HARRINGTON] 



CHILDREN'S STORIES 337 



reached the shore and came out of the water, all drenched, and she 

 said: "For pity's sake! How annoying: it is when one is trying to 

 do something to make a living. My Fawns are gradually getting 

 farther away from me." She shook herself and again began to 

 follow the Fawns. 



The Fawns went over to Kuhan^'ai, where the Snakes lived, as the 

 Old Beaver had bidden them. They arrived outside the estufa and 

 stopped. The Snakes inside the estufa heard someone walking 

 outside. One of them was sent out of the estufa to look. Entering 

 the estufa again, he said : "There are two little ones standing outside." 

 The leader said to him: "Let them come in then. Why do you 

 not tell them to come in?" The Snake then went out again and told 

 the Fawns to come into the estufa of the Snakes. "Come in, little 

 ones," said the Snake to them. So they entered. Wlien they went 

 in, the whole estufa was full of Snakes. "Sit down, little ones. What 

 do you come here for?" Then the little Fawns sat down. Having 

 sat down they told the Snakes: "The Old Giantess felt our little 

 kidneys eveiy day and threatened to kill us, and as we were running 

 away. Old Beaver carried us across the river and told us to come on 

 this way. That is the reason that we have come here." "Very 

 well," said the Snake leader. No sooner had he said thus than the 

 Old Giantess was heard coming outside the estufa. Then she 

 arrived, all sweating, at the roof door. From there she spoke out: 

 "Insider, are not my Fawns in there? " "Yes, here they are. Come 

 in and get them." "No, bring them out to me." "Come in and get 

 them," said the Snake to her. She finally started to climb down 

 the ladder. As she entered, she had only one more step to make 

 before reaching the floor of the estufa, when a Snake that was lying 

 beneath the ladder began to sound his rattle. "'Uluwia," said the 

 Old Giantess as she was hanging, missing the steps, on her way back 

 up. But finally she got outside. She started home. Frightened by 

 all the sticks lying along the road that she stepped on, she came to 

 her home. 



Said the leader of the Snakes to the little Fawns: " Now, little ones, 

 you must go to the mouutauis, where you belong, and there you must 

 increase. When you, little boy, reach Pln'o'oi you must branch off 

 toward Jicarita Mountain, and there yoy must bring forth. And you, 

 little girl, must go northeast from there and bring forth there among 

 the mountains." As the leader of the Snakes told them thus, they 

 went. As they went on they said to each other: "Now we are going 

 to be lonesome, alone in the mountains. Instead of sending us 

 together, he has told us to be separated." 



