baby.” and wondered where he got it. He answered and said, “The earth on which we live is kind and the earth gave it to me.”

Kumush then went to the southern shore of Tule Lake where he fished and worked and reared Aisis, who soon became a young man old enough to marry. Then the Moatwas, a southern people, brought him Tokwa (the mole) as a wife, and a great many came attending her, she was the greatest worker and the most powerful woman in the world at that time. Just as they reached Kumush's house Gak, the raven, flew by and said, “Where have all these people come from, they'll never come here again.” That moment Tokwa and the whole company were turned to stone. Kumush and Aisis became stone too, but the spirits went out of their bodies which are at Tule Lake now the with the bodies of Tokwa and all the people who came with her.

Kumush now took Aisis to a mountain called Leklis where he had a house and instructed him in all he should know and do. “You must grow wise, be great, a chief. Kumush didn't care for this world, he was here laboring and planting seeds for men. He told Aisis about all the bathing ponds he must visit on the mountain tops. How he must fast and perform every act. “Before you swim,” said he, “stand and speak to the mountain. It will hear you, Everything in the world will hear and understand you. You will be as great as I am, and do the things that I do. You will live forever. If you do all these things and endure all you will be the brightest being in the world, always able to bear every suffering.”

Aisis went to all the swimming places, fasted and endured everything that was put upon him, wearing all the time a dress of red bark. On one occasion when Jumush sent him to a mountain pond where Lok and Daslats (Grizzly Bear and Mountain Lion) used to swim he said, “ You must hold up your right hand and talk to the mountain, ask for mind and power. The mountain will hear you and great thoughts will go in through the top of your head.”

At this place the most difficult of all, which like a deep well he didn't swim, slipping down by a willow rope he sat on a jutting stone by the waters edge and washed himself.

At another time Kumush said, “You may have rule and fine things but I don't wish you to have them. You do not need the things of this world. There will be evil in the world hereafter, we shall go elsewhere.” When the pilgrimages and bathings and fastings were at an end and Aisis had all the powers and spiritual gifts Kumush heated the sweat house, removed the red bark clothing, gave him the final washing, put red paint on his face and dressed in the finest buckskin and beads.

After some adventures Kumush goes to Lost River, catches fish and multiplies them so they may never cease—all these are in the waters yet. When they came to Duilast, East of Tule Lake Kumush said, “I must travel around the world, you stay here.” He went west while his father was gone Aisis took many wives from the North, South, East and West. He took a mole, several kinds of ducks, a wren, a yellow butterfly, a bitch and a groundhog.

The first wife to have a child was Wren. She had a son. She was anxious about Kumush's absence. Aisis pacified her and said, “ He can go all around the world in two days, he be here tonight or tomorrow.”

He came next morning bringing seeds of every kind in little bundles. Kumush threw these seed around the world on every side. Speaking to the hills and rivers and springs, speaking to all places he said, “Receive these and keep them, preserve them, they will be forever and don't you harm my grandson.”

Now comes a most remarkable incident. The great rupture between Kumush and Aisis.

When Kumush saw his son's wifes he fell in love with them and wanted them for himself and sent Aisis to get young eagles on a tree. Aisis left his clothes at the foot of the tree and climbed up. Kumush wished the tree to grow and it grew until it touched the sky. Aisis looked down and nearly lost his mind, he saw his father at the foot of the tree no larger than a louse's egg, he crawled into the eagle's next, half dead with cold.

Kumush put on his son's clothes, became just like Aisis and hurried home. Night came immediately for Kumush made the sun set before its time. All the wives were deceived, thought he was Aisis, but the wren, the bitch, the yellow butterfly and groundhog.

Next morning all the women except wren, bitch, yellow butterfly and groundhog went with Kumush to an assembly of ball playing and gambling. Bitch, groundhog and butterfly mourned and counseled what to do. Wren had gone off alone with her little boy on her back to Pitcowa, the plain of games.

The other wives tracked Aisis to the tree. They stood at the foot of the tree, groundhog said, “He is dead.” “ He is not dead” said butterfly, “I hear him breathe” and she continued “He loved the other wives, they went away from him, he didn't care for us. He will see now who loved him.” Butterfly made a large basket that day and next morning was ready. She tried to go up with the basket, was satisfied with the trial. Then she came down, took food and drink, with grease and started. She flew in a spiral all day around the tree, camped the first night in its branches and reached the eagle's nest the second evening. Aisis was merely skin and bone. She gave food and drink, rubbed fat all over him and watched him all night.

Next morning she placed him in the basket and went down, reached home at midday. The other wives now helped her. They gave Aisis good food, greased him regularly every night. Each morning he was better. At last they took him to the sweat house, he came out fresh and strong. Then he put on a new buckskin dress and all started for Pitcowa, the playground. The people expected Aisis and Kumush pretended to be his own son. Whenever Aisis traveled smoke went up from the ground straight to the sky. When Kumush traveled it rose crooked, but when Kumush went to Pitcowa this time he was able to make it rise part straight and part crooked, so the people were in doubt some thinking it was Aisis, others that it was Kumush. But the old man played as Aisis, until someone to decide the matter hired a great doctor to make the South wind blow and as Kumush was running north after the ball and stooped to pick it up the South wind raised his shirt and saw on his back a scar, which no one in the world had but him.

Then all knew who he was, they stopped the play, whooped and shouted. At this moment Aisis was approaching Pitcowa, his smoke went up straight to the sky, all the crowd of people saw this and shouted “Aisis is coming, Aisis is coming!”

Kumush was terribly frightened. He couldn't think that Aisis would escape from the tree. When Aisis came to the people he told his four wives (Wren had now joined the others) to bring wood. They collected a great pile and set fire to it. Then he called on the faithless wives to leave Kumush. They wouldn't, then he commanded them and they had to come to him. He seized them, reddened their feet in the fire, let them go and said, “You will no longer be people living in this place, you will be scattered over the earth, nothing but little fowl good for food and people in later days will kill and eat you.”

And the faithless wives of Aisis were scattered over the earth, no longer people, nothing but game.

Then Aisis laid hold of Kumush, threw him onto the pile, covered him with burning brands and sticks and he was consumed. Nothing left in the ashes but the disk. No one knew however that the disk was there. The people left the field. Aisis went his way.

The disk lay in the fire and ashes till just before the break of day when the Morning Star called out “Why do you sleep so long, rise up old man.” and Kumush sprang from the ashes well and bright as ever and so he will live and continue as long as the disk and the morning star shall last (for the morning star is the medicine of the disk).

Kumush went for awhile to live at Tule Lake. Aisis wandered off among the mountains and sang a beautiful song that on one could sing but him or even know, men might imitate it but could not repeat or understand this song. Old people used to be able to imitate it but now no one is able to do even that.

When Aisis returned from the mountains he bade farewell to his four wives and made of them the common wren, yellow butterfly, dog and groundhog.

17. GAK (RAVEN)

Gak can eat anything and let it out by thinking. One day he determined to swallow fire-drill, so the people would no longer have fire, he couldn't quite swallow it so he asked his mother, old woman Gak to help him. She said, “your father used to swallow fire-drills, why can't you?” He couldn't get it quite down so he spat it out.

Gak could do most anything but he couldn't destroy fire-drill. There fore we have fire now. He wanted to deprive people of fire as well as turn them to stone whenever he liked.

 18. TSAKIAK MARRIES THE DAUGHTER OF SOUTH WIND.

At Euks (Klamath Marsh) a great many people were starving, they were so weak they couldn't stand, just able to lie down. Snow was falling all the time. It was winter and cold. All were outdoors except Tsakiak (a kind of bird, don't know what) he had a large house. He brought in some people warmed and gave them a little food, he hadn't much. Tsakiak was about ten or twelve years old. He went on top of the house and saw Moasambep, the daughter of the South Wind, coming, she was bringing five minnows holding them in her hand. She gave these minnows to the boy. He took them into the house cooked and gave them to the hungry people. Next day Moasamep brought ten, the next day twenty and so on till she brought a hundred. Tsakiak, though hungry herself, gave everything to the people.

Next time after a hundred she brought nothing but asked where the nut pine trees were, he said, “On both sides of the fire in my house.” She came in and told him to get ten mats and spread five under each tree. He did so, and soon after the ten mats were piled high with pine nuts, the hungry people were inside she didn't mind their looking on.

Tsakiak now came in and he with the South Wind's daughter picked up the weak people and fed them with the pine nuts. Moasambep brought in all the people outside and gave them nuts. Then she became Tsakiaks wife. The people were now in good strength, the old people gave wildcat skins, beads and every kind of beautiful present, they all went to their homes now having plenty to eat. But Tsakiak and Moasambep went to her father;s, to Moasamks, and Moasembep gave her husband a pair of moccasins he had to wear all the time, he would die if he took them off. The name of the moccasins was Ni.

Next day she told him to go hunting. He went to the mountains, the snow was deep. He began before daylight and killed deer all day, he killed five at a shot. For five days he went out hunting before daylight. On the sixth day he went again. His wife had warned him not to take off his moccasins on any account, even if his feet were wet and cold, if he did he would die but this time he went to the other side of the mountain where the ground was dry and dusty. He thought this is a nice place to walk on I'll take my moccasins off, as soon as he did that it began to snow hard, the wind blew terribly and the cold was great. “Well, I don't care for these moccasins,” said he, and taking off the other on threw them both away as far as he could. Great snow came with terrible cold and wind. He fell dead.

19. AISIS AND YAULILIKS DAUGHTERS

Aisis built a house on the mountain Tcutogosa and lived there many years. He hunted deer and hung them on his belt like rabbits, brought them home and dried the meat. He had so much that all of the people now in the world could not have consumed it. Whenever he went hunting he sang a wonderful song which was heard all over the world and was so beautiful and powerful that anyone listening might have dropped asleep. Now there was a poor old woman whose name was Yaulilak. She had two daughters and a son, a young boy, and was obliged to beg meat for them. She said one day “My daughters, don't you pity me? During many years I have run about begging meat for you. I am too old for this. I am not able to run around any longer. You ought to find some good hunter to bring you deer.”

The elder daughter said, “How do you know that we are old enough to marry?” She said, “I know for I have taken care of you many years. I shall not be able to work for you much longer. Some marry early, others late, but you are getting pretty old now.” The daughters asked, “Where can we find a good man?” Yaulilak replied, “I know where you can get a good husband. I often hear a wonderful song. If you just go out of the house you can hear it almost any day. That is the song of a good hunger, the best man in the whole world.” “In what direction is it?” asked one of the daughters. “Northwest from here. It might take you a day and a half to go there.”

They were not willing to go. They did not know what kind of a man he was. Their mother told them as best she could, and said, “He is a good man, has plenty of everything and power like his father. He is Aisis the son of Kumuc, the greatest hunter, the greatest ballplayer, the greatest runner in the world. He can outstrip the deer and catch them alive, unhurt.” When they heard their mother say they were willing to go. She prepared the two baskets full of lolus, boks and ges, then told them that Kumuc was with Aisis, that he always stayed in the house, that he would pretend to be Aisis, and would put on Aisis' clothes and try to sing like him. She warned them against him and told them that is there was no fresh meat hanging out they might know that Aisis was not at home. As they went through the village the people looked at them, and Blaiwas people watched them to see where they were going. When they came to Aisis' lodge Kumuc was lying inside playing on a flute. The girls put down their baskets outside. The elder sister said, “Aisis is at home.” “No,” said the younger, “he is not.” “How do you know?” “Because,” said the younger, “Mother said that there would be fresh meat hanging outside if he were at home. There is none. It is all dried meat. He is not at home.” “Oh, he is,” said the elder, “don't you hear the music?” “Yes, but Mother said his singing is so powerful that one might fall asleep. That is not the one. That music is not good.”

The elder still insisting that it was Asis went in and sat down near the player. The younger sister would not go near, sat apart and began to cry. It was the middle of the afternoon when the sisters reached Aisis' house. That moment Aisis' bowstring broke. By this time he knew that young women had come to his house and he started for home singing as he went. When he reached the top of the mountain which was far away on the horizon all the people in the world could hear the song. Kumuc continued playing on the flute and said to the girls, “I wonder why the old man is so long away.” The elder pushed the younger and said, “You see he is at home. The old man has gone for food.” The younger sister continued to cry and said, “No, don't you hear him coming?” This was when he was very far off. She heard him first. Now he drew nearer and nearer. When at the house he stopped singing. Kumuc continued playing. Aisis came in with his belt full of deer. He stood still for two or three minutes for the younger sat in his place, and he did not know where to go. Then he went to the old man's side of the house, put down the deer, dressed one of them and cooked the ribs, then asked Kumuc if he had given the girls anything to eat since they came. Kumuc said he had not. Aisis offered them food; the elder ate. The younger would not, but kept on crying. About evening Aisis told his father to take off his clothes, that he might break the beads if he slept on them.

The two young women went outside then Aisis said, “You take off all my clothes.” Then he gave him a large mat. Kumuc took the mat and his own blanket and went outside to the girls who were quite a distance from the house. He wanted them to lie down with him. The elder daughter was very angry now, both were mad and wanted to scrape the flesh from his bones with their head scratchers. As he lay down they attacked him and began scratching him. He cried out that they were cruel, hurting, were killing him. Still they kept on. At daylight nothing was left of old Kumuc but bones and the disc. At daylight the sisters started for home. They had made much noise all night. Quite early Aisis went to see what the matter was. He found the girls gone and Kumuc only a pile of bones and the disc, leaving everything as he found it he went to the house and stringing his bow shot an arrow off through the air. It sped ahead of the girls and stuck in a range of hills, which split and stood like walls on either side, and a river rushed through the cleft so wide and deep that the women couldn't cross. They sat down. Soon Aisis came up and sitting down near them called the eldest to him, took hold of her, braided her hair, and cut her head off. He thought at first that he would not kill the younger sister, but then thought it was not best to kill one and spare the other, so he killed her and threw both bodies into the river. Aisis felt very sad after this. He didn't return home but left everything and went to Mlaiksi where he lay in the open air. Yaulilak went fishing in the river by Aisis. While fishing the head of one of her daughters came floating into the net. Soon after Yaulilak sent her little boy Cogatkis to see is there were any fish in the net. He ran back quickly saying, “No fish; but a head there like the head of my sister.” The old woman ran to the river, took the head, which was that of her eldest daughter, from the net, put it in a basket, and brought it up, sending Cogatkis to look for the body.

He soon came to her with word that it too had floated into the net. In like manner the head and body of the younger sister were found. The old mother put them into a basket and took them home. She built a sweat-house and wrapping up the little boy so that he couldn't move, put him together with the basket containing the heads and bodies of her daughters, telling him he must not answer his sisters no matter what they said. She now started for Eagle's village to ask Blaiwas who killed her daughters. As she traveled she sang her great snow song and a great snow storm came. Whenever she stopped singing the snow stopped falling. She came to the village and stopped at the first house. The people ask why she came. She answered, “I came to find out who killed my daughters.” No one knew. They gave her as much dried venison as she could lift. She made it small by her world, put in it her bosom and went on, began to sing and snow fell again. It was very deep now. She stopped at every house asking the same question and receiving the same answer, and the same gift of venison. She came near the end of the village where three houses stood together. The first was Blaiwas, the second Gak's, the third Kdukis. She asked Blaiwas is he knew who had killed her daughters. He said, “I don't know. Perhaps you had better ask the two old men who live in the next house. They might tell you.” She ask the two old men Gak. They didn't know but little about it, but thought that the old man in the last house knew. She went into the house of old Kdukis. He asked what she came for. She told him. Then he ask to whom did you send your daughters?” She didn't reply. “Well the man to whom you have sent them has killed them. A little after daylight I heard first one woman and then another scream. The second screamed much louder and longer than the first. The sound seemed to come from the northwest. Old Yaulilak said, “I know now,” and she turned to go home. As soon as she found out and turned to go home the snow disappeared and it was warm, pleasant weather. When half way home she took out the meat, and carried it home on her back. When she reached home her daughters were alive again and well except that their bodies were tender like infants. When the old woman came the boy jumped up to the door and turning said to the girls, “Why did you make so much noise?” The girls in the basket were noisy for a long time like chickens. At last the elder said, “Little brother, don't you want to see me? I've come back.” The younger one said, “Uncover yourself and talk to us.” They were glad to see their brother and kept talking to him from the basket. But Cogatkis didn't look at them or speak. He minded his mother. When woman was half way home they stopped talking to him, got out of the basket, and going to their brother tried to untie him. The boy though tied jumped up to escape his sisters. When Yaulilak came in the boy jumped onto his eldest sister's lap. He was very glad to see her again, no one could tell how glad. It took the girls many months to get strong again. Their bodies were young and tender. During this time the old mother wouldn't let them go far from the house. One day the youngest sister while digging white roots turned towards Mlaiksi. That evening she told her mother that she was going to Mlaiksk to gather lolus seeds. The mother said, “Oh no, my daughter. You are not strong enough yet.” The elder sister said, “Your feet are too tender.” But the younger insisted and Yaulilak said, “ You may go tomorrow.” She waxed the feet of the younger one. In the morning before starting the younger asked her mother to feed her. The elder sister was determined to follow. Then the boy began to cry. The old woman gave each a vessel of water for the road. The brother screamed and Yaulilak said, “Let him go with you.” “Oh no” they said. “If the seeds are not ripe we shall be home by night. He might delay us.” But the younger sister tied his hair in a bunch on the top of his head and told her mother to take him to Duilas and from there he would be able to see them because of his hair. The sisters went to Mlaiksi and Yaulilak took Cogatkis to Duilas, then returned home. Cogatkis could now watch his sisters and also talk with his mother though their house was at least five miles away. The sisters gathered seeds all day. Near evening the elder asked, “Shall we stay here tonight?” The younger replied, “I have not many seeds. We shall stay.” Cogatkis seeing them pick up wood to build a fire went home.

At daylight the next morning he went again to Duilas. Finding that were already at work he called to Yaulilak, “Mother, they are at work again.” About the middle of the forenoon the sisters were out of water. The younger ask, “What shall we do for water?” The elder answered, “I do not know.” Then the younger looked up towards the summit of Mlaiksi, they were near the foot, and said, “I see a green place there. Maybe there is water there.” The ground was moist. They went still higher. It was quite moist. She dug down and found mud, but no water. So she went still high, dug, found a little water, called her sister. It was about noon. Both drank and filled their vessels. They gathered seeds the while, but the younger sister kept going higher up the mountain. She heard some sound which attracted her. The water was Aisis' tears as he wept for his sisters. Of his entire body only the eyes were left. He was going to die. The elder sister said, “ It's getting late. It is time to go home.” The younger one thought to hers, “I'll go, but tomorrow I'll come and go up to that green place up there.” They got to the foot of the mountain and camp. Their brother seeing them build a fire went home and told his mother that they had camped at the same place they had the night before. She said, “Very well, you must go again tomorrow and watch them. That night the younger sister could not sleep on account of what she had heard. She knew it was Aisis.

Next morning they gathered seeds till they had filled their baskets. Then the elder sister said, “I am dry. Let's go up there where we got water yesterday.” They left their baskets and climbed up to the place. It was dry. They went higher. When some distance up they found water, drank and filled their vessels. The younger sister now heard Aisis, heard his words, “Kelmas popanwe--- You are drinking nothing but tears. She followed the sound (the elder sister followed). She found a bright red hair and recognized it as from the head of the man who had killed them. She picked it up. The ground around where she found it was perfectly level, not a week or blade of grass anywhere, perfectly clear. Thousands of deer had come there and danced around him, their slayer. They had beaten the ground. In the middle of the space she found a skeleton with nothing living but the eyes. The hair was gone. The skull was smooth. The elder sister was going to run away in fright, but the younger one took her blanket made of wildcat skins, spread it on the ground, placed the skeleton on it, and wrapped it up carefully. The elder sister said, “ What are you doing? It smells so it makes me sick.” The younger said, “Let me alone. It is no affair of yours.” The elder said, “This looks like the man who killed us.” and she wished to break up the bones. But the younger had them already wrapped up carefully under her arm. But the determined to destroy the skeleton first chance she got. They went to camp. The elder said, “Let me have that. I want to destroy it. It is the very man who killed us.” The younger got some deer's grease, which her mother had given her, rubbed the skeleton with it and forced some of it into the mouth. She greased and worked over him all the time. Next morning he had flesh enough to see he was a man. Now the elder sister began to like him. It took only a few days for all the flesh to come on his body. The younger sister greased and fed him ; the elder gathered seeds in the field nearby. Soon he could sit up. Cogatkis called to his mother, “I see two sitting in the shade while my elder sister gets seeds. Aisis drank water and slept. While sleeping porcupines danced around him. The sisters returned about noon and spent the afternoon in cleaning seeds. Next morning they told him that that was the last day they could get seeds near the camp; they would go farther away but he must stay at home. That day Aisis slept again, and again porcupines danced around him and sang. One song “I wonder who could cut off my hands and feet and eat them.” Aisis woke up, struck him with his cane, killed him, cut off his feet and hands, pulled his quills, tied them up in ten bunches. He thoughts he would give them to his wives, his children, his mother-in-law and brother for porcupine dresses. He was now the husband of two sisters. Very soon the eldest sister had a child. It was now necessary for her to remain in camp five days. The sixth day the husband must go out and kill a deer, but must not bring it home or say anything about it, but let it lay where he had killed it. Aisis went. He killed two at a shot on Little Shasta, left them and came home. The seventh day after the birth of the first baby the youngest gave birth to one. On the sixth day Aisis killed one deer for it on Little Shasta. Aisis said, “Maybe you would like to see your mother and brother.” “Yes” the sisters said. “They must be lonely.” Next day they started for home. The sisters complained of the weight of the seeds. “Oh, you can carry them all,” he said. “They won't trouble you,” and he wished them to light as feathers. They carried everything without fatique. Now the brother saw them coming and said, “Such a beautiful man is walking with my sisters. There is no one so beautiful as this man who killed them. I wonder where he came from.” Yaulilak brought out all the ornaments and bead dresses of her daughters. When near the house Aisis stopped and the sisters went on. Cogatkis ran out with all of his might to meet them. He was glad, but was bashful before the man. The sisters said to Cogatkis, “Take his, your brother's hand, and bring him in.” When they were in the house the little boy told Aisis how the deer ran around him when they were on the mountain. Aisis said to his wife, “ I've not arrows enough to go hunting.” She told her mother who said, “He'll have all he wants,”and she brought a quiver full that had belonged to her husband. Aisis and the boy now went out to the mountains. Aisis soon killed two. Cogatkis asked, “How can we carry them home?” Aisis picked them up and put them in his belt. On the way he killed a third which he also put in his belt. When Cogatkis told his sister how many deer Aisis had killed she said, “He is going away again. He won't want to stay here. That is why he kills so many deer.” Aisis now took up six great trees, brought them near the house and planted them again, to dry the meat on. Next day he went out to hunt, killed a deer and leaving the boy to guard it, went on, and soon returned with ten deer in his belt, putting the first one there also. The two went home. He dressed and cut up all the meat, hung it up to dry and stretched the skins. That night he told his wives that he was going away. They now had plenty of meat and could stay with their mother. The elder sister didn't want to stay. Next morning he said, “This is the last time I shall hunt around here. He killed four deer. Being thirsty he went to Tsiwisa to drink. Going home he remembered that the spring was near the place where the tree had grown up to the sky with him at Kumuc's word and he didn't like the place. He told his wives he was going away the next day. The elder was unwilling to remain. Aisis said, “If you hadn't babies you might go.” She said, “They are small. We can carry them easily.” “Well,” he said, “you can go if you like.” He didn't like to show that he was opposed to their going. The younger sister didn't care to go. She said, “It is a strange country. Something might happen to me.” The elder sister said, “You must get ready and go with us.” In bidding her mother good-bye the younger sister said, “I didn't ask to go, but they wished me to go.” Yaulilak said, “If you don't want to go stay with me.” “No,” she said,, “ I don't know how long they will be gone. It will not be my fault if anything happens.”

They traveled but one day stopped at Blaiaga—a mountain—where Alils and Kumuc had once lived. Aisis said, “The spring here is dangerous. Whenever you go for water you must never leave one of the children at home alone. One of you must always be with it.”

For three days Aisis went out hunting bringing home many deer which he cut up and hung around to dry. While he was gone on the fourth day the younger sister with her child on her back went out to get wood. The elder sister wanting water ran off to the spring leaving her child at home. It was now able to walk somewhat and starting to follow its mother fell, hit its head on a stone, screamed and died. The younger ran and took it up. The elder ran back. The younger said, “I told you better. I told you not to come, that we didn't know the country.” The mother took the child. They set a bush on fire to inform Aisis, but at the moment the child fell Aisis struck his foot against a stone. Then he knew his child was hurt, turned, saw the smoke, left the deer, and went straight home., asked both wives, “What's the matter?” The younger sister told him. He said, “I didn't think that you, my wives, would cause me greater grief than my father has, but you have. I hoped my children would live. If my eldest child is not alive I don't care to live in this world.” He asked the younger sister for her child, took it in his arms, put the top of its head in his mouth, drew a long breath, took the breath right out of the child. It was dead. He laid it down by the first one and said, “These children are half mine and half yours---the breath is mine, the body yours. I have taken the breath into myself; the body lying there is yours. This is the last time I'll ever marry. Though I live forever I shall never know a woman again. This place where our children died shall be called Yaulilakamwas. People who will live in after times will make sport of you and find you under the bushes and you will die without other cause than the snow and cold which you yourselves will make. And the people will call you Meulilak and the little boy, your brother, will run around the world and be a medicine and doctors will dream of him. And Aisis journeyed North. His wives became snow-birds and the brother is often seen around the place where his sisters lived.

20. SKUNK AND BADGER

One day Tsasas (Skunk) went off leaving his wife at home. Kols (Badger) came along and carried her away. When Skunk came home he wondered where his wife was, he found her tracks and also other tracks so he knew that she had been stolen. At last he found that the tracks entered Badger's house. He thought “I will watch till they come out. It was fall of the year. He hid in the bushes and watched all winter. One spring morning Badger stuck his head out and looking around saw no one, still, he thought somebody might be watching. He stuck his head out a little further, looked in every direction but saw no one, so he came out, looked around and went off in search of food. As soon as Badger started off Skunk ran to his home, just as he was going in Badger looked back and saw him. He came home quickly and he and Skunk began to fight. Badger got afraid so he pretended to be dead. Skunk thought “I have killed him, I'll take him home, roast and eat him. He put him on his back and started.

Now Skunk began to feel that he was a smart man, began to boast saying “I am not afraid of any one, I can frighten everybody by my power. I am the most powerful creature in the world except Daslats (California Lion). Badger was listening. Skunk said, “Whenever I see Grizzly bear I stamp my feet on the ground, he hears the noise and is frightened away. I can frighten everybody except Daslats, I am a little afraid of him, when I hear his roar I feel cold.”

Badger wondered if what Skunk said was true and thought I'll try and make a noise like Daslats and see if he is afraid. He tried low, Skunk heard it, stopped and listened, Badger tried again, louder. Skunk said “That is Daslats” and started to run, holding the string that fastened his pack tight to his head. Badger growled again, Skunk ran faster and faster, but he didn't drop his pack. Now Badger was glad, he knew Skunk would soon throw him off. He made a louder noise. Skunk was terribly frightened, threw off his pack and ran as fast as possible, up a steep hill and down the other side. Then Badger got up and went home. After a time Skunk came back to where he had thrown off his pack, didn't find Badger and was sorry to throw him off for nothing.

21. TCACKAI KILL THE GREAT ELK, SKEL AND TCACKAI FROM PERSONS BECOME ANIMALS.

Skel lived at Tule Lake with his brother Tcackai...One day he told his wife Skouks(Wood Tick) to get him something to eat for he was going around the lake to hunt elk. He started taking Tcackai with him. Tcackai asked “Where do the elk live that you hunt?” Skel said at Lamswi (a mountain near Tule Lake). When they came to the mountain they saw only young elk. Tcackai said, “Here is one let me shoot it”. Skel said, “No, I hunt big ones.” Presently they saw one that was a little larger Tcacki wanted to kill it, Skel said, “No, I want the biggest of all.” Tcackai said, “Let us kill this maybe we shall not see a larger one, let us kill it and go back.” Skel said, “ I want the one that sticks it's head down to bite off tree tops, this one is stretches his head up to bite them off, I don't want him. “This is the one I want”, he saw a great elk that moment. Tcackai said, “Let me shoot, you may miss it, I am a better shot than you.” Skel said, “ You stay here, don't move, I'll shoot it.” They had a bundle of lolus with them just as Skel had his arrow drawn Tcackai who wanted some of the lolus to eat began to untie the bundle, the string broke and the elk ran away. Skel was very angry and struck Tcackai who asked “Why do you strike me I can kill that elk.” How can you kill it, where can you catch it, you would have to follow it to the top of the mountain, around the lakes, all over the world, you could never get near him.” “I will” said Tcackai. “He runs under the ground and top of it, everywhere, you cannot catch that elk it runs in the water, under water and on top of it. This elk never gets tired, it will run around the world three times and not stop, you will never catch it.” “I do not care if I die. I'll kill it because you struck me, take your lolus and go home I'll hund the elk.” Skel said nothing more, and went home. Tcackai followed the elk around the world. It jumped from one mountain to another. Tcackai did the same. He went across the lakes, Tcackai followed, over everything and under everything, never stopping to eat. Ten days they ran in this way. Tcackai was gaining, he drove the elk towards Skel's house. Elk was growing tired but Tcackai was still fresh. Three people saw the elk. They couldn't see Tcackai. Gwingwin was the first to see. He said, “Tcackai is driving elk,” Gwingwin sat on his house top and could see half across the world. Kai (Lizard) was second to see him, Mui (Rock squirrel) was the third. They could see but others said, “You are lying, you can't see Skel's brother. Elk kept coming soon all saw him and got bows and arrows ready to shoot him, as he came near Rattle-snake bit elks leg, yellow fly bit him in the eye, all the shot at him, he ran fast to the other side of a mountain and fell dead. Rattle-snake ran there and lay on Elks back making a noise if anyone came near for he bit elk first and didn't want other people to touch him. Tcackai came and sat down a little way off to rest. Rattle-snake said, “This is my game I killed it”. “No” said the people “Tcackai followed it a long time, it is his, he will give us some when he skins it.” Tcackai said, “Get off I want to skin my game.” “It is mine” said Rattle-snake “I killed it” and he didn't move. Tcackai threw him off. He jumped on again. Tcackai threw him five times, a little further each time, but he came back every time, then he threw him over a high mountain. Still he jumped on. Tcackai pounded him, flattened his head, and threw him over five mountains. He didn't comeback again. Tcackai gave away half of elk, keeping for himself half and all the fat.

Now old man Wamnuk (Rattle-snake) was a Kiuks (doctor) and he made snow to fall very deep, Tcackai on his way home had to camp in a tree it snowed so furiously. Tcackai had a round smooth stone and when it was put on the snow it would grow red hot. In the morning he let it roll in front of him and melt the snow as he traveled. When he was near home he heard Skel and his wife mourning. He went in and said, “Oh how you look. Go and rub off the pitch. You whipped me now you are sorry. I have killed a small deer, go and bring it in.” Skouks went but couldn't move it, neither could Skel. Tcackai lifted it with his little finger and brought it in.

Skel said, “Now brother you would better marry. This is a good time to find a wife, all the girls are digging kamas. I want you to get the two Maidikdak sisters. Shoot an arrow near them.” Tcackai shot an arrow, took a piece of fat and started. Everybody, old Frog first of all, tried to pull out the arrow. No one could move it. When Maidikdak's youngest daughter took hold of it, it came out easily. All the women offered him water he wouldn't drink from any but the Maidikdak sisters. Some one shouted and said, “He is mine.” All the women threw baskets, kamas and sticks away and ran home, all fixed a place for him. Immediately he became very ugly looking. He had a tule rope around his waist but when he took it off it turned to beads. Skel was looking and knew what he was doing and he turned the tule to beads. He had an old duck skin blanket, when he took it off it became very beautiful. Now he gave fat meat to all the people.

Next morning the people said we want to run with this fellow, we can beat him, he just looks well and that is all.” All kinds of people ran except five, Wun, Wus, Ndukis, Blaiwas, Dukdukus. They went off to the end of the world to start. They ran back, Tcackai got home before noon and won the race.

Next morning the people wanted to hunt, they were mad at Tcackai for winning the race and determined to kill him. On a high mountain near the place were many deer, they went around the mountain and said, “If this man sits down on a rock we will make it grow up into the sky. The brother of his wives told him “You must not sit on rocks nor on ant heaps, sit on bark and on nothing else.” In the hunt he killed many elk at one shot, then came home and told his father-in-law to go and bring in the elk. The other hunters killed any, he gave all his away. The people wanted to test Tcackai in every way. So he took his two wives and went back to Skel's place. He said, “All the people wanted to kill me.” “I know it” said Skel, “I was watching you from here in my house.” Now Skel and Tcackai went to Yalalona (Linkville). Tcackai had a little boy. He whipped the child, Skel was angry and said: “You shouldn't whip him, he is too small. Then Tcackai was angry and said, “You'll kill nothing hereafter you will stay in the water and when the other people come you will eat what they throw away. You will be a person no longer. I shall kill something I'll live on the grou and eat flesh but you will eat grass and dirt in the water. Now Skel went in Klamath Lake and was changed and Tcackai went off to live in holes, and his wife and child went back to her father's.

22. WUSKUMUS FOOLS EAGLE'S SISTER.

The five Bliwas brothers were out hunting as saw some lolus berries they sent their sister to get some. She said, “ I don't want to go, I am aftraid.” They said, “Go on one is there to hurt you.” Now Wuskumuc (Gray fox) saw the girl. He rubbed his hair with bark and made it long, made a dress of it. Then out of his bows and arrows he made a basket and went to picking berries. He looked like an old woman. The basket was striped and handsome.

The girl thought “Who can that woman be, perhaps it is because I am going to see people that I feel frightened. What a nice bask I would like to go near and see it.” Soon the old woman came up and said, “You are my cousin, I haven't seen you for a long time.” The girl thought “ I never knew that I had such a cousin.”

“Sit down and rest a little” said the old woman, “I saw you when you were a little girl, then I went far away.” The girl said, “No I cannot sit down I must go home.” The old woman urged till at last the girl sat down. Then the old woman said, “Perhaps you have got lice, let me look in your head.” The girl put her head down and the old woman began snapping her finger nails, it sounded like eating lice. She looked every moment at the sun. The girl noticed this and was a little frightened.

