48 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 92 



Coyote did to his Chief, Oiot, as we have related above.) And for 

 the above mentioned function they paid him well, and all the people 

 gave him of what they had. The people were in great fear and dread 

 of these [Tacue], because they held them to be poisoners and wizards, 

 and therefore they used great caution as regards them. 



These Indians had also an account of the universal flood. I do not 

 know, nor can I understand, from where such an account comes to 

 them. And this I have learned from certain songs which I heard sung 

 on a certain occasion, it being a little story which I shall give later. 

 These Indians believe and say that at a remote time the sea began to 

 fill up so that it came in over the valleys, and the water rose over the 

 mountains, and all the people and animals died, except some who went 

 to a very high mountain, and the water did not reach there. The ac- 

 count that they give extends only thus far, but the [little] story which 

 I heard, gives it more clearly and extensively, and is as follows. It is 

 to be noted first of all that the Indian is very rancorous and nurses 

 hatred to the third or fourth generation, and grievance being handed 

 down from parents to children as we have mentioned, and when they 

 were not able to take revenge, they contented themselves with singing 

 the following little story, which is as follows : They were of the belief 

 that one of the descendants of Oiot, whom they poisoned, begged of 

 Chinigchinix the avenging of Chief Oiot. Chinigchinix answered him : 

 You are the one who makes rain, therefore you can make so much 

 water rain down that you will drown everyone, and thus you will be 

 revenged. And indeed it began to rain and the sea [began] to get 

 rough and to fill up, and with the water that was raining down it came 

 in over the valleys and canyadas, the water continued rising over the 

 hills and mountains, and rose to such an extent that it covered all of 

 them, all the people and animals dying with exception of a few who 

 went with the one who was making it rain to a very high mountain, 

 the top of which the water did not reach, and these alone saved them- 

 selves. Thus one who I believe must have been removed from Oiot 

 further than the 6th generation took his revenge. And this is what 

 they ask of Chinigchinix : that he drown their enemies and save 

 themselves. 



If their adversaries heard or learned that they were singing this 

 ballad against them, they answered with another one which amounts 

 to saying: We now have no fear because Chinigchinix does not wish 

 it, nor will there he another Hood. There is no doubt but that all the 

 above account has some correlation to the universal deluge, and the 

 promise which God made to us that there would not be another one. 



