160 THE ACOMA INDIANS 



lETH. ANN. 47 



"Now be ready for her. Let's call her to come out here." They 

 told her to come out to where they were playing. "You come out 

 and watch us. It's pretty hot to-day. You better stand up on that 

 rock there and see how we playing down below." Ckoyo said, "All 

 right. I'll come out and see you." Masewi and Oyoyewi got down 

 and picked up the flint balls. Covered the fire with ashes and sand. 

 They left the flints on one side. 



The ckoyo stands up there; and she was pretty sweat, too. She 

 wears some kind hanging-down dress, the ckoyo. Masewi told his 

 brother, "When that ckoyo gets up there I'm going to tell her to 

 stand by the edge of the rock and cool ofl'." He told Oyoyewi, 

 "Then you'll be next; I'm going to do it first. I'm going to pick this 

 red-hot flint up and throw at her first. If I don't get her then you 

 be next to throw at her." 



The ckoyo come out and stood on rock and looking dowTi at them. 

 When she get there she say, "Hello, boys. You playing nice there." 

 "Yes." "Oh, grandmother," the boys say, "Get cool oft'. Pull your 

 dress up." And she pulled dress up. Get wind in. "Turn around 

 and cool your back ofl". Pull dress up higher." Masewi threw the 

 red-hot rock up her rectum and she fell down dead. Oyoyewi hol- 

 lered, "Now you got her. I didn't get no turn to throw at her." 



They went up to the prisoners. "Now you free." Some of the 

 prisoners didn't believe it. Masewi said, "Get your things and go 

 home." Then Masewi hit the door with his flint and smash it open. 

 The prisoners came out and started to run home. Masewi told the 

 people not to go away. He said the ckoyo would come back with 

 hail and kill them. "I got buckskin. I going to make a tent of 

 hides" (he had bear hides, buftalo hides, etc.). Masewi tore the 

 house with his flint and made a shelter of hides, and poured melted 

 pitch over it and it got hard. "Better get all your people in here or 

 the ckoyo will get you with a big hail." Then he called them all 

 back. "Now you see it already clouding up. Coming a big storm 

 from all directions." And they all come together right above the 

 shelter just as they had finished. They went under. Then came the 

 hail. Sure pounded those hides. Great big hail. "See what I told 

 you? Now you are safe. This is the last time the ckoyo can try to 

 kill you. Go home now and be happy. You will have no more 

 trouble." All went home. 



Masewi got back home that evening. The people already knew 

 about it. Some people doubted it even when they saw them. That 

 evening people came to ask them. The people told them that Masewi 

 had freed them. 