The old woman said, “Let us camp and stay here all night, I have not seen you for a long time.” “No” replied the girl, “I never camp out, I am afraid. At last they changed dresses, the old woman had a very nice one covered with beads, there were no beads on the girl's dress. They changed cap, basket and everything. The girl said, “I must go home.” The old woman said, “I came a long distance stay with me.” “No I am near home, let me go.” It was growing dark when the girl at last consented to stay, they they gathered up grass and leaves to sleep on. They undressed, the girl didn't with to but the old woman insisted and after much urging she took off her clothes. Soon after they lay down the old woman turned to a man again.

Now while the woman slept Wuskumuc made a nice house which was bright and beautiful inside. The girl woke up and found she had a baby. It was hanging up on a board all glittering with beads. The board was hung up with a beautiful shining string that made music as it moved. The house was full of fine things and outside many people were at work. Women brought food for Eagle's sister who at first didn't know where she was or whose house she was. The house was on the spot where they had camped the night before.

All night the five Eagle brothers were mourning for their sister. Early in the morning the eldest brother started out to hunt for her. He soon came to the house and found his sister who told him all about what Wuskumus had done (they call him Wuskumuc because he can change himself all the time the same as Kumuc and Skel) The five Brothers came to live with their brother-in-law who was very rich. Eagle's sister had many children, all grew quickly to be men, and seperated. Wuskumuc was a great hunter and killed many deer.

23. THE CHILD STOLEN BY MUGAS

There lived a chief at Euks (Klamath Marsh). One day his wife went for wokus leaving her baby, a little boy, in the house with someone to care for it. The baby began to cry, all tried to hush it but it only cried louder. Then they screamed to the mother “Your baby is crying” she heard and hurried home as fast as possible, but she was far away. It was almost night. Now Mugas(Owl) lived at a place called Gomeks (her home is there yet, a rock). This old woman hear the baby cry though many miles distant. She hurried off to Euks, got on the house top and looking down said, “Well hand the baby here if it is crying.” She called three times then those in the house thinking it was the babies mother handed up the child.

Old woman Mugas carried off the baby, put mucus from its nose into its mouth to make it stop crying. Now the babies mother came home. All the people hunted for the child. The father and mother traveled everywhere looking for it. No on knew who had stolen it. The father and mother cut their hair, put pitch on their heads and gave people beads to help them find the child. The father and mother went to Yainaks where they had relatives, they went early in the morning, in the afternoon the mother went for wood. Now Mugas had taken the baby to Yainaks. The mother brought in the first load of wood and went for the second, her head was covered with pitch and she cried all the time. Mugas looked out of the house where she was and asked “Why do you cry so, I've got your baby, come and get it.” The woman threw her load of wood away and ran to Mugas. The old woman said, “I took your baby away because I was sorry for it, it cried so much. Bring me a duck skin blanket and you can have the baby. She ran and brought the blanket. Mugas gave her the baby, but he was all covered with feathers and had a single long hair sticking out straight from his heart. Mugas said, “If anyone pull out this hair the child will die right away, the hair comes from his heart.” The baby was quite a boy now, Bat had made it grow fast.

They went home to Euks carrying the boy but they were sorry, did not know what to do he looked so strange. Everybody around the country came to see him and children called him owl boy. At last the boys caught him one day and pulled the hair out of his heart, he died on the spot. His father and mother didn't care they were ashamed of him he had grown to look so much like old woman Mugas.

24. KUMUSH

Kumush lay on a hill and looked down onto Spraque River to see if any fish jumped up. He saw one, then two, then three, then four and he said there are many fish and he went down the hill to fish at daylight, some of his men went afterwards to fish. They took off their clothes and threw in their nets, Crow came and turned them into stone. The stones are still at the same place.

Now Kumush went to another place to fish. Whenever Kumush went anywhere he went alone but as soon as he came crowds of people were there, he made them by his thinking.

On the hill where he lay before he went fishing he was alone but after a few minutes a number of people were there. This was in early days when birds and animals were people. Kumush made just such people as you and I, he made them by thinking. Kumush had nothing, was always poor. He made almost everything there is in the world by wishing, whatever people did they did by their strength, gambling, racing, ball playing. Kumush named all the places, mountains, plains, rivers, hills and everything, no one else ever gave a place a name. He was here when the flood was over the earth and saved himself in his canoe which is on the top of a mountain near here (a shallow depression).

25. KUMUC AND HIS DAUGHTER.

One day Kumuc's daughter went to the house of five Beaver brothers. When she came there was no one at home. She went in and waited. Soon four of the brothers came back, all cold. The eldest said, “I am terribly cold, I drove around so many deer.” They always ate willows and reeds, but they saw the girl and wanted to be smart. All four brothers said the same. Now the youngest brother came, jumped into the house and said, “Stand away, give me place to sit down, I am getting the tooth ache I have skinned so many cotton trees today.” The others said, “Keep still. He is very tired he has driven around a great elk.” But Kumuc's daughter had heard what he said. The eldest brother gave her a tule basket and wanted her to fix a place out doors so he could sleep with her. She went out, spread the blanket. Then she made a pile of izvejenie, like herself and called to Beaver to come, he had told her to call when she was ready. As soon as she called she ran off as fast as she could. He came out and fell into what she had left. Then he ran off to the river and swam until he was clean. The other brothers saw and laughed at him saying “ Yes, you have a good time sleeping with a woman. We wish we could have a woman. He didn't say anything. In the river there is a large sharp pointed rock, half divided where Beaver lay again it. The girl told her father what she had done and he was glad.

26.THE FIVE BROTHERS

Once eight people lived together in one house, five brothers, one sister, a little boy, Tsakiak, and an old man. The five brothers were of the Tseushulamts people (a kind of red bird). They had married a sister who lived at a distance from them. The younger used to go to the water every day to get ktoks (a plant like tula) to eat. Once when she had been to the water she came back and said, “I dreamed that all my brothers died of hunger.”

Next day there was a great snow storm, the wind blew terribly, the snow came deep and lasted many days. The only thing the brothers had to eat was the ktoks that their sister brought from the river, every time she brought it she ground it and made a loaf for each brother. She did this for five days the last time she went she found eggs of Kos(a kind of goose), she cried but took the eggs home and boiled them for her brothers, she never ate anything. She thought it stran that she found these eggs. She had made it cold because she dreamed that way. She was afraid her brothers would die because it stormed continually and wanted to die herself to save them but they said, “No, we would rather die.” One night when the little boy who always tried to keep awake and watch her fell asleep she threw a coyote skin over her shoulders and went out and hanged herself on a cottonwood tree near the house. Tsakiak woke up and crying why does the wind blow so he ran out and saw the girl dead on the tree. He told her brothers, they took her down in the morning and burned her body.

The married sister now came bringing a canoe full of suckers but they told her to take them back. “Tell all the people,” said they, “that your brothers are dead and send them to get our beads.” She went home and told the people, her husband wanted to go but she wouldn't let him. The people went in one large canoe taking a little orphan boy with them. When they came to the brothers and Tsakiak lay as if dead. The orphan boy looked at Tsakiak and said, “He winks his eyes perhaps he isn't dead.” He had already got some beads and he ran back to the canoe with them hanging from his ears and nose, he shook his head with pleasure as he looked in the water and saw himself. All the people were in the house getting beads, the two dogs of the five brothers were on top of the house, as one by one the men came out to go to their canoe with a load of beads the dogs bit their heads off. When all were killed the brothers burned their heads and bodies.

Next morning the five brothers put pitch on their heads and mourned for their sister, and went in a canoe to their married sister's house, on the way Skole (Meadow lark) saw them passing and said, “Who are these people with pitch on their heads.” The five men were angry at this, they had a long spear which they stuck in the water and put pitch on the top of it. Skole came to it and got stuck on it, then they killed her. After this they visited their sister then all around the country killing people they were so strong that nothing could kill them, everybody was afraid of them. At last they came to Kmutsasdakas (Old whizzer) house, before they went in the five brothers said, “Perhaps he will kill us. Let him, we have lived long enough.” The youngest said, “He will kill me right here.”, the second said, “He will kill me right here and so till the fifth and eldest said, “He will kill me here,” he was at the door. Now the man came out of the house, shot at them with a flint arrow, killing them all and their two dogs. This man was terribly powerful, he shot all around very quickly, many arrows at a time.

27. KAIIEWAS (NIGHT HAWK) BREAKS THE ROCKS AND FREES THE PEOPLE

Kaiiewas (Night hawk) lived by the mountains, he was young and very powerful, he could break rocks by flapping his wings. All kinds of people were living near that place. One of the young girls had reached purberity, and they didn't know where to dance and sing. Some said “There is a cave near here, if rain comes it will be nice to be in this cave. So they built a fire near this cave and began to dance. There was a fire in the cave also, so if it rained the people could go in there for shelter. They danced four nights without trouble. On the fifth night it began to rain and they all crowded into the cave. The girl felt very sleepy as she danced she would nearly fall, but the old people said, “You must not sleep, if you sleep you will dream. Tomorrow you can sleep. But she dozed as she moved and she dreamed that she saw a straw house fall. Just as she told the dream great rocks came down and closed the opening to the cave. The people tried to dig out, tried every way to escape, but it was impossible. People heard the rock fall and came from a great distance and struggled hard to move them. There was a great noise of mourning. All different kinds of people tried to help. Some tried to dig under the rocks others to move them, but no one succeeded. When Kaiiewas heard the mourning he came and ask “What are you doing, I could easily move those rocks. Three or four of my blows will break them”. People told Blaiwas and he said, “Let him come to me, I want to see him.” He went near Blaiwas house and sat down among the rocks. There was an old man (another kind of hawk) who talked to him. When he ask him if he could do this he said, “Yes, I can break those rock easily, don't you know me?” “Yes, but I never saw you do such a thing as that.” The old man told Blaiwas what Kaiiewas said. Blaiwas said, “Tell the chiefs to give him two young women for doing this.” Now Slowa (Panther) had a nice daughter and he said, “I will give him my daughter, two or three others were offered, they wanted to give him four but he said, “I don't care about women but I want to be painted nice.” They agreed to paint him as he wanted.

All the people gathered to see him work. He told old men to tell the people to stand far off and watch him. He flew high in the air and came down with a swoop, striking the rocks with his wings and breaking them. He said to the people “Keep away I am going up again.” He went up and came down with a greater swoop, larger rocks were broken. “Now” he said, stand away further the rocks will fly worse. The rocks flew on all sides, the people were astonished, they thought they had never seen such work. Four time he cut away great squares of rock from the solid masses and scattered them on all sides. He went far up in the sky and came down like a great rock and where he struck everything was ground to powder. With the fifth blow he opened a hold into the cave and all the people came out. They wished to give Kaiieewas nice presents but he wouldn't take anything, he had done it all as a good work. They painted his wings as he wanted them and since that time Night Hawks have had spotted wings.

28. SKEL AND TCACKAI HUNTING THE ELK

Skelamts and Tcackai lived together at Euks (Klamath Marsh). A great many people lived around.

One day Skelamts saw an elk and wanted to shoot it. Tcackai said, “I want to shoot it, you will miss. So they quarreled, Skel drove the elk around for awhile and then stopped. Tcackai now followed the elk alone, followed it around the world, was gone a very long time. At last he killed the elk, to the people that lived around the end of the world, where he killed the elk, he gave the guts. Then making a pack of the rest of the elk he started for home. When he reached the house he went on top and looking down saw Skel and his wife Skok (Wood tick) with pitch on their heads, they thought Tcackai was dead and were mourning for him.

Tcackai called out “ Why do you have pitch on your heads? Go and wash it off before you eat what I have brought.” He went into the house and told Skel to bring in the meat. Skel went out but could not lift the pack, then he sent woodtick for it, she couldn't lift it, then Tcackai went out and threw it in with one hand (Skel could lift it but he wanted to please his brother.)

Now Skel sent Tcackai to get two wives. Tcackai asked “What kind” “Get two sisters who have their hair cut short and live in the center house over there.”

Tcackai going outside Skel's house shot his arrow off towards the house in which the women were. The house was a very long way off. The head of the arrow went into the ground the shaft sticking out. All the people came together and tried to pull the arrow out but couldn't. Old Koe (Frog woman) tried first, last of every one the two sisters tried. The elder moved it a little, the younger took hold and pulled it out easily. When Tcackai came up all the women thought him very nice. They gave him water in their caps, old Frog gave it first, he wouldn't take it from her, let it drop. Last of all the two sisters gave him water, he took a swallow from the elder sister but he drank all the younger gave him. Old Frog said, “He drank my water, he likes me”. Now all the women ran home saying “We'll fix a place for him.” Old Frog screamed “I'll fix a place for him, he likes me.” But he went with the two sisters who were Maidikdaks daughters.

29. GAUKOS (MOON) MARRIES WEKETAS (A COMMON FROG)

Gaukos used to live on the East side of Klamath Lake. On the West side of the lake lived ten beautiful sisters, little women wjith dresses ornamented with porcupine quills, they were very powerful and do almost anything they wished. A Weketas woman lived with them, she was old and homely but she knew how to bring people to life, her hair was always sticking up as though it had never been combed.

Gaukos (Moon) was tired of living in the world, his house was in the rocks near the lake and Kolta lived with him. Kolta said, “Send word to the ten sisters that you want something.” Gaukos consented and Kolta went to the house of the ten sisters and said, “That bright young man over there wants a wife.” The ten sisters got ready many nice things to eat and to wear. Then they said to Weketas “Come you ugly old thing get our canoe and take us over”. She got the canoe, she was half naked and had a very old cap on her head, she had roasted a few seeds, she carried these under her arm.

Gaukos sat where he could see them coming. They reached land and stepped out. To the first one that came on shore Gaukos said, “Not you.” To the second he said the same and so on to the tenth. Kolta told the girls to go back into the canoe and said to Gaukos “Tell me plainly which one do you want?” “ Why the one that sits at the other end. “Oh what do you want of that homely old thing?”

“She is my choice. I know that sometime she will save me from trouble. She will live in my heart and always save me.”

“Oh no you should take one or two of these beautiful girls, not that ugly one.” “No I must take the one that I know will be best for me.” Kolat said repeatedly “Don't take her.”

Gaukos said, “I'm tires of staying here I think there is danger waiting me, every night where I come up there are big teeth people who like to eat such men as I am I don't want to live here it is too dirty.” “How can this woman save you?” asked Kolta.

Even if there should be only a little bit of me left in the bear's mouth she would urinate over me and bring me to life” said Gaukos. When Kolta heard this he was willing but the ten sisters wouldn't let her pass them. She crept along the edge of the canoe and all of them pinched her, she was streaming with blood and the roasted seed she had under her arm were all bloody.

Gaukos cried out and said, “Oh the wicked women they are not half as good as you are.” He wiped the blood off, had her greased and gave her a nice blanket.

The sisters went home and Gaukos started to the East. He said to Kolta “ You will see me every month.” He lives in the sky and still carries Weketas in his heart.

30. SKULE (LARK) AND HER YOUNG BROTHER IN LAW

There was a chief a great gambler, he had many servants and four brothers, three of the brothers were married.

These four brothers had a youngest brother, a poor lousy little fellow full of sores. The chief's wife was a Skule woman, this boy and he loved her [copied as written] . She did what she could to keep him clean and help him but still he was in a bad plight. The other brothers would make fun of the boy, often beat and kick him but Skule said, “Let him alone, I will cook and care for him, you needn't trouble yourselves about him.” One evening all the people were swimming in the lake trying to beat each other. Skule said to the boy “You must swim. You may become somebody, when your hair is wet I will try to get the lice out.”

He went and when he was a little way from the land he was very much afraid. The brothers said, “Look at him, he is going to be a great hero” and they laughed. Skule said, “You have no sense, no feelings to act thus, I wish that he would become a powerful person. I believe you would fall in love with him.”

While Stulihli (this was the boy's name) was sitting in the water washing himself, he was moving further in all the time, the others went in to make fun of him but when he got furth out something seemed to seize and bear him away, he disappeared and Skule went home crying. Galatgotate took him under and bore him to his own home in the lake under the water, there were many kinds of wealth and riches and treasures there everything that people had or used. “I see you all the time”, said Galatgotate, “I know you and I know who loves you I pity her when she feels so sorry and cries for you.”

Now at home they thought the boy was drowned and Skule cried all night. “You have scolded him till something has destroyed him”, said she to the others. “This is the first time he ever swam in his life, perhaps he was washed away” said Skule.

While Skule was mourning the other people went to sleep. Stulihli wished this. He came home from the water just as day come. His hair was very long and his whole body was red and white. He pushed Skule and asked her to make a bed for him, he was a young man now. When two of his sisters-in-law looked at him they said, “There he is, he was sitting in the reeds somewhere.” Skule told the women to get up and cook for themselves she was only going to cook for Stulihli. They looked at him as though they had never seen anyone like him before still they made fun of him. Skule now said to the women “I wish you would move away, let us live separately.”

They were going to move that day but people came from the North to gamble with these brothers.

The men who came said to Stulihli “Won't come and gamble with us, you are a young man a chief now.” They made sport of him thinking no change had taken place in him. Utuauasa was with this company and he said, “I will gamble with the boy myself” and he laughed. They brought their wives to cook for them while they camped there and gambled with the brothers. They gambled for two days. Every night the boy swam but he didn't gamble. The four brothers lost heavily. Many different people came to gamble. Ndukis (Hawk) came, brought his daughter, she had rattles for ear rings, they made a great noise.

Skule fixed the young man's hair nice with some kind of skin all covered with beads to tie his hair with, then he went and sat down with the gamblers. Some of the people wanted to get rid of Utususas. They said to the brothers “Give Utususas some dirty stuff to eat and send him home.” When the four brothers had lost everything that they had Stulihli played and won back all his brothers had lost. The young man said, “You must be kind to Skule, give her some of what I have won.” This made the other women jealous. The five brothers now went to where there were more roots. Skule sat crying all day because the other women were jealous. They could not live together, they separated. Skule went with her husband and the young man. The others went to a different place.

31. KUMUC AND HIS DAUGHTER

Kumuc left Tule Lake and wandered over the earth, went to the edge of the world and came back to Nihlaksi where he used to live and where he got the disk, bringing a daughter, how he got her no one knew. The first thing he did was to show her ten dresses, the finest of all was the burial dress of buckskin so covered beads that not a point of the buckskin could be seen. The ten dresses are the following which are all the dresses worn by a Modoc woman during her life. 1st dress worn at 12 or before puberty. 2nd dress worn while dancing the puberty dance. 3rd dress worn after coming out of the sweat house. 4th dress worn five days later 5th dress, Everyday dress, common dress. 6th dress worn when getting wood. 7th dress worn when getting roots. 8th dress, worn when visiting 9th dress worn to see ball playing 10th, burial dress

When they came to Nihliksi the daughter was within a few days of puberty and Kumuc was the only assistant. When her dancing was over and she was in the sweat house she slept a moment and dreamed of someone's death. When she told her father the dream he said, “That means your own death.” Kumuc was grieved, didn't wish to give up the burial dress, for the moment she put it on the spirit would leave her body. At last giving her the dress he said”I will go with you and leave my body here.” She said “My spirit goes west without touching the ground as it goes. How could you come with me?”

“I know what to do.” answered he, “I know everything above, below, in the world of ghosts whatever there is to know.” The daughter was always aware of her father's thoughts as soon as they were in his mind. He took her hand—both started--she said, “You must close your eyes, if you open them on the way you will have to come back here and leave me to go on alone.” They went quickly to the west. After a time they came to a place of descent, so steep that they could slide down. At the beginning of the descent was a cord, she pulled it and immediately music and many voices were heard.

They slipped down, came out on a beautiful smooth plain, surrounded by high walls. It was a great house and the plain was its floor. (This house is the whole underground world.) The daughter was greeted by many who rejoiced to see her, but to Kumuc they said, “Sonk (raw, not cooked)” and they mourned for him that he was not ready, not dead. Kumuc and his daughter went around together, he asked how far it was to any side. She said it was twice as far as she could see, that there was one road down, in which they had come, and another road up to go out. No one could come in by the way leading up and no one could go up by the way leading down.

As they went around she saw that the place was wonderfully beautiful and full of spirits. If all the stars of heaven and all the hair on the heads of men and all the hair on all the animals in the world were counted they would not equal in number the spirits that were there. At first no one could be seen, though voices were heard on every side, but after sundown and when darkness covered the earth above all became visible in that great house below. Now Kumuc made himself small, smaller than any living thing in the world and she put him in a crack high up in a corner of the house with a veil before his eyes.

At dark Wuskumus, the guardian of the spirits and the keeper of the place said, “Let there be fire and immediately a large round bright fire appeared in the center and there was light everywhere. Kumuc's daughter stood near the fire. Then the spirits came from every side and made a circle a mile in circuit and they moved around the newcomer in a dance not of this world and they sang a song not of this world.

She stood by the fire all the time and her father looked down from the center of the house. This was repeated five nights.

All the spirits sand but only those in the circle danced. As daylight came they all dispersed, went away to their own places, lay down and soon became dry disjointed bones.

On the sixth night Kumuc's daughter moved him to the eastern side and that night he grew tired of staying with the spirits, wanted to bring some of them with him to people the upper world. He spoke with Wuskumush about taking them up. Said he was going himself afterwards to the place where the sun rises and would travel on till he came to where it stops at midday. There he would build his house and remain. At daybreak the spirits became bones, he went around and selected the bones according to quality which would do for one tribe and which for another. Then he took those which he wanted and filled a bag with them, took only shin bones and wrist bones, put his daughter's bones in first, put the bag on his back and started to go up the eastern road. The path was steep and slippery, when half way up the bones began to elbow him, pound him in the back and neck, striving to kill him but he went on, when near the top the strap slipped from his forehead, the bag fell, all the bones became spirits, whooped, shouted and ran down into the wide house and became bones again.

“ I'll not yield, I'll try again” said Kumuc. He went down, collected the bones into the bag again and started back about noon. When halfway he said, “You'll see if I don't take you bones to the upper world.”

They began to pound him, just then he slipped, broke his staff and fell. Again the bones took their spirit forms, ran whooping and shouting into the house and became bones a second time.

He went down a second time, filled the bag, chucking the bones in angrily and said, “You want to stay here now, but when you know my place up there where the sun is you'll want to stay there.” When he put the bag on his back the third time he had no staff. “I wish I had a good strong staff,” he said, that moment it was in his hand and he went on. When halfway up the bones tried desperately to kill him, but he held his own and struggled up. At the edge of the slope he made the last great effort and threw the bag to level ground above exclaiming “Maklaksam Kaks” peoples bones.

Then he came up opened the bag and threw bones around the top in pairs---naming the people who were to come from the bones as he threw them. He took the Modoc bones out of the bag last, he threw them to his own place saying “You'll keep my place, you'll be the bravest of men. You'll overcome every kind of people and though you may be few, even if many and many should come against you you'll conquer them. You'll have the same things to fish and hunting with that I have. You'll eat the same things that I eat.”

All his tools and implements were turned into stone and are now at Tule Lake. Then he gave every instruction how to live and what to do. When he had finished he went with his daughter to the rising of the sun traveled on the sun's path till he reached the central point of heaven at midday. There he built his house and there he is living now with his daughter.

32. MUGAS STEALS MEADOWLARKS BOY

Five Utususamts brothers lived together, the eldest was married to Skole (Meadowlark), the second brother's wife was Skouks (Wood tick), the third brother's wife was the youngest sister of Meadowlark, the fourth brother had a wife like himself, the youngest brother was married to an ant. Skouks, the wife of the second brother had a little boy. The mother of the five brothers lived in a small house not far from that of her sons. One night the little boy began to cry and could not be stopped, now old woman Owl sat on the house top looking down the smoke hole and it was her wishing that made the baby cry. At last the father got tired and called to the grandmother to come and get the baby, that it was too warm and cried all the time. “Well hand it here,” said old Mugas, the father thinking it was the grandmother handed up the baby. Owl carried it off to Gomek.

Next morning they found that the grandmother had not taken the child, they hunted everywhere for it, butt could not find it, then they put pitch on their heads and mourned for it as dead.

Old mugas opened the child and took out its entrails, so it would not need so much to eat, then she fastened its body together with a stick. Now old Mugas had four children of her own and they were always crying because she gave the boy more than she did them. Early one morning after old Owl had gone to hunt for food, the young owls took the boy to the flat below their home, which was on the rocks and said, “Off there is your mother she is always looking for you, the boy ran to meet her , she was just putting a pack of wood on her back, he held it, she looked back, he hid under the pack a second time he pulled it then she looked back and saw him. His father saw the stick and asked what it was. The boy said old Mugas fixed that if anyone takes it out I shall die. His father pulled the stick out and he died on the spot.

33. WAHUTUS AND KOWA

Kowa and Wahutus were married to the same woman, they were cousins and had one wife, she was a Kowa.

One day Kowa and Wahutus leaving their wife and mother went to fish not far away. They stayed into the night, Wus came along and tried to steal their wife. Wus said to her “Go with me to my house and be my wife.” “No, I don't want to go my husbands will come soon and they will kill you sure if you don't go away.” “Oh I am not afraid I'll fight, I am stronger than they are.”

Wus stayed in the house. The men came with fish and said to their wife “Cook some of these fish, we are hungry.” They didn't see Wus. She said “This man won't let me go he holds me.” “Why who is there, you are fooling us, nobody holds you.” Kowa went towards his wife and sure enough he saw Wus sitting by her side. Kowa told Aahutus “There is somebody over here with a nice skin we will kill him and make a blanket. It was rather dark in the house. They seized Wus, pulled his skin off and threw him out doors alive, his skin they hung up to dry.

Next morning the wife's mother put cattails on his body, they looked like fur, as soon as she had finished Wus went home.

Next day the two men went fishing again and while they were gone a bear came and took the woman away. Five of these Bear brothers lived together in a great house and one of them stole the woman. When the men came home and found their wife was gone they asked her mother where she was “Black bear took her,” said the old woman, “ she was afraid he would kill her so she went.”

They started early the next morning for Bear's house. As they went along they practiced killing each other to see how they would fight Bear. Kowa killed Wahutus then went on a little way alone, Kowa came to life and soon caught up. Wahutus killed Kowa, Kowa came to life and caught up, so they kept on till they came to Bear's house. Wahutus climbed to the house top, Kowa went inside to get their wife. The five brothers were all at home, one jumped up and tore Kowa into little pieces and threw him out doors, then Kowa came to life and ran in again, five times Bear killed and tore him up and five times he ran in again. Wahutus still stood on the house top. The two cousins now shot the Bear brothers with flint, killed them all and recovered their wife.

The old woman, their mother-in-law had followed them they took a great rock crushed and killed her. The two men took their wife home and went fishing again next morning. Yayayaas (a person at that time, thunder now) came and carried their wife off to his house. Whenever Yayayaas saw a nice woman he took her home, so he stole everybody's wife. His house was under the ground, among the rocks, five rocks were around his house and he lived in the middle. The name of his house was Hwalis, there were many women in his house. Nobody could get in for the great rocks that were around. [text missing here] had stolen his wife. They went to his house a great many people came with them. Not knowing what to do they asked all kinds of people (birds and animals) to come and try to break the rocks, all came and tried but none could succeed. Tsasgips came and said, “I can do that, I can knock those down easily, but people paid no attention for he was a small man. At last somebody said, “Listen this man says he can do it.” The people got him ready, they sprinkled him so he was all white spots in front. Now he struck against a rock making a noise with his mouth like blowing and the rock crumbled in pieces, he flew against the second , the same, the third, the fourth and the fifth all crumbled to pieces. They shot Yayayaas, killed him, his spirit went up in the air and became Thunder. As the spirit went up the people shot at it a great many times but missed it every time. Every man took his wife and went home.

34. THE BUTTERFLIES TURNED TO STONE BY GAK

Blaiwas and Miadikdak lived together in a house. Now Butterflies started to go to Blaiwas with their youngest daughter for he wanted to marry her. They carried all kinds of food with them. They had just begun to climb the hill, which is Blaiwas house, when Gak saw them. Now Gak wanted to marry this young girl for she was a good digger of roots. He was very jealous when he saw them going to Blaiwas. He laughed and instantly the whole party was turned to stone. The stones are there to this day, on is of peculiar shape, it was Butterflies' mother and she had a baby on her back. Only Butterfly remained at home, didn't go with the bridal party.

The Butterfly people were not liked by the people living around them, for they were great root diggers and always had more than anyone else to eat.

The Butterfly woman left a home didn't know what to do, she cried all the time, and the people who heard mocked her (she wore a long pointed tule cap). Now the people began to talk about digging kamas, told her to get ready to go. She said nothing only cried and commenced to work on a large tule basket. All went off to dig roots but she stayed at home and kept at work on the basket.

One day she went out and dug kamas. She beat everyone digging. Got more than all the rest of the company, then went home and after that she never went out again. She covered up the opening on the top of the house and there she died all by herself.

35. THE NANIHLAS BROTHERS HIDE THE DEER

There were tow Nanihlas brothers and one sister who lived together. They always hunted for deer but never found any, the men couldn't kill deer. So they said, “We'll dig a pit and trap them.” They dug a deep pit so the deer couldn't jump out if they fell in, then went early every morning to see if anything was in the pit. One morning they found a deer. “We don't want to shoot that deer” said one of the brothers. “Why not?” asked the other “we can shoot him in the head and kill him that way” “No,” said the younger brother, “we ought not to shoot the deer we want to make the skin into a dress for our sister, if there is a hole in it her body will show through it.” They talked for a long time to decide the matter. The younger wanted to get hold of the deers throat and hold it till he died. At last the elder said, “Very well I'll help you but I don't think we can kill the deer so (when the old people tell the story they talk in a voice way down in their throats to imitate the Bats). Both brothers went into the pit and caught the deer by the throat. The deer ran around the pit, tried to get out. “Hold on” said the younger brother, “he will soon die.” After a while the deer jumped out and ran off, the boys still holding on. It ran to the woods where the trees were thick, the clothes and caps of the Bat brothers were torn off, their bodies scratched all over, still the younger one said, “Hold on we'll soon kill it.” The deer meant to kill the boys. At last the elder let go and fell to the ground, but the younger still held on. The elder ran back picked up the pieces of his cap and blanket, pinned the pieces together with sticks and mended his moccasins with sticks. The younger brother at last got a terrible blow, by knocking against a tree, he fell off and lay as dead for a long time, then he got up and started home, as he went he picked up the pieces of his clothes and sewed them together with sticks. He met his brother on the road, he was very angry with him for letting go so soon. They quarreled awhile then started home. They soon met a party of women who had been digging roots, they sat down, one each side of the trail, and waited for the women. The women put down their baskets and gave the brother two or three handfulls of roots, putting them in a basket, then gave the basket to the elder brother. The elder said, “Come sit by me and eat these roots.” The younger was angry and didn't answer. His brother called him again, not a word. He called a third time, then the younger said, “I won't go there these women gave me nothing, they gave it all to you.” Now the women began to be afraid for they knew they were angry, powerful men. The elder said, “What is the matter, why are you angry?” They began to quarrel. Each had a piece of burnt fungus, they chewed this up, make it look like blood and rubbed it on their heads to frighten the women. The women were afraid, left their baskets and ran to their homes far away. Then the two brothers stopped fighting , laughed and taking all the roots went home. They had planned to do this when they saw the women coming.

Their sister soon after married a man on the other side of the lake and the brothers went in their canoe to visit her. When they arrived their sister was pounding fish bones, she cried because she had nothing else to give her brothers to eat. “Why do you cry” asked the younger, “we will make that good is you will bring it here.” She gave it to them and they made nice sweet seeds of the pounded bone, just by thinking. The brothers asked each other “What will we do here?” The younger said, “I don't know yet, maybe we can do something, what can you do?” “I think I'll make the people fight without arrow heads and shoot the chiefs son in the eye. Everybody will go to see him, while they are gone we will steal all they have in their houses.” “All right.” When they had finished eating the young and old people got into a quarrel and began fighting, soon the chief's son was shot in the eye, all of the people ran out of their houses to see him. Only Bats sister was left. The two brothers went to every house and took what there was, blankets, beads and everything, put all they got from the houses under their finger nails, made everything small by thinking, and sailed away in their canoe, taking their sister with them. The people came home, found their things gone, and knew that the two brothers had stolen them. They followed in their canoes and had almost caught up with them when the older brother asked “What shall we do now?” “Oh, I'll make ice.” and immediately there was thick ice. “What will you do with our canoe?” “Oh, I'll put it under one finger nail.” He did this and they started off to run on the ice. The people finding their canoes fast in the ice got out and ran after the two brothers, as they were near them the elder brother asked “What else can you do?” “Oh I'll break up the ice, we have our canoe but those men will drown.” Now the ice began to break up and melt. All the people were drowned but the two brothers sailed off safely in their canoe. They went home.

Many people lived near the two brothers. One of these was Blaiwas a good hunter and Kaiutsis a good hunter too, and many other good hunters lived near. The youngest brother could do anything he pleased by thinking and one day he said, “We must collect all the deer and drive them into a great pit near our house and keep them all to ourselves, all the deer in the world. So they went out and brought all the deer in the world into their pit, not a deer was left outside. Now the hunters were off on the chase for several days but could find no deer, there had been plenty before. The hunters had no meat and were nearly starved. Mauks (house fly) lived with the hunters and at last he followed the scent of the deer to the house of the two brothers and found where they were kept. The hunters wanted somebody to watch and see what the Nanihlas brothers did with the deer and they sent Ground Owl to watch. He sat down by Bat's fire and pretended to be asleep. One of the brothers came up and looked at his eyes to see if he was asleep, then he poked a stick into his nose, but Owl didn't move and he said, “He is asleep.” The younger brother said, “I don't think so and he took a coal out of the fire and put it on Owl's head, saying “If he is awake he will jump up.” Owl didn't move. Now the brothers thought he must be asleep. They were trying him because they wanted to kill a deer and bring it out to cook. They opened the place where they kept the deer, the deer were frightened and made a noise like thunder. They caught one brought it out, fastened up the place, killed the deer, skinned it and put the meat away except what they were going to cook. Owl saw everything but kept pretending to be asleep till morning, then he went home and told all. The brothers had five great stones rolled up to fasten the place, they rolled them up by thinking. Great rocks too large for many men to move.

