Part 25

Kechowala, a son-in-law and chief on the west side, sent his two sons, Kechowala and Darijua, to see what was happening at the sweat-house.

When the boys came and looked in, the elder saw a man, he thought, but did not know him. Damhauja's sons were dancing a fire-dance. The two brothers looked around carefully, but the younger did not see the strange man. They ran down from the sweat-house, and on the way home began to quarrel.

"I think our grandfather has a new son-in-law; I saw him," said Kechowala, the elder.

"You did not," said the younger.

"Why do you try to hide him, why do you deny? I saw him surely."

"When we get home, you will say that you saw a stranger in the sweat-house; but if you do, you will lie."

"We shall see great trouble, I think," said the elder; "there will be fighting now our grandfather has a new son-in-law, there will be great fighting."

The two boys ran very fast, disputing as they went. They got to the river, swam across, ran home.

"There is a strange man over there; grandfather has a new son-in-law," said Kechowala.

"Don't believe what he says," cried Darijua to his father; "I could not see any man."

"Why do you want to hide him, why do you deny? You must have seen him plainly."

"I did not see him, and you did not. I saw all who were there, but I saw no stranger."

"I saw him sitting between the two girls," said Kechowala.

"He is there," said the father. "I will see that man to-morrow."

"My son-in-law," said Damhauja, "you must be careful to-morrow. I have a great many daughters besides your two wives; their husbands will try to kill you." Then Damhauja said to his sons: "We will go to sleep and rise early; take good care of your brother-in-law to-morrow."

All went to rest; Juiwaiyu and his wives as well as others.

When all were asleep, Juiwaiyu took Jupka out of his hair and rose up. "I wish for daylight quickly," said he.

Thunder roared then, and some rain came; Juiwaiyu wished to let his mother know that he was well. He went out, took one step and went from the sweat-house to the other side of the nearest mountain, with the second step he went to the top of a mountain beyond.

Jupka was angry because Damhauja had tried to kill Juiwaiyu with the poisonous pipe. Now he took vengeance. He put the two sisters on a high place in the sweat-house, made a great storm of wind and rain. Soon the whole place was filled with water. It rolled and swept through the sweat-house, drowned Damhauja and his wife; washed their bodies out through the door away.

Juiwaiyu on the mountain took his yaiyauna flute and began to play. All the world heard him, all people went to hill-tops and mountain-tops, all stretched their heads up and listened, all said, "That must be Juiwaiyu; no one plays in that way but Juiwaiyu." Deer began to come from the east along the same way over which Juiwaiyu had come, and all stood before him.

"Let one stand in front of me and look this way," said Juiwaiyu, "let all the others stand behind that first one."

They stood in the line, a fawn in the first place. He shot them all with one arrow, hundreds of them. The arrow entered the mouth of the front deer and went out near the tail of the last. Then Juiwaiyu took the little fawn and opened it, made the deer very small, put them all inside the fawn's body, took that home in one hand, threw the fawn down on the sweat-house. The deer inside the fawn became as big as ever, rolled down, filled the whole place around the sweat-house.

Juiwaiyu now saw Damhauja and Pahnino Marimi lying cold and dead. He ran then to Jupka in the sweat-house. "Bring them to life, my uncle; bring them to life again!"

Jupka whipped both with a rose-twig and brought them to life. Damhauja shook himself and said, "I slept too hard."

"You would not have waked up at all but for my nephew. You wanted to kill him. I punished you."

Damhauja knew Jupka now. "Oh, why did you not let me know that you were here? I would not have tried to hurt Juiwaiyu."

The old man saw so many deer around the sweat-house that he didn't know what to think. At last he went up on the sweat-house. "Come, my sons, come," cried he; "there is venison here for all of you."

All the sons came. Each had one deer, and there were many others to spare.

All the sons-in-law in the west were angry that Damhauja's sons had so much venison.

"We will go over and see this man," said Kechowala, the chief. "We will have some fun to-day with him."

When Damhauja's eldest son was bringing venison to his father, he saw Kechowala. "He is coming," said the son.

Kechowala had an angry face; he walked fast. When he reached the sweat-house, all were eating venison. He went to the top of the sweat-house, took his arrow from under his arm, and said, "Wake up, be ready; we must play to-day."

Then he looked in and saw Juiwaiyu sitting between the two sisters. "I know now who that man is; he is from the east. Feed him well, dress him well, father-in-law; we must have fun before he goes from here. He must show what he can do before he leaves us."

The old man went out and scolded Kechowala: "You talk loud, you want fat venison; that's what you have come for, that's why you are at this sweat-house."

Jupka heard all that Kechowala said.

"I will go home now," said Kechowala, "and be here after breakfast."

"My son-in-law will be killed to-day," said Pahnino Marimi; "what can we do? They are going to kill our son-in-law who brings so much venison. Stay in the house, do not go out," said Pahnino.

"Do not go out," said the brothers; "we will meet those people."

All looked, and saw a great crowd coming from the west. The brothers-in-law were coming, and when near they shouted to Damhauja's sons. The two sisters tried to stop Juiwaiyu.

"Let me go, wives," said he, "let me go. If I stay here, they will call me a coward; I will let no one give me that name."

"I want to see that new man who is here," cried Kechowala, "I want to talk with him."

"I will go out," said Juiwaiyu, to his wives. "My father and mother told me of this place. I know what it is."

"Come out!" called Kechowala at the door, "come out; don't be afraid of us, don't be a coward."

"I will come when I am ready, I will meet you."

Kechowala went to his people. "He will be here soon," said he.

All laughed; all were glad. "If he comes," thought they, "we will kill him."

Juiwaiyu went out and stood on the housetop, looked around, looked at his enemies, went down slowly, went as if he did not like to meet them.

"Why are you afraid?" asked Kechowala. "Do you think that we will hurt you?"

He went to them, he sat on a stone. He had but one arrow, and that without a point. This was a staff which his uncle had given him. The playground was beyond a hill at some distance from the sweat-house. "Stand up and play," said the sons-in-law; and they pushed Juiwaiyu to throw him, but he did not fall. All went to the playground. Juiwaiyu caught the bones on his club at the middle point, then hurled them; ran and caught them the second time, ran again, put the bones beyond the barrier. He did the same a second time, and won the first game. He won two games; no one else could win.

"Well," said the western brothers-in-law, "we have never seen any one play bone like him. We will try him in some other way."

Next they gave him a start in racing. The race was to a mountain opposite. Juiwaiyu was to get there first if he was able. They thought to strike him from behind, kill him easily, but they could not come near him. He was at the mountain before they had run half the distance. In the afternoon they played bone a second time. They thought to kill him surely in this way. Between the middle of the playground and Juiwaiyu's barrier they put a great poison spider right on the path where Juiwaiyu was to run, Jupka knew their plan, and pointed out the spider to his nephew. Juiwaiyu jumped on the spider, crushed it right away before it could turn to poison him; then he took the bones beyond the barrier.

He went back to the middle of the playground. Kechowala's men said nothing, made no mention of the spider. Juiwaiyu took the bones beyond the barrier that time, and won the second inning. This made the first game of the afternoon. While they were making ready for the second game, Kechowala had flint knives and spear-points put on the path so that Juiwaiyu should fall and kill himself.

They commenced the second game. Juiwaiyu took the bones from all and ran ahead, ran quickly. When near the knives and spear-points, Jupka told him where they were; he came down between some, sprang over others, took the bones beyond the barrier, came back as if nothing had been put upon his path; went a second time and won the second game.

He had beaten all who had played against him. They were very angry. "We must kill him surely in another way," said Kechowala.

The playground was far from the sweat-house, and when Juiwaiyu had won the second game he turned to go back to the sweat-house. Kechowala sent a rattlesnake to meet him at one place and a grizzly bear at another. Juiwaiyu jumped on the snake, and crushed his head. When he came to the bear, he struck him one blow with his foot and killed him. He skinned both, took the skins, and hung them up before the sweat-house.

When Kechowala's men saw the skins, they were angry, terribly excited; they stopped before the sweat-house, jumped, and shouted,--

"We want to look at Juiwaiyu. Let Juiwaiyu come out here; we want to see him."

Juiwaiyu went out. All the brothers-in-law from the west crowded up toward him, all wanted then to kill him. He had no arms but the staff given by Jupka. All he needed was to point that at any one and say, "I wish you dead;" that moment the person fell dead. No one could come near Juiwaiyu when running or hit him, and before they stopped threatening he killed half of Damhauja's sons-in-law. The others ran home then, killed their own wives and those of the dead men. "We will have nothing," said they, "that comes from Damhauja's." They killed all the children, too; none escaped but Darijua, who ran over to the sweat-house and told of the killing.

That night Jupka made a great storm, and drowned every western man left alive by Juiwaiyu. Next morning early he went over, struck the dead women and children with his rose-twig, brought all except the men to life again, and took them to Damhauja's.

Juiwaiyu had brought as many deer that morning as he had the first one. Damhauja made his house stretch out and grow to give room enough for all the children. They cooked venison and feasted, feasted all that day at the sweat-house.

Next morning Juiwaiyu went home with his two wives and his uncle.

THE FLIGHT OF TSANUNEWA AND DEFEAT OF HEHKU

PERSONAGES

After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the personage was changed subsequently.

=Ahalamila=, gray wolf; =Bohkuina=, silver-gray fox; =Chichi=, fish hawk; =Demauna=, pine marten; =Gagi=, crow; =Haka Kaina=, flint; =Hehku=, horned serpent; =Jihkulú=, big owl; =Jupka=, butterfly of the wild silkworm; =Kaítsiki=, ground squirrel; =Kechowala=, bluejay; =Malewula=, wolf; =Malwila=, meadow lark; =Manjauchu=, gopher; =Mapchemaina=, the first people now turned into birds, beasts, and other things; =Matauwila=, beaver; =Matdasi=, spring salmon; =Míniau Marimi=, fire-drill woman; =Tillipka=, crane; =Periwiri Yupa=, acorn of the black oak; =Petaina=, skunk; =Topuna=, mountain lion; =Tsanunewa=, elk; =Tsuwalkai=, red flint; =Pútokya=, skull people, _i. e._ people who could turn themselves into a head.

* * * * *

A long time ago, when Jupka and Bohkuina were sitting in the sweat-house Jigulmatu, Jupka called to him people of the Mapchemaina; he called Demauna, Wirula, Matauwila, Topuna, Ahalamila, Manjauchu, Kechowala, Malwila, Gagi, and many others. He did not make them; he just called, and they came from different parts of the earth to him. He gave them their names and said,--

"Hereafter all who live in the world will call you as I do now."

One side of Jigulmatu was filled with these people called up by Jupka.

"This is Jigulmatu, my small sweat-house," said Jupka, "but I am going to make my Igunna" (great house); and later he made Wahkalu (Mount Shasta), made it to be his great house, but he lived at Jigulmatu till he made the Yana, and went to Jigulmatu often afterward.

At this time Tsuwalkai Marimi, an old woman, had reared a small boy. His name was Tsanunewa. She called the boy grandson, and he called her his grandmother. He was an orphan. All his kindred were dead; all had been killed one after another, and he was alone when the old woman found the boy and reared him.

"I want to go west and catch mice," said Tsanunewa one day to her.

"I don't want you to go away from the house. I don't want you to trap mice; you might go astray; you might get killed," said the old woman.

Tsanunewa began to cry. He cried and teased till at last she said: "Go, if you wish, but be careful; you may get hurt. The traps may fall on you; something may kill you."

The old woman made acorn bread for him, and showed him how to set rock traps and other traps, and how to bait them with acorns.

"Stay around the house," said she. "You must not go near that rocky mountain off there. That is a bad place, a very bad place; it is dangerous. You must not go to it."

The boy started, went some distance from the house, then stood still and looked at the rocky mountain.

"I will go to that place," thought he; "I will go where my grandmother told me not to go. Why is she afraid? Why did she tell me not to go there? I will run and see."

He hurried off to the mountain, went up on the rocks, looked around all the time; he remembered his grandmother's words, and said to himself,--

"I should like to know who is here; I should like to know what frightens my grandmother."

He went around the mountain, saw no one, set all his traps, big traps and little ones; he stayed there till near sunset. After that he ran home.

"I am afraid to eat to-night," said he. "If I eat, perhaps the mice will not like the acorns in my traps."

"You must not eat," said his grandmother; "I do not wish you to eat anything. You must not touch salmon this evening. You may eat a little just at midnight. Now go and play around the house; all the mice will see you; they are out playing and will go to your traps."

Hehku Marimi lived at that mountain. She killed all the people who went there to trap. It was she who had killed Tsanunewa's kindred.

Next morning at daybreak Tsanunewa went to see his traps. He looked at the first, second, third, fourth; he had not caught anything. The traps were empty, just as he had left them. He found nothing till he reached the last one; he saw that there was something in that trap. He stood and looked at it; saw Hehku Marimi; she was there in the last trap. She had made herself small and gone in. She looked ugly, and Tsanunewa was frightened. He ran home as fast as he could; he was pale, and trembling.

"Why are you frightened?" asked his grandmother. "What have you caught?"

"I have caught something. I don't know what it is. I am terribly afraid of it."

"I told you yesterday not to go to that mountain. I knew that trouble would come if you went there. I will go myself and see what you have caught."

Tsuwalkai Marimi was ready to run to the mountain and look at the trap. She wanted to know what was in it.

"You, my grandson, stay here at home," said she; "perhaps the thing that you have caught is not dead yet. I will look at it."

The old woman started, but as she was going out she said: "Maybe Hehku is in your trap. If she is, she will get out, run here and kill us both perhaps; kill you, surely, if she finds you. Save yourself, my grandson. If you see her coming, run west, run very hard, run till you come to a great river. On the other side of it is Mipka's house; shout to him, call him uncle, tell him to take you over; say that you are running for your life, that he must save you."

While the old woman was talking, she looked and saw Hehku far off at the mountain.

"My grandson," cried she, "Hehku is coming! She will kill you. Run! I will stay here and stop her a while."

Tsanunewa looked and saw Hehku. Then he ran west; ran till he reached the great river. He stopped at the edge of it and shouted.

Hehku had made herself small the night before, and gone into Tsanunewa's trap purposely. The boy thought that she was angry because he had trapped her. She wanted him to think so. She went into the trap to have an excuse to kill him as she had killed all his kindred. When Tsanunewa ran home to his grandmother, frightened because he had seen Hehku, Hehku went out of the trap, crushed red rottenstone, painted her face, made it blood color. She had a big cap made of skulls, skulls of people she had killed. She put the cap on her head then, and started. She started, ran quickly, singing as she went,--

"I am following Tsanunewa; I am on his track. I am following Tsanunewa; I am on his track."

She sang till she came to the door. There she stopped, said "Whu!" and drew a long breath.

"Tell me, old woman," cried she, "tell me where Tsanunewa is; I have come to this house on his track."

"I have not seen that boy," said Tsuwalkai Marimi. "I do not know where he is. I am alone, all my people are dead; you killed them."

"I will not hurt you," said Hehku; "I will not touch you, but tell me where the boy is; tell me which way he went. He went west, I think. I will follow till I catch him."

She started and ran very fast; raised a great wind as she went. She ran with her hands clasped behind her, and sang,--

"I am following Tsanunewa; I am on his track. I am following Tsanunewa; I am on his track."

The boy ran swiftly, ran with all his strength; was at the great river first. Mipka was at the other side.

"Save me, my uncle!" cried Tsanunewa; "put your leg over the water, put it over quickly. Hehku is hunting me. I am running for my life. Save me, my uncle, save me!"

Mipka came out, saw the boy on the opposite bank, stretched his leg over the water; the boy ran across on it. Hehku came to the river just after Tsanunewa had run into the house, and Mipka had drawn his leg back again. Inside was a large log with a small hole in the heart of it. Tsanunewa crept into that hole and hid quickly.

"Hehku will not find me here," thought he. But Hehku saw him from the other bank, knew where he was hidden.

The old man hurried after Tsanunewa. Hehku reached the river when Mipka stepped across the door.

"Old man," cried she, "put your leg over the water. Let me cross. Put your leg over the water!"

Mipka stood inside the door; seemed not to hear.

"Put your leg over the water!" cried Hehku.

"Creep out and run west for your life," said Mipka to Tsanunewa. "Run; I will stop Hehku; I will keep her here for a while. Run to Matauwila's; he may be able to save you."

Tsanunewa crept out through the western end of the sweat-house and ran.

"Old man, put your leg over the river. Let me cross on it!" cried Hehku. She was very angry now, but Mipka refused for a long time.

At last he stretched his leg from inside the door to the opposite bank of the river. He did this hoping that Hehku would run in on his leg, be speared in the doorway and die there. Mipka had long and very sharp spears fixed in above the doorway to kill people whom he hated.

But Hehku jumped off his leg at the river side. She would not go in at the door; she climbed to the roof of the sweat-house.

"Old man, give me Tsanunewa. I saw him run into your house. Old man, give me Tsanunewa or tell me where he is."

"I cannot tell where he is. He is not in my house," said Mipka.

"Tell me, old man, where that boy is, or I will kill you. I do not want to go into your house, but if I go in I will kill you. Only tell me where Tsanunewa is. If you hide that boy I will kill you."

"If you think Tsanunewa is here, come down, come in, look through my house," said Mipka.

Sharp spears were pointing upward toward this door in the roof of the sweat-house. Hehku was very angry; she slipped down in a hurry. The spear-points went into her body and killed her. She fell dead on the floor of the sweat-house. She lay a while dead there; then came to life and stood up again. She caught Mipka right away, and they fought, fought a long time, fought till she swallowed him down at one mouthful.

While Hehku and Mipka were fighting a long battle in the sweat-house, Tsanunewa had run far away toward the west. He was now in sight of Matauwila's sweat-house. When he was near enough to call, he shouted,--

"Grandfather, I am running for my life; save me!"

Matauwila ran out and helped the boy into the sweat-house.

"Grandfather, I want you to set traps in this house, set traps all around in it. Hehku is hunting me; she will kill me if she catches me."

Matauwila made four rows of double traps in the house.

"I will catch Hehku," said Matauwila, "but you would better run west; run till you come to the house of the Chichi brothers."

The boy ran away to the west. He was hardly out of sight when Hehku came. She made a great wind as she ran to the house.

"Old man," cried she, "where is Tsanunewa? Tell me where that boy is. I have tracked him to your house. Tell me where he is, or I will kill you."

"Come in," said Matauwila; "but you will not find the boy here. Come in. Sit down in my house, look all over it. Come in, but you'll not find the boy. Come in."

The central pillar of Matauwila's house was large and very smooth. Hehku could not hold to it, but fell down and dropped into the first trap. She broke right through that, and went through the three other lines of double traps.

When Hehku burst through the traps, her body was flashing red fire from every part of it, she was so angry. This fire from her body killed Matauwila.

Hehku ran after the boy again; ran with her hands clasped behind her. She ran that way always, and sang as she ran,--

"I am following Tsanunewa; I am on his track. I am following Tsanunewa; I am on his track."

The boy rushed to the house of the Chichi. There were two brothers of them.

The Chichis had two smooth rocks which looked like ice, but were more slippery than any ice (rock crystals). One of these was at the eastern door, the other at the opening on the roof.

"Grandfathers, save me!" cried Tsanunewa, running up to the door of the house. "Grandfathers, save me!" cried he, running in.

Hehku was close behind now; she had almost caught him. When she reached the door, she stepped on the crystal rock, slipped, and fell. One Chichi closed the door in her face then. She sprang up, climbed the side of the house, went to the door in the roof, stepped on the second crystal in front of that door, slipped, and fell headlong; fell into the sweat-house. She sprang up, caught one Chichi, fought with him. His brother helped that one. The two fought a long time against Hehku till she caught each by the arm, held them both with one hand, and pounded them with the crystal from the lower door which she held in her other hand. At last she said, "Whu!" and swallowed both at one mouthful. While she was fighting with the Chichi brothers, Tsanunewa ran on, ran to the west. Hehku was tired now.

"I cannot run farther," said she. She went to the housetop and cried, "I wish this house to stretch out after that boy and catch him."

She sat on the housetop, and the house stretched out westward, stretched more quickly than any one could run, and carried her after Tsanunewa. The boy had run very far; he was near Jupka's house now.

"Uncle!" cried he, "I want to come in quickly. I am almost dead. Hehku is chasing me. Hide me, my uncle, hide me. Save me, my uncle, save me, or Hehku will kill me."