144 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. VIII. 



women and maidens were still living, and they pitied these two new 

 arrivals, and said: "Alas! that you two have come with him." So 

 the two were very unhappy. 



Close by was a lake from which the two sisters used to get water. 

 They stayed with the Night a while, but soon became very unhappy 

 when they saw that they were pregnant. One time the younger sister 

 went to get some water and then somebody spoke to her. It was the 

 Frog. "You poor one," he said, "you must go home this night. 

 Here is a large trail. In the evening you must take your water jars 

 on your head and come after water. You leave them here, and then 

 you follow this road, which leads to your home. This you must tell 

 your sister also." Hereupon the younger sister returned and said to 

 her older sister: "There at the water some one has told me something." 

 "What did he say to you?" she asked. "He told me that we should 

 go home this night. ' ' 



So in the evening, after they had eaten, they took their water jars 

 and went after water. When they arrived at the lake the Frog said : 

 "Have you come?" "Yes," they replied. "Very well, you just 

 follow this track, and you trot, and you v/ill arrive at your home." 

 After they had traveled a distance they came upon Spider Woman, 

 who was sitting close to the trail in a stooping position as an old hag. 

 "Have you come?" she said. "Yes," they replied. "Very well, I 

 have heard that you are going home, and so I waited for you here." 

 She then told them that she would go along, and that they should not 

 fear. So they traveled on that night and did not sleep any. The 

 next day, when they had traveled until about noon, Spider Woman 

 looked back and saw some clouds approaching. "They are coming," 

 she said : "and will certainly overtake us." 



The three did not tarry, but when they had come nearly to the 

 village the sky was full of clouds; they had overtaken them. When 

 they had arrived close to the village they .were struck by lightning and 

 killed. But as they were killed, each one was delivered of a child, 

 the elder sister of a little boy, the younger one of a little girl. The 

 children remained alive and at once began to nurse. During the night 

 their mothers would become alive, but during the day they were always 

 dead. In that way the children were brought up. Finally they began 

 to walk around. Spider Woman had left the two fugitives as soon as 

 they were struck by lightning. 



When the children had grown up somewhat, they asked their 

 mothers who their father was. "We certainly have a father, and you 

 tell us who he is, and we will go to him ; then he will take care of us 

 and provide for us." The mothers then told them, "Yes, you have 