Now the people got Tcuititi (a bird) to break the rocks. He broke them by flying up to the sky and falling down against them, he did this five times and the five great rocks were crumbled to pieces. The deer came out and scattered over the world. Hunters were watching them as they came out, chose the largest bucks and killed them. All were very glad. The brothers tried, but couldn't keep them.

36. KAI GOES TO MARRY THE DAUGHTER OF NATANAS WHOSE CHILDREN ARE THE ROCKS, DIRT AND FISH

Kai (Rabbit) and Kwikwis (cotton-tail rabbit) were living in the Modoc country and they started off north. They heard that a girl was living in the north whose name was Natanasambep. Her father Natanas lived near a lake, he was all the person that lived there except his children.

On the way Kai thought he would beat Kwikwis and get there first. He got ahead and thought Kwikwis was far behind but he was very near and whenever Kai turned to look he would hide in the bushes, so Kai didn't see him.

Natanas had all kinds of children: willows, rocks, lake, fish, ground,trees, bushes, all things in that place were his children. There was a great rock in the lake that was his child too. It was under the water but when the wind blew the water washed under and floated it. Now when Kai came Natanas sent him to get his child. Hai was a kiuks, he became a feather, and the wind blew him over to the rock, he caught the rock and brought it to shore.

Natanas sent him for many things. Every time he brought what he was sent for Natanas fell down and cried bitterly. He sent Kai for willows, stones, ground. Now many men before Kai had come to marry the daughter of Natanas. He sent them to bring his children, the children would eat them up. But Kai was a Kuiks and he brought whatever he was sent for. In this was he killed many of Natansa children Lolhanks (Deer) was Natanas eldest son, the strongest and most poisonous of all. Natanas said, “Go and kill Lilhanks and bring me the sinews: Kai got near Lilhanks turned to a feather, shot the deer and brought the sinew. When he gave it to Natanas he cried bitterly but he said, “I am glad. The next day Natanas said we will fix our nets and go fishing, we will put them out at night and go for the fish in the morning. We will stay all night in the canoe..” They went, in the night the wind blew terribly, the canoe began to leak. Kai didn't know what to do, he crawled under Natanas clothes, got in his ear, everywhere. The canoe was full of water. Still Natanas pretended to be asleep, the water was his child. Now Kai had a feather and the feather said to him “Make five tule balls and throw them as far as you can then jump onto them. He threw one, then jumped onto it, then made another and jumped to that and so on till he reached the shore. He went to Natnans house.

Natanas did not see him when he left the canoe and thought he had killed him. He said, “I am glad that I killed you for you have killed many of my children.”

In the morning Natanas went home and said to his daughter “I have killed Kai.” That moment he saw Kai and said, “Oh I thought you were dead. My canoe isn't good. I thought you got drowned.”

Now Natanas sent Kai for salmon (this was his second son in strength). Kai had always been alone before but now Kwikwis followed him. This son lived in a deep round spring. Kai speared the salmon. It ran around and drew Kai into the spring, that instant deep ice came over the water. Kwikwis had a great knife and mallet with these he cut through the ice. Kai jumped out still holding the salmon which he killed and took to Natawas who said, “I am very glad you speared it” but he was crying all the time.

Natanas house was near the lake on high rocks, along these high, sharp pointed rocks was a very narrow trail for running and in the water at the foot of these steep rocks lived many of Natanas children. Now Natanas and Kai started to run a race, but soon Natanas pushed Kai off the rocks. Before he touched the water he turned to a feather and came back. Natanas said, “I thought I had killed you.” Kai said, “I fell on the rocks and jumped back.” He pushed him off again, again he came back. Then Kai pushed Natanas off the rocks. He fell into the water and his children ate him up, they thought it was Kai.

Kai went to the house, took the girl for wife, then he told her “I killed your father, I am sorry but he didn't treat me well, tried in every way to kill me.”

He soon left his wife and went with Kwikwis to his own home and he was glad to get there.

37. KUMUC AND AISIS Persons. Hweaks A green headed duck Klitis Mud hen Watsaga Dog Stoqwa Tcikas Wren Wekeak Butterfly Tcehlis Porcupine

An old woman had a daughter, who married and had two children, a boy and a girl. The mother died and the grandmother took care of the children. They grew large very quickly. One day both felt badly and wanted to go somewhere. The children were born five miles East of Yainaks. They set out secretly, they got married to each other while they traveled. The grandmother hunted for them but didn't know where they had gone, for they went into the ground and traveled to the east. At last she found tracks. The young man had killed a bear on the road and had left the skin, the old woman took the skin, put it on and became a bear. She followed till she came to where her children were and found they had a baby. The old woman asked “What did you do when this child was born?” “Oh I traveled five days and nights around lakes.” “Did you touch everything?” “Yes.” “Did you touch a mole hill?” “ No, I did not touch that, that is of no account.” “It is “ said the bear, “of great account, you should have touched everything.” She scolded him terribly, he ran and the bear ran after him. They ran a whole day. The man stopped at a mole hill where he fell down. The bear caught and killed him. Then she went back to the place where the woman and child were and said, “Give me water I'm dry. Are you crying?” “No I'm sweating.” The bear kept drinking, drank a great deal, while she was drinking the young woman threw a hot rock up into her body. The bear began to feel sick, she lay down and wanted the woman to put something heavy on her stomach. The woman stood on her and the hot stones burnt up the entrails of the bear and she died. Now the woman made up a big fire, she took the baby on her back and was going to jump into the fire with it. Kumuc was outside at the time, splitting wood with a stone wedge, he watched, caught up a stone, threw it, knocked the baby off, the mother was burned up. Kumuc put the baby in his forehead, but it troubled his head, he took it out, put it in just below his knee, then he went homes and told his daughter to get something sharp to open the boil on his knee. She said, “What is in your knee, it looks like a baby” He took the baby out and tried to give it a but the baby wouldn't stop crying till he called it Aisis. The boy grew fast and soon was a man. He had six wives, Hweaks, Tuhus, Klitis, Watsage, Stoqua and Teikas.

Aisis lived in the same house with Kumuc, south of Yainaks, on the mountain called Pitcawa. Kumuc took two wives away from Aisis, Hweaks and Stoqua. Aisis didn't do anything about it. Kumuc to get rid of Aisis said there is an eagle's nest full of eggs in a tree out there. Aisis went to the tree, took off his clothes and climbed, the tree kept growing at Kumuc's command, he wanted to get Aisis wives. The tree went up to the sky. Klitis was crying all the time because Aisis had gone up in the tree. Kumuc got all Aisis clothes which he left at the foot of the tree, put them on, looked just like Aisis, went home and said, “Kumuc has gone away somewhere. Now Wan went of gambling with Kumuc.” At the foot ball game all found out it wasn't Aisis. [copied as written] Two Wekwak sisters were around the tree and saw Aisis up there. They got a basket,went up, put Aisis in, came down and carried him home. No one was there, Kumuc had some of the women, the others had gone away for roots. Aisis married the two sisters. Aisis was sick and while he was sic, Tcehlis came and danced around him and made sport of him. These Tcehlis people came once every day. When they came on the morning of the fifth day Aisis took a club, struck at them once and killed them all; there were five brothers he made beads of their quills by just thinking, he didn't touch them. His wives were out gathering kamas when he killed the Tcehlis brothers. When they came and asked him “What have you got there?” he told them and said, “Eat of this one I have cooked. The women began to string the beads. Aisis started off to look for Tcikas and his child. He saw her, she had the child on her back, the child knew Aisis was coming but the mother did not. The child said, “Father is coming” the woman slapped the child that was on her back for she thought Aisis dead. Aisis said, “I am here, I am alive.” Aisis went home with Tcikas and his Wekwak wives. Next morning he started to look (?)his other wives, he got them all back and now had eight. Kumuc while gambling that the women were gone but he found that Aisis was back and went to his house. Tsikas' son was running around inside the house. Aisis said to the boy “Kumuc has Keiks, a small ball he always wears around his neck, when he comes you play with him, get the ball and throw it into the fire. Kumuc came in, the boy began to play with him, snatched the ball and threw it into the fire. Kumuc jumped into the fire after it, Aisis stood with poles and kept pushing him in, Kumuc was burned to ashes, the ball burst, the pieces flew up out of the smoke hole and Kumuc was alive again, but went up into the air, the ball was his life or spirit, Kumuc came down after awhile and went East and lived at Kumuchamwas, between Klamath Lake and Yainaks.

38. STIWAS (GNAT) PEOPLE AND NAUNAUWEAS (MOSQUITO) PEOPLE Persons Stiwis Gnats Naunauweas Mosquitos Kiuks Doctor Utususas

The Stiwas people make a great noise but are very small, they always live in the air. Once the Stiwas were gambling with the Naunauweas people. Stiwis won a great deal. When they had gambled two days Bliwas and many chief men came from the East to see the play. They brought Utususas with them.

About evening Stiwis and the Naunauweas, would always wrestle with each other after they had finished gambling. Bliwas said to Utususas “You must not make trouble.”

As soon as got in sight Utususas said, “Such little fellows making such a noise.” Bliwas stopped him, forbade him to talk in that style. One of the Naunauweas was a great Kiuks, nobody could ever hit him. “Oh” said Utususas “I could kill the whole tribe with one hand.” Some of the people said, “He ought to be punished.” Utususas took a stick and rubbed dirt on the Stiwas, one of the Stiwas went to Bliwas and asked “Did you tell Utususas to do this?” “No” replied Bliwas, “Let your people shoot Utususas with arrows.” Next morning when they were going to gamble they had red paint mixed up in their hands Utususas put dirt with the paint in each man's hands, marked their faces with his fingers, took up the gambling plate and threw it out the door and tried to break their gambling sticks. Bliwas was very angry with him.

One man got the plate and began to gamble. Utususas got it again, filled it with his own urine and put it in their hands. The Stiwas people were very angry now, one of them took a big arrow and shot him in the belly, burst him. Utususas called out “Were are my brothers?” All his intestines came out, he tried to hold them in with his hands. Now all the people from the East flew up and went home. The two tribes of gamblers scattered. Bliwas was afraid the Stiwas people would come to fight. The Stiwas were afraid of Bliwas.

An old Stiwas woman said to Ustususas as he was dying “You will belong to this place, in later times you will be of use to people, I hope you won't torment them.

39. THE FIVE LALAK BROTHERS

A little boy and his old grandmother lived by themselves. The boy had a small wooden mallet that his grandmother made him, all his relatives were dead except this old woman.

Near Iukak lived the five Lalak brothers (geese). Now the eldest of these brothers started out to go East. This little boy saw him coming and said, “I”m glad he is coming, I'll kill him. Give me my mallet Grandmother.” He took the mallet on his back and went out. Lalak came near the house. The boy said, “Your house is burning, look back and see.” “Oh, that's nothing, some children have built a fire to cook clams.” “No children could make such a big fire as that, look and see it.” Lalak looked, that minute the boy struck and killed him and took him to his Grandmother. “Oh” said she, “that is why I made you grow fast. I wanted you to feed me.” She skinned Lalak and hung the skin up to dry.

Four of Lalak's brothers came and were killed in the same way. Now the fifth and youngest came, he had four eyes, two in front and two in back of his head. This was the fifth morning, as he came the boy asked “Why does your house burn?” “Oh, that's nothing.” “Look and see.” He looked, nothing was burning. The caught his mallet but Lalak turned quickly and said, “I see you. Is that the way you have killed all my brothers?” He snatched the mallet, caught the boy, tore him to pieces and threw the pieces onto the house top. The old woman saw an arm and said, “This looks like my grandson's arm.” she didn't go out but Lalak came and killed her. He took the geese that were hanging up to dry, carried them home, boiled them at night in a basket and all came to life before daylight next morning.

40. TCHELIS (PORCUPINE) KILLS AN ELK AND IS ROBBED OF IT BY WUS

There was a man, Tcehlis who started to travel on his journey he came to a deep river and didn't know how to cross. He followed the river up and down but could find no crossing. He looked at the water and saw with wonder how deep it was. He sat there two or three days and couldn't cross. Now a great drove of elk came to the water to drink, there was a buck that always went behind the rest. After all the others had gone he waited and said to Tcehlis “Why do you sit here why don't you try to cross?”

“Oh I never could cross.” “ Get on my back and I'll take you across” said Wan (Elk). “No I'd wash off.” “Sit behind my horns.” “No, you might move your horns around and drop me.” “Sit on my neck.” “No I'd fall off.” “Well creep into my ear.” “No you might shake your head and throw me out.” “Creep into my nose.” “No you might want to blow your nose and blow me out.”

“I pity you” said Wan “because you sit here looking at the water. Hurry now for all my people have left me, see they are nearly across the river. Couldn't you crawl into my mouth?”

“No, you might chew me up.” “Well creep in at the hole behind.” “All right.” Tchelis crept in and sat down right by Wan's heart. He took his bow and arrows (his arrows were porcupine quills) and as soon as Wan reached the other side he shot and killed him, then he came out by the same way he had entered and went to look for an obsidian knife, as he hunted he kept saying “Oh I have nothing to cut up the elk with, I've nothing to scrape my arrows with.” He mixed up his words so one couldn't know what he was saying. Wus was near listening and said, “I wonder what that man is saying and he stuck his ear out that way. “He never fools, what can he mean.” Wus came a little nearer and heard the same words, he scratched his head and said, “I wish it might be so but I will listen a little longer.” He heard the same words again then he went up to Tchelis and asked “What did you say old man?” “I said that I have nothing to scrape my arrows with.” “No you didn't say that, you said you had nothing to skin your elk with.” Wus showed his knife and said, “I will lend you this if you will tell me where you have your elk.” At last after much teasing he confessed and they went to the elk. Wus said, “How could you kill it. Let us jump over the elk, whoever jumps over best will have it.” Tchelis agreed. He jumped, hit on top of the elk and fell back. Wus ran and did the same thing, he said, “I am sure you will beat.” Tchelis tried again with the same result. This time Wus cleared the elk and said, “The elk is mine.” “Give me the heart “ said Tchelis. “No” replied Wus, “this elk is mine. If you make me mad I'll punish you.” Then Tchelis asked for some of the fat. Wus got angry and drove him away, jumped on him, took a stone and pounded him until he lay as though dead, Wus cut up the meat and said, “This is for my mother, this is for my children, this is for myself.” He put the meat on his back and was about to start for home when Tchelis began to move. He took a stone and killed him. Then Wus took off his hat which was a little round one full of holes, put it down by the meat and said, “My hat if that man moves shout after me.” Wus started off with his load, soon Tchelis moved a little. The hat called “He is alive.” Wus came and mashed him all up. Told the hat “Shout if he moves or he will eat the meat.” Wus had gone but a short distance when the hat called again. Wus came and said, “I wonder what kind of man he is, he killed him again and ran off. He was beyond the hill when Tchelis came to life and said, “I will see to you old hat,” he jumped at it, tore it to pieces and “I never heard this kind of talk before.”

Tchelis now carried the meat up into a high tree, built a fire and began cooking it.

Next day Wus came, missed his meat, saw Tchelis and begged him to throw down some of it for he was hungry. He had brought all his children with him. Tchelis said, “If you will all stand under the tree, close your eyes and hold your heads down I will throw you some. He threw a large back bone and killed everyone of them. Then he said, “As long as this world stands you will not be able to take anything unless by stealing. Wus spirit answered “You too will never have an easy time killing game in this world. You will not be a person any longer and you will live on the grass.”

41. MAIDIKDAK'S AND THE YOUNGEST OF FIVE BROTHERS

Two Maidikdak girls and their mother lived in the South. The old woman knew that five great brothers lived in the North with their father who always stayed at home. She wished her daughters to marry the youngest of the brothers and said, “ Between our place and the house of the five brothers is Wus's house and when you pass Wus's house you must go to the west of it.” She helped to prepare the girls for the road, filled one basket with food and another with costly beads. One carried the roots and the other the beads. Their mother said, “If you see a man coming from the East you may know it is Wus and you must not stop, he is a powerful man and can do almost anything he pleases, can turn you to almost anything.” They started and when they came to Wus's house the younger said to the elder sister “You must not go on the eastern side, Mother said so.” But the elder sister went on the eastern side. The younger sister said, “You are wrong, you are always forgetting” she was afraid and looking around. Presently they saw a man coming towards them. While they looked he said to himself “What beautiful women they are.” He came right before them “Oh don't stop” said the younger sister, “don't stop.” But the elder sister stopped, and the young went on a little way then she too halted. Wus asked “Where are you going?” The elder said, “To the chief's house.” “What chief is there out that way, I am the only chief. I'm the chief of the world.”

“Oh no, our Mother told us that there was a bad young man here named Wus, that he has a bad odor.”

“Oh, he isn't bad, he can do anything in the world” answered the man. “Well, we are going to the chief's house.” “Go on if you like.” They started, he watched them till he could barely see them. They had become old women, their backs all humped, their hair gray, no teeth, all shriveled up. Their beautiful clothes were turned to straw, their twisted strings of beads became twisted bark, their baskets which were beautiful and embroidered with porcupine quills when they left home were now old and broken, the roots turned to mere skins of roots. They themselves could scarcely see from old age, could barely move along. The younger sister said, “Now we are in trouble, you see what has become of us from not obeying our Mother who knows more than we do.” At last they reached the house of the five brothers, outside the house was a plenty of deer meat. The father of the five brothers was at home, he didn't know what to give the old women to eat. Then he roasted liver and cut it up fine, old peoples food, for them. The elder sister said, “I wonder why he gives us such stuff.” their minds were not old, only their bodies. They couldn't eat, didn't like liver. They were tired and lay down to sleep. While they were sleeping the five brothers came back, the youngest lived with his father, the other four lived near by in another house. The youngest brother looked at the girls while they were asleep. He knew who had made them old. “Have you given them anything to eat ?” he asked. “Yes” said the father “I gave them food long ago.” “You must give them more.” “If I give them meat how can they eat?”

The two young women heard every word the old man said, they got no more food. When evening came they both crept up and lay near the young man. About midnight they turned to beautiful young women. In the morning when the two woke up they were old again, full of lice.

The old man was angry and said, “See what a nice young man my son is to sit by those old women, their lice will crawl onto him.”

They could hear the old man's thoughts. Early in the morning the two old women got up and the young said, “Let us go and wash our faces.” After they had washed she said, “Let us swim”, but the elder replied “ Oh it is too early to swim there are people around here they might see us.” But they took off the beaded strings from their hair and their beaded moccasins which were now turned to old things and bathed in the running water, they turned again to beautiful girls, their hair floated on the water and their old rags became fine clothes. As they swam they laughed and talked to each other and said, “We didn't eat the liver, did we.” The young man heard this and he said to his father “Hear them talk, you fed them liver. Did you think they were old women ? I knew Wus did it.” The girls dived up and down in the water, constantly changing till they became green headed ducks. The young man cried and felt bad Every time they dived they said to each other “Didn't we eat liver?”

“ They know every thought you have” said the young man to his father. The water ran towards their home and on the river they went towards their mother's house. The old woman, their moth, heard them coming and said, “There you never can mind me when I tell you anything, you have disobeyed me.” They floated around the old woman's house, she said, “I told you about that man, if I hadn't told you it would have been my fault, now it is yours.” For a long time the mother couldn't catch them then she went under the water and got hold of their legs, she pulled off their feathers and turned them into girls as they were before. Next morning the young man said to his father “I wonder how those women went away and left all their beautiful clothes.” He set out for their mother's house and when he came the two girls had gone for wood. The old woman saw him sitting on the house top and asked “Who are you?” “I am one of the five chiefs answered he. “Well come in.” “Where are your daughters?” “They will be here soon.” The girls came and were glad to see their husband.

42. THE BOY AND THE SKOKS (SPIRIT)

On the shore of Tule Lake near the Lava Beds there were many chiefs living together, people of this first time. There was an old woman who had a grandson with a great stomach and people would always rap his stomach with their fingers.

Utususas was there and he always laughed at him, used to take dirt and rub it on him.

About evening every day in winter a Skoks used to go along the eastern side of the lake. This Skoks was dressed in straw and he always made a great noise crying as he went. He disappeared the moment a person saw him but if he passed a man on the right side that man would die instantly, the Skoks would steal his life away, but if this Skoks passed on the left side the person would be senseless awhile and then recover. One evening the people heard this Skoks coming, they heard him at a great distance. The people ran into a crowd, each trying to escape wanted to be in the middle. Utususas wanted to be under all the rest, they would pull him up and throw him out but he would crawl under again. Every time the Skoks screamed it sounded as though he called through a lot of dry grass. The people shivered when they heard him. Whenever he came it was cold; the old people would try to make a fire out of dry grass but it would go out, wouldn't burn.

The old woman had taken the hull of some seeds and made a fire for the little boy, she cried while making the fire and said, “My grandson the people are going to be destroyed, the chiefs and all.” The little boy seemed to think nothing about it. He got up and stood around. She said “Sit down my grandson, you must not stand if you meet this Skoks you are sure to die.” The old woman kept throwing ashes toward the voice of the Skoks. The little boy begged his grandmother to tie a skin around him and roll him up so he could go and meet the Skoks.

“Oh my grandchild, what could you do? You have no power” said the old woman but a last she got a buckskin robe and tied it around him. She said, “Don't you give your right shoulder, give your left shoulder. He will try to make you go to the other side but don't you go.” The boy started. Every time Skoks shouted the effect was like throwing ice into the house and Utususas would scream “Oh let me go under”, but they would not pull him out. [copied as written]

The old grandmother followed the little boy a short distance and asked him if he had anything in his hand, she said, “ I think that Skoks wants to take the lives of all the people so you must take some of your ordure in your hand and dart at him if he tries to go on your right side. Pretty soon he came in sight of the boy, his head reached the sky, he looked as though he was carrying a load of clouds, he was mixed white and gray all over, one side was painted white the other side dark. He came very fast, the boy could scarcely get passed on the left side, he worked very hard, he would push into Skoks and the Skoks would dart. At last both the Skoks and boy fell and their bodies turned to rock, their spirits went out of the rocks. The boy was holding up the ordure in his hand and that was turned to rock.

After the sun rose next morning the boy's spirit went home. The old grandmother was feeling very uneasy, all the family were asleep except the grandmother. When the boy returned he was a large young man wearing a panther skin blanket, he was very tall, the blanket came down to his feet. Utususas woke up and said, “I am sorry he got that blanket.”

After a person meets Skoks people know it for they look very strange, they lose their old body. He went to his grandmother's later in the day Blaiwas came and asked him to come to his house for his grandmother's house was too small but he refused. He said, “My grandmother has reared me and I will stay with her. It was warm as soon as the young man came in the morning, fire was burning everywhere.

The young man told his people to make a small house for him near his grandmother's house. He was chief now. Next day the people went deer hunting, they brought home many deer.

After this two men went far north to visit. One of them got killed, the other came home. The people asked the young man if it would be right to demand pay for the man's life and he said, “Yes and if the people refuse to pan let me know.” A great many got ready and went to demand pay. The party that killed the man counciled for five days, then the brother of the murdered man asked “Don't you want to pay for my brother?” They refused. A messenger was sent to the young chief. The chief took a long obsidian knife and started with those who had come for him. When nearly at the place he said, “Don't be frightened, the spirit Skoks is getting angry, and is about ready to move.” The Skoks was the chief's medicine now. When the chief came to the other people they said, “We are men and not women we are not afraid of you.” The brother of the man who had been killed said, “I don't want to fight but you must pay or I will die right here for my brother.”

All were ready now to fight. The chief said to his people “As soon as I shout you must all lie down, just fall on the ground.”

Then he began to shout like Skoks and all his people fell; on the other side they were terribly frightened and were freezing to death. The man who had killed the other lost his mind and rushed at the chief, but the chief cut him to pieces with his long obsidian knife.

The chief could see the Skoks plainly but no one else could. (The Skoks gave up his power to the boy when he was conquered.) The chief killed a great many. The enemy were so cold they could not run and he hewed them to pieces with his obsidian knife. Some were saved because they begged and said they were not of the party that killed the man.

43. BLAIWAS AND HIS WIVES

Blaiwas (Eagle) lived with his two sisters, they were his wives. A great many people were digging kamas, both of these sisters were out digging with them. Now both sisters hated to be Blaiwas wives. The elder sister had a little boy. They didn't dig much but both sat down and cried. A little way off they saw a tree, they hung the baby on the tree and went home to their father's house, which was in the South, leaving the baby. The other women saw them when they went to the tree.

In the evening all the people went home. Blaiwas asked “Where are my wives?” The women said we saw them under the big tree on the flat. Blaiwas went there with the people, found the baby crying. He took it home gave beads to the women to nurse it, the child grew very fast and soon became a young man.

Blaiwas never went for his wives, but when his son was grown up he sent him saying “If your mothers try to fool with you, you say “I am your son the one you left on the tree.” He went to his grandfather's where his mothers were living, sat down in the house, they didn't know him, gave him something to eat then began to fool with him. He said, “I ma your son, the one you left on a tree.” They stopped and looked at him. He had brought chalk, he chewed it and sprinkled it on his mother's heads. They began to scratch their heads they itched so, and both died because their heads itched so badly. He returned home and remained there. He killed his mothers because they left him when a baby.

44. TCACKAI KILLED BY SOKAMTS AND BROUGHT TO LIFE BY SKEL

Skel had two wives, Skole and Skouks, (Lark and Wood tick). He lived near Sokamts (Old Crane) who had five sons in the house with him over at Dokwa. One morning when Sokamts was away from home Tcackai killed his five sons and took them to Skels.

When Sokamts returned he found the body of his youngest son, it was so small that Tcackai left it where it was. Sokamts knew that Tcackai must have killed his children and he made a great canoe out of the same wood from which fire-drills were made. Tcackai wanted to look out at the top of the house all the time, Skel made his feel that way. Sokamts saw him looking and hurried with the canoe, he did not wait to dig it all out, but made a place large enough to sit in. Then he crawled in and sailed away on the lake over to Gombat. When he reached Gombat he had great horns on his head like the horns of an elk. He had none before he had just made these to come by thinking. Tcackai looked out from Skels house top and saw Sokamts on the lake with great branching antlers sticking up from the water. Skel knew that Sokamts had made himself antlers, though he didn't look out. “Stay in the house” said he to Tcackai, “don't keep running up to look out.”

Tcackai had a Wus blanket on, leaving his blanket and tail so Skel would think he was on the house top, he ran off towards the to cut off the head with antlers. Tcackai made one jump to the middle of the lake and came down on Somamts' head right between the horns. Sokamts sailed off to the other side of the lake beyond Gombat. Many people were living there, some of whom were friends of Sokmats. He took Tcackai to a house killed him and hung him up over a fire to dry.

Skel covered himself with pitch and went to the other side of the lake in a canoe to look for his brother. He went out on land as an old woman, saw a man getting wood and asked “Why do you get so much wood?” “Because” answered the man, “we killed Skel's brother yesterday, we are going to smoke him now.”

“I am very glad that you have killed him” said the old woman, “he killed my two daughters, I always wanted somebody to kill him. I'll help you get wood.” and the old woman began to gather pitch pine. When the man got home he said, “I saw an old woman who is glad that we killed Tcackai.” They made a great fire. The old woman came with her bundle and threw the pitch pine on the fire. It smoked terribly, they couldn't see the old woman the house was so full of smoke. Skel then took Tcackai down, the moment he touched him he came to life. Skel slipped out of the house and ran away with his brother.

Skel now took Tcackai to live by the lake. While there Tcackai saw a great fish by the shore. He ran in and said, “I saw a great fish with his back above the water, I want to kill it.” “That isn't a fish” said Skel, “you had better keep away.” “It is a fish,” said Tcackai, “It is not a man. I'm fish hungry.” so he ran off and speared the fish in the neck. It floated up towards shore, Tcackai jumped onto its back to pull the spear out, then the fish swam quickly with Tcackai on its back to the end of the lake, got out of the water, became a man, killed Tcackai and ran off with him far away to the south of Yulalona.

Everybody heard that this man had killed Skel's brother, and many people came to his house. They skinned Tcackai and hung his body on a long pole outside the house, and when the wind blew the body of Tcackai swayed back and forth.

Skel put on pitch, turned himself into a miserable old woman and started off to seek his brother. He met a man who asked “Where are you going old woman?” “I'm going to were the people have killed Skel's brother. I am so glad he is killed.” “ You ought not to go so far you are too old, it is a long way off.” “Oh I can camp along the way,” said the old woman, “I'll get there sometime.” When the old woman came to the place she saw some of the people and asked “Where is Skel's brother? Let me go near him, he killed all my people I have come here because I heard that you killed him and I am glad.” The old woman could scarcely walk she fell down every other step, people were very sorry for her, she was so weak and old. They said, “Tomorrow we are going to make a football of Sekl's brother and everybody can play with it.” “I'll give it two or three kicks” said the old woman, “that is what I came for.”

Next morning they cut up Tcackai's flesh, stuffed it into his skin and made a ball of the flesh and skin and went out into the field to play, a party on each side. The old woman wanted to play too but the people said “Oh no you'd get hurt in the crowd, but she tried and by degrees she began to run faster and faster, at last caught the ball in the middle, between the two parties. This she did four times, beating everybody. The fifth time she took the ball and ran off with it some distance, and drawing out Skel's flint knife slashed the ground, immediately there was a great deep river. The people screamed and shouted “The old woman has taken our ball, the old woman has taken our ball.” When they saw how fast she ran they knew she was Skel. They followed till they came to the deep river, then turned back.

Skel came home to Euks bringing Tcackai with him.

45. GAK AND MUGAS (OWL)

Once there was a young woman, Gak and Mugas who were great enemies, wanted to marry her. One evening both came to the house and stood outside, one on one side of the house, the other on the other side. Mugas called to the woman “If you will marry me I'll get plenty of fresh salmon and every kind of fish for you.”

“Don't you answer” said Gak, “Mugas is of no consequence, he only hunts fish nights with his eyes. If you marry me I'll feed you on deer fat, I kill many deer.”

“Don't believe that fellow” said Mugas, “he has no home, he eats everything he can find, snakes, frogs and such things.”

The woman made no answer.

“Don't pay any attention to him” said Gak, “he is lazy, sleeps in daylight and steals at night. Night isn't the time to eat.”

The woman listened to what they said but didn't answer a word. “Everybody knows what kind of man Gak is” continued Mugas, “if he gets mad at you, then he'll turn you to stone.”

“Don't believe him” said Gak, “he is a wretch. He sings at night “People die, people die” and then though you are not sick you will die.”

“Gak lies” said Mugas, “he isn't a rich man he has nothing, whoever travels around he goes and eats what they throw away.”

Then Gak said, “None of your relatives will visit you if you marry Mugas for he goes out nights and makes a great noise, people like to sleep at night.”

Mugas got angry and said to the woman “You'll not be a person any longer if you marry that fellow, he will laugh at you and you will turn to stone, he is nobody's relative, he is always alone.”

A number of people hearing the scolding of Gak and Mugas gathered around and drove them away.

The woman didn't marry either. She lived near Saddle Mountain.

46. SWAIA RUNS WITH THE PEOPLE

Swaia (a kind of deer) was a boy and when old enough he married Maidikdaks' (now a black duck) two daughters. A great many people lived at Maidikdaks place. Swaia came in the evening and married the girls. Next day all the people came and said, “We want to see what kind of a man this young husband is, we hear he can fun fast we want to try him.” Some of the people went into the house others stayed outside. Those who went in said, “We hear your name is Swaia, that you run very fast we want to try you.”

He said, “I can't run fast I'm old . I look old as you see.” He seemed quite old, his back was bent and he was infirm in appearance.

Now there were five Skunk brothers who had one unmarried sister at home, they said, “We can't beat him.” All the people started among them were Heihai, Bep, Sloa, Wan, Kolt, Wanpet, Giuwas, Tseu, Lilhanks, Bakols, Wies, Kols, Moi, Wusla, Wus, Keutsis, Tsihlas, Msas, Klipa. They started two and two but soon got mixed, they ran to a starting post in the South and then the race was back to Maidikdaks house.

At the strarting post Swaia was old and poor and soon dropped behind but when part of the way he changed himself into a beautiful blue person and rushed ahead, ran over Skunks and arrived first the became old and ugly. When the people arrived, Skunks were still far behind, they said to Swaia “You beat us.” They started home, they liked him. They went home dug roots and prepared to move to another place, while doing this they told Skunks sister “You had better go and carry water to your brothers they are far behind, the last of all and are killing themselves running.” She hurried off, when she came to them they asked “Whom are you taking that water to?” “To you” “We don't want any water we are far ahead, take it to the young husband.” “Why ,” said the sister, “ the people are all ahead.” “Oh no,” said the brothers, “we came on first, they are all behind, you'll find them.”

“Oh you good-for-nothing liars, the people have already gone home and moved away we are all alone.” she spilled the water and left them. Swaia went hunting next day before daylight killed five deer at a shot, all the people came and took what they wanted, there was enough for everybody.

Swaia always remained beautiful and lived with his wife.

47. TSASAS (SKUNK) MARRIES A WOMAN AGAINST HER WILL

Persons: Tsasas Skunk Blaiwas Eagle

Tsasas and his mother lived in a house and nearby a girl lived alone. One day the old woman said to her son “You must get up early and hunt rabbits.” “All right.” he passed by the house where the girl was and saw her making a basket. She called out “Oh why do you come past here, you make such a stench, go somewhere else.”

About night he had a lot of rabbits carrying them home on his back. There was some snow that day. As he passed the house the girl was angry and said, “I wish Tsasas would go somewhere else, there is more than one road, I almost vomit when he passes.”

As soon as Tsasas got home he said, “Get rabbits, pull the skins off, roast the meat and carry it to the girl.”The mother roasted the meat, filled a basket and started. The girl looked out, smelled her and said, “Go back don't you dare bring that in here.”

Tsasas's mother went home but she left the basket outside, she was afraid of her son. She scratched her arms all up then went in and said “See how glad that girl was to get the rabbits, see how she scratched me she was so eager.” Tsasas was delighted.

The old woman said, “It is bed time you would better go over to the girl. I think you'd better stay with her.” He went but the girl drove him off, he couldn't get near her house but he didn't let his mother know of this, he stayed out all night, told his mother that he got up late. “Why are you wet?” asked the old woman. “Oh” the girl didn't want to sleep in the house she made me sleep outdoors with her.” The old woman said “Didn't I tell you to get up early and go for rabbits?” “I couldn't help being late, I was detained she likes me so well.”

The old woman said, “You must come early so I can cook the rabbits for her.” “Yes, I will come,” said he and ran off. The girl scolded again as he went past.

