PARSONS] FOLK TALES 385 



they started off. When they got where they used to hunt, Nachoochi 

 killed two deer, one for himself, one for his friend. His friend said, 

 "No need for us to go back because your mother does not expect us 

 until to-morrow. Let us see who can ride horse the better." Na- 

 choochi said, "All right. Let's try it, but do not have any bad 

 thought against me." His friend said, "All right. You try first, 

 if you suspect I might do something to you, and I will try next." So 

 Nachoochi got on a log and tried to pick up something as if it were a 

 rooster. When he picked up nothing, lus friend sat down on the 

 same log. His friend picked up the stick they were pretending was a 

 rooster. He said, "Ij^xa! (Gee!) that was easy and you could not 

 do it. That was as easy as anything." Nachoochi said, "Well, let 

 me tiy once more." So when he sat down to try he stooped down 

 and when he raised up, the log rose up with him into the air, stood 

 upright. His friend said, "Well, goodby, my friend! If you are 

 lucky, you will come down. If you are not lucky, stay up there!" 

 His friend took one deer and went home, leaving the other deer for 

 the animals to eat. When he got back, he went and told Nachoochi's 

 mother that Nachoochi was not coming back because he went out 

 working somewhere. 



After Nachoochi was gone a long time, there was a drought and 

 they coidd raise nothing, no corn, no w^heat. Meanwhile, as he was 

 sitting on the log, an eagle used to come with food from akebaiHu, 

 mother Spider old woman, and the ants were diggmg under the log 

 so it would faU dowTi. Finally that log fell down and he got off. He 

 was so tired he could hunt only for a few rabbits. With them he 

 went home. On the way he met mother Spider old woman. She 

 said, "The first one who will come to see you will be the friend who 

 did this harm to you. You take this belt wdth you. Put it on so 

 your friend can see it. He wiU wish he had this belt. You tell him, 

 ' I will let you have this belt, if we go and wash our faces early in the 

 morning.'" So the next morning early his friend came, and he said 

 to him, "Let us go and wash our faces." Nachoochi said, "Do not 

 be in haste. Wait till later. I laiow the time for us to go." Just at 

 dawn, they went to the river to wash their faces. After they washed 

 their faces, his friend said to him, "I thought you were going to let 

 me have your belt." