STEVENSON] ORIGIN OF GODS OF WAR 35 



meet some one and kill him, and thus g-et you into trouble. "' But the 

 Divine Ones dispatched the two men, who had not g-one far when tliey 

 observed two women on the bank of a stream washing buckskin. 

 They killed the women, who belonged to the village whence the smoke 

 came; and as soon as the strange people learned of the murder they 

 wei-e enraged and at once attacked the A'shiwi, who fought two days, 

 but without success. Then Kow'wituma and Wats'usi, having grown 

 weary with fighting, for they had had many conflicts during their 

 journey from the far northwest, reipiested their Sun Father to send 

 two others to take their place as warriors. 



In compliance with this wish the Sun Father caused a heavy rain to 

 fall until the cascade of the mountain side no longer glidiMl placidly 

 over the rocks to the basin below, but danced along; and in her" joy 

 she was caught in the sun's eml)race, and bore twin childien. who 

 issued from the foam. 



AA^'hen Kow'wituma and Wats'usi looked toward the cascade they 

 discovered two little fellows upon the water in the basin, whom the}' 

 at once recognized to be of divine origin. Kow'wituma inipiired of 

 the tiny ones: "Who is your father?'' U'3'U3'ewi, the firstborn, 

 replied: "The Sun is our father."" "Who is your mother;!" "" Laugh- 

 ing water is our mother." "It is well; thanks; it is good," said 

 Wats'usi; "I am weary with fighting, and I wish you two to work for 

 me." "I am very small," said the firstboi-n (while the Divine Ones 

 were somewhat below medium height, the newborn gods were dimin- 

 utive in stature), "and do not know how to fight."' "Yes," said 

 Wats'usi, "you understand all about fighting." "Wait, wait." said 

 the firstborn; but Wats'usi and Kow'wituma insisted, saying: "Your 

 heart is good and we know j'ou understand how to fight." " Is it so? 

 do I understand how to fight? I guess my younger brother knows 

 more than I."' ]\Ia*sai'lema interrupted, saying: "My elder brother 

 knows more than I." "All right," said the elder, "we will fight for 

 you." Wats'usi said: "We have fought two days, but we can do 

 nothing with the enemy. Many arrows have pierced the heart of the 

 'Cha'kwena who leads the opposing forces, yet she continues to pass 

 to and fro before her army, shaking her rattle; and until these })eoi)le 

 can ])e conquered or destroyed we can not proceed in oui- ([uest of the 

 Middle place of the world." The newborn gods of Laughing water 

 replied: "We will join you. We may destroy the enemy; we may 

 not." In times of peace both these gods bear the name of A'hayuta. 

 When associated with Avar the elder is always referred to as r'yuyewi. 

 and the younger as Ma'sai'lema. 



aThe Zufiis attribute gender to all natural objects. 