“Skin these quickly,” said Tsasas when he got home. “You must help me,” replied his mother “the ashes are hot I have had a big fire all day.” The girl smelt the old woman coming and drove her back.

She had dug a hole near the house, she returned and put the rabbits into the hole, then went into the house with her arms scratched and said, “See how glad she was.” Tsasas laughed and asked “Why don't she come and stay with me here?”

When bed time came the old woman said, “You had better go and sleep with the girl but come home early.” Tsasas said, “I can't, she just keeps hold of me, I can't come early.”

The girl smelt him coming, she scolded and drove him back and she put a wall around her house to keep him away.

Tsasas went home next morning and again the old woman asked “Why do you come home so wet?” “Oh” said he, “she will sleep outdoors. The old woman sent him again for rabbits. The young woman was going to leave the place she was tired of Tsasas. That morn when he passed by he thought “I may go into the house and stay with her tonight,” she knew what he thought, left the house and ran away, went to Blaiwas's place to marry Blaiwas. Tsasas's mother knew she was gone. When Tsasas came in the evening she was pounding seeds very fine and nice. He said, “Cook some of the rabbits I will go and stay with her tonight, you won't feel lonesome will you?” “Oh you needn't stay, bring her home with you.” and his mother asked “Don't you see what you are eating?”

“”Yes, did you pound this?” “No you have never seen any so fine, that young woman made it.” Tsasas laughed he was so glad that he was going to have so nice a wife. “She was here today, and visited me, has just gone home.”

Tsasas laughed and laughed he was so glad. He said, “I will go and stay with her tonight.” The old woman said, “No you bring her here.” “Well I will.”

He went off to the house, found it all shut up and came home very mad, he scolded his mother who said, “I didn't know that she was away.” Tsasas said, “I will follow her, she can't go far and he did follow her. She had already got to Blaiwas's house, there were five brothers they saw Tsasas coming and one said, “We'd better tell that woman to go back, but another brother said, “Let him come I am not afraid.” Tsasas stood outside a long time he was too mad to go in. Some of the men said, “We had better give back the woman he will do something to us if we don't. The others said “Let him come in if he wants the woman, why does he stand around out there?” Some of the people said, “Why don't you go in?” Tsasas went in, he was terribly angry and said to the woman “What right have you, you are my wife.” Her husband said, “You would better go with Tsasas if he is your husband. I thought you were a young girl, that is why I took you.” “I never had anything to do with Tsasas” said she “he isn't my husband.” Tsasas said, “Don't you know you are in the family way you have no business here, come home with me.” Blaiwas said to Tsasas turn your back to me if you want the woman. He turned his back, Blaiwas shot and killed him.

Soon after Blaiwas's wife had a whole lot of little Tsasas children. She had never been with Tsasas but he had willed that she should be pregnant, she killed them all.

Now some of the Tsasas dreamed that their chief was killed and five men set out to find out if that was so. They came to Blaiwas's house and saw the dead body of their chief. They began war on the Blaiwas people, they fought a long time. Some of the people were afraid and said, “We would better give up the woman and they gave her up and gave some of the Tsasas men Blaiwas women for wives. This woman cried all the way home. They brought their chief to life and he had the woman for wife, he scolded her and threatened to kill her but when they got home he was kinder and she lived with him ever after.

48. SKEL AND TCACKAI GO TO THE HOUSE OF THE NORTH WIND, GET HIS HAT AND KILL THE FOUR LIMAS BROTHERS

Persons: Skel Mink Tcackai Weasel Gak Raven Kaiutsia Gray Wolf Took Black bird Limaas Thunder Kalaiwa Squirrel Kakalsukas

Skel lived at his house at Yamsa. One day he told Tcackai to go East to Yainaks, where many women were digging kamas and get two basket hats, the hats of the two women who had one eye each. Tcackai went but he took the hats of all the women there, a great crowd of them. They all followed him to get their hats. All came to Yamsa. Skel was angry and told Tcackai to give back all but the hats of the one eyed women.

Tcackai obeyed. Skel took one of the wome for a wife, Tcackai took the other. Very soon each of these women had a son. The boys grew fast, were soon able to go out hunt squirrel. One day Tcackai gave his son a flint arrow point and said, “When you are out in the woods shoot and kill Skel's boy.” Skel knew what Tcackai told his son. He made a flint arrow point for his son and told him to kill Tcackai's boy.

In the morning the boys started off to hunt. Tcackai's boy shot first, then Skel's boy shot, both boys fell to the ground dead.

Tcackai found the boys dead, went home and quarreled with Skel said, “Why did you make a flint point for your boy?” Skel said, “You made a point for your boy first.” They made a fire and burned the two bodies. Then they parted. Tcackai went North. Skel went South. They were going to the end of the world where the Winds come up through holes, they were going to stop the holes so the Winds couldn't get out of their houses. Skel came where the openings were in South Winds house, and tried to stop them with grass, but they were many and deep, he couldn't fill them all. Neither could Tcackai fill the openings in North Winds house, when he tried to fill them North Wind would come out and freeze him and he would die, but he would come to life again. At last both gave up and came home to Yamsi. Tcackai told Skel how North Wind killed him. Skel said, “I couldn't make South Wind stop either.”

Now both brothers went north determined to stop the North Wind . Skel had an obsidian knife which he always carried on his back. When they got to the openings Skel hid. Now North Wind always wore a hat,this hat came out first, as soon as it appeared Tcackai died. Skel jumped out quickly, cut the head off, took the hat and head and put them on his own head then he and Tcackai came back home. After a time Skel and Tcackai went to Yeqwi (a mountain) the house of the five Limaas (Thunder) brothers, six miles south of Yainaks. When Skel and Tcackai came the five brothers were off hunting people to eat. Skel put the head on. Both entered the house and waited for the five brothers to come. Limaas, the father, an old man lived outside in another house.

After a time the eldest brother came and his father said, “Some one is in the house I don't know who he is, but he is stronger than you.” “Oh” Said the young man “I can go in, no man is stronger than I am.” There was a ladder through the top of the house from the floor. He went down one step and jumped back, nearly froze to death. The second brother came, they told him. He said, “Nothing is stronger than I am.” He took two steps down. The third brother made three and the fourth four steps. The fifth and strongest made five steps. All ran out, none could stand the terrible cold inside.

Tooks and Gak were inside the house with Tcackai, were in a warm corner, Kaiutsis, cousin of Skel was there too. He lived with the Limaas, he was their cousin also. The Limaas brothers had brought many people to eat. When all were driven out, Skel being stronger than any of them, he took off the hat and sent Kaiutais to tell the Limaas brothers to come in. It was almost night, all the frost and cold disappeared the moment Skel took of North Winds hat. The brothers came and began to cook the men they had brought, boiled them in baskets with hot stones.

Kaiutsis cooked venison, that was his food. When the Limaas brothers had finished cooking they gave the others some of their food, Skel took his knife, made a hole in the ground where he sat, he ate, the flesh came of him immediately and went into the hole. Tooks and Gak ate the meat but Tcackai didn't eat anything. Kaiutais gave some of his meat and all ate. When they had eaten all lay down. Skel put round flint stones on Tooks eyes, so they would shine all night and deceive the Limaas, made them think he was awake. The Limaas were awake all night waiting for Took to fall asleep so they could kill Skel. Near daylight the five brothers went to sleep, then Skel got up and told Kalaiwa to get pitch and dry grass and put around inside the house so they could burn it. They made a hole for Kaiutsis to get out, Kalaiwa ran around inside and tied the Limaas brothers by the hair, each of the five brothers had a flint knife which he held always in his hand, held it while asleep. The house was closed and fire set to it. The brothers woke up thought Skel was inside and began to strike everywhere with their knives. They killed each other. The house burnt down. Skel stood outside watching for the hearts of the brothers to burst. Skel had an obsidian knife. As each heart burst the spirit flew out. Skel drove it back with his knife. The youngest of the five brothers had two hearts or lives. Skel drove back five hearts but he knew there was another yet and he stood waiting for it. But Tcackai teased him to let him have the knife and drive the sixth one back. Skel gave it to him at last, he missed the spirit and it went up in the air. Gak went after it but he couldn't catch it, it went so high. Skel said, “Well you shall hereafter stay up there, you shall no longer be a man and kill people, but you shall always stay up in the air.” Skel and Tcackai came home to their house bringing the hat, Skel didn't dare to wear it for fear of killing everybody.

Gak had a sister married to a one-eyed man, she lived on the road and Gak stopped to see her. He stayed one night. At daylight his brother-in-law, Kakalsukas, made his house open and shut at the top, made it keep opening and closing to kill Gak. Gak had five small arrows, he shot one up through the hole to see if the arrow would be broken by the house, the house closed at the top and broke the arrow. The house moved only at the top, the only opening was at the top. Four of Gaks arrows were broken in this way, he shot the last and strongest one and went with it. The house almost caught him, he felt it close just behing him. As the arrow went out Gak hurried off as fast as he could. The one-eyed man had one arrow he told it to go and kill Gak, he shot it, it went after Gak just as if it had been a person. Gak caught up with Skell and said, “Help me something is coming to kill me.” Skel said, “Go by that pile of rocks, the arrow will come down in the rocks and stop there.” It did and Skel said to Gak “Send the arrow back to the house from which you came and tell it to go into the one-eyed man's eye.” Gak said to the arrow “Go back and go into the man's one eye.” Then he took the arrow and shot it off. The man was inside the house, he said to the arrow “Come inside I cannot go out.” The arrow came, lodged in his one eye and killed him. Gak went back to his sister to bring her home with him now her husband was dead. She said, “You would better kill the girl, she is the same kind as her father. Gak said, “No, I'll take her home to bring water for me.” Gak carried the girl on his back. As they traveled she ate all the flesh off his neck, left only bone. The Gak killed her.

While Skel and Tcackai was on the road home they met a short but very fat man whose name was Tcittcatskuma, he was about three feet high and nine feet broad. They began to wrestle with him, he threw Tcackai and then sat down on him. He always killed people by throwing them and then sitting on them, he ate them by sitting on them, just as if he had swallowed them with his mouth. Skel struck the man many times with his knife, many people came out of him, all skeletons. The two brothers went on, they soon came to a house in which lived two old Kikukseas women. They had a big fire in their house, they killed people by shoving them into the fire with a stick. Gak went to the house first the old women began to put the stick around him to push him into the fire, had nearly succeeded when he snatched on of the sticks and pushed them in saying “That's what you want.” The old women died. After this they had no trouble and got home all right.

49. SWAIAMWEAS KILLS KOE AND BECOMES CHIEF.

Persons: Swaia Deer Koe Frog Tsiwididiks A white bird Swaiamweas Deers son Kutas Wood squirrel Tseus Red Shafted Flicker Komul Pelican Kokdiuks Large flies Kaltcik Spider

Swaia lived on a river in the Warm Springs country, and Koe lived with her. Swaia made a little canoe for her son, Koe took care of the child. One day Koe got into the canoe with the baby and came south, and then went back, she did this several times. But the last time she didn't go back she went far South where many people lived, carried the baby with her, and said it was hers but the people didn't believe her. The boy grew very fast , was soon a man. He began to gamble. He was called Swaiamweas and was a great gambler.

He felt grieved because he didn't know where his mother was. After she had lost her son Swaia hunted everywhere for him. The young man started to look for her and Koe followed him. She said, “ My boy, don't go.” He turned to Koe and said, “Do you go back,” but she wouldn't, he killed her and went on. All the pieces of Koe's body came together, grew to each other, she was alive again, and followed him. Five times he killed her, the fifth time he burned her body; then she was dead really.

The young man traveled on, he had bows, arrows and plenty of beads. On the way he saw Tsiwididiks and shot her in the hand. She said, “Don't kill me I'll tell you good news.” He pulled out the arrow and asked “What will you tell me?” “Well your mother is up in this country, she has been hunting for you every day. Your mother is Swaia, if you see a deer don't shoot , it is your mother.” The young man went on, soon saw a deer, forgetting what Tsiwididiks had told him, he shot and killed his mother. Then he remembered and began to cry, put beads on her body and burned it. After that he went South, people knew he was coming and said “Swaiamweas is coming.” They wanted to kill him as soon as he should come and they were hiding along the road and in the houses, each man had a knife. When Swaiamweas came up he asked “What do you stay here for?” “Oh we want to kill Swaiamweas.” “Well he is coming, you can kill him, but you would better put the knife inside your skin, he will see it.” They put their knives in and all were killed. He reached Williamson River and saw Kutsa there. Kutsa said, “Wrestle with me.” The place where they stood was flat, on the top of rocks. They bet beads. Each had a sack full. “If you throw me,” said Kutsa, “ you will have my beads, if I throw you I'll have yours.”

Kutsa threw Swaiamweas from the high rocks but he turned to a feather as he fell, the wind carried him up, and he was a man again. Kutsa was just opening the beads when Swaiamweas said, “Stop, you have not killed me.” They fought again, this time Kutsa was thrown and killed. Swaiamweas continued his journey, came to the house where Tseus lived. The old man Tseus was out hunting and had left his daughter at home alone. When Swaiamweas entered the house the woman killed him, she was a Kiuks (doctor) and killed him with poison. The father came and asked “Who killed him?” “I did.” “Make him alive again.” She put a tule basket on him, stepped over it five times and he was alive. Swaiamweas was now well and went on till he came to the house of the five Komal brothers, all were blind. Each man had five fish in the house. Swaiamweas entered and took one fish from each man. The five brothers were not at home when he took the fish, they came soon and immediately one said, “One of my fish is gone., then another said, “My fish is gone.” All were very angry and wanted to kill the man who had taken the fish. Swaiamweas hid behind the house. The brothers _______________ terrible wind and frightened him, he was nearly killed and said, “Don't kill me, I'm a relative of yours. If you won't kill me, I'll make eyes for you.” They stopped, he went to work, cut a place in their heads with a stone, then asked “Do you see anything?” “Yes, I see stars.” He made eyes for all. He started off again next morning, soon cme to Kokdink's house where a great many people lived. He wanted to stay all night. At that time these people were all men, Swaiamweas made two of the men into women for them. He traveled all the next day in the evening he came to a house where five Kaltcik brothers lived. They didn't want him to come in, he built a fire outside and killed all of them. He went on, saw four women, two of them digging roots with poles. He was nearly dead now, nothing but skin and bones, for he had traveled a long time. When the women saw him two of them didn't want to touch him he looked so badly but the other two took him home and fed him. He married and lived with them, they were Klamath women. At that time people began to talk about a race. All kinds of persons came to the race. They came to try this new man. The race was a long one. Swaiamweas beat all and was made chief.

50. SOUTH WIND AND NORTH WIND THE WIVES OF WEST WIND

West Winds brother was a young man. West Wind had two wives, South Wind and North Wind. South Wind had a baby, she was always kind and there was nice weather when she was at home.

South Wind wanted to go home one time, so she went and stay a good while, only North Wind was left at West Winds house and all was ice everywhere inside the house.

West Winds youngest brother sat all the time looking towards the south and he said, “I wish my sister-in-law would come, we shall all die before she comes, we shall freeze to death.”

At last she was coming, yet far away, the house began to leak near the fire and as fast as it leaked it dried up. The young man saw her coming and he said, “Oh by best sister-in-law, even if it freezes as rocks she can melt them, she is the most useful woman in the world.” The husband heard his brother, he didn't care but the other wife was very angry. When South Wind came the house was dry and the sun was shining and she gave them to eat all she brought. Now North Wind was mad she took all the white, and yellow and different colored beads and all the precious bones and packed them to take home with her, they were what she had brought to her husband and went home. Once in the year she goes to fight South Wind and in the Spring South Wind conquers her.

51. SKEL AND THE THUNDER BROTHERS

There were five brothers Limas who were man eaters. Every one who came to their house they killed, they went out hunting people and brought them home and ate them. The was married to Skel's sister Skole (Meadow Lark).

One Skel went out and took Gak (Raven), Yamas (North Wind), Djakinks (N.W. Wind)m Yewas (East Wind) Mowas ( South Wind), Tkalmas (West Wind), Gopastes (S.W. Wind) on a visit to Skole. At Limas latsas when they arrived Limas gave them soup of Maklas blood but Skel put a reed through the bodies of his friends so the blood should pass out without effect. Limas had a great dish full of blood. Skel told his friends that it was not right to eat it for it was Indians blood. All ate of the blood which passed through without harm. Limas served them five times, the last time he brought a still larger dish, he held the dish on his little finger. On seeing this Gak thought he would try to do it but broke his hand with the weight of the dish, Skel scolded and putting his little finger under the dish raised it and put it in another place nearer them.

Now Skel and his friends made it so cold that Limas was driven out. All this time four of the brothers were out hunting, they now came home as soon as they were at home the eldest ran out and cried “Lima, Lima, Liam, there is something in the house very strong. The second brother said, “Oh I don't care I can go in.” As soon as old Limas went out Skel with his flint knife made a hole under the house and let his sister Skole out.

It was awful cold in the house for Winds had made it so. The Thunder brothers tried one after another to go in but couldn't. Each one as he was younger went in a little further, the youngest went in but he couldn't endure the cold. Then the five Limas said, “Take off your hats, we would like to come in.” The eldest Limas brought one more dish of blood. Limas made a great fire just outside the door to destroy Skel and his friends but the Winds made it so cold that the Limas were glad to beg for quarter, asking them to take off their hats, but they wouldn't, it only grew colder and colder. The Limas fell down and begged hard “Oh, take your hats o;ff, you are stronger, we acknowledge it.” But they wouldn't take their hats off and let the five brothers die without mercy or pity. They had killed a great many people and now they wanted to finish with these men.

52. GAHGA (HERON) GET JEALOUS AND MAKES RAIN

Gahga was a small man who had a nice looking wife and a brother. Somebody asked the two brothers to go with them to corral deer with bark ropes. Gahga told his wife to get ready, she pounded seeds all night. Next morning they started. Gahga was blind but he was a great Kiuks and could see everything plainly by the aid of his medicine, his wife and brother went to the coralling of the deer, but he stayed home.

At night his wife came home, brought a small fawn, roasted it and told him to eat some but he kicked it with all his might. “They want me to go again tomorrow.” said she. That night she got seed ready to go on the following day. Gahga got angry, was jealous and cross. His wife said “The people were kind and gave me this meat, I didn't think you were so jealous.” She gave him some wudjud (a kind of weed) to eat, he tasted it, spat it out and said, “I know what you feed me with. Make fun of me all you like, I will see to you.”

Gahga had a little son who stayed home with him. His wife and brother went again to hunt, his wife didn't speak to him when she went away. While he was alone that day his sister came and he begged her to give him a straw plate that they used in cooking. “What do you want it for?” asked she. “Hand it to me I want it.” She didn't give it to him. Someone came and said, “Old man you must keep quiet, your own brother takes you wife away.” He said to his sister “Go and take me over to where the hunt is, lead me,” he got ready. He took the plate with him. When they got there the people told to sit down right where he was but he said, “I want to sit by my wife.” “No you cannot she has got a man, your brother.” He took the plate out from under his arm and sat down on it.

About midnight his sister said to him “What are you doing, why don't you go to sleep, who do you sit here on the plate awake all night?”

“Keep still let me alone, I'll see about all you people.” He got up and danced on the plate. It began to rain very hard, he danced only on the plate and that was dry, he wasn't wet a bit. He shook his body and every time he shook he called out “Ho,ho,ho,” and down would come the rain in torrents. There was deep water all around but the plate was dry and the ground under it.

His sister said, “You shouldn't get angry and act this way you should live single you are not able to work and have a wife.” His sister wasn't wet she was as dry as he was. All the other people were drenched. He said to his brother “You ought to be ashamed to treat me so when there are plenty of nice girls living around us.”

Now the people were nearly drowned, the water was up to their waists, still Gahga shook himself and called “Ho,ho, ho.” Then the people got hold of the woman and told the brother he should give her up and they scolded him for doing the wrong thing, they pulled her from him and placed her by her husband near the plate. He stopped dancing and that moment the rain stopped. The people said, “Old man you must not pity us and not be angry, we want to go home and the earth is covered with water, dry it up for us.”

Then Gahga dried it up, he danced with his wings and called “Ho,ho, ho” and soon the ground was as dry as before the rain. All the people went home. The old man sat there after the others had gone. His wife threw his things at him and pushed him. He said nothing. His brother said, “If I were you and couldn't see I should be glad to give up my wife.' His wife took a heavy load of meat on her back then she caught him by the arm and threw him onto her back, on top of the meat. People laughed and said, “That is a nice way to carry the little Kuiks.” She took him home and after awhile he was so jealous she ran away and left him. His sister and the little boy remained. Maybe the old man died there, maybe he is alive yet. Doctors who have him for their medicine can still make rain at any time they wish. Any Kiuks who has this medicine can look through our bodies as through a window.

 53. THE OLD MAN THAT LIVED AT DOKWA

Two old men lived at Dokwa, near Klamath Lake and with them two nephews, little boys. Yaukal and his mother lived on the other side of the Koke River. The two old men went fishing with nets and Yaukal always took away their canoe, net, and fish. They were much afraid of him. They were hungry and poor.

One time one of the little boy who lived with these old men fell into the water on one side of the river, he went under but came out one the other side. The old men hunted for him but couldn't find him. A couple of days later his brother was hunting birds, one of them flew across the river, he went after it and found his brother who in two days had grown to be a big boy. He called to the little fellow and said, “Go home and tell the old men to get me some wokus I am hungry.” The little boy told the men that he had found his brother alive. He brought the wokus, as soon as the brother had eaten it he said, “Go home and get a small canoe, little net and one oar.” He brought them all. The big boy now made the canoe large and everything new and said to his brother “Tell the old men to go fishing tomorrow, I'll go too.”

Early next morning the old men came. The big boy just lay in his canoe, the old men were fishing in the big canoe.

Yaykal came along to take away their canoe and fish, the big boy jumped up and tore Yaukal to pieces saying “You have taken enough from these men you can't do it again while I am here.” He now killed Yaukal's mother and burnt her house. Then the old men and the boys went home. Next morning the big brother was sorry that he had killed Yaukal and wanted to go to another place. The little boy cried to go with him. His brother asked “How can you go with me I am going to travel under the water?” “I will ride on your back,” said he. “All right you can come, but how can you breathe.” “Oh when I want to breathe I'll scratch your back and you can jump up, then I'll breathe.” They started and got along about a mile under water, every little while the boy scratched his brothers back till at last he got angry and asked “Why do you scratch me all the time, I don't like it you'll spoil me if you scratch me so much, I don't like to take you with me.” The little boy kept scratching but his brother let him up to breathe only three times. At last he got tired and threw him off saying “You can stay here and make wind for the Indians.” The big brother straightened himself out of the water and remained in the middle of the lake opposite Nihlaks and is now called Mataksleo. The little boy, Tsakeak, was thrown out to make wind.

54. TCACKAI UNTIES THE BUNDLE OF DARKNESS

Tcitcak was once going along near the house of Skel and Tcackai with a heavy pack on his back. Tcackai always wanted to be outside looking around. Skel told him never to go out, to remain in the house. So to deceive Skel he would go on the house top and leave his tail hanging down inside the smoke hole, he would also leave his voice so in case Skel spoke to him it could answer for him, then he would go off all around the country. Now Tcackai when he saw Tcitcak coming left his tail and voice, ran to meet him and asked “What have you go in your pack?” The man didn't wish to show him. Tcackai kept asking but Tcitcak wouldn't let him see. “Put it down” said Tcackai “it is too heavy for you to keep on your back all the time.” Tcitcak wouldn't put the pack down, then Tcackai sprang at it and pulled it to the ground. The pack was made up of a great many little bundles, all different kinds of things. Tcackai snatched one small bundle and untied it. Instantly darkness rushed out and spread over all the world. In the dark Tcackai snatched another bundle and pulled it open, out came a crowd of stars. Twilight was in one bundle, daylight in another. All the great stars were tied up in seperate bundles, morning star in one, evening star in another. Every great star that has a name is tied up by itself. One bundle was morning, one evening, one day, one night and whatever time there is of day or night was in the pack. Clouds, rain, snow, everything was in the bag. Tcackai was lost in the dark, he ran around everywhere but could not find his way home, he was terribly frightened.

Skel knew just what Tcackai had done but he let him wander about in the dark for a long time then pointing to the East with his flint knife he made daylight. And from this it happens, that Tcackai was running around so long in the dark, that the nights in winter are so long. Skel made daylight and Tcackai went home.

 55.IN THE WAR BETWEEN BIRDS AND BEASTS NANIHLAS GOES FROM ONE VICTORIOUS PARTY TO THE OTHER.

There was once a big war between the beasts and birds. Nanihlas (Bat) was on the birds’ side. When the birds were getting badly beaten Nanihlas crept under a log and remained till the battle was over. When the victorious animals were going home he got up and slipped in among them. After they had gone some distance they noticed Nanihlas and said, “How is this, this is one of the men that was fighting against us?” “Oh no,” said Nanihlas, “I am one of you, I do not belong to those people. Did you ever see one of those people who had double teeth? Go and examine their bodies and see if they have then you can say that I belong to them, but I do not, I am one of your people.” They let him remain with them. Soon after there was another battle and in this battle the birds were victorious. When Bat's side was getting beaten he had under a log. After the fight was over and the birds were going home he got among them. They soon noticed him and said, “You are our enemy, we saw you fighting with the beasts.” “No, I am your friend, I am one of you. Did you ever see any of these people who had wings, you can go and examine their bodies.” So he remained with the birds until they were beaten again, then he went over to the animals and so he went back and forth to the victorious party till the war was over. At the end of the war both birds and beasts came together and agreed to punish him by telling him “Hereafter you will not be a man, but will always fly around alone at night, will never have any friends among those who work.

56. THE OWL PEOPLE. Persons: Gahgalas Ground Owl Ooyes An Owl Tckwiwas Night Owl Gahgalas (Ground Owl)

Nobody dare to visit or pass by this man's house. He lived East of Lost River in Oregon. A few people lived around there and sometimes they would say “Look at the little old man's house.” And he would hear this and be so mad that he would throw up dirt all around, for he didn't allow anyone to come near or speak of his house. He always lived far under the ground. Now the Ooyes (another kind of owl) lived in the East, they lived anywhere, sometimes in the brush and sometimes in the woods. Once a visitor came to the Ooyes to find out what was the meaning of the great storm of dust, and Ooyes said, “You should never speak of Gahgalas as the little old man, he doesn't like it, some of you have been speaking of him so, if you are not careful he will destroy your people.

“I didn't know” said the visitor “that he was such a man and I came to find the cause of the dust flying about so.” He went home, his people asked what Ooyes said, “Oh, the dust flies because you say 'look at that little old man's house and all the children playing on top of it', he gets very angry at this.”

Some of the people said, “Let us go and tear down his house.” Others said “No let him alone.” But at last a large party started out to destroy the house. Gahgalas threw up a terrible dust when he saw them coming, then he ran into his house and went far under ground. The people put straw and brush around the place and set everything on fire then they blew the smoke into the opening of his house. A great number of Gahgalas children came out, the people caught them and pulled out their tails to feather their arrows, then they put their bodies onto a pole.

Tckwiewas was the leader of these people, he was the one who had Gahgalas and all his children killed, although they were kin of his. After they were all killed he began to be sorry, called them brothers and was angry with the people for killing them. He went to nearly every house in his village and tore it down, striking with his wings as though he was striking with rocks. He killed many of the people in this way. Some said to others “Why don't you go and fight him?” A number of men got long poles and waited for him to come to their house, he came, they killed him, stretched out his wings, put a red feather in his nose and put him up on a pole. Then an old man talked to him and said, “You will only be a fowl now but you will always talk, you will never lose your speech, but you will no longer be a person. People will be frightened when they hear you scream like a person but you will be of no use hereafter, neither you nor your people.”

 57. THE FIVE HEADED WAMNUKS (RATTLE SNAKE)

An old man with his five sons lived not far from a village in which Wamnuks was chief. There were many of the Wamnuks people in that village. The chief of them all ate people and every time a man passed he would catch and kill him. Now the five sons of the neighboring old man had no wives and the eldest of them went to a village near that of the Wamnuks people to find a wife. When he came there and told what he wanted the chief said, “Kill for us the great Wamnuks chief and we will give you the handsomest girl in the village. We want the Wamnuks chief destroyed.” I will go and see him said the young man who had a long obsidian knife.” The chief showed him the girl he should have. As the young man was very handsome the girl begged him not to go, said, “Every one who goes gets killed, no man ever comes back.” He didn't listen to her words but left her and traveled on till he came to a great house. He stood outside awhile, heard a great noise of rattling. Many of the Wamnuks people came out, he killed them all, cut their heads off. Now the old chief himself came out. He had five heads, four of them were his sons. In a moment the five-headed chief swallowed the young man. They waited at the old man's house till tired of waiting. Then the second brother started in search of the eldest. He came to the village and the girl who was to marry his brother said to him “The great Wamnuks chief has eaten your brother.” The second brother went to the Wamnuks village, he killed many of the Wamnuks people before the five-headed chief came out and swallowed him up too. The third brother waited awhile and came in search of the other two. The girl told him where they had gone and said, “They are dead you must not go.” “I must go” answered he “and die with my brothers.” He went. The chief swallowed him. Every time the great five headed swallowed a man one hair of the man's head dropped out. The third brother before being swallowed killed a great many more of the Wamnuks people than his two brothers had done. The fourth brother soon started to look for the others. He was stronger than the other three taken together, he killed still more of the Wamnuks people, but he could not meet the five-headed chief, he was swallowed like the others, dropping one of his hairs in the same way. The fifth brother started and when he came to the village the girl begged him not to go. When he asked in which way to seek tidings of his brother she pointed North, then he wanted to go in that direction, she clung to him, held on firmly tried to stop him but he insisted and went. This fifth brother was stronger than all the other brothers taken together, he fought with the Wamnuks people, killed them all, then he said, “My brothers were not strong enough to fight with the five headed chief, I will fight and conquer him.” Then they began to fight and fought till the fifth brother cut off four of the heads. Then the fifth head spoke up and said, “Don't kill me, let me live in this world. It was not I that killed people.” and the head with its young body slipped out of the old body of Wamnuks chief. “Are you going to be strong?” asked the fifth brother, “No, not always.” answered the young Wamnuks. “You will never be strong ,” said the fifth brother, “and you must stay in your place, never go to any man's house and trouble him.” “I'll stay” said the Wamnuks “but if people come to me I may strike them.” The fifth brother threw him off and said, “You will never have a home like this again, never a house like this in the world, you will live among the rocks.”

The fifth brother hunted for the hairs, he found the hair of the oldest brother first, then of the second, he found all four, wound them up and put them away in his pocket. Then he went to the village of the girl, she was very happy that he was saved and wanted to go with him. He said “I will come for you.” All the people came together with beads to give him. The girl cried when he went away. When he came home his father asked “Have you found hairs?” “Yes I found four.” The father said, “Go and fill the basket with water and put in hot stones.” When the water was ready they put in the hairs. Then the father and mother rolled up the fifth brother in mats, put him in the same room with the basket and said _____________ to speak, even if they throw you around, call your brother and ______________ you, you must not answer a word for they will net be back here _______, but when they come to life the boiling will stop. If they talk to you and the boiling goes on you may know it is only the spirits. The water was boiling, the fifth brother lay there, the four began to talk and said, “Are you not glad to see us? Speak to us.” This was their spirits. They jerked him around and said, “If you are not glad we won't come to life.” But he wouldn't speak, kept silent. The boiling stopped and the fifth brother got up and greeted them and the old people came in. The five brothers now went to the village where the people called them strong. The eldest brother took the girl for wife, and they gave each one of the other four a wife with many beads and presents. They lived well and were rich.

58. LOK (GRIZZLY BEAR)

Lok (Grizzly Bear) could eat all the people in one village and then go to another devouring everything and everybody as he went. He was coming from the East, and as people heard him approaching they would scatter and hide in caves, among rocks and under water but he would track and eat them up to the last man. The people far off would hear him coming and would try every means in their power to escape, but they never could succeed, he always found them, no matter where they hid. In one of the villages, the last one left, there was a very small boy named Kustubi living with his grandmother. As the bear approached they heard him crunching on peoples bones. There was a high mountain near the village and all the people except the boy went to the mountain. The little boy said, “I am going to stay at home. I am not afraid of the Bear,” He got five mats and said, “Wrap me up in these and tie them around with buckskin.” He had five quivers full of arrows and five bows, these they put in the bundle with him. After a time the people on the mountain saw the Bear coming, he was white as snow, except his head which was as red a blood, from all the people he had eaten. The bear was very large and he always came about noon. He went into every house, the last one being the grandmother's house, where the boy was. The Bear began to untie the bundle, he rolled it over and over to get the boy out, till at last the boy jumped out and began to run everywhere, under the Bear's legs, under his tail, shooting him all the time. Everybody was watching from the mountain, surprised to see the little fellow fight the great Bear. When the five quivers of arrows were nearly gone he killed the Bear. It was arrow shots under the arm that killed him. All the people came home and from that time the boy was a very powerful person.

 59. NDUKIS GIVES SIGHT TO THE BLIND PELICANS

The five Kumal brothers (Pelicans)

There were five Kumal brothers who lived at Moatok. All were blind and lived in a house together. They went fishing in Tule Lake. Each one always caught ten fish, took them home, and cooked five. One day just as they had finished cooking their fish Ndukis (fish hawk) came and stole one fish from each brother. Soon the eldest brother said, “One of my fish is gone.” “So is one of mine.” said the second brother, “so is mine, so is mine.” “Who robbed us this was?” asked the third and fourth brothers. Ndukis sat in the house but they couldn't see him. The five men began to beat around the house with their canes. Ndukis got frightened and ran out. Now the five brothers were angry and went off in different directions. One went to the end of the world. They made the wind blow and the rocks to fall. The ground shook and water boiled up. Ndukis screamed “Don't act this way, I'm your cousin, I ate your fish, don't do this you will kill everybody. The eldest brother asked “Who is that, somebody is talking.” The youngest brother said, “Somebody says I ate it.” Ndukis said, “Don't I'll make you eyes if you will save my life.” They stopped and went back to their home. Ndukis took spittle from his mouth and rubbed it across their blind eyes with his finger, then he washed their faces with cold water, when this was done all could see and they were glad and caught many fish always giving half the fish to Ndukis.

60. THE FIVE BROTHERS

Five brothers lived together near Yualona, the youngest was small didn't grow. Another man, Katcitcwatcweas, lived with them. It was winter and the snow was very deep. The youngest brother wanted his elder brother to carry him to a mountain, he was tired of staying in the house. The elder brother started with him. Whenever he would ask “Where do you want to go?” the boy would say “Oh, further.” At last the brother got tired of carrying him further and further. He dropped him off in the snow and went home. The boy had a little dog with him. As soon as his brother left him he became a man and the little doy became a very large dog. He built a house and killed many deer with the help of the dog. Then he went West. He sent his arrow where two women were standing, the women picked it up and went home with him, they lived with him after that, and both every day had a new child. The women were called Tutaktanawas, they called the place Iutakta. Now the young man took meat and grease and went to see his four brothers. They were nearly dead, had nothing to eat. Katcitcwatcweas was most dead, he woke up and wanted something, they gave him food. The young man told his brothers to come home with him and all went. His children grew very fast, he had already many. The four brothers asked him “Where did all these children come from?” He said, “They are all my children.” He made four houses for his brothers, then he sent them to hunt deer, sent his dog with them, saying “My dog will always eat the first two deer he kills, but let him, he will then kill more for you.” The dog killed many deer, the brothers had all they could carry. They hunted in this was for five days. The fifth day Katcitcwatcseas began to whip the dog because he ate the first deer he killed. The dog got very angry, went off, never came home again. The young man put a comb up in his house and told his wives “I'll follow my dog, if the comb falls you will know that I am dead.” He followed the dogs tracks many days, till both died the same day. The comb fell and the four brothers killed Katcitcwatcweas because their brother and his dog were dead.

The spirit of Katcitcwatcweas appears to all the Kiuks now.

61. OLD WOMAN WUS AND PAKOL (THE DEER)

Wus and his mother lived together, Pakols and her two children lived near by. Wus' mother was very old. Wus went away at sunrise and came home at sunset. He always ate mice, he took the bodies himself and gave the heads to his old mother. She cried after he had gone because her son gave her nothing to eat, she didn't cry while he was at home. Pakols heard her and said to her children “Go and see what the old woman cries for, maybe her son is hurt or killed.” they went, said, “Mother wants to know why you cry.” The old woman said, “I don't want to talk to you, you are to little.” they went back. Pakols asked “What did the old woman say?” “She said I don't want to talk to you, you are to small.”

Now old woman Wus cried so loud that Pakols said, “I'll go and see, she must be sick, you stay here.” so she went. As she looked into the house she asked “Why do you cry?” “Come in and I'll tell you.” said old Wus, deer went in. “I cry because my son feeds me mice heads and I am hungry.” “Oh that's nothing.” said deer. “I'll go back to my children.” and she started. Old woman Wus said I'll help you out, but she made the hole small, got her caught, took a flint knife and killed her. Then she dug a hole where she slept, put deer in and fixed the ground so no tracks could be seen. She roasted the liver on the ashes, so she hid the liver. At night when she bit off a piece she made a different noise from what she made eating mice heads, Wus began to sing, the old woman took a mouthful of liver and then of head. Her son listened, he was on one side of the fire and she on the other, he jumped across threw his mother down and said, “What are you eating?” he found the liver. “Our relation have been hunting they gave me just the liver, little while ago they went back. Wus ate the liver and said, “I will follow them,” He looked out and said, “Why they have camped near here I see lots of people walking around the fire” he ran off towards the camp, he could see men eating meat and talking. As he drew near the fire seemed further off, he ran on but it always moved as he approached. His mother did this. She ate all the deer. Her son went till he got to the end of the world, always following the camp but never coming up to it. He ran very fast and got very thin. He never came back and his mother was happy.

62. THE GIRL SAVED BY A MOUNTAIN

There was a mountain between Tule and Klamath Lake, the top is smooth. On this mountain are swimming places and also a woman's medicine cave. Now a young girl just arriving at purbity went to this cave. Her mother told her she must tie a string around her waist and when she got to the cave tie it to a strong bush so she could find the way out of the cave. There is a flat rock inside this cave in it are the marks of squirrel teeth, if you hear the teeth making a noise on the rock you may know that you will be a great gambler. You must pile up stones before you go into this cave. The girl piled up stones, then tying the string to a bush and taking the other end in her hand she went into the cave, while there she dropped the string and could not find it. She wandered five days and nights inside the cave, she was nearly starved and cried all the time. It was very dark. At last she fell over and rock and getting up sat down and cried aloud. She slept and dreamed that some one told her to look up and see the stars. She woke and could see a little light over head. That moment the rocks split open and made a path for her, she came out of the cave and went quickly home. She named the place where she came out Waltoka. Her father had tried to go inside the cave in search of her but the rocks stood up in front of him like a wall and would not let him pass. Her dancing time was over, her mother made a sweat house for her. She went in at Ufi mountain and came out far off. The mountain saved her.

63. THE FIVE GSEUSSOLAM BROTHERS.

Five sick brothers lived together, they had one sister. It was winter and they had nothing to eat. The sister used to go out hunting for food. At last she grew tired of working for them and killed herself. The five brothers now got well. They burned their sister's body till all the bones were dust. Then they brought home something to eat and were all right. They had a cousin living nearly they told her to inform the people that the five brothers were dead of starvation and had left a great many beads. Many people came to the house, they came in canoes up Lake Klamath, went into the house and took all the beads, saw the five dead bodies covered with skins. When the people went out of the house the five brothers jumped up and killed them, except one boy. They pulled one of his arms out and told him to go home. They cut off all the people's heads, put them in the canoe and told the boy to take them home. The people at home, who were all women and children except one man, expected many beads. As the boy came crying they thought he was singing and said, “He feels well, he is bringing a great many beads.” The five brothers went to the place in a canoe, began to fight with the children and the one man, killed many, and then they went down to Diwiskeu, then came back on the West side of the lake where they found many people, fought with them and four of the brothers were killed, they followed the fifth to Gumbat (Pelican Bay) and as they were about to kill him he turned himself to stone and is there yet.

 64. NANIHLAS (BAT)

Nanihlas made fire first in the world. He blew onto the trees in the woods, fire came into them and they have had fire in them since that time, have fire in them now.

Before Nanihlas blew on the trees there was no fire in wood.

65. LOK (GRIZZLY BEAR) AND KOE (A LARGE WHITE BIRD)

Koa lived on the West side of Klamath Lake, his wife was some snewets (woman). Waqka (a brown bird) lived with Koa. One day while Koa was away the five Lok (Grizzly Bear) brothers came and stole his wife. Waqka ran down to the water where Koa was and said, “Lok has taken you wife.” Koa said, “Take your bow and arrows, shoot me everywhere, don't be afraid.” Waqka shot, hit Koa in the breast, he fell dead, then he came life. He shot him five times, Koa came to life every time. The he said, “Tear me all to pieces,” Waqka tore him to pieces. Koa came to life and said “Tear me to pieces and throw the pieces away.” He did so, Koa came to life. Again Koa said, “Tear me into very small pieces and mix them with earth.” Waqka did so, Koa came to life. Waqka went home and Koa followed. Waqka found the oldest Lok playing with Koa's wife. Koa went into the house and began to fight with Lok. He tore him to pieces and threw him out. He came to life and said to the Lok brothers “Nobody can kill me.” They killed him and threw him out five times, then mixed him with earth, every time he came to life. Then Koa took his bow and arrows and killed the five brothers. Then he told his mother-in-law to cook some of the meat of the Lok brothers and dry the rest.

66. SKUNK

Skunk always went fishing every morning, killed a great many small fish. The place in which he always went was on the North side of Euks. One time he started out and traveled towards Warm Spring, fishing as he went. He had his wife and children with him.

When he came to a river near Euks he called out to the people to come and ferry him across. They came in a canoe, in the canoe was a tule sack. They said, “You are a nice looking man you would better get into this sack so the people won't see you, we'll carry you into our house.” He got into the sack when the canoe was in the middle of the river someone from the other side called out “Shake the canoe and spill him out.” Skunk asked “What do they mean by saying shake the canoe?” Nobody answered, they went on a little further then shook the canoe and drowned him. They were afraid of him because he was always killing people. His wife and children were taken captive.

67. TSASAS (SKUNK)

Tsasas lived near a river and killed a great many fish. His old wife put them on a string and dried them. One day a man came along and Tsasas' wife gave him fish to eat. Tsasas killed fish by throwing his stuff. The man ate he was afraid of Tsasas. Early next morning Tsasas said, “You must help me catch fish.” The man went but could do nothing, Tsasas was angry and sent the man to the house to tell his wife to come and help him. She came but Tsasas kept scolding her and telling her to pull her dress higher. Tsasas was mad, he stood out in the water, and said, “I want you to help me.” His wife was frightened and said, “I did.” “Well you don't do right, that's why I get so few fish, now do as I tell you.” “The man is looking at me” said she. “No matter pull your dress high.” She pulled her dress over her head. Tsasas laughed and looked at her, the man was looking too. Tsasas said, “You must come close and open your legs and try to treat the fish the way I show you.” Tsasas now caught many fish and he said, “I want you to do that way always, see how many fish we catch.” The man thought Tsasas a very mean fellow but was afraid to go away from him at once, so he stayed another night, he did not like to eat the fish caught in Tsasas way. Next day the man ran away. Tsasas thought he had better follow him, but his wife said, “Oh let him go we don't want to keep him.” Tsasas said I didn't do anything to him yet, but he didn't try to find him.

68. LOK STEALS THE FOOD OF PSEUTIWAS

Lok (Grizzly Bear) was sick and sent for Tsisgigiak who came to visit him. Lok was very sick, Tsisgigiak wished greatly to cure him. Lok said, “Why don't you cure me quickly?” Then the bird said, “It is to hard to cure you.” “Tell me what sickness I have got.” “You are sick because you always steal provisions from Pseutiwas.”

Lok was very angry when he heard this and swallowed Tsisgigiak who carried a small knife around his neck, with this he cut up the bear's heart, killed him, came out and returned home. He lived in the same village, not a relative but a friend to Pseutiwas; when home he was asked if he had cured Lok, he said, “I went to cure him and said he was sick because he stole and ate the provisions of Pseutiwas, he swallowed me out of rage and I cut his heart up and then came out.

69. KUMUC, WICINK (SNAKE) AND MANK (SQUIRREL)

Kumuc, Wicink and Mank were consulting once how they should make people.

Kumuc was chief and had called the others together. Wicink said, “People must throw off their old skin every spring and be young again as I am.” Mank said, “No, it is better they should grow old.”

Kumuc listened to the two as they talked and then said, “It is not right to get young as Wicink does. Mank is right and it will be as he says, people will grow old.”

Kumuc made everything, lake, fish, and animals, but Mank made the mountains. Kumuc gave names to everything. No one knows how Kumuc looked. He had three sweat houses, one is near Fort Klamath, one is on Pelican Bay and the other is on Modoc Point. All are rock inside.

70. WUS AND THE THREE MOONS OF WINTER

Wus called a council. He wanted everybody to come and smoke and talk. Now all the birds and animals came together. Among the number was Dodigo (a small bird.)

Wus said, “I want ten moons of cold weather, for I know how to kill everything, we want a long time to hunt in, so men can have plenty to eat.” They talked for a long time, the people would not agree to have ten winter moons. Thkey said, “We shall all die of cold and hunger.” wus said, “I'll go home and bring some more tobacco.” While Wus was gone Dodigo said, “I would like three winter moons.” To this the people agreed and all went home.

When Wus came back with his tobacco and found that all the people had left he called another council but no one came.

“ And to this day we have three winter months.”

This was when birds and animals were people.

71. WUS (COYOTE) RUNNING WITH THE CLOUDS

Wus (Coyote) thought as first that there were two of him for he always saw another person going by his side (his shadow). One day, he started out sat down under a cedar tree and for the first time he saw the clouds as he looked up at a tree and he said, “Well, well I have never seen such a race.” The clouds were rolling along very fast. He called out to them. “You can't get over me” and he trotted off always looking up at the clouds. After a little he said, “Mtc, mtc, mtc and ran very fast and called out “I shall beat you, I shall beat you” and on he ran his eyes on the clouds, he kept ahead not looking on the ground to see where he was going. “Mtc, mtc, mtc and on he ran very,very far. Sometimes as he ran down a hill the clouds got ahead, then he hurried on calling mtc, mtc, mtc, and got ahead again. Sometimes he struck against the bushes, sometimes against the thorns and couldn't get out quickly, sometimes he jumped into water and couldn't get out quickly, he would jump over a mountain, sometimes over two following the clouds. Sometimes the clouds got ahead but he soon caught up. Sometimes he came to a river that he must swim across. He ran till he reached the Ocean and the clouds dropped into the water.

He was running East all the time.

72. LIMALIMAAS (THUNDER) IS KILLED BY THE LITTLE BOY NULWI

There was an old man, Limalimaas, a great eater of people. An old woman lived near this man eater who had killed off all her people. He had gathered all the elbow and ankle bones and strung them into a necklace to wear on his neck (he was called from this necklace Kokaileyas). This old woman had a little grandson who used to go out digging roots. Limalimaas always came and lay near the boy and when he got his basket full he would pick up the roots and eat them all at one swallow. If the little boy ate one root while he was digging he would give him a rap on the forehead with his hammer. Limalimaas listened and knew when the boy took a root. The boy always cried calling his own name, Nulwi, Nulwi, Nulwi, while he dug the roots, he was thinking of his father and mother and all his people.

He always went home about sundown. One time when he was comi crying his grandmother said, “Oh my grandson, my grandson don't you cry so loud, this bad man might come where you work, he is the one who has killed all your kindred.” She didn't know that Limalimaas was always with him. Next morning he went to dig roots and was digging when Limalimaas came and said to him “Little Nulwi I am waiting for you, I am hungry, I am waiting for you to grow, then I'll eat you and right here I'll put your little bones in my necklace between those of your father and mother.” That evening the little boy went home without anything in his basket. “When you were a little fellow you used to bring your basket full, now you bring none” said the grandmother. “Oh, grandmother I always get hungry now”, he didn't want to tell her about Limalimaas.

Next morning he started and Limalimaas came up rattling his bone necklace, lay down right by the little boy and said, “I'm tired now come here little boy and peel the roots.” After Limalimaas had finished eating he said, “These are your mother's bones, these are your father's bones and here are your uncle's bones, now dig away little boy.” Then the boy dug the basket three or four times full in the day, Limalimaas ate all the roots. Next day Limalimaas said after he had eaten the roots “Little boy you must kill me because I ate your father and mother and I ate your uncles too.”

Next morning the boy had a chance to shoot but he was watching to find where Limalimaas kept his heart.

Limalimaas said, “You can shoot me in my breast, I keep my heart there.” He lied, he kept his heart in the end of his finger.

When the little boy went home that day his grandmother said, “Why don you bring more roots?” “Oh grandmother I dig my basket full in the morning, eat them and lie down and sleep all afternoon.” “My grandson that isn't what you do, you can't deceive me.”

“Oh grandmother I wish you would fix me a bow and arrows and put poison spikes in them, I miss all the birds I shoot at with sticks.” That morning he started off and stayed all day. Limalimaas said, “ I think you are big enough to be eaten now little boy, you ought to kill me to pay me for what I have done.”

That evening the boy told his grandmother “That bad man always come to me, I dig a great many roots but he eats them all, he always tells me the bones around his neck are the bones of my father and mother and he points them out to me.”

Now the boy gave the boy his father's strong bow and fix fresh obsidian spikes in the end of the arrows, then made them look like little common arrows, she said, “That man's heart isn't in his body though he breathes from it, his heart is in the end of his finger and you must shoot him there.”

The boy looked small to the man but he was already a young man. Limalimaas came, ate the roots and lay down to sleep, he most always slept with his head on his hand but this time he lay wit h his face up and his hands spread out. The boy got his arrow ready, made up his mind which way to run. He saw the beating in the man's finger, he shot, the heart came out on the end of the arrow.

Limalimaas sprang up and ran after the boh almost caught he many times but he dodged. They came to a dried up river bed and Limalimaas fell into the deep place. The boy ran in and out and called to Limalimaas “You'll not live in the world and kill my people, you will always make a great noise but you'll not harm people. You will be noisy and when another strikes you will shoot for him.

Now the boy got the little heart off the end of the arrow, blew it up into the sky and said, “You can go up there and live, you cannot live down here any longer. Go up make a noise.”

73. KAI MAKES TEN WINTER MOONS OUT OF FIVE

Kai (Rabbit) stole five winter moons from Kumuc. They were round in the first place but Kai broke them and made ten out of them, made them in a half circle and hung them up in his house. Kai's wife was dead, but he had one son who stayed at home and took care of the ten winter moons while his father was carrying Tsmuks (darkness) around to all the Indians. He packed Darkness on his back in little round bundles, in each bundle day and night.

Skel and his brother lived together as Kai came along with his bundles and walked slowly past Skel's house Skel's brother asked “What have you got, give us something to eat.”

Kai heard but paid no attention. Again the boy cried “Stop and give us something to eat.” Kai walked slowly on.

Skel knew what Kai had and said to his brother Kai hasn't anything to eat, you must not ask him in that way. But the boy wouldn't stop. At last he made a spring at Kai, snatched one of the bundles of darkness and untied it, that instant everything was in darkness, nobody could see. Skel was angry at his brother and told him he could do as he liked now. The brother was frightened and began to cry for help. Skel said, “I told you to let that man alone, not to meddle with his bundles.” At last Skel with his flint cut darkness and made a little light like break of day, Kai went home.

Kumuc came to Kai's house while he was gone and he looked up on the wall and asked the boy “What are these ten moons for, I didn't tell Kai to make ten I told him to make five.” Now Kumuc broke five of the moons and left the other five hanging up. The boy said, “Why did you break those?” Kumuc said, “I told your father to make five. If there were ten moons people would die the winter would be so long. They would die of hunger. I want only five moons.”

The boy said, “My father will be very mad, he will roll on the ground and kill me.” “Where does he roll?” asked Kumuc. “Right over there that is his place.” Kumuc made a sharp bone in the ground at Kai's place. When Kai came home the boy told him that Kumuc had been there and broken five of his moons. Kai was awful angry, he began to roll over and over and as he rolled the bone stuck in his body and killed him. Kumuc came and saw Kai dead, put him in the fire to roast and eat him. Kohias (Fleas) who lived near came, a great many of them, saw Kai roasting in the ashes and began to eat him. Kumuc on he could hardly see Kai so many fleas were around him eating. Now Kumuc burned the house and took away the five moons and those are the five we have now (five winter months).

74. GWIN-WIN

Gwin-win was a little fellow about four feet high. He lived in a mud house on Koke (Williamson River) but he never went inside his house, day and night he sat at the top of the ladder with drooping head looking around repeating in a singing voice “Gwin-win, gwin-win “ he wore a black flint hat and many people were afraid of him, but he was so small that some people thought they could kill him and would go to his house and say “Let us in.” All he answered was “Gwin-win, gwin-win.” The people would hit him in the head to throw him down the ladder into the house. But they were always killed by his flint hat, being terribly cup up. Sometimes he would let people in but they never came out. Some he put into little holes under his house, others he killed.

One day Wolf and his wife were passing Gwin-wins house, Wolf picked up a bug, made a louse of it and told his wife to hunt lice in his head. They sat down she held his head close to her face looked and saw lice as big as beetles, she was so frightened that she screamed and ran away. Old wolf got mad, caught her , clawed her eyes out and ran away with them. When he wore his blanket he was like any wold but when he took it off he was a nice looking young man. Gwin-win saw Wolf's wife coming along falling at every step and thought, what can the matter be with her. He went to the woman and took her to the house, he didn't take her for wife but he was sorry for her. He went to the river, caught a little fish, brought it to the house, pulled out its eyes and put them in the woman's head but they didn't fit. He went out a second time, caught a large trout, these eyes fitted. After a few days the woman was well and Gwin-win sent her to her father.

Gwin-win always lived alone. He had never been to the ground outside his house until he saw Wolf's wife. He never ate anything, lived on air. Gwin-win was a man in that time. He is a bird now.

75. GAK PRETENDS TO BE DYING, KILLS DEER, MEETS WUS, KILL YEMAL AND THEN GOES WITH WUS TO THE MOUNTAINS.

Gak was a Kiuks and his wife was a Wile (a spotted fawn). Far out in the mountains was a platform of rocks and on this platform Gak was lying ill and his medicines were the earth and the wind. He sang to his medicines trying to get well. He lay there many months. One morning he pretended to be dying and told his wife to send for her aunts, uncles and cousins and tell them to come and see him for the last time for he was going to die. Wile stood up on the rocks and called “Oh my mother, my father, my brothers, my aunts, my uncles come over here and see my husband for the last time he is dying.” He father who was far off in the mountains said “It sounds like my child's voice.”

Wile saw thousands of her people gathering in a company and she said to Gak “My people are assembling, they are coming.” He got up turned around and lay down leaving just room enough for one person to sit at his feet at the edge of the rock then he said, “Have the fattest of your relatives with a black spot on the forehead sit down at my feet I am going to leave her all we have. All the relatives of Gaks wife came and last of all the large fat one.

Gak said, “You are the last to bid me good bye and I care only for you, sit down at my feet I am going to leave you all we have.” She sat down, was so fat she could scarcely move. Gak covered his head and made a sound as if eating, but it meant that he would eat the fat deer. They waited a long time to see him die at last after midday they said good bye and there was such a multitude that it was near night when the last one had taken farewell of Gak.

Gak told the one at his feet to shake hands with him and go, and as she rose up he kicked her over the precipice, she fell on the rocks and was killed. Wile and the others were frightened and ran off expecting to be killed themselves. Gak ran down the rocks and began to eat the deer's fat body. All the deer mourned for their relative saying “The greatest of us all is destroyed.” (These Gak people could never get enough to eat, they fed themselves with both hands.)

Now Wus who had been changed from a person but could still talk came along to the ledge of rocks looking for something to eat, he looked over, saw Gak eating and called out “Oh my brother how did you get such a fat deer, how did you get down there so far?” “Oh I shut my eyes and jumped.” “I should be afraid.” “Go back a little way,” said Gak, “shut your eyes, run and jump.” Wus did so he kept saying “Edge, edge, just as he got to the edge he opened his eyes and stopped. H did this three times. Each time Gak scolded and said, “If you open your eyes as you jump you will be killed, if you want to come and eat with me you must do as I tell you.”

The fourth time Wus jumped but he caught on the bushes and climbed back. Gak said, “It will soon be dark and you will have nothing to eat if you don't come.” “I will come this time.” Down Wus went light as a feather but when half way he opened his eyes and then he fell and was broken into three pieces, his head entirely seperated from his body. Gak said, “Well, I thought you were the strongest of all things, now you are crushed in pieces, you didn't obey me, you opened your eyes.”

Gak talked to the head which lay with open eyes far away from the body but still alive. Gak got his medicine basket, picked up the pieces of Wus joined them together, stepped over the body three times then put the basket on the body and told Wus to lie still and his medicine basket would cure him, but he must not move till he, Gak, took the basket off. Gak went back to his eating. At sundown Wus began to kick and called out “I am well now, take off the basket” but Gak said, “Lie still awhile longer you needn't be afraid, there is plenty of the deer, we couldn't eat it in all night. He at last took off the basket which was square, made of a kind of willow and painted red. (The narrator says this baket when not used as a medicine basket is used for sifting things, that it is a good medicine for those who have it, if they get wounded and the basket is put on it cures them)

After this Gak and Wus lived together. Now all the deer watched to kill Gak for killing their companion but whenever they got near him he turned to a hawk or some other bird to deceive them. All kinds of birds and creeping things were hostile to Gak because he killed Deer without cause and all lay in wait for him, but whenever anyone approached he would turn himself into a bird and go off in a different direction and the hunters had to turn back without finding him. Gak had a mantle of obsidian, he threw this over himself whenever he liked.

One morning two small birds started to find him. He sat down before them in the form of a hawk, he had his mantle over him and his face painted white to deceive the pursuers into believing it was hawk. Now many of his enemies were coming up in a line to examine this person and see if it was Gak. In this line were all who could creep, or walk, or fly, all in the world that had good eyes were there. Each after passing gave an opinion and no one recognized Gak, all thought him a hawk. Blaiwas said, “Nobody in the world can look further than I can.” Still Blaiwas didn't know Gak.

Now they had an old man Moi who knew Gak and he hesitated, the crowd urged him to say who it was, but he didn't like to expose Gak and he said, “You have another wise old man, meaning Yemal (Pelican), if he cannot tell you when he comes then I'll tell you who this person is.” Gak still stood on the rocks as the crowd passed, perfectly still. Gak knew that Yemal was powerful and had five kinds of stone for a coat, or body, over his own body. Gak put on four kinds of stone for a coat and he thought this man may know me. As Yemal came up the people gave him a place to stand and look at Gak. He looked for a long time. Then he said, “How could you be deceived this is Gak” he had painted his face white. Don't you see that he has a large mouth. This is the very man who killed Pakois (Deer)” Gak now came from the rocks and began to fight with many of those crowded around him, and killed many of them. He killed everyone who fought with him, whether it walked, or crept, or flew. Then Gak and Yemal fell upon each other and began to fight. Gak struck Yemals stone coat with his obsidian knife and cut through it, he cut through the five coats to the skin and killed Yemal. Then he tore him in pieces and threw the pieces into the water, telling him “Hereafter you will not be a person, you will only be a great fisher.” The other bodies he turned to stones. Then he went off to the mountains. Wus had been near eating the bodies of the people that Gak killed. He now followed Gak to the mountains.

76. MICE

Two sisters, mice, lived on the bank of a river. On the opposite side of the river was a large village, all the people of this village were mice. Now the two sisters crossed the river and stole all the food that the people of the village had stored away for winter. When they discovered their loss they began to accuse each other and soon all were quarreling. Then one of the sisters standing on the top of her house called across the riv “We are not living with you now, but you quarrel as much and are as noisy as when we lived there.” The people said, “Keep still and hear what she says.” They listened and she repeated her words. Then they said “They are the ones who have stolen our roots, we will go and kill them.”

It was a long time before they could find a place to cross, then they found where the sisters had crossed on a few blades of grass that reached from one bank to the other. When the sisters saw them coming the elder said to the younger “You look brown and run around outside, I will look black and run around inside the house.” The people chased them and at last caught the one outside, she screamed “Oh my sister they have caught me.” The women (all who had crossed the river were women) built a fire in which they held the sisters so as to burn their noses. Then they pulled their eyes out onto the outside of their heads and let them run off almost dead. They got their seeds and roots and went home. Since that time all mice have had their eyes on the outside of the head.

77. LULUSDEWIEAS WHO WENT UNDER THE LAVA BEDS TO MT. SHASTA.

An old man called Lulusdewieas (lulus glutton) lived with his son, Sweet lulus was the old man's medicine. One day the son went off hunting. Before starting he said to his wife “Take good care of the old man, my father, always give him food before you eat yourself or feed the children. If you fail to do this you will bring misfortune , for this is his medicine. After the son was gone she gave the old man a little food first and he was glad and fed his grandchildren. After a day or two the son came home and said, “There is a plenty of game now. I would like to be out a good deal and get more food for the winter. But you must be careful and always feed my father before anyone else. The old man was white as paper, very old and could scarcely see. This was early in the winter and as the young man was ready to start he said, “I had a bad dream last night and I don't like to go but I must for the children are always crying for fat meat. My wife you must keep the children away from the old man, he might get angry with them. I dreamed I came home and found a very deep hole where our house is, and no living being there. Don't make him angry, think of my dream, as long as you treat him well he will do no harm.

After her husband left she began to arrange the house and cook. As the husband went higher up on the mountain and looked down on his house he felt lonely and kept listening as if expecting to hear something. This was the first time he had ever felt that way. He found a deer and drove it onto a hill, the deer disappeared and the man felt badly for he knew something was going to happen to him, he shot at it and said, “This is the first time I ever had to chase a deer after shooting it.” He talked to himself, at last not being able to kill the deer he sat down to rest.

About noon the woman got a rock and went to pounding seeds, after they were pounded she thought she would see what the old man would do if she gave them away without giving him any. When he saw this he crept out of the door and sat down on the south side of the house near the door. The children were at play outside. As he sat there his Kak began to swell and soon became enormous, he took black painted and painted it in stripes, soon it began to turn and turn, and throw up the dirt. The old man's hair became as red as blood and as the hole got larger he sank into it. When the little girl saw her grandfather going down she screamed “Oh grandfather”, the woman came running out, saw what had happened and she cried “On father come back I'll give you seed to eat.” But he had gone too far and was too angry.

The house, the woman and the children all sank in with the falling ground. The old man went on boring as he went, he burst and tore up the dirt, once in a while he would raise himself up a little and at such places you might think it was level ground but the next step the earth sinks down in a great hole. He went on every little way bursting and throwing the dirt up in great piles, making wide openings in the earth. The son far off on the mountains heard this and knew his wife must have caused it. The Indians living a long way off heard the noise and knew what kind of an old man that was and they stayed in their houses, and fastened up the doors. When the young man got near the house he felt as if he should die. He could hear the old man traveling under the ground. And all along from the Lava beds he went under the ground to the opposite side of Shasta Mountain.

Where his house and family had been the young man saw only a deep wide gap in the earth, he looked down but could see nothing. As the old man went he called his own name. The young man followed the noise of his father's traveling, calling to him but the father did not hear him. All the people who lived near felt sorry about the old man and the children. Now the old man got to where there was no water. He was still under the ground and the son stood above the place and spoke to his father and the old man said, “You must not feel badly my spirit belongs to this earth, you must go away from me. Don't try to follow me I shall live forever under this earth,” the old man could scarcely speak as he said this. So the son went away and wandered off a very sad man.

78. TCACKAI AND THE OLD MAN WITH THE GROUND HOGS

Tcackai

An old man like us was getting ground hogs out of holes in a hill at Yaniaks, when he got one he threw it into a basket on his back. Tcackai was sitting on the house top at Euks, where Skel lived, but he saw the man and ran to tease him. He began by saying “Let me have one of your ground hogs, put your basket down and give me one.” The old man refused, then Tcackai went up behind him and snatched one out of the basket, then he said, “Oh I don't want this and pretended to throw it back, but in place of throwing the ground hog into the basket he threw a stone. The he snatched out another and threw in a stone and so on till he had all the ground hogs. Then saying to the old man “I will come tomorrow and hunt with you” he ran off home.

The old man went home, when he took off the basket he found what Tcackai had done and was very angry. Next day he went to the same place, after a little while Tcackai came. The old man said, “There is a hole with a large hog in it, crawl in and get it out.” Tcackai went in, the old man rolled five great rocks against the hole and hurried home. Skel knew what had happened, he always knew, but he waited a long time, waited till Tcackai was almost dead. Then he went to the place, with one blow of his flint knife he split the first rock, with the second blow the second rock shivered to fragments, and so on. When all five rocks were broken Tcackai came out and said to Skel “Oh I was just ready to come out and go home.”

79. THE FIVE BLAIWAS BROTHERS OR THE MAN WITH THE BLUE LEG

Blaiwas (Eagle) had five brothers and they used to carry of their neighbors wives and keep them on a mountain near Sprague River. Five women lived on a hill ten miles away. The husbands of these women lived below the hill on the river, when the women washed their kamas they let some of it flow down to the river and this was the way the men got their living. A boy reared by one of these men used to go around to swimming places and mountains and had done this from childhood, sh he had become very powerful, he married a wife of some kind, don't know what. One day the five women went to dig kamas and Blaiwas took them. That night the boy dreamed that Blaiwas had carried the women away. He now moved his family to a place not far from Blaiwas house and sent his wife to get kamas of them, some of the people said you had better not send your wife there she will never come back, but he sent her.

When she came to the house Blaiwas took hold of her and put her away in another part of the house. She had left her baby at home and it began to cry for its mother. Blaiwas heard it and sent his mother to bring the baby. The baby's father wouldn't give it to her. When she got back she said, “They wouldn't give me the baby.” Blaiwas scolded and sent her again, this time the man let her have it saying “Come up near and I'll give it to you” when she came near he pulled her arms out and threw them over to eagle's house. Then he went over to the house himself wearing a stone mortar for a cap. The eldest of the five Blaiwas brothers ran out to fight him, the man had something in his hand he hit Blaiwas in the head with this and killed him. A second Blaiwas came out and he killed him in the same way and one after another he killed all five brothers and the five women went home.

This man had a son he was out fishing one day and an animal with great horns that lived under the water came up, caught the boy on his horns and carried him under the water. The father of the boy hunted for him found that his trail ended at the river. He went to the top of a hill and looked around, saw the horns of Wiat sticking out (There is no Indian now who knows what kind of a creature it was) the horns were very bright and blue, his head was out of the water and on his horns, which were like those of an elk, sat the boy. As soon as the man saw this he sprang at one jump from the top of the hill to the water and cut off the head of Wiat, but while cutting the head off he hurt his leg with the horns, instantly the leg turned blue and he lay on the water. The boy got off the horns and went home.

The man's wife came to the river and he said to her “You may stay but I am going to float down the river I am hurt so badly I can't come out of the water.”

The woman said, “No I'll go with you.” He floated down the river, a number of people lived at Yaneks when the woman came in sight walking along the bank of the river all the people came to the bank. The man told his wife to turn her face away he wanted to show his leg to the people. He floated up showed his leg to them and the sight of it killed them. It was bright blue and poison, whoever looked at it died. He floated on till he came to more people, showed them his leg and killed them all. He always made his wife turn her face, he did the same at every place where he saw people all the way to Klamath. When he reached the lake he went around on the west side of Bear Island and there old Crow saw him and turned him to stone.

80. SWAIA RUNS A RACE.

There was a boy, Blue Cranes nephew. He called out to Crane one day “You are my relation.” “No I am not,” said old Crane. Crane was using a flint pointed spear at the time, just as the boy called out a great fish got away with the point, Crane was mad and went up the hill. The boy threw stones at Crane hitting him on the legs till he had nearly reached the top. At last Crane fell and rolled down the hill into the water getting wet all over.

The boy went up the river. A number of people lived along the road. The boy turned himself into an old man, his beads into dirty old trinkets. A girl (some kind of small bird) took him to her house. Her people made fun of her for bringing in such a weak, dirty, old man.

The old man took his pack for a pillow and lay down, he looked very old and miserable as he lay there. The girls people all wore duck skin blankets. But when it grew dark in the house the old man's blanket and bundle began to shine, the bundle grew big and the man became bright and beautiful, all the room was full of light from his bundle and himself.

