104 BUREAU OF AMEEICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 47 



smell," said the Old Woman. " If there is anything here which has a 

 fresh, strong odor, it must be that which you are eating," replied her 

 daughters. 



"Tcidikuna," said the Old Woman to her son, "pull that box 

 toward me." And he pulled the box; but when he had drawn it to 

 her and she opened it, it was empty. Then she said, "Bring the other 

 one." That too proved to be empty, and so did a third. Then she 

 said, " Bring that long box." When he began to pull it, he said, "O 

 mother, it is very heavy." "Let it alone!" said she, as she ran 

 toward it. When she reached there and opened the box, it lightened 

 so that she retreated some distance and fell to the ground. On rising 

 to her feet, she said, "1 said that this was the way, and so it is. 

 Make a tire in the back room." So they were making a fire there. 

 "Tcidikuna, say to your sisters' husband (i. e., Tube) that he is to 

 take a small bird and bring it to me, that I may swallow it whole." 

 So Tcidikuna went to Tube, and said, "Mother says that you are to 

 seek the small bird and bring it to her that she may swallow it." And 

 the two daughters said to Tube, "If you take hold of the small bird, 

 and it flies upward with you, let it go and return hither." He went and 

 grasped the small bird, which flew up into the air with him. Though 

 they had said to him, "Let it go and return hither," he decided to 

 retain his grasp, and so he was going higher into the air. When he 

 had gone very high, the Old Woman said, "O Tcidikuna, go and see 

 how the}^ are. He may be up very high," Then Tcidikuna departed, 

 and when he saw that Tube and the bird had indeed gone very far, he 

 cried out, "O mother!" Whereupon the Old Woman took some fire, 

 and when she reached there she set fire to the tree on a high branch 

 of which Tube was lodged. 



Then Tube began to sing a magic song, which caused a great rain, 

 and that drove the Old Woman away and put out the fire. And then 

 Tube descended to the ground and resumed his travels. 



When the Old Woman reached home, she said, " O Tcidikuna,. go 

 yonder and invite your brother-in-law to run a race with me." So 

 Tcidikuna departed, and when he found Tube he gave him the invita- 

 tion. But the daughters gave Tube another warning: "There is a 

 hole in the ground close to the goal, and when you reach there, she 

 will tr}^ to throw you into it. But when you reach there before her, 

 jump over the hole, and on her arrival, push her into it." When Tube 

 reached the starting place, the Old Woman said to him, " Let us go," 

 as she stood there pretending that she was about to start. " O yes," 

 said she, "you are all scared." As they went, Tube reached the hole 

 in the ground over which he jumped, and as he stood on the other side, 

 up came the Old Woman, whom he pushed, causing her to fall into the 

 hole, down which she disappeared, making a series of rattling sounds. 

 Tube then returned to the young women, but Tcidikuna sat a while 



