Creation Myths of Primitive America. Jeremiah Curtin

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      He killed all ten of the deer one after another, and Kaisus ran each time to be first at the fallen body, but Katkatchila was always ahead of him. When they went home Kaisus carried one deer, and told of all they had done, saying—

      “Now you people, go and bring in the other deer. I don’t believe any man among us can run as fast as Katkatchila; he is a wonderful runner. I don’t know what he uses to kill game, and I don’t think we can get it away from him.”

      That night Hau spoke up among his friends and said, “I will go with Katkatchila to-morrow and see what I can do.”

      A great many of the people talked about Katkatchila that night, saying—

      “We do not think that he will ever come to us again, so we must all do our best to get his weapon while he is here.”

      Katkatchila was ready to go home after the hunt, but Torihas persuaded him, saying: “Stay one day more. Hunt with us to-morrow.”

      Katkatchila agreed to stay. Next morning they went to hunt. Hau went among others, and stayed near Katkatchila all the time.

      On the mountain they saw ten deer again. Katkatchila stood back to shoot. Hau was ready to spring forward to get the weapon. The moment the weapon was shot, Hau ran with all his strength, reached the deer first, took out the weapon and hid it in his ear.

      That moment Katkatchila was there. “You have taken my flint!” cried he. “Give it back!”

      “I have not taken it,” said Hau. “I have nothing of yours. I have just come.”

      “You have it. I saw you take it,” said Katkatchila.

      “I took nothing. I only put my hand on the deer’s head.”

      “I saw you take it.”

      “No, you did not. I haven’t it.”

      Katkatchila kept asking all day for his flint, but Hau would neither give it back nor own that he had it. At last, when the sun was almost down, Katkatchila turned to Hau and said—

      “I saw you take my flint. It would be better for you to give it back to me, better for you and very much better for your people. You want to keep the flint; well, keep it. You will see something in pay for this, something that will not make you glad.”

      He left the hunt and went away in great anger, travelled all night and was at home next morning.

      Torihas’s people went back from the hunt, and Hau with the others. He went into the sweat-house, took the flint out of his ear and held it on his palm. Every one came and looked at it. It was just a small bit of a thing.

       “When I took this,” said Hau, “Katkatchila got very angry; he left us on the mountain and went home.”

      All the people stood around looking at the flint in Hau’s hand.

      “You have done wrong, you people,” said Patsotchet. “Katkatchila is very strong and quick; you will see what he will do. He has great power, more power than you think, and he will have vengeance. He will make us suffer terribly. He is stronger than we are. He can do anything. You will see something dreadful before long.”

      “Now, my people,” said Torihas, “come into the sweat-house and we will see what we can do with that flint.”

      All went in. Hau went last, for he had the flint. He held it out, showed it again, and said, “I took this because you people wanted it.”

      They passed the flint from one to another; all looked at it, all examined it. One old man said: “Give it to me here, let me see it.” He got it in his hand, and said: “Now all go outside of the sweat-house.”

      This was Hilit Kiemila. They went out, leaving him alone. Patsotchet kept on repeating, “Katkatchila is angry, he is malicious; before long we shall see what will happen.”

      As soon as Hilit was alone in the sweat-house, he began to rub the flint with his hands and roll it with his legs (Hilit was turned afterward into a house-fly, and that is why house-flies keep rubbing their legs against each other to this day). He wanted to make the flint large. After he had rolled and rubbed the flint all night, it was four or five feet long, and as thick and wide. He let the block fall to the ground and it made a great noise, a very loud noise; people heard it for a long distance. Hilit went out then and said—

      “Go in, all you people, and look at that good flint.”

      They went and looked. It was almost daylight at the time, and each one said—

      “Well, I don’t know what is best to do; perhaps it would be best to send this off. It may be bad for us to keep it here; bad for us to have it in the sweat-house or the village.”

      They did not know who could carry the great block, it was so heavy. “Perhaps Patsotchet can carry it,” said they.

      Torihas went outside and called Patsotchet, saying: “Come into the sweat-house a little while. You come seldom; but come now.”

      Patsotchet left his house, which was near by, and went into the sweat-house.

      “What are you going to do?” asked he. “It is too late to do anything now. I have known a long time about Katkatchila. He is very strong. He will do something terrible as soon as daylight comes.”

      “Patsotchet,” said Torihas, “you are a good man. I wish you would take this big flint and carry it far away off north.”

      “I don’t want to take it,” said Patsotchet. “It is too heavy.”

       Torihas went to Karili, who lived a little way off, and said: “Come into the sweat-house. I wish to talk with you.”

      Karili went in. “Take this block,” said Torihas. “No one is willing to carry it away, but you are strong. Carry it north for me.”

      Karili took up the flint, but when he had it outside the house he said: “I cannot carry this. It is too heavy. I am not able to carry it.”

      Torihas called in Tichelis, and said: “My uncle, will you take this north for me?”

      “Why will not others take it? Why are they unwilling to carry it?” asked Tichelis. “Well, I will take it,” said he, after thinking a little; and he made ready.

      “Take it and start right away,” said Torihas. “Daylight is coming. Go straight. I will go, too, and when I am on the top of Toriham Pui Toror I will shout, and show you where to put the block.”

      Tichelis put the flint on his back and hurried away with it.

      When Katkatchila reached home he told his brother-in-law, Tilikus, and his brother-in-law’s brother, Poharamas, and Yonot, his sister, how his flint had been stolen.

      It was just before sunrise. Tilikus and Poharamas went out in front of the house and swept a space clean and smooth; then they ran off to the east and got pine as full of pitch as they could find it. They brought a great deal of this, split some very fine, and made a large pile СКАЧАТЬ