The people came together when they heard about the man, for the news of his change had spread everywhere. The girl knew when he was an old man who he was, that he was Swaia, he was named for his mother.

Now the people wanted to have a race with the man. Everybody came to the race. Skunks and everything that creeps or flies. When he began to run he changed himself into an old man. The people as they passed him said “We'll beat you.” They ran around a hill, the old man starting last. The first time around he was way behind, then he changed himself into a fine looking young man and outran everybody. Skunk and others thought the man was still behind. Towards the end of the second time around Skunk stuck something in his foot. Old woman Skunk went to help hi but he wouldn't let her pack him home on her back though he could hardly get up, he wanted his wife's sister to pack him.

In the race Tcackai came in behind Swaias. Tcackai could beat Lok who was one of the people then, his name was Kic (To look far off) but Swaias could run faster than the eyes could look. Swaias married the girl and remained with her people.

81. SKUNK AND THE SISTER OF BLAIWAS

In the winter Skunk hunted rabbits every day, he had a wife and the wife's younger sister lived in the next house. Now a man wanted to marry Skunk's sister-in-law but Skunk would not consent for he was in love with her himself, whenever he killed any rabbits he sent them to her so that his wife often went hungry. The sister didn't take the rabbits she threw them outdoors and Skunk's wife would go and get them after Skunk went away.

One night a young man came and took Skunk's sister-in-law home to his own place. Next day Skunk started to follow his sister-in-law when he got to the house he looked in at the smoke hole and called to her to come out. They answered she is coming, go off a little out of her way. As soon as Skunk turned the man shot him in the back and he fell dead. Now the man moved off to another place and left Skunk lying there. He lay till he began to rot. Grass grew up around his body he had lain there so long.

At last Morning Star saw him lying there and called out “Why do you lie there so long, are you after a woman?”

Skunk jumped up and returned to his own place. Soon after he started with four other men to go North for beads, which they wear now in stripes down their backs. They traveled a long way and were gone several years. On their way back they caught the dog that belonged to Red-tailed Hawk and skinned it. Hawk was watching them from a tree near by, Skunk put on the skin and danced around, then another man put it on till all had danced with the dog skin. All said to each “It fits you nicely.”

Then Hawk took a club and killed the four men with it, cut off the hind legs of Skunk, but did not kill him. The dog body was dry and the skin was dry, but the dog wasn't dead. Hawk rubbed pitch over the dog, then put the skin on him. Skunk got under a rock and crawled off in the night, he dug roots and ate them but he couldn't keep the food in his stomach for he had no hind part. Skunk however at last got home to his mother, old woman Skunk, then he got well.

Now Skunk went to the house of Blaiwas who had one sister, Skunk wanted to marry this woman so he determined to poison all her family. He danced and called on doctors and got his medicine together. He called the woman outside then he went into the house and put something in the middle of the fire, it burst and killed everyone in the house, only Hawk and Blaiwas sister escaped. The woman was afraid but she went with Skunk, she fell down every little while and cried all the time. Hawk asked “Why do you cry you have the smartest man in the world?” Skunk said, “She want to come with me badly so I let her come.” At that Hawk struck Skunk with a club and killed him.

 From this woman came all the Blaiwas people, if Skunk had killed her we should have no Bliwaswas now.

82. SNOW ESCAPES FROM THE BAG

At one place in our country, Wisduks (Snow) lived and was falling around every day, every day some of the people asked Tcutuk (Rock Squirrel) if there was anything they could do to get rid of Snow. It was a storm that blew back and forth and one could scarcely breathe from it, it was always in the air, for Snow lived there. She said, “Yes, but Wus is so full of mischief I am afraid he will take hold of my bag and let Snow out.

Tcutuk had a great bag which she held open right before Snow, and said, “Go right in and stay in this bag.” Snow obeyed, couldn't help it. She went in and filled the bag and made it as hard as a rock. Tcutuk tied the mouth of the bag with a buckskin string, and now there was no more Snow in the world outside the bag. Tcutuk said, “You ought to go with me when I go to hide Snow under the great rocks I am afraid of Wus I feel that I am going to meet him.” There wasn't any snow on the world then only in this one place and when Tcutuk got it in her bag there was none left in the world. She said, “If Wus meets me and lets Snow out I shall be very sorry, for Snow will scatter then and live always. Get ready to help me, if I meet Wus and he opens my bag on one will be safe for Snow will come with great fury.”

When she was carrying off Snow on her back and was just going to cross a dried up log she came upon Wus, he was there catching mice. She stood still and moved the belt on her head. Soon Wus saw her, he came up begged her to tell him what she was carrying. “Oh I am not carrying anything to eat, I am carrying something that you have sometimes walked upon and it had made you shiver. I'm going to destroy it.” “But I can eat anything in this world, all that crawls or flies, let me have it to eat, I can eat even wind and air, you can have nothing that I cannot eat, I can eat clouds and rain and everything.” “Oh” said Tcutuk “I didn't know that you could eat everything, I never heard that. It is Snow that I am carrying.” “Oh yes I can eat Snow, it is good.”

She talked in every way to induce him to let her pass, but he wouldn't. At last she said, “Well you must open the bag, I will not, he was pulling at it and hurt her head and neck. She dropped the bag off but said, “You must not untie it until I have crossed the opening over there,” there was a large opening in front. As she dropped it off she ran with all her might. But before she could get across he loosened the string and Snow began to come out. Wus caught it one by one. As Tcutuk got on the other side of the opening he loosened the string more, Snow came out thick and fast but Wus caught and ate it as it came. He jumped with open mouth in all directions snapping at it. When he untied the bag altogether a great deal came out, but he caught and ate it all. The woman got to the rocks and ran in among them. Wus ________ full but still there was more in the bag. It came out in a great storm and covered the whole world.

Wus lay dead with over eating and the snow ______ out through his nose and ears and mouth and eyes and scattered everywhere through the world. And at the place where Wus died no one can live to this day. They die of starvation and snow for Snow lives there yet. And all the people whom Tcutuk tried to save by putting Snow in the bag died from the great angry Snow that escaped from the bag and Wus. And always since this Coyotes die of snow and cold in the winter. And Snow will always live now everywhere, but if Tcutuk had been able to keep it in the bag there would have never been any more snow. Tcutuk was driven among the rocks and since that time has been a rock squirrel.

83. KAWADUILALA AND HER TWO GRANDSONS WHO APPEAR TO KIOUKS IN DREAMS.

There were two little men, very small but full grown persons. When they traveled they went very fast, one always shouted, the other whooped. Shouting and whooping were their means of moving. They had an old grandmother, they called her that but she was no kin. She took care of them. These little men were of this earth. Every day they ran around from morning till evening only coming home to eat. They ran around to see if they could find anyone. Whenever they saw people they showed themselves, frightened them, and then ran home and wanted something to eat. The grandmother would ask “Where have you been?” “Oh we have been sitting out doors.”

Often people would hear the shout of the one or the whoop of the other. Sometimes the grandmother would say “My grandchildren one of you must get a wife.” “What is a woman good for?” “Oh many things.” “We don't want a woman, we don't know how to use them.” The grandmother would just laugh at this.

“Let us go around the lakes and swim about,” said the younger one. “Don't go near people or frighten them, they might do you harm. If you meet people let them alone” said the grandmother. “I thought you told us to drag a woman here?” I didn't tell you to do it now. I told you to bring one when you could find her and she would be willing to come.” “What is a woman good for?” “Oh wait till you find out,” replied the woman.

They always started off in different directions but soon met each other, one whooping the other shouting. Every evening the grandmother talked to them about getting a wife. “We are not made for that,” said they, we are always going to live, never die, we belong to this earth.” One morning they went across two mountains and as they hurried along the younger said, “I wonder why they traveled so much?” “Oh” said the older, I look for people.” “What do we want of people?” “We may want a servant sometime,” replied the elder. (he meant he would appear to Kiuks,Doctors, and make them do as he liked)

The younger said, “I think we have traveled around long enough.” “All right, which way shall we go home?” “We will go straight over this mountain.” On the summit of the mountain was a level place between sloping sides, a very bad place to walk across, it was full of small stones like pieces of broken obsidian. The younger wore the skin off his feet, when half way across he fell and the elder began to drag him. The elder said, “The stones have worn your feet to the bone.” “Well why should they cut my feet now, we have passed through here many times and they never did it before, I know you are doing this. It's the first time I'm in this state.” The elder dragged him some distance then packed him on his back to a lake. The younger said, “The water will make my feet smart.” “No,” said the other, “this water will heal your feet.” As soon as his feet were in the water they were healed.

When they came home the grandmother asked “Where have you been?” “Only to the other side of the mountain.” “What was the trouble with your brother?” “Oh he cried for nothing, he walked on some stones and hurt his feet.” “Maybe you were at fault I have often told you not to torment him, he is the only brother you have in this world.” “I didn't do it, it was the stones.” The old woman said, “I have told you many times not to tease him.” The elder now got angry and said, “Well I'll leave him here I don't care much for company in this world, I can live without him.” “You will not be very strong if you are alone,” said the grandmother, “you can travel around this earth and never have a home, the only time you will see anyone is when you appear to Kiuks, then you will be a very powerful medicine.”

“Well grandmother you will suffer too. You will disappear forever. There will be no use for you on this earth. You cannot live in this world or go anywhere, only this place where you live will have a name, it will be called Kawadiulis.” The elder disappeared. As the younger turned to leave and go by himself the grandmother said to him “Well my little grandson we must separate, you will never see me anymore and I shall never see you. You must follow your brother.” Each of them had an arrow which he carried at his back and they still wander about and are seen only in dreams by the Kiuk.

84. WUS DISOBEYS THE LAWS OF SWIMMING PONDS AND FROM A PERSON IS CHANGED TO AN ANIMAL.

Wus was going to Kai's bathing pond. His mother had warned him against touching anything on the way, said he must go straight to the place. On the road he saw some nice fat crickets and he began to eat them raw, ate all day. “You must pile rocks around the pond in the day time,” said his mother, “and bathe at night.” Wus came to the pond in the evening and stood by it, he had a bad odor from the raw crickets. As he stood looking into the water a man rose up in the middle of the pond and said “I don't want anyone who is dirty and has a bad smell to come and bathe in this pond, this is for people who obey the laws of bathing ponds. They are not to eat or drink before bathing.”

Wus thought I wonder who it is that comes here and talks so, he thought it was just someone who had come to bathe. Wus was dressed in red bark, he took this off and went into the pond. The water dried up in an instant because it didn't want such a dirty creature in it. (It was very deep before and is to this day) So Wus was left on dry land and had to go home. The man who had told him to bathe in this pond met him and asked “What have you been doing, you haven't bathed in that pond, I have sent many young men there and they always come back bright, you are all covered with dirt, you didn't obey me.”

Wus said, “As I went in to bathe the pond dried up.” “What did you do before you got there?” asked the man. “I met a great many crickets coming towards me and they were so nice and fat I couldn't go past, I ate some and went on. Someone stood up in the middle of the pond and told me not to come there that I had a bad odor.” “I knew that,” said the old man, “I can always tell what they do at the pond. Now you will never be of much account in your life.” The old man didn't like him anymore. Now his mother said, “If you want to go to a swimming pond I'll prepare you. You must go to the mountain and lie down for five days, and whichever way the wind blows you must talk to the earth and the mountains and tell them how strong you want to be.” He went and lay for five days and nights on the mountain top, whichever way the wind came he talked. This was because he was sorry for what he had done. But for disobeying the old man he was covered with sores.

He now went to the high mountain opposite, on the top was a swimming pool, the chief of all swimming pools and very dangerous. It was to this one his mother sent him, for it could give greater wisdom. He set fire to the shrubs and bushes at the foot of the mountain then followed up the fire which burned brightly. If the earth and mountains are willing to give a young man wisdom they will burn brightly and fast, but if they are not very will, rather hold back, they will burn slowly. His mother told him to climb the mountain slowly and listen, for everything talked, the earth, the trees and everything that was around him, as he followed the fire he must listen to all that was said to him. He did so, came to the pond, swam one night then when he was sleepy lay down by the rocks. The pond said to him in a dream “Who is this that has such a smell, what has he been doing? What do you want I should give you? So you suppose I can forgive you for what you have done? It is the same way with the other pond, you offended it, disobeyed its laws and it made you as you are. Now it can not change you if it would, you will always have these sores.” (Since that time this kind of coyotes have little hair and many sores)

As Wus woke the pond said to him “You will wander around this earth, you will not be a person, but you will sometimes appear to doctors.” Wus cried all the way home. After he had told his dream to his mother, told her that he could no longer be a person but must forever wander around the world, that he had thrown everything away by not obeying old people, he ran out and disappeared. For a long time after he was turned to be an animal he could be heard nights crying when he thought of his mother. He was always in the place where he had found the crickets and people could hear him crunch as though eating. He has no spirit now but just life. He is nothing but a scabby coyote.

85. THE FIVE UTUSUSAMTS BROTHERS

Five brothers lived together. The youngest brother was very small, other people lived around at no great distance. It was a cold winter at this time, deep snow everywhere. The snow fell into people's houses, everybody was hungry. The summer before the little boy had tied up five small bundles of leaves kamas, lolus dauiks, ipos and lehias. He now remembered how he had hung these sacks up in a tree and said to his eldest brother “I want you to carry me over to the place where we dug roots last summer.” “All right,” said the other putting the boy on his back he went on through the deep snow. The eldest brother took his fire-drill. “Don't look up,” said the little boy. “I'll tell you when we get there,” so the brother didn't look up, kept his eyes on the snow, the little boy kept saying “it is only a short distance now.” They came at last to the tree where the sacks were hanging. “Look up,” said the little boy, “this is the place.” The brother saw the bunches of dry leaves, was angry, threw down his fire drill and threw the little boy off into the snow saying “You have made me come here through the snow for nothing.” The little boy picked up the fire drill quickly so it shouldn't get wet.

When the elder brother got home the others asked “Where is the little boy?” “Oh he took me there for nothing, I threw him away in the snow and left him.” The little boy built a fire with the drill then he sat by the fire shut his eyes and said, “I wish a great house to be here and these five bundles of leaves to be five great sacks of roots.” He opened his eyes, he was in the house, the five sacks of roots were there and many other things besides.

Now the fourth brother was very fond of the little fellow and the boy was fond of him, he cried hard all that night for the snow was falling furiously and he was afraid the child would die of cold.

Now just as night came the little boy made a fire outside by the door of his house and called all kinds of ducks, geese, and birds by name to come. All came the air was full of them he killed all he wanted with a stick, made deep holes around and filled the holes with the bodies of the birds.

Next morning early the fourth brother started out to find the dead body of the little boy. The boy was looking out and saw him coming. As he came along he thought “Whose house can this be I'll ask if they have seen a little boy anywhere around here.” Now the boy put some of all kinds of food he had near the door for his brother to eat, then he lay down as though asleep. The brother came in, looked around for the people and saw the boy lying there, he was very glad. Presently the boy jumped up and asked “Why did you come?” “To hunt for you because our brother threw you out yesterday and I was afraid you would die.” “No I had a house I wanted him to bring me here, he didn't see my house and threw me away.” The brother ate and then the boy sent him home with a sack of kamas, a sack of ipos and five gees to his brothers. As soon as he was out of sight the boy said, “I wish I had two more houses and plenty in them to eat, but one house must be small with little in it to eat. Now the second and third brothers had wives, Skole (Meadow Lark) was the second brothers wife. The four brothers came bringing whatever they had. On the way the elder said, “I shall live in the same house with my little brother.” All went into the little boy's house, he cooked plenty for them and after all had eaten he said, “My youngest brother will live with me, my second and third brothers will live together in the second house and my eldest brother in a house by himself.” He divided all his things with his brothers. He made the snow go away and warm weather come. In five days all the roots of summer were growing. He made the snow melt by going around, rubbing his hands together as he went. The brothers said don't make so many roots we can't gather them. “ I do this” said he to the youngest brother “because I am going away to find a wife.” He went away far off to the house of an old Lilhanks (deer) woman and her daughter who lived by themselves.

The boy had grown fast, was now a young man. The girl stood on the housetop and called for all the ducks and birds to come. The young man heard some one call as he was still on the road far off, he listened heard them call the birds by name, just as he had done. Every evening these birds came and stopped around the house till morning then went away, the girl's mother used to play with Sandhill crane, stretch his neck, fool with him, the others would look on and laugh. The young man reached the house in the morning after all had gone, when the girl saw him coming she ran out to meet him, took him into the house, she knew he was coming. He took her for wife.

In the evening the young woman called the birds saying “Come everybody and play with my mother.” All came. Next morning the young man killed one of the ducks put a piece of the skin in his bosom, went into the house and threw it on the fire, he wanted to know if they ever ate that kind of food. His wife said, “Oh what is that with such a nice odor, I never ate this kind I should like to eat some.” The man asked “Are all those people who come here your relatives?” “No they are not.” “Do you ever eat this kind?” “No are they good to eat?” “Yes I killed two before they went away, bring them in let's eat them.”

That evening she called the birds again, the old woman said, “I want you to kill all of them now.” “Before daylight he killed all of them except Ketcka (a little water bird) which escaped. When Ketcka was flying away he said, “I am going to tell all the people now.” He told all the people in the world and they got afraid. After that the birds became wild. The young woman soon had a child, when he had become quite a boy, the father with his wife, child, and mother-in-law went back to where his brothers were, and lived there afterwards.

86. TSASASA (SKUNK) STEALS HIS SISTER'S ROOTS

Tsasas (Skunk) and his sister lived in two houses near each other. The brother had a Tsasas for a wife, the sister was a widow she had a great many kinds of foods put away for herself, she always carried her brother half the roots she dug, but he was never satisfied and would often steal from his sister but she didn't notice it she had so much. One day he dug under her house and got at the roots she had stored away. He had already carried off a good many when she saw his tracks and discovered her loss. That evening she said to her brother “Someone has stolen my food.” “Why you track him?” asked the brother. “Oh I know who the thief is. You ought not to do so when I have been so good to you.” He repeated her words and this made her so mad that she said, “These are your tracks.” “No they are not someone else had done this.” “They are your tracks” said the sister, your feet always come near together.” “I'll track the thief” he said. “Yes do and bring back the food you have taken away.” He told his wife to get ready to help him track the thief. “I don't blame your sister, you never stay at home, you are always roaming around I don't know where you get your food.”

He went to the hole and said, “Here is where he got them out of the house, here is where he tied them up, he has been eating all the way on the road, right here he took a rest,(he was following the tracks). “Yes” said his sister, “you did it all. You are not a child that I should feed you always, you have a wife. He said, “Right here he looked back, he thought someone was coming. Every time back he bit off a sweet root.” They were now at the place where he had hidden the roots and he said “Right here he has hidden them.” “Yes it was you who did it,” said his wife, and she beat him and told him to take the roots back. He asked, “How many times shall I have to go back and forth?” “As many as it took you to bring them here.” When Tsasas had a heavy load on his back he walked with his feet turned in. His sister filled the sacks for him. The roots he had bitten off and nibbled she threw out. Tsasas was afraid of his sister and always had to do as she told him. After he had taken all the roots back he said, “My neck is nearly broken but it will get well if you give me some nice roots.” She put the nibbled pieces in a sack and said to the roots “You must be heavy as rocks on his back so he will nearly die from dragging you home.” Then she said, “Here take this sack full.” It was very heavy, she wouldn't help him even to lift it onto his back but said, “Go home and after you have eaten these steal from me again if you dare.” The load bent him almost to the ground it was so heavy. He struggled along, sometimes would let it down from his back then couldn't get it on again for a long time. After a long time his sister came and said, “I can make your load feel differently if you wish. You have only a few roots in there, just those you nibbled. I made your load feel heavy. Now you know what I can do.” Tsasas promised never to steal again, she made his load light and he was soon home. After that they lived happily together.

87. THE KAIUTSIS BROTHERS AND GAK VISIT SKEL

Kaiutsis (Wolf) was a great person at this time and had plenty of servants. Gak was a young man and had nothing to wear, he lived nearby. When Kaiusis went to hunt Gak would follow and find the deer that ran off and died without Kaiutsis finding them.

One morning the five Kaiutisis brothers asked Gak to go with them to make visits and told him to make a pair of moccasins, the five brothers were making their own. Gak made a pair of antelope skin moccasins, the others had deer skin. They were going to start early in the morning. Gak woke early and called for the brothers to get up. They said, “Oh we are up already” they were not though till Gak called. Gak said, “Nobody ever beat me getting up” They started telling Gak to follow behind, not far away. They camped on the road and that night Gak's medicine, slikwis (fire drill), told him to swallow it. One of the Kaiutsis brothers thought “How can he swallow his drill, such a long stick,” and from Kaiutsis thinking this the drill stuck in Gak's throat and he lay there half dead from choking.

The eldest Kaiutsis said, “Whoever thought this must 'unthink' it then Gak will 'unchoke', if you don't he will die and it wouldn't be well for us to let our servant die it would be as if we had killed him ourselves.” The youngest brother said, “I thought how is it possible for him to swallow such a long stick but I don't know how to unchoke Gak.” He held his head on his hand for a long time then said to Gak “Since fire drill is your medicine it will come out of your throat.” The drill came out at once. Gak's mother knew that her son was choking for the little drill (model) which she had hanging up near the fire at home fell as soon as her son was choking.

Next morning they went to the house of Skel and Tcackai. Skel told Tcackai not to play tricks or make mischief with the Kaiutsis, his kinfolk, Skel and Tcackai went hunting and brought in a deer which Skoks (woodtick, Skel's wife) cooked for the guests. Skel told Tcackai not to tease Gak, for he was a strong man and could do most anything. Gak was ashamed of his moccasins and when he saw Tcackai looking at them he took down his quiver and said, “Let us go hunting.” But Tcackai wouldn't go, said they had visitors.

Tcackai began looking around and bothering people. Gak tried to hide his feet. Tcackai said, “Why don't that fellow sit still?” Gak was offended and was going away. Kaiutsis told him not to feel badly but to stay, they were his kinfolk. All were glad to see each other and talked like brothers. Skel said I am glad that you came I cannot go visiting my brother is so troublesome. Skel said, “Many deer get away from me and die in the woods. I cannot find them.” Kaiutsis said, “Our servant Gak could find them easily.” Skel asked Gak if he would hunt for the two deer that got away from him yesterday. Tcackai wanted to go but Skel told him to stay home. Gak and Kaiutsis said, “As soon as we find the deer, we shall come back.” Skel went with them to the place where he had lost the deer. Gak tracked it for a long distance, at last found it among the bushes. Then he shouted for Skel and Kaiutsis to come. Skel and Kaiutsis if he would let Gak stay with him for a short time. Kaiutsis said, “Your brother is very malicious and would tease him, my brothers never meddle with him. Tcackai might tease him and he would get angry and kill you.” They killed the deer, it was as fresh as though just killed. After roasting and eating some of the meat they went home. Skel gave the skin to Gak for finding the deer. They had skins soaking in water at that time and they always had these skins chewed over after that to tan them. An old man Kawes (Eel) did this for them.

Tcackai ran to meet them and said, “Gak found the deer, didn't he.” Skel scolded him. The Kaiutsis brothers now said, “We must go home.” When getting ready Tcackai got hold of Gak's fire drill, which was smooth and red, and running off to the spring stuck it down in the mud and tried to break it. Gak fell backwards, blood came out of his mouth and he lay as though dead. All were frightened, no one knew what the trouble was. At last Skel looked in Gak's quiver and found that his fire drill was not there, then he went to hunt for Tcackai. He found him by the spring trying to spear fish with the drill. He seized him by the arm, dragged him along and threw him into the house with such force that he lay senseless. Skel asked the Kaiutsis brothers how they could cure Gak. They didn't know. Skel said, “If Gak dies my brother must die too, I never taught him to treat people in this way.” Skel had red paint he gave it to the youngest Kaiutsis brother who took Gak's drill and painted it over red and new. Then he laid the drill on Gak's head. After a long time Gak came to life, his medicine woke him out of death, after he came to life he sand and tried to cure himself. Tcackai was lying dead, when Gak had recovered Skel stepped five times over Tcackai, he came to life, jumped up and said, “I've been asleep a long time, haven't I?” Now Gak and the Kaiutisi brothers went home. Before going the eldest Kaiutsis brother said, “I shall never come again with Gak to visit you , I shall come alone for your brother has abused Gak.”

Skel now took a deer skin to Kawe's house for him to chew and tan. He said to Tcackai “Stay in the house, don't go anywhere. Keep away from the old man's house, don't you go there and bother him.”

Tcackai thought “I wonder why Skel don't want me to go to Kawe's house, I'll go.”

Kawe was chewing the deer skin, had the whole of it in his mouth, except a little of the hind part, when Tcackai came in. Tcackai took hold of the end hanging out and pulled the whole skin from Kawe's mouth. At the same time he pulled out all of Eels teeth but two. Tcackai took the skin home and said, “Kawe was eating up the hide, I brought it home.” Skel was very angry and scolded. Since that time Eel has but two teeth. Old Kawe said, “As long as people use deer skin they will be good as far as I have chewed this one, but the hind part which I have not chewed of this one, will always be poor and hard. And as Kawe said, so it is.

When the Kaiutsis brothers and Gak got home Gak's mother was crying, she said, “You must stay at home now. I have always told you that someone would have an easy time to kill you.”

88. UTUSUSAS AND THE TEN BIRDS.

Ten birds, five Kiwas and five Kaulekkos brothers lived together. Some men killed their parents and they were going to the village in which the murderers lived to take vengeance. A person came out of the village to ask what they wanted. The said, “Our parents were killed and we want satisfaction for them, so there may be no more fighting, no more trouble.” Now Utususas lived in this village and when he heard of the ten brothers he said, “They don't amount to anything they are little creatures I could cover them with dirt.” Utususas and several young men went out to meet them as they were sitting on the road. They put dirt in their mouths, laughed at them and insulted them. Some of the chiefs said, “You shouldn't make fun of these people, they are men, they are powerful, they came to treat about the killing of their parents. You will see that they are somebody.”

But Utususas and his friends continued to make fun of them, they jumped over them, put dirt in their eyes, ears, and mouth. Then they swung them around. “You will find,” said the head chief to Utususas, “whether these are little boys or not.” But Utususas and his friends wouldn't listen, kept insulting the ten men, told them that they wouldn't get anything, slapped them in the face, jumped from head of one to the other, nearly killed them. The chief was very sorry he went home. Birds remained outside. The chief was very glad when he heard what the Birds demanded. They took white paint and sprinkled all over the ten birds and their wings have been spotted ever since. Then they went home and left the people in peace.

89. OWL ROCK TEACHES A YOUNG MAN TO GAMBLE

At Tcotkisini near the Lave Beds, on the east side of Tule Lake was a young man who lived with his mother and who had many valuable things which his father had left him. From the North side of the lake people came to gamble with him. He didn't know how to gamble well and they came to win his things. He had five elk skin coats, five spears, five obsidian knives, five small sacks full of beads, one sack of bone beads, much buckskin and all his father's fine clothes. He had three panther skin robes. Now when these North people came he went to betting with them and in one day he lost all even his buckskin moccasins and belt. They took away everything, left the house empty. The people laughed at him and started home. His mother was crying and talked to him till far into the night, saying you have given away your things for nothing, if you had known how to gamble I wouldn't have said a word. There are places where you could have learned to be a great gambler or a wonderful worker of some kind if you had not been afraid to go out of this house, but it is not right to gamble away for nothing what your father had. Now on the other side of the mountain is an old man but he had turned to be a rock, he was Mugas (Owl) once. He was a great gambler long before we lived, a man of power. If you go to this rock and he pities you he will move as though going to get up. You must learn to gamble now I have a sack full of beads under the ground, you can have that, people are making fun of you. She wrapped up his feet in some kind of skin and said “You must go along the lake till you get to the head of it then turn to the West and you are there. He went to the rock and heard an owl say “Moccasins with hair inside, use those and you will win all back.” As he heard this the rock seemed to move. (It was the rock that spoke as an owl.) Then he went to the West of old man Mugas and piled up stones. (Owl rock is about 14 feet square and smooth) The young man saw the rock act just as if it were gambling. He lay down near the rock and dreamed that someone pushed him and told him to turn around and look. He looked saw all his own things which he had lost and many besides. The rock said “You will win them all.” Then showed him feathers to wear on his head, and said I'll call you my son if you obey me. When he woke up he went home. Next morning his mother asked if he went to the place, he said “Yes and now I want something to make moccasins for my feet.” “I don't know what to give you I've no buckskin I've only an old piece skinned off the leg with the hair on, perhaps that will do.” “Yes that is the kind the old man told me to gamble in and win back all I lost.”

She took yellow porcupine quills and sewed on the skin and made him a pair of moccasins. They looked well. In two days the people came back to make fun of him and ask him to bet himself. He could see them a long way off, when they got near he threw ashes at them and said, “You can get nothing from me” when at the house everybody looked at his moccasins and said “Those are good moccasins, they are good for cold weather.” He said “I'll play for them, one at a time.” He won five games, played still more. He won all he had lost and all they brought besides. They went home naked. They said, “You are a better player than we are, we will come again soon.

90. TCACKAI KILLS THE FIVE SONS OF SOK, IS CARRIED OFF BY SOK AND SAVED BY SKEL

Skel sent Tcackai to Klamath Lake to get reeds to make music on. Telling him to get those with tears in them. Tcackai went and gathered a great many reeds but not the kind Skel had sent him for, and to make Skel think they were the right ones, he let his own tears flow into them. Where these reeds grew a man lived who had a big belly, his name was Tsitsatstkaias (Big belly). Now Big Belly tried to swallow Tcackai because he took the reeds, but Tcackai had so large a pack on his back that when Tsitsatstkaias had swallowed half the reeds he couldn't get the rest down. Tcackai couldn't walk and seeing what held him he kicked back, hit the man in the stomach, broke him open and killed him. Then he hurried home and told Skel that this man had tried to swallow him and he had killed him. Skel said, “I forgot to tell you that this man lived there and you were not to go near his house coming or going.”

On the way home Tcackai saw the five children of Sok (Crane), he killed them. Old man Crane was at Skel's visiting. Tcackai didn't know that they were Crane's children. Crane burned his children then turned himself into and eld and came for Tcackai, came slowly eating grass. Tcackai told Skel to go and shoot the elk. Skel said, “That is not an elk, get behind if you want to shoot it.” Tcackai shot, Sok caught him on his horns and rushed off to an island in a lake. Tcakanos (a kind of duck) lived on this island. Sok put Tcackai in a tule bag and hung him up over the smoke hole of Tcaksno's house. Tcakanos hurried off to get wood and punk. Then he made a great fire and smoked Tcackai. Sok always watched while Tcaksnos went for wood.

Skel didn't know where Tcackai was. He hunted all over the world. He then went to the house of the five Kaltciks (Spider) brothers. He stood outside the door. All five brothers were busy making nets. The eldest of the five said to the second one “Give him a seat I am busy.” The second said to the third “Give him a seat I am busy.” The third said to the fourth “Give him a seat I am busy.” Now Skel got angry and kicked the fire so it flew everywhere through the house and said, “I don't feel very well I am hunting for my brother.” All talked as before quick and loud. But their nets were burned. Skel said, “I have come to ask you where my brother is I am sorry that your nets are burned. Take a tule mat, spread it over your nets and step over it.” They did and their nets were whole again.

Then Skel asked the brothers if they would go and ask the brothers if they would go and ask Sun what had become of Tcackai. The eldest brother consented to go. He went early in the morning, became grass on Sun's road. Sun said, “Never grass here before.” The Spider turned to dirt, then to a hair, then to a stick. In this way he at last got near Sun and called out “Skel wants to know where his brother is.” Sun said, “Stop talking to me I am in a hurry.” Skel said, “tell you not to get mad.” Sun said, “What will you give me if I tell you all I know about Tcackai, will you give me the morning star, the light of dawn, the red of morning, rays of light and circle of light?”

Now the second Spider brother who was at home, in the house, was a great healer, he heard all Sun said to his eldest brother and told Skel what Sun said. Skel made all the things Sun asked for, made them by wishing. The eldest brother came home and he and the second brother carried the things to Sun. Sun said, “I am not sure. But I saw a man getting wood and saw a great smoke come from his house. If Skel goes there he may find his brother, that is all I know.”

Skel went on till he came to where Tcakanos was getting wood. When near he turned himself into an old woman. The man said, “Your shadow looks like Skel.” The old woman fell down and said, “Oh Skel isn't old as I am. I am glad his brother is killed. He killed all my relatives. Why do you split wood?” Tcakanos said, “I am smoking Skel's brother, he is most dead this will finish him.” “Could I ride in your canoe?' asked the old woman. “No, how could you get in I jump into it from the shore a long way off, a snake is in one end of the canoe when the snake hisses I say 'Uh' and it stops I have another Rattlesnake on the top of the house.” Then Tcakanos said, “Old woman help me put this pack of wood on my back.” Skel lifted the wood, struck Tcaksnos on the head with it and killed him. Then Skel took the canoe, did as the man said he did, got to the house and took Tcackai down from the smoke hole. Skel now tore Sok to pieces and threw around his body, heart and all. Skel was on an island, he threw the pieces onto land and they became mountains in different directions around the lake. He saved a little of Cranes fate. He burned the house and taking Tcackai started for home. On the way he met the five Kaudutkis (a bug now) brothers and killed them by putting some of Crane's fat down their throats.

91. KUMUC BRINGS ABOUT A BATTLE BETWEEN THE SWAT AND DJADJAK PEOPLE.

At a place called Mutuslewiaks lived the Swat brothers and Kumuc lived with them. Every day the Swats, who were numerous, made arrows. The Djadjaks were great gamblers. They lived quite a distance from the Swat brothers.

One day Kumuc said, “I am going over to visit the gamblers.” The Swat brothers said, “We are making arrows and cannot go now, but we will go sometime and see how they gamble.” The Djadjak brothers were glad to see Kumuc and said, “You should come often.” Some were surprised to see him for this was the first time he had visited them, “Yes, I shouldn't have come if they had not talked so much about you. I didn't want to listen so I came away I don't like such people, always talking about their neighbors.” Kumuc told many things but the gamblers didn't say much.

At last when night came he said,“I am going home.” “All right old man come again and see us.” When he got back to the Swat people he said, “The Djadjaks asked me if you watched them all the time to see what they were doing, I wanted to see them gamble but instead of that they talked about you.” “Why do they talk about us?” “Because you don't gamble, they hate you as though you were not people.” (Kumuc was hungry for meat, that is why he tried to make trouble, he wanted to eat up both sides after they had killed each other.)

They didn't pay much attention to his talk, he moved about uneasily, looked angry and said, “I don't want to go over there again I didn't know you people were enemies.” “I thought”, said one of the Swat brothers, “that when persons gambled they were happy and didn't think of fighting.” Kumuc started again in the morning saying “perhaps I shall stay all night.” “All right we cannot leave our work to go and look at them.” When Kumuc arrived at Djadjaks house they were surprised to see him again so soon and one said, “I wonder why he comes so often.” “Why are you surprised,” asked Kumuc “I want you to know that they hate you over there. They told me to tell you that they are about ready to come and fight with you.”

Some believed him and said, “I think the old man tells us just what he hears them say.” Every day they make poison arrows to use on you,” said Kumuc. Now the Djadjak people were mad. Kumuc went back to the Swat brothers and said, “When they win arrows they say we will use them on the big Swat people.”

Now the Swat side was angry and believed him. One said, “I don't like to hear so much, we are enemies but we have never wished to fight, I don't think you tell the truth.” “Well it makes me uneasy that is why I tell you.” Next day Kumuc said, “I will go again and see what they are doing.” He found them gambling. He was all perspiration when he got there and they asked “What is the matter old man?” “Oh they are all ready to come and fight you” the gamblers said. “Well we must leave our gambling and go and fight them, we thought we were going to have a good time.”

Kumuc ran back to the Swat brothers and said, “I will make your arrows so you can kill three or four of those people at a time, you must stoop down when you see one of their arrows coming (he said this so they would be sure to get shot). He went back to the Djadjaks and said, “They are ready now.” All were ready, there were many of the Djadjak people but they were very small. “You must all crowd together,” said Kumuc, “never scatter, if you do you will surely get killed.” They fought and both sides killed many. Kumuc pretended to try and stop them but he only made more trouble. Every time that the Swat people shot an arrow that Kumuc fixed four or five of the Djadjak people were killed. They fought in the air not on the ground. Kumuc was on the ground. All the ground was covered with the dead. Only two of the Swat and two of the Djadjak people escaped. They gathered up their dead and were going to bury them, but Kumuc said, “You need not do that I will take care of them, in later times people might make fun of you if you burn them yourselves. I'll care for the dead on both sides. Come back in two days and you will see how I have cared for them.

Kumuc cooked some of the birds in the ashes, others he dried and cooked in different ways. After he was through eating he piled up stones as if bodies had been burned there. Now a man had watched Kumuc while he ate the deat Swat and Djadjak people instead of burning them and he said, “He is the one who always lies.” He ran off, found the four men and them the old man was eating their friends instead of burning them. Early in the morning Swat made big arrows, now Kumuc knew what he was doing and said, “I shall not stay here and wait for him” and he started off West. When Swat reached the place he saw the pile of stones and the bones but Kumuc was not there. Kumuc as he rested on the road looked back at the brothers and said, “You shall no longer be a person, you shall hereafter live among the bushes and small trees. From that time forth Swat became nothing but a Prairie Chicken. As the Djadjak brothers came to look for their friends Kumuc said, “The place you have gambled in shall turn to rocks, and even little children in later times will kill you late at night, you will be no longer living people, this world is yours only for a little time.

92. WUS SENT AFTER THE WANDERING FIRE BY HIS MOTHER

Wus lived with five Kaiutsis (Gray Wolf) brothers. One day he burned a hole in a deer skin when he was tanning it. He cried for he was afraid of the brothers. It was only a small hole. Wus had been throwing away coals and sticks, the skin was stretched out to dry and caught one of the coals. When the eldest of the five brothers came from hunting he found Wus crying. “What is the trouble why do you cry.” asked Kaiutsis. “Oh I have burned a hole in the deer skin, a coal fell onto it, I am very sorry.” “You needn't feel badly” said Kaiutsis. The Kaiutsis brothers were very particular. The other brothers came, Wus was afraid of them. They asked “What is the matter with your eyes?” The eldest brother told them. They made fun of Wus and said, “You are bound to be poor and beg around. A man would never cry for such a thing, you will never be of much account. Take the skin and make moccasins for yourself.” Wus was still afraid but he was glad to get the skin, for the brothers didn't give him much. Next day Wus said, “I must go and see my mother I left her long ago.” They dried deer meat for him and told him to take all he was able to carry and give it to his mother. They told him to come back soon to tan the deer skins, and to bring his mother with him.

On the way Wus forgot all the Kaiutsis brothers told him. He found his mother almost starved and the meat didn't last long. Then Wus began to hunt mice, the smallest he gave to his mother sometimes he gave her only the heads. One day when Wus was off hunting mice a large deer came to the house to borrow grass to make caps. Old woman Wus asked what she wanted and she told. The old woman said, “Come in I have some short ones I can give you.” The deer went into the house and old woman Wus said to the house “You grow smaller and smaller.” The house got very small. Deer wondered at it, and the old woman said, “That is always the way it does when a stranger comes, you can creep out.” Old woman Wus made her awl stick out above the door. The deer got it stuck in her head. The old woman took an obsidian knife, split her open, skinned and cut her in pieces. The she thought “I will pay my son for feeding me on mice heads.” She took a large gut out of the deer and talked to it, saying “About evening you begin to burn like a bright fire, go far out on the flat and look like a large camp fire, you must talk as though there were many people sitting around. As my son comes near you must go further and further and draw him very far off, as far as the great water.”

The old woman cooked deer's liver and then put everything away, there was not a drop of blood, or sign that anything had been killed there. She cooled the liver and put it under her dress. About evening Wus came with a basket full of very small mice. The old woman cooked them. Wus ate a good many then lay down. The old woman began to eat, she ate the mice and liver at the same time. Wus listened, it sounded to him as if she ate something besides mice, he jumped up and asked “What are you eating?” “I am eating heads.” “It sounds like something else.” “How could I get anything else?” Again he listened then jumped up and searched all around her and found the liver under her dress. “Where did you get it?' “Your uncles passed by here and gave it to me.” “Why did they give you more?” “They wouldn't, you ought to look out they passed by just before evening, perhaps they have camped near here.” He looked out saw the fire and said, “There is a fire over there I expect it is theirs.” “I think so” said the old woman, “they could not have gone far, for they had a heavy load.” As Wus started towards the fire he saw people roasting meat and heard them talking. As he went along they seemed to be further and further off. He ran very fast to catch up with the fire but couldn't, he went at full speed and often said, “I shall jump right down by it,” but each time he jumped the fire was as far off as before. He ran all night, he was a fast runner in those days. He could run, give a jump and reach a mountain top. When there he saw the fire still ahead and said, “Now I'll jump right down where they are cooking.” He crossed the world to the ocean in one night. In the morning he was only skin and bones. He was up on a hill when the sun rose, off on the flat in front he saw the camp fire, saw men roasting meat, talking and throwing knives at each other and saying “Now I shall be there” he gave a long run and leap, but he did get there, the fire was now far off in the ocean.

Wus turned back worn out and sad, he soon lay down too weak to go on. As he lay there crying his aunt Tswididak (Snipe) who lived near hear him, she came and pushing him around with her feet said, “You shouldn't do what other people tell you, you are often in trouble by it. Your mother did this, she sent deer gut to look like fire, she wanted to kill you so she could eat the deer alone.” Tswididak put him in her basket, took him home and kept him several days when he got stronger she carried him for three or four days and nights towards his home. When Wus got home his mother sat making a straw plate, her hair was shaved off and her head covered with pitch. She was very glad to see him again, oiled his body, cured him. He got fat and they moved to a new place.

93. NEOGIWULS (THROWN OUT) AND HIS FATHER

A great many people lived at Ulaldauals (in the mountains beyond Pelican Bay) and a lazy, weak, goof for nothing boy lived there, his father grew tired of him at last and threw him out of doors.

Just South of Ulaldauals was the lake Uyeniks and beyond the lake no man lived. This boy went around begging and often had nothing to eat for two or three days. Some people gave him to eat and others said, “We don't want you around our houses.” He went around in this way for some time going from door to door. At last he went to the South side of lake Uyeniks where no man lived, he walked till he was very tired and hungry, then he found a place and lay down, he fell asleep and dreamed that he was rich, had a rich house, great power and was a Kiuks (doctor), that a great many people were living there and that he had made them.

When he woke up in the morning he saw everything that he had dreamed, a great village and people running around shouting, playing, doing everything pertaining to every day life. He rose up and went into his own house which was spacious and full of skins, beads and everything that was needed and his wife was there too. He was a Kiuks of awful power could do anything, make people and whatever he wants he can have, whatever he thinks of he can make.

The people in his father's village saw the smoke and the houses beyond the lake and sailed over in canoes to see what was going on. Among those who went over were men who turned the hungry and wretched boy from their own door and wouldn't give him anything to eat. All landed and went among the houses but not yet to his house.

Neogiwuls came out and saw some of the men who had given him something to eat, these he asked to come in and eat, the others who drove him away he spoke to and treated as they had treated him. The rejected ones said “You are proud because you have got everything nice.” He answered “You were proud some time ago and drove me away, now I treat you in just the same way.” The men who had treated him well scolded the others and said “You would better go home and behave or this man will kill you.”

They said, “No we are not afraid of him and began to throw sticks into his house. Neogiwuls just wished in his mind that these people were dead. In one moment they fell down and died before his face. The other people took them home over the lake and when they were brought to Ulaldauals all their friends began to weep and asked “How did they die?” The others answered “Neogiwuls, the son of this man here, is living beyond the lake, has everything he wishes for and can do what he wants, these men now dead in old times drove away from their door hungry. Today when they went over he would not take them in as he did us and spoke to him as they had spoken to him when he was hungry and poor, then in answer to his words they began to abuse him and say they were not afraid of him and throw sticks at his house. When they did this he make them all dead in one moment.”

More people wanted to go to Uyeniks and started from Ulaldauals for the place. Niugiwals changed the water at the shore near his village so that all those who had turned him from their doors when he was poor fell dead in their canoes as soon as they entered the water but those who treated him kindly sailed over in safety.

When Neogiwul's father heard of his fortune he sent to him asking to make friends, be his father again, and live with him, but Neogiwuls would not listen to it, didn't want to be his son anymore. Then the people who has been kind asked to live with him in the new place, he gave them permission and they all came. After they had settled down he made five great guard dogs and the dogs could talked like men. Just behind the house he made a circular pond and filled it with suckers great and small, minnows, bullheads and many other kind of fish. Then he made a pond for wokus, had plenty all the time, winter and summer. Near the ponds was level ground and on this place grew Nutak grass a little further on Lolus, a great deal of it, further Gabiunks, Kakas, Tsikal, Ges, Dawiks, Lehyas, Ndaluk, Kol, Kokos, Tsnik, Dok, and then a pond of tules and pupus. Then he made tame ducks which they could take and eat whenever they wished, also wild ones. And he said to the people “I want you all to eat together at the same time because I am sorry when I look back and remember how my father threw me out and others drove me away and how I was poor and weak and hungry and as he finished this talk a man came from his father's and said, “Your father feels very badly he'd like to come over and see you.”

Noegiwuls answered “No I am the same weak good for nothing looking man I was when he threw me out. You go tell him that.” Then turning to all the people he said, “I feel to you as if you were my fathers and mothers, you gave me food and were good to me when my own father threw me out. Whenever you want anything ask me I will give it to you, plenty of beads, anything you want. If you hadn't given me to eat when I was outcast I should have died and should not be what I am today, should not have the things I now have, nor the power I feel, I feel good to you.” Then he told the people “I am going away now to other places to see some friends but you stay here, eat and enjoy yourselves without fear as if I were here.” Then he said, “If while I visit my friends some wicked men kill me and my wife, you stay where you are and have everything as I should. I leave it to you all together not to anyone alone nor more to one than another.”

Neogiwuls went away and saw his friends but returned with a larger supply of all things needed by the people than they had ever had before. He had been around o;n every side in every direction and came back with little bundles which multiplied till the whole place around about was filled with them.

Then he went to Gombat where his father's and mother's brothers were, all liked him and gave him every kind of rich present which he brought home and said, “I feel always well every day, always happy.”

Every evening he had all kinds of sports and games, foot races,gambling. One time he asked “Is my father getting rich now as I am? Is greater than he was when he threw me out, is he greater than I am, I should like to know. I wish you would tell me has he everything, has he what he wants, can he get it as I do? If I want anything I can get it, can he do that?”

They answered “No, he is only just living with his old wife, has nothing and cries all the time, he wants to see you.”

When Neogiwuls heard this he made a small island in the middle of the lake with willow around on the edge. Then he turned to the people and said, “You see that little island, you know what I am going to do with it? I am going to put my father and mother on it and let them die of hunger there.”

Then he sent two men to his father and told him he wanted him to come and talk to him. The father and mother came to his house, then he asked his father “Are you rich now? Do you remember how you treated me when I was poor and weak?” The father said nothing. “Have you got everything that you want, are you rich? Are you getting to be chief, have you beads and skins?” The father wept, was silent. Then the old man answered “No.” Neogiwuls said, “I'll make a place for you.” His father said, “My son don't treat me this way. Forget what I did a long time ago, I'm sorry for it now.”

Neogiwuls told his men to take the old man and woman to the island and said to his father “I don't want you to be my father.” His father cried and said, “Don't remember how I treated you long ago.” They took him and his old wife to the island from which they could not escape. They gave them food for one day and when that was gone the old man and woman died of hunger.

94. THE CHILD THAT WAS CARRIED OFF BY A SKOKS’

A little boy just able to talk was left at home alone. All the family went off to hunt. His mother said, “You stay here in the house and look after things, don't go outside.” The boy felt frightened at being alone. Soon he thought he heard a noise that sounded like a whirlwind in the grass, but it was a Skoks who had come after him. The child turned around his left shoulder to see who it was. The Skoks looked awful, like a sort of white gray fog. He could see one side of his face had black stripes on it, the other side was ash color. The Skoks had very long fingernails and called to the boy “Come here.” The little fellow didn't go but fell down dead, just as he fell he screamed, the mother heard him and ran home. The child was as cold as ice. The mother screamed for someone to come. Now old woman Koe (Frog) lived near and her medicine was Skoks. She heard the mother call and came to her. The mother took the boy's clothes off and rubbed his body with ashes, put black coal on one side of his face and white Indian chalk on the other. As soon a Koe came she called for her Skoks, she said Skoks came for the child but he turned his left shoulder, that is why he is breathing, if he had turned his right shoulder Skoks would have taken his spirit, but she hasn't his spirit yet. Koe's Skoks heard what she said and he went right before the boy's spirit, it hadn't gone far and brought it back to his body and the child came to life. They asked the boy how Skoks looked he said, “He had long fingernails, I could scarcely see him, when I screamed he was gone. Koe said, “The boy will be a great doctor.” They tried to pay Frog but she said, “I don't want riches for my medicine but I want to bring all the peoples spirits back I can. The boy grew very fast and became a great Kiuks (Doctor). Every day they would ask him “How does Skoks look when he wakes you out of a dream?” And he would answer “Oh he has red eyes, they look like fire in the night, and his nails are longer than his fingers, he has hot ashes for his paint. One side of his face is white, on that side he drops black tears, and on the other side blood red tears.”

95. KAIUTSIS (GRAY WOLF) OF MLAIKSI (MOUNT SHASTA).

Kaiutsis (Gray wolf) lived on the great mountain Mlaiksi (Mount Shasta) and young women dare not call this mountain by its name. It was like calling for Kaiutsis, but they could call it Waikamtni (the narrator said this is about equivalent to the aunt of ones mother). One day when three girls were out gathering seeds they spoke of the mountain and called it by its name. Just then they saw Kaiusis coming, he looked like a young man whom they knew but when he came near and was about to catch hold of one of the girls they saw sticking out of his moccasin, the hair that grew between his toes, such hair as Wus has. They screamed out “You are not a man, you are Kaiutsis.” That moment he turned to Kaiutsis and ran back to the mountain howling. Kaiutsis was a great eater. He would get behind a deer and eat it while running, keeping up with the deer and eating till he had swallowed all its flesh. This is the way he went when he returned to the mountain. When people drove deer away from him he would howl and follow the people, but he didn't eat them. Every day he would go to different women and try to catch them, but never could. Sometimes he would paint up and make himself look like some young man the women knew, but they always discovered him and ran away, then he would go back to the mountain. One day a middle-aged woman who had plenty of children was working by herself. He came to he, he had yellow porcupine quills around his head and beads of different colors around his neck and waist. As he came near she screamed “You are Kaiutsis.” He ran back to the mountain. Another time one of these three girls was sick and it was her fifth day. She didn't go very far. Her mother wanted to send her little brother or sister with her, but neither of them wanted to go. They said, “We shall thirst for water if we go.” So she went alone. The other girls and women who were gathering seeds sat down under a cedar tree to rest, the girl sat down near the woods, she was singing, the women who heard her said, “Her father and mother can't have much sense not to tell her that girls should never sing in the day time if they are sick, only at night, she will have trouble.” Just as the women were speaking Kaiutsis came out of the woods and caught the girl by the hand. The girl called out “Who are you?” “Oh I am a man.” The women screamed “That is Kaiutsis, that is Kaiutsis.” That moment he threw the girl to the ground and pulled off her clothes. When he let her up she had turned to a Kaiutsis like himself and they both ran off onto the mountain.

Her father hunted for her many days and there was great mourning among the people. They could always hear them howl far up on the mountain but could never come near them.

This girl’s people gathered hairs of Wus, Lok and others and feathers of Blaiwas and others and sang to Wus, Lok and Blaiwas and all others whose hairs and feathers they had, sang about Kaiutsis and asked all those whose hairs and feathers they had to help them to weaken Kaiutsis so he could never do such things again and would be satisfied with one woman. They danced several nights then the girl's father went over to Mlaiksi and traveled many days on the Western side of the mountain. He was tired and lay down and slept. While he slept he dreamed he heard some one say “There is no use in you following him around. He is not an animal, he is a man, he will take good care of your daughter, she will always have plenty to eat. She will have many children and will never die, perhaps her children will die sometimes, but you must leave them in peace. They will do your people no harm if you do not injure them and if you see their young, you must remember they are your kin and never harm them. When he woke up he went home and told his wife all, told her not to feel badly to let their child go. “She belongs to the mountains now, someone told me that her husband is not an animal, he is a man and can turn to be an animal.” Now all the people went back to their home by the river. Some of the young men whom the girl never liked and had refused to marry sneered and said, “She went up there to marry, she has married an animal.” Her father was angry but her mother said, “Never mind, let them talk so if they like, our daughter will live forever, but they will die as we shall.

96. THE SON-IN-LAW OF WAMNUKS (RATTLE SNAKE)

There was a chief at Euks (Klamath Marsh) who had one son and one daughter. When the boy was grown up to be a young man his father didn't want to have him as a son for he was very lazy, was lousy and had sores all over his body. The chief had a mother beyond Kohasti and to that grandmother the young man went, she took care of him.

The old woman sent her grandson to bathe in Klamath Lake. While he was swimming in the water he came near the island Tkapileus and waded around till all at once he came to a deep place, sank down and came to Wamnuksamlatsas (Rattle snake's house).

There were five brothers living in that house, the eldest had two daughters. The father told his younger daughter to spread a wildcat skin for the young man. She refused. Then he told the elder girl to spread the skin, she did so and taking the young man by the hand she led him to the skin.

Both girls washed the young man with water into which they has put medicine given by their father. He got well at once. The younger daughter wanted to marry him but he wouldn't have her. He stayed two days in the house, they put two round marks of paint on his cheekbones and a horizontal stripe across his forehead. He married the elder girl immediately after washing. When the young man was painted five old men who lived near came and asked “Why did that young man come here?” The young man himself answered “I came because I wanted to come. I wanted this same woman that I married.”

The old men were cousins to Rattlesnake, they said, “What are you going to give us for marrying this woman?”

The young man said I have no property, my father threw me out, but my sister's husband is rich he will give you beads and many other things.” While the young man and old ones were talking Wishink and Moas (South Wind) came in. They said, “We have come to see this man, what kind of person he is.” Then the young man said, “My father threw me out.””Well” said Moas “we want you here, you stay with us.” “I am sorry” said the young man “to go but I don want to stay all the time I pity my grandmother who lives alone.”

Next day the young man was ready to go home with his wife. He took one elk and one wild cat skin and many different kinds of beads. His father-in-law said, “I wanted you to marry my daughter because you were very poor I want you to be rich, to be a chief, a Kiuks and a great gambler, I will give you gambling sticks of every kind.” The young man took the sticks and then went to his grandmothers, before he came to the house he left his wife outside saying “I will go in first you stay here.” He went in and said, “I've got a wife now.” “Well,” said his grandmother “bring her into the house.” The young man went back to his wife who wished the old woman's house to be large and good, full of skins, beads and every valuable thing. Immediately the house was large and full of rich things. The old was very glad at the change. Then the young man sent some men to tell his sister that he wanted to see her, but not to tell his father.

His sister came bringing a great many presents for her sister-in-law, she made a long visit and then went home. After that the young man went back to his father-in-laws place, leaving all the rich things and good house for his grandmother. Now he learned the Wamnuks language and went visiting with his wife to the North side of the lake, to Nihlaksi mountain, where a great many Wamnuks people lived. He went over there to gamble taking his sticks and pahla with him. He had five strings of beads when he commenced and won a great many more. After a little his father-in-law and his four brothers came over, and the five old men with Wishink and Moas.

The young man could see through the mat that was used in playing so could his wife's youngest uncle and two of the Nihlaksi Wamnukses. The young man during the game changed the gambling sticks under the mat so those of the Nihlaksi people who were not able to see lost. Now the father-in-law said to the young man “You are a doctor you better fix those men's eyes to suit yourself, so they won't see well.” He did this and all the Nihlaksi men lost everything.

The young man and his whole company returned to Wamnuksamlatsas going under the lake. They had great feasting and rejoicing on their return and the visitors stayed some days.

At this time the young man's father heard that his son had become very great in gambling, so he came over to his mother's to see the old woman and when he said, “I am sorry I threw my son out I want him to be my son and I'll give him all my property.”

The chief sent one of his men to see his son at Wamnuksamlatsas and tell him to come over and see him at his grandmother's. The man said, “Your father wants you to come over and see him at your grandmothers, he wants to be your father again.”

“No” said the young man, “I don't want to go, I don't want him. But I like my grandmother she made me great and strong, I like my sister but I don't want him to be my father now. A long time ago he threw me out because I was full of lice and sores. I am strong and rich and great now but if I should become his son maybe I should grow lousy, wretched and poor again as I was before.”

The man went back and told what the young man said. The chief cried a great deal because the young man would not be his son again. The father-in-law said, “I am sorry for your father you ought to be his son again. “I don't want to be.” “Well” said the father-in-law “forget that he threw you out a long time ago and be his son again and be to him as my daughter is to me.”

The young man consented and sent word through his sister who was at the grandmother's, he went to his grandmother's himself and the old man, his father, was very glad and said, “My son I am glad to see you again.” He now gave all his property to his son with some small exception and never was cross again.

Now the father-in-law came to the grandmother's and said to the father “I coaxed your son I told him to be your son again, he didn't wish this because you threw him out long ago, I told him not to remember that but to be your son. It is I who gave you back your son you ought to be grateful to me and very glad.”

“I am thankful to you and very glad” said the father. All were happy now, the chief lived at his mother's, the young man was sometimes there and sometimes at his father-in-laws.

After this he went to Neknek at Euks to a place where there are pointed rocks about four feet high, on the East side of Klamath Marsh, to gamble. He changed the peoples eyes as he had those of the Wamnuksas at Nihlaksi and won all their skins and beads. Then he went to the North side of Euks to Tdis, rocks like those at Neknek but about seven feet high. They gambled, he spoiled their eyes and won everything. The he went a little further north to the Wahluk, a place like the Tadis. Beat the people there in the same way and got all their property. He took two fawn skins pulled off so they were bags, made everything small which he had won, put all in the two bags and carried home the spoils of three peoples in the three bags. He gave half to his father-in-law and half to his father but the father would take only a little, the rest of his half was given to Wamnuks because he had been so kind. Wamnuks gave the young man all his strength, cured him, gave him his daughter, and make his a Kiuks, a gambler that no man could beat and reconciled him to his father.

97. THE KIUKS WHO WAS KILLED AND ENTERED INTO HIS MOTHER'S BODY.

A Kiuks (Doctor) was living with his mother at Dokwa, near Klamath Lake. He had all kinds of dead birds hung up in his house and one little fawn. He had a long pole standing outside the house and on top of it a dead eagle, when the wind blew the eagle would sway around. He had two of all kinds of birds, except Eagle and fish hawk,of these he had but one. Eagle he kept on the pole outside, fish hawk he had hung up inside the house.

This man was a terrible Kiuks, he could kill anyone quickly. Everytime the doctor shouted and sang the moment he stopped the dead eagle would scream just as if alive, and when he stopped fish hawk would scream and after him all the other birds inside screamed together. Now these birds all came to life at the call of the Kiuks when all the birds finished screaming he would feed them. After they were fed they would all be dead again till he saw fit to call them to life.

Now nobody ever went to this man's house, everyone was in mortal fear of him. Whenever he called and the eagle and all the birds answered the earth began to tremble and trembled as long as the birds screamed. All the people everywhere felt the earth tremble and shake, it frightened them greatly. They said at such times Kiuk is singing and the birds are screaming. The the people began to talk of how they could kill the Kiuks. One morning he started to go to Gombat (Pelican Bay) before he went he hung up a wooden come in the house and said to his mother “If this comb falls you may know that somebody has killed me.” He had a ska (a sharp stone three feet long) and he said, “as soon as the comb falls strike with this ska five times on the fire place and in the fire.”

He started off. The people has always been wishing that this Kiuks would go somewhere, so far he had always remained at home. There were some on the watch for him all the time and as soon as these saw him start they followed him. When he got to Pelican Bay they attacked and killed him, shot him with arrows and cut him with flint knives, tore him into small bits. When this was done the comb fell. The mother knew her son was dead, she took the stone ska and struck in the fire five times with it as he had told her. That instant every man who had been engaged in killing him fell dead and all the birds in his house and the eagle outside began to scream.

The old woman went to Gomabat to get the pieces of her son, brought them home and burned them. Then his spirit went into her and she became just such a Kiuks as her son had been, she had never been a Kiuks before, nothing but a simple common old woman. But now she used the eagle, fish hawk and birds just as her son had done. Everybody was afraid of her, but they said to her “You must not do as your son did you must not kill people, if you do we will kill you as we killed your son. Soon after the old woman got sick and died because she didn't gain strength from the birds. Her son used to sing often, then the birds came to life, screamed and strengthened him, but she was afraid of the people, afraid to make the birds scream, afraid to make the earth tremble. So she called the birds to life by seldom and for that reason grew weak and died. All the birds came to life then and flew away to the woods.

Now the people took all her beads and property, left the body in the house and burned the house and body together.

98. KAIUTSIAMTS AND HIS SON IN LAW TSISGIGI

Kaiutsiamts (Old gray wolf)

Tsisgigi was married to Bep and hunted every day bringing home plenty of game, but Kaiutsiamts, his father-in-law, ate it all and was never satisfied.

Once when Tisigigi was aiming an arrow at Gilili, a great deer as big as a mountain, Giwus, the squirrel, came and rubbed something on his eyes which made him blind, but he shot the arrow all the same. Kaiutsiamts knew that his son-in-law was maltreated and came to him and asked “Who maltreated you?” “I don't know, when I was shooting some one came and rubbed his hands across my eyes.”

Kaiutsiamts looked up and saw the squirrel, shot at him with a fire-drill and killed him.

Tsisgigi then said to his father-in-law “You go over there to Monieus (Big water, the ocean) I know that I killed Gilili, you will find him over there.”

Kaiutsiamts ran very fast he was glad to have plenty to eat. When he reached Monieus everything in the world that eats flesh was there. There were many inside as well as outside. Those on the outside pushed Gilili into the water and it floated away, after it had been floating two or three days and had gone far out towards the middle of Monieus, Kaiutsiamts said to Wekweks (Magpie) “You go outside and see what makes Gilili shake like this.”

Wekweks went out and looked around then came and said, “We are all way out in Monieus and Wekweks flew away home to land. Kaiutsiamts sent out Mauks (House fly) to see why Gilili shook, Mauk told the same thing and flew off. Kaiutsiamts sent everything out, each said the same thing as Wekweks and Mauk and flew off.

Kaiutsiamts was now alone. Then he looked out and saw that he was in the middle of monieus, the ocean, and didn't know what to do. Munk (Mole) now made an earth road to where Kaiutsiamts was, Kaiutsiamts shot a fire-drill over the road that Munk had made and was able to pass over. He came home to Yamut where he had four sons and this daughter who was married to Tsisgigi. All these children had been delighted when they heard that their father was in the middle of Monieus for when he was at home they were never able to get him enough to eat, they were very sorry when they saw him coming back.

99. THE MAN WHO WOULDN'T MARRY BUZZARDS SISTER

A man like us went to Tcwais (Buzzards) house. The five Buzzard brothers lived together in one house, the man went there because he wanted to marry a woman like us who lived at the house. The Buzzards used to eat rattlesnake heads mixed in their kamas. This man took his dog with him and reached the house after dark. The Buzzards sister lived with them and the brothers always wanted every one who came to the house to marry her if any one refused they tried to kill him. The man didn't want the sister.

The woman like us gave the man kamas to eat but the Buzzards sister took snake heads and scattered them in the kamas. It was dark and the man couldn't see and began to eat, some things he ate and some were so hard he threw them out. The snake heads which he ate turned to regular whole snakes in his body and began to move around in him. He was frightened, went out and started to run home. On the road the snakes grew and began to stick their heads out all around through his body. He didn't know what to do he was a good man with long hair. When he went a little further he became so heavy that he could scarcely walk, he pulled off an arm and threw it away, his dog picked it up and brought it along crying bitterly. He pulled off the second arm and then a leg he grew so heavy, the rattle snakes inside had almost eaten his body up.

The man threw off the second leg and walked on with just his body. The dog picked up and carried everything. Now the man got his head off his body and the head traveled on alone. It rolled along and went with great jumps, came near the river where the man's home was, called out for the canoe. One of this sisters started to row the canoe over to him he called from the bank “Stop in the middle of the river.” With one jump he was in the canoe. His sister screamed with fright. “I've come home what are you afraid of” asked he. As soon as she turned the canoe he jumped and came down on top of the house. Everybody screamed, the man called down “Why do you scream, fix a bed for me.” He threw himself down and lay on the bed, just a head with long hair.

One day his sister said, “I see many swans on the river.” “Take me out” said the head and turn my face towards them.” He threw himself up in the air and threw down and killed many swans as they came along. His brothers thought he was just as good hunter as ever.

This heads dog had the same name as Kumuc dog, it was called Ilion and was very faithful.

The head lived on in this way for a long time, hunting every day. One day his brother saw Blaiwas flying high he took the head out. He hurled himself into the air, missed, then Blaiwas fought with him, tore his eyes out, he fell to the ground dead. The brothers burned the head.

100. TSAKIAK KILLS KAIUTSIAMTS.

Kaiutsiamts (old gray wolf) came from the South to Yreka. All the people in the world heard that Kaiutsiamts was coming to eat up everybody, so they joined their forces and fought, but no one could kill Kaiutsiamst for he kept his life in his left hand between the little and fourth finger down in the flesh and he killed all he met. He came on to near Klamath Lake killing every person he saw. All tried to kill him but couldn't. From Klamath he went to a place a little south of Yainaks, there were five houses in that place, in those days a good many people lived in one house.

The people ran off to the top of Saat wali yaina (Snake dance mountain). Five brothers Katsitswatswes lived at Mohilaksi, they all went except the youngest brother, a little boy Tsakiak, he said he wasn't afraid they urged him to go but he wouldn't, so they wrapped him in tule mats and left him in the house. The people left a bow and arrow in each house, the boy asked them to do this.

At sunrise the people on the mountain saw old Kaiutsiamts coming and everybody cried for they thought he would surely kill the boy. He went into the first house licked the blankets and everything, went to the next house did the same thing, and so on till he came to the fifth house. In the fifth house was the boy. No one knew what kind this boy was but he was very powerful, he wore a flint and an eagle feather tied in the top of his hair. He knew everything, he was the only person in the world who knew where Kaiutsiamts kept his life. He was wrapped in five tule mats, Kaiutsiamts licked off one, then another till he got all five off, then the boy jumped up and flew out the smoke hole. Kaiutsiamts followed him. He ran from house to house and at each house the boy shot him with the bow and arrow left there. He did this to fight, he could have killed Kaiutsiamts at once had he wished to. Kaiutsiamts tried to bite the boy, but he darted around so quick that he couldn't.

At last Tsaiak said, “I will kill you now.” Kaiutsiamts said, “No you can't.” The boy shot and killed Kaiutsiamts, struck him between the fingers. They skinned him and the five brothers made hats of his skin. They put his head on a pole and danced around it.

Tsakiak was the only person in the world who could kill Wolf.

101. KUMUC GETS DAPLAL (DUCK) TO DESTROY THE FISH DAM

Kumuc once lived near Tkalmakstank, on one side of the river lived Wan and on the other side lived Tcackai and Tcakinks. Above that place was a dam across the river so the fish couldn't go down, these people had made the dam.

Kumuc's daughter married Tcakiuks, they didn't give Kumuc good fish, he lived below the dam and they threw him bad fish, he was nearly starved. At last he went to Klamath Lake to find Daplal (a duck). Daplal came home with him, he told him he must go on the water and pull the rocks away, but he must be very careful that no one saw him at work. Kumuc told the people near him that much water was going to come. He sprinkled Duck on the neck and breast with pounded chalk to make him strong, then he threw dirt in the river to make it muddy so Duck couldn't be seen at work.

Duck went against the rocks, they fell apart. Some people saw the rocks fall. Tcakiuks saw Duck and speared him, but didn't kill him. Now all the people cut their hair off in mourning because the rocks were pulled away and they had lost their fish.

That same day Gak was going along above the dam, he laughed and all these people turned to stone. The stones are nearly all there now, where Wan used to pile up his fish a big pile of fish was turned to stone. Tcakiuks was sitting on a high rock when he was turned to stone. Not long ago the Indian pushed down the stone Tcakiuks off the rock and he was broken to pieces. Only Kumuc's daughter was left, she was sitting by her husband when she was turned to stone, she sits there now, the Indians didn't throw her down.

102. SKEL AND HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW DUKDUKWAS

Skelamts (old weasel) and Tuhus (a kind of duck) his sister lived at Yamsi, she married Dukdukwas who lived at Pelican Bay. Skel went to see his sister at her new home and took five bags, he caused them to become very small. They were filled as follows:.1 boks, 2. lolus ,3. galiyunks, 4. dok, 5. wokus. He arrived at Dukdukwas house while he was away fishing. Skel gave the bags to Tuhus. Dukdukwas came back with a great many fish. When Tuhus took a fish to cook for her brother her husband called out “Don't take that I'll get you one.” He picked and picked till he found the worst one, a wekwels (bull-head) and gave that to her, she cried. Skel said, “Don't cry, get a long stick and spit it.” She cooked the fish and it was splendid, best of all. Then Dukdukwas said, “Did I get that best one?” Dukdukwas asked his wife what Skel brought she said “These bags” and gave them to him. “Why is this all he brought,” asked Dukdukwas and swallowed each bag at a mouthful, one after another and gave none to his wife, he could hardly breathe he was so full. Dukdukwas then said, “What am I going to do. I can hardly breathe, I am afraid I am going to die.” Skel said, “Spread out five large tule mats on the ground, let him hold his head over each one and you strike the back of his head over each one.” Tuhus did so, five kinds of food came out and formed a great heap on the mats, there was a tremendous lot on each mat. “Is it possible that I ate so much as that?” asked Dukdukwas. While eating the fish Skel saved the back bone he now told his brother Tcacgai to throw it into the river, he did so. Skel had on a Wus skin for a blanket he went on top the house and from there jumped into the water and swam to where the North people were fishing. They speared Tcacgai, carried him home and hung him up to smoke, one of the men went to get pitch and every time he struck the pine he sang. Skel heard the song and ran over quickly when almost there the turned himself into an old woman, very ragged and dirty. The man said to the old woman “Perhaps you are fooling me, maybe you are Skel.” “ It is well that you killed that fellow” said the old woman, “for he has killed all my relatives.” The man then started to put the pitch on his back to carry home. The old woman wanted to help him. He didn't want her help but she insisted on helping. He had a great deal of pitch on his back. The old woman caught hold of him by one arm and pulled him and the load backwards, he fell and broke his neck. Now this man, Tcauks had five dogs, before the old woman killed him she asked how he got home and he told her that the canoe carried him there.

After Tcakuks neck was broken the old woman turned herself into a man just like Tcakuks, got into the canoe and crossed the river, the five dogs met him, they didn't know it wasn't their master. He went to the house, threw the pitch on the fire, it blazed up so that it set the house on fire and it burned down, but he got his brother out first. The dogs followed Skel. They came to a spring of water and there he killed the first dog with a long flint knife, when he came to the second spring he killed the second dog and so on till he killed the fifth dog. He cut the last dog open and took out all the fat. Now he came to Crooked Creek where the five brothers Kaudogis lived, he turned himself to an old woman again. The five brothers saw her coming and the eldest went out to meet her as he went he sang, when he came up to her he gave her a push and threw her down, she cried out “Ta”. The man asked “What is that fire over there?” (He saw the smoke of the house burning.) “Oh, they are killing deer” answered the old woman. “Have you any meat with you?” he asked. “No they gave me only a little piece.” “Well give me part of what you have.”Skel said. “I can't hand it to you but open your mouth and I will throw it in.” “Why should I open my mouth?” “Oh” said Skel, “that is the way I always eat, that's the rule.” The man opened his mouth. Skel ran down his flint knife and killed him.

Skel went on slowly soon the second brother came, he killed him in the same way, and one after another he met and killed all five and they are now five hillocks on the left side of the road to Fort Klamath, not so high as a man, but spread out a good deal. Then Skel went home.

103. LOLOKOKOKAS BECOMES A SKOKS

A man had a wife and one daughter, the wife's name was Lolokokokas. One fall he went to the front of Mt. Shasta to a small lake to hunt deer. When he started he said, “When the snow birds twitter in the spring I'll be back.”

One day after the man had made his lodge by the lake he killed ten large elk, after this he did not hunt, remained in the lodge, dried the meat and ate it. When he started for home in the spring he had but one deer skin and a small load of sinews to make arrows. He had eaten everything but the sinews and the skin.

Lolokokokas had gathered a great many kinds of roots and seeds and stored away, she was eating these all up too. Her daughter used to say “You should leave some”, but she paid no heed, kept on eating. But little of her store was left when spring came and the snow was melting. In another place this man had his first wife and some children. Lolokokokas was his second wife.

One day Lolokokokas's daughter said, “Father is coming, I hear the snow birds twittering. I suppose he thinks he will have some roots to eat but all are gone.”

He got home at noon. The girl was crying, didn't know what to give her father to eat. The man cut off a piece of deer skin roasted it and gave it to his daughter to eat. About the middle of the afternoon Lolokokokas began to scratch her head and said, “I wish I could cut my head off and hunt lice.” again she repeated “I wish I could cut my head off and hunt lice, I don't know why I have so many.”

The man had an obsidian knife on his quiver, he untied it and put it between his knees, then he said, “Put your head down here and let me hunt your lice.” She put her head forward, he cut if off and threw it over towards the opening of the house saying “Now hunt lice yourself.” Then he picked up his quiver, packed the deer skin and sinews and started for the home of his first wife.

The sun went down fast after Lolokokokas's head was cut off, much faster than ever before. She was left alone, as soon as the sun went down her body ran out doors, her head was in the house yet. She started to follow her husband, the blood was oozing out of her neck, she was bloody all over, the blood just boiled out of her. As she traveled she called out “Lolokokokas, Lolokokokas, Lolokokokas”. She went very fast, and it became as cold as in the middle of the winter, fearfully cold. She was turned into a Skoks and she made it fearfully cold. People tried to make fires but couldn't. Everybody was freezing.

In the place where the headless woman was traveling Utususas said, “Oh, let me go under, Oh, let me go under.” It was so cold people all piled together to keep warm. The man had reached his first wife's house and was sitting by her. He wasn't frightened. When the woman was still some distance away, coming around the mountain, the man said, “What are you doing, I didn't think you could be frightened so easily, this is only the woman who used to be my wife, she thought she could be smarter than I was and I determined to pay her for it. She cannot come any further, she has no head, no eyes to see out, her spirit will go down into the earth, but her body will stand right where it is this moment.”

When the man said this Lolokokokas's cry grew very weak and stopped. Her body stands now where it stood when her voice stopped and it looks all red as if covered with blood.

104. SKEL TURNS TCACKAI INTO A DOG AND HE KILLS THE FIVE DOGS OF THE FIVE BROTHERS

Skel started South after Tcackai. He found him, brought him to life and packed him home on his back. Skel made an old woman of himself when he carried Tcackai on his back.

Five Kudois brothers lived near Iukak (Fort Klamath). The eldest brother looked out and said, “Somebody is coming very slowly I'll go and meet them. He put on an elk skin shield and took a long flint knife under his arm. Now Skel, an old woman, hair cut and head covered with pitch came stumbling along. The man threw knife at her, she fell down with fright screaming “Don't, I'm an old woman.” “Oh I know you, you are Skel, you can't fool me by becoming an old woman.” “You shouldn't talk so, Skel don't look like such a poor old thing as I am.”

“What have you got on your back?” “Nothing, nothing. I'm poor I've nothing to carry.” Skel had a little deer fat on top of his bundle, the man jumped to take it. Skel said, “Oh don't, I have only a bit of deer fat that some hunters gave to me I'll give you a piece.” Skel took a piece and was going to put it in the man's mouth, he didn't want it so, but Skel said, “People always eat that way.” He had put his flint knife inside the fat. The man opened his mouth, Skel put the fat in his throat, he swallowed and that moment ran off, when the other side of the hill he fell dead.

Skel went on saying “People can never make fun of me.” The second brother came Skel killed him in the same way. He killed all five brothers. He then traveled on till he came to the house of the five Tcaskep (Night Hawk) brothers, who lived together each brother having a great dog. Skel took Tcackai out of his pack, made a very small miserable dog of him, which he called Snarler, then the old starving woman and the dog went to the house of the five brothers.

When Skel went in the little dog seemed frightened, ran around Skel's legs. The eldest brother called his dog, it ran to bite and kill the little dog. But Snarler jumped on the great dog's back, bit his backbone in two and killed him on the spot. The second and third brothers called their dogs, they rushed up, Snarler killed them as he had the first dog. All five dogs had their backs broken. The old woman said nothing, but the five men were terribly angry.

The old woman took up her little dog put him in her pack and went on. Towards night she selected a place to camp, built up a large fire and sat down by it. When the fire had burned low Skel took a log, wrapped it in a buffalo skin and placed it by the fire. He had no skin with him, he just wished for it and it was there.

Skel went off a short distance and lay down. Soon the five brothers came up with their long flint knives and began to run them into the buffalo skin. Blood gushed out and a voice cried “On don't kill me, don't kill me.” (Skel made the log talk so). They chopped it all to pieces, a great deal of blood ran out and they were glad, thinking they had killed Skel. They said, “We killed this man because he killed our dogs.”

Now the five brothers made a great fire, wrapped themselves in robes and lay down saying we will skin that old woman's head tomorrow, it is to dark tonight. When the five men were asleep Skel rose up slowly, picked up the robes and threw all five men in the fire. They tried to get out but Skel kept pushing them back with his flint knife, they were burned to death.

Next day Skel went home to Yamsi. Names of the five dogs: Mbastkigaliapkus Runs on the rock edge Gapgagawatsaseks Chewing brush Tcakalolatkaks Pulls tcak (a kind of wood) out of the ground Tcakwatsasis Chews tcak Wukastut Crystal tooth

105. WUS MEETS THE WATER BASKET AND FIRE DRILL BROTHERS

There were ten Talwas (Hot water_________ baskets) brothers. They lived in two houses, five in each house, near by them in two other houses lived ten Slikwis (Fire drill) brothers. Now Wus came along to that place from the West and went into the house of the Slikwis brothers and said, “Oh what are those nice long sticks sitting here on the ground around the fire place, I'll take them with me and if I meet people I'll beat them with these sticks.”

Wus took up all five of the Slikwis brothers in one hand. As soon as he had them in his hand they blazed up high, they were so angry at him. He threw them down quickly and ran out screaming “Oh what can those be, are they people?” Now he went on crying with pain, came to the next house stood by the door looked in and said, “These look like the same kind of people, but I'll try I want them they are so nice looking. No sooner had he taken them in his hand than sh screamed terribly and threw them down, the blaze singed his hair and his hands were badly burned. “Oh what kind of people can these be? I have never heard that such people lived here.”

He went on a little further and came to the house of the Talwas brothers and said, “I am very glad to see water, I' m very dry, everybody is gone away I think they left it ready to cook when they came. The five Talwas brothers were around the fire place, Wus looked for something to eat but could find nothing, then he said, “I will wash my hands in one of these baskets, then I'll drink. He put his hands into one of the baskets, the water boiled up scalded him, he screamed, all five brothers boiled up, spurted water all over Wus and burned him terribly, he ran out looked back and said, “Oh what can that be”, when he looked back the baskets were only steaming. Wus said, “I'm most dead my skin is very sore.”

He went on, came to the second house, looked in saw the five other brothers, said, “They would kill me I'll not touch them.” He hunted around for a long time inside and outside to find food but could find none. Being very thirsty he crept up to one of the baskets and put his finger in and said, “This is cold water I'll have a good drink now. This is just water, that over there must be something else, but this is just what I drink when I'm traveling” and he began to drink. This was the youngest brother that Wus tried, he did not get angry, he knew how his other brothers had scalded and almost killed him and he had pity on him and said, “I'll let him drink of me if he wants to, I'll be cold for him.”

But all the other brothers began to jerk themselves, they were mad at Wus and boiled and gurgled. Wus got scared and ran out saying “Oh I'm afraid they are like the others.” He stood at the door and looked in, the four brothers boiled up and threw water boiling hot all over the house. Wus was terribly frightened and ran off as fast as his legs could carry him, ran till he came to the house of the five Kuyas (red ant) brothers. He went in, they had a great fire in their house, he looked around and said, “Where are the people who built this fire, I will wait till they come, they will give me something to eat, they have made a fire to cook.”

Wus came in the morning and stayed till noon, then he said, “I'll hunt around, I'm tired of waiting.” So he began to hunt around in the house, could find nothing, then he said, “I'll stay all night, they will come in the night.” He lay down by the fire, all the five brothers were sitting by the fire but he didn't see them. When he lay down one of the brothers bit him, he jumped up and said, “what bit me”, another brother bit him on the leg, he jumped and screamed, then another bit his hand and he said, “Oh what can it be in this that bites so and he threw the coals all over the house to kill whatever had bitten him. The five brothers were angry now, all bit him together and he ran out and off till he came to the second house, looked in saw fire burning, nobody there.

All were near the fire but he couldn't see them. These five brothers jumped at him and bit him, the other five came and helped them. Wus screamed with pain, still they bit and wouldn't let him go. At last they killed and had almost eaten him up when Gofer came in and seeing Wus said, “Why are you sleeping so long?” That moment Wus jumped up and said, “Oh I almost forgot myself, I was so sleepy.” Then he went North.

106. TRIAL OF STRENGTH BETWEEN BAT AND RAVEN

Five Gagani brothers (Ravens) and five Nahnihlas brothers (Bats) had two houses and lived by themselves on top of Tsandoihlas (Scott Mountain). One time three brothers of each family were talking together and the third Gagani said to the third Nahnihlas (all ten were Kiuks, doctors) “Who is the greater Kiuks, you or I? If you can do something great what is it?” Nahnihlas said, “If I walk through a place everything falls, trees and rocks fall, and great holes come in the ground. If I walk over an open plain where there are no trees or rocks, the earth shakes and all the flowers blossom out.”

Gagani said, “If I look at people and wish them to die, they all fall dead. If I don't want them to see me, then I walk with them and they don't see me, and they don't call my name.”

“If I walk where there is water,” said Nahnihlas, “a lake or marsh it immediately dries up and all is dry land. When I go anywhere the wind blows hard and the rain comes. If I go among the rocks they crumble to dirt. If I go to a mountain, the mountain and trees will immediately begin to blaze and burn, I set them on fire.”

The men went home and told their brothers. The brothers on both sides said, “We'll go out we want to see what you two can do.”

The two men who had been talking did all the things they had said they could do. Gagani made a great lake in a twinkle and that moment Nahnihlas made a fire that dried up the lake, and made the earth fall down in holes. Immediately Gagani filled up the holes and all was level land again. Gagani then made it snow heavy and deep. Nahnihlas made rain and immediately the snow was gone.

Now they all went home. Gagani made a great many men and a crowd sat by him. Next moment all had disappeared. Nahnihlas had drawn them to his side, they sat by him. Gagani made more and had them dressed in fringed buckskin. Now Nahnihlas made a very thin little man, two feet high, and stood him on a pointed rock, his hair swept the ground all around the rock. He was Limas, thunder. Gagani said, “You think you have beaten me when you made Limas” and Gangani made a great grizzly bear and an old woman wrapped in a deer skin blanket. Nahnihlas made an old man eating berries out of a bowl. The both were gone. Gagani made ten little dogs, Nahnihlas made ten black bear. Then all were gone.

Nahnihlas asked Gagani “Shall we stop or are you going to do something more?”

Gagani took his blanket off and little dogs came out of his body all over. Nahnihlas took his blanket off and squirrels came out of him calling “Giuwas, giuwas,” (their name, also the noise they make). Nahnihlas had a black bear skin, he sat down on it, then got up and threw the skin over to the dish of fish, it turned to a grizzly bear and stood looking at the fish. Gagani said, “We'll make one more thing then we'll change ourselves.”

They cleaned off a round place on the ground. Gagani put a dish of huckleberries on one side of this place, Nahnihlas put a dish of meat on the other side, Gagani made five little boys with red and white stripes all over their bodies and one red stripe straight from the top of the head to the waist. The five boys walked up to the huckleberries and began to eat them, they had spoons of deer horn. They ate all the berries then fell asleep and were gone. Nahnihlas now made ten magpies. They came to his pan of meat and ate it all up, then were gone.

Now Gagani asked “What more shall we do?” They sat down side by side and instantly Gagani was gone (All brothers on both side were some distance off watching the two). Nahnihlas sat with his head down, after a little he looked up and saw Gagani coming with many bows and arrows on his back. He came and sat down but had hardly seated himself when he was gone again. The next moment he came with a great grizzly bear on his back (came from the West to the East). Now both men made a great many people sitting on the ground then made all kinds of food for the men. Then in a moment men and food disappeared.

After that the brothers went home. This was the end of their trial of strength.

107. THE SON OF WALKATCKAS AND THE DJAUDJAU SISTERS

Kols (Badger) had two daughters. Djaudjau (Gray squirrel) had two daughters.

Kols and Djaudjau were neighbors. They lived not far apart. One day the four young women were out digging roots. The Kols sisters wore very thin deer tallow caps, sticking up high in a point on their heads. The Djaudjau sisters wore nice thick, white, soft, tallow caps.

Now Walkatcka lived far away on one side of Kols house. He had a son, the youngest of five who was traveling around the world and saw these girls. He had always wished for the Djaudjaus youngest daughter. So, he took an arrow this day and shot it away, it fell to the feet of this girl. Now the daughters of Kols said, as he came up and sat d;own by the two Djaudjau sisters “Oh, don't get near that old man”, and they began to vomit because he looked so ugly. He had made himself into a dirty, decrepit old fellow.

The youngest Djaudjau sister took off her cap, broke it up and gave it to the man to eat, she knew that he wasn't old and ugly in reality. The daughters of Kols spoke up and said, “Why do you two girls talk to him? He isn't fit to look at, he makes us sick.”

As soon as he had eaten the fat Walkatckas son became a splendid looking man. “Oh” said the daughters of Kols “that man is our husband. He shot his arrow at us, he came near us first.” The daughters of Djaudjau said nothing, but rose up and went home. The son of Walkatcka, the youngest of five, followed them.

Next morning he went hunting. He always killed elk, never any other kind of game. He killed many elk. He hunted every day from morning till evening.  108. BATS HIDE THE DEER

There were five Nanihlas brothers (bats). They were very bad men, always fighting with people. They had a married sister at Pelican Bay. Once they went to visit her when they came to Klamath Lake one whispered, “Let me across.” Their sister heard and came over with a small canoe, the brothers made it big in a moment by wishing. Only the eldest brother went with the sister, he went to get bullheads. He stayed all night, next morning he started home with a few bullheads, when he got to his brother's house he had a great many and gave everybody plenty, he made them increase by blowing on them and wishing.

Now the five brothers began to quarrel, while they were fighting Blue-jay came and pulled all their clothes off, but one of the Bats caught Blue-jay, pulled out some of his feathers stuck them on top of his head and said, “Your head will never be smooth again.” Blue-jay said “You will never have any clothes again.”

These Bats were chief of all the deer in the world and they were mad because Wolf, Bear and other people dared to kill deer. So they drove all the deer in the world into one part of their building, the Bats gathered the deer by blowing and wishing (there is a cave with two rooms near where the Modocs and whites fought, the narrator thinks that is the place).

Wolf, Panther and other hunters couldn't find any deer and were starving. The Bats had plenty of deer, killed a deer every night. They didn't open the rocks with their hands, they just blew against the rocks and they opened and a deer came out.

Two Wild-cats lived with the Bats but they were always asleep when Bats got out the deer, they never saw where they came from. The people outside asked the Wild-cats where Bats got the deer, they said, “We don't know, they get them while we are asleep.” “Will you tell us if you find out?” “Yes.”

Weasel had been many times around the world but never saw a deer, even Mink couldn't see where they were. One night a Wild-cat lay near the fire. The Bats always kept a fire all night. The sparks flew out and burned Wild-cat in spots but he wasn't asleep, he did this to deceive the Bats. Bat blew on the rocks, out came a deer. No blood came out of the deer when they were killed (It is not known how the Bats killed the deer, the Indians suppose by thinking). The Wild-cat told the people outside what he had seen and in a few minutes everybody in the world knew where the deer were.

The people asked among themselves “How can we get deer?” They wanted Mink to split the rocks but at last decided to hire Tscanips (a bird). He and Mink were the only persons who could break rocks simply by blowing on them. The people gathered in front of Bats house. Bird flew against the first rock, it broke, he blew again the second rock broke. With five blows from his mouth he broke the five rocks. A multitude of deer came out. Bats were all this time fighting the people. At last one of the Bats succeeded in blowing a few of the deer into the holes in the rocks so he could have some left.

109. SKALE, TCACKAI, WELEKWALEKO AND SOKAMTS

Welekwaleko was half man and half woman, woman above the waist, man below. This person lived alone and Skel and Tcackai lived not far away. Tcackai saw this old person passing every evening with an old basket on his back and he got tired of looking at him. “Why does that old man pass here every evening with that old basket on his back, what has he got in that basket?” Skel said, “Stay in the house. Don't trouble yourself about everything that goes on outside.”

One evening Tcackai looked out and saw the old man coming and he thought I wonder why Skel always tell me not to talk to that man. I will talk to him. So he left his tail hanging down inside the smoke hole to deceive Skel and ran off to meet the old man. “What have you got in your basket?” he asked. “Oh I've only some squirrels, you may have the largest one that is on top.” Tcackai reached into the basket and kept raising one squirrel after another and asking “Is it this?” But each time in place of putting back the squirrel he put a stone in the basket. In this way he got all the squirrels and the old man started off.

When Tcackai went in Skel asked “What have you got, I told you to stay in the house.” “Oh the old man gave these to me” said Tcackai. “No he didn't, I know what kind of a person he is. He can do almost anything, he will harm us.”

Tcackai began to dress the squirrels, he left only the smallest one undressed. He burned off the hair from the others and roasted them on the hot stones. All this time he watched for the old man thinking he might come in for the squirrels.

When the old man reached home, turned over his basket and found nothing but stones he began to cry , and said, “Where are my squirrels, where is my large squirrel?' He turned back to Skel's house. Now Tcackai heard the old man coming calling “Where are my squirrels?” “I knew,” said Skel “that you stole the old man's game, now we are in trouble.” “I think” said Tcackai “that you were glad to get these things to eat. I didn't steal them, the old man gave them to me.”

The old man got on top of the house and called down “Where are my squirrels?” Tcackai caught up the small one that he had roasted without cutting open and threw it up to the old man saying “Here is the squirrel you gave me, take it.” It struck the old man, burst and burned him. He took it and went home and ate it but all night he kept crying about his squirrels. Next morning he started of hunting again, he had a little dog with him. Tcackai saw the old man going and kept running to see where he was now.

Skel said, “Stay in the house, don't follow him, he is a strong old man, he will show you what he can do if you tease him.” But Tcackai did not obey Skel. He left his tail hanging down inside the smoke hole and ran off to the old man who was lying near a rock watching a squirrel that had gone under the rocks. Tcackai knew now for the first time that this person was really a man, he thought that perhaps it was a woman. Tcackai began to slap him as he lay on his stomach, smoking out the squirrel. The old man sprang up scared most to death.

“Oh,” said Tcackai, “I didn't know you were a man.” The old man was so angry and frightened that he almost cried and said to himself “I have never seen a boy like this one, he is a terribly mean fellow.” “What is the matter old man” asked Tcackai. “Oh, I was thinking” answered the old man “how I could get my squirrel.” Tcackai said, “If I were a hunter I could get plenty of squirrel. You think it is hard work but I could get them without trouble.” “Well get out this one, it is not far in.”

Tcackai thought, “Oh I can get it so easily” so he began to creep into the hold, the old man made the squirrel go further in, Tcackai followed it, he caught it and then asked “How can I get out?” The old man said, “Go in further and then turn around” All at once just as Tcackai had turned, the old man made the rock come down in front. Tcackai was fastened in. The old man said, “Now we are even” and started off south, leaving Tcackai there in the rocks.

Now Skel couldn't sleep, he knew Tcackai was in trouble. In the house all was smoke and heat. Skel was almost smothered. In the morning he started to hunt for Tcackai, he didn't know where to go and cried all the time. He tracked the old man. Skole (Meadow Lark) flew behind Skel on the bushes and said, “Where the smoke is there you will find Tcackai.” When Skel got to the place he could scarcely see from the smoke. He struck the rock twice with his flint knife, then he took Tcackai's medicine rattle and striking the ground with it made a hole under the rock and drew Tcackai out. Tcackai was unconscious. Skel hit him on the head with the rattle and he came to his senses.

Skel said, “What kind of a boy are you, you never obey, I have tried to teach you many things, but you never heed me. I've told you what kind of a person this old man is but you don't mind.” They started to track the old man, he took long steps, from one rock to another very far apart. Now Skel and Tcackai go ahead of the old man and turned back to meet him. Skel cut a strong stick. As soon as the old man saw the two brothers he trembled. They met and Skel asked “Where do you live?” The old man didn't answer. The three sat down. Skel asked Tcackai what time it was. Tcackai said, “It is midday.” Skel said, “Get up old man.” As he rose up Skel stuck the stick in his back and then into the ground, in this way pinning him down so he could not move. “There,” said Skel, “you see what kind of a man I am.” The old man pulled hard to get away but the stick grew quickly to be a tree and there the old man died.

When Skel and Tcackai got home Skel said, “Now you must stay here, remember what trouble you have made.” Tcackai said, “I wonder what makes you always say that.” Skel said, “You should have let the old man alone. I didn't like to kill him. If you get in trouble again you will die, I won't bother about you any more.” Tcackai was angry and said, “I'll go and leave you.” He started off towards the river. There he found an old man Tchoks (small crane). Tchoks didn't look up but he saw Tcackai with his eyelids and said, “It is the boy who is always doing mischief,” then he asked “why do you come here?” “I came to fish.” “Well, catch some crawfish, fish like them to eat.” Tcackai soon had plenty of crawfish, he caught many fish, then said, “I'm going home.” “Wait awhile” said the old man, “wait till evening then I will divide with you.” Now Skel began to feel uneasy and said to himself, Tcackai is in trouble again, perhaps he has gone to tease the old man at the river. The old man was so busy fishing that he didn't look around for a long time. Tcackai put the old man's basket of fish on his back, went home and began to roast the fish. Skel asked “How did you get that basket I never knew the old man to be without it, he never leaves it, you must have stolen it.” Tcackai said, “He let me take it to bring the fish in.” Skel didn't believe what Tcackai said. When the old man looked around and missed the basket he was frightened and said, “The boy must have stolen it, perhaps he destroyed it.”

As it was getting towards night Tcackai said, “You see the old gave me the basket, he does not come for it.” Skel said, “I know what the old man will do, he has got something of great power I am afraid of him because I know all he can do.” “Oh” said Tcackai “I can do all he can.” “Well,” said Skel “you will see.” Skel tied his hair up tight and wrapped himself up in a buckskin. Tcackai asked, “Why do you do that, the old man loaned me his basket.” Skel kept going in and out, he told Tcackai to stay in the house. But Tcackai always did what he was told not to. Tcackai saw the old man coming and said, “There he is coming after his basket.” Skel said, “He is coming after your life.” The old man shot over them and in his arrow was all kinds of sickness. Skel called “Wait, old man, don't shoot again, your basket is here all right, come and get it, if you do you will always be as you are, if you don't you will lose all your power.” But the old man wouldn't stop, he shot again the arrow went into Tcackai's heart and he fell dead. Skel stepped over him twice and he came to life. Again the old man shot and killed Tcackai. Skel was all the time begging the old man to stop, saying “Here is the basket. Why are you so angry? Tcackai only took out two small fish. Take the basket and go away. Tcackai now lay dead on the ground. Skel shot the old man in the leg, he fell then Skel jumped on him and tore him to pieces and said, “You will no longer be a person, you will have no power, you will live by the river and I hope you will taste good to my people. Ever since the old man has only been a common crane. Skel struck Tcackai with his medicine rattle and after a long time he came to life, but he was sick. Skel tried all kinds of medicine to cure him, at last he got well. Skel said, “It is hard to live with you in the world, I have had to kill many people, now I'll go where we shall see no more of them.” He went to the top of the highest mountain taking Tcackai with him.

110. NDUKIS (DUCK EAGLE) GOES WITH HIS KINSMEN IN SEARCH OF WIVES.

Ndukis went to visit two young men, relatives of his from the East who had come to see if they could marry two young women of whom they had heard. When Ndukis came to them he asked “Are you married?” “Oh, no and we want you to help us to get wives.”

“Oh” said Ndukis, “those girls that you want have turned to something else.” “We'll go and see them anyhow” said the two young men. The three started off together, Ndukis went before them all the way, came to the place first and found the house quiet, no one there. “These girls are never at home” said Ndukis.

They went further to the east, to where other people lived. “I wonder if I ought to go ahead” said Ndukis “maybe the people will be afraid of me.” Then he turned to the two and said, “Stay here and if I don't return soon you may come too.”

There were many people in the place which Ndukis went. An old man lived there who had two daughters who always lay down and their father fed them. When they were eating the food stopped in the throat of one of them, the father and mother said, “Perhaps you looked around when you ate.” “No somebody is coming to see us, I knew this a good while ago I saw Ndukis coming.” The elder sister said, “I wonder if he comes to kill our father” (she said this because he was a Kuiks). The younger girl was wise she knew all that people were going to do, she said, “I know why he has come, I see others behind him. He came to get you” said she to her sister.

When Ndukis came in the old man gave him venison, he didn't like it but he ate a little. When he had eaten he said, “I came to ask if your daughters will marry my two young kinsmen.”

The old man asked his daughters. They wouldn't answer. Then he asked his wife what she thought and he added “I want them to speak for themselves. The old woman said to the daughters “Your father has to hunt for you all the time, now you must remember him.” They laughed, didn't answer. The younger sister said to the elder “If you don't want the man why don't you say so, you ought to marry him but I am to young.”

Ndukis said, “They want you both, they are relatives of the great chief where your father gets meat. The two brothers are good hunters.” Ndukis stood up as if to go. Both of the girls said, “Yes, we'll marry them.” The old people were glad. The younger sister cried. Ndukis said, “I think I'll go and meet them.”

They were glad and laughed when they heard what he said. The younger said, “My brother listened to you, he can hear people talk way off.” The old man said, “They were willing, but the younger said she was too young.” “Oh I am as young as she is.” “All right” said Ndukis “you must pay for these girls all that I have got is at home. They went to the house but sat outside a long time afraid to go in (when Indians first fall in love they will never eat together.) At last they went in. The old man was proud of his daughters now, fixed a place for each to sleep. The three men stayed all night. As soon as they woke up the two young men went to the hunting ground. When they reached the place Ndukis asked “What is the matter with my kinsmen, where did they come from, did they come from the old man's house? Oh, yes I think they did and were thrown out of door and they came here.”

Ndukis had a number of deer which he gave the young men to carry home.

In the evening they came to their wives, left the deer near the house, the old man ran out and brought in the meat.

Ndukis said, “Now I will go back to my mother.” “We'll go too” said the young men. So the old woman got her daughters ready to go with their husbands, dressed them up nicely. The father told the two young men to talk kindly to their wives and be good to them, never run away. The young people and Ndukis set out for home, when still far off people came to meet them, each woman was let by someone who met her. Then the people changed all the girls clothes gave them other fine ones. In their new home the girls had to get up early and bring water. They were soon homesick and went back to visit their father carrying many nice things. Their husbands promised to follow them next day. When the young men were at their father-in-law's house there was water in a vessel near the fire, the vessel tipped over of itself, the water was spilled into the ashes, the ashes flew into the younger brother's mouth. His medicine made him dead and he was stiff. The father-in-law took his medicine cap, rubbed it in the ashes and hit him five times with it, then he began to breathe, his spirit came back.

The young man said, “You never can take good care of me so I might as well put an end to this myself.” And he and his brother changed to birds, flew up into the air and went away.

The younger sister tried to catch her husband after he changed to a bird but he flew so quickly she couldn't catch him.

111. THE RED CLOUD OF THE WEST

There was a fisherman on the West side of Klamath Lake and he had two wives who were sisters. He always kept his eyes on the ground, for both of them were red as blood. When he went fishing he shaded his eyes with his arm, when he ate he closed his eyes. His wives hadn't lived with him long at this time. He had told the sisters that they must never break the gall of fish.

One day one wife said to the other “Oh sister have you ever looked at our husband's face?” “No, I don't lie as near him as you do, you ought to know him best.” “Well it is strange I can never see his eyes.” The other said, “I should like to see his eyes I don't wish to have a man who won't look at me.”

The elder sister said, “Why do you want to see his eyes, we might not live if we saw them.” The younger said, “Is that what he got us for, every woman has to look at her husband and every man at his wife.”

They tried in different ways to make him look up. Sometimes they would say some one is coming, sometimes they would call that there were deer in sight but he never looked up.

One morning he went out very early to fish, came back about noon. The elder sister cooked a fish in the coals, she spoke to him he made no answer, sat with his arm over his eyes. As he didn't answer the two went to dress the fish he had brought, they sat down one each side of the door, a little straw mat was at the door, sat so they could watch their husband, then one of them purposely broke the gall of a fish she was dressing and screamed out “Oh I've broken the fish gall.” He looked up and his face and eyes were all red. He said, “Is that true, I don't like to have that done?” The elder sister was frightened, the younger just scolded. Then the elder said, “We haven't got wood, you must help us get some.” Both went after wood, they had a pile ready to carry home. They began to twist straw into a rope long enough to reach from the ground to the sky. They wound it in a ball and threw the ball up till it caught in the sky, they went up on the rope saying “If he follows us up we will go down again.” Their dog sat there where they had gone up from the ground.

The man wondered why they didn't come and at last tracked them and found the dog. He pinched the dog and said, “Tell me where they are.” He wouldn't tell. The man pulled the dog's hair and looked around everywhere. He kept asking the dog till he pulled all its hair out. When his hair was gone the dog said, “They went up on a straw rope.”

The sisters had left a trail to the West and he followed it. When he got near them the girls let themselves down with their rope and said to him “You will never return to the earth you will stay here in the sky and you will stay West where the sun goes down as you tracked us up there, and in later times people will say when you look up with your red eyes that you will make the water freeze.” He did not see the sisters but they saw him, he tracked them to the West, then North, couldn't find them, then he went back to the West, where the sun goes down and there he remained. He turned to a red cloud. His regular time is in the fall of the year, when he comes in the West and freezes water.

– end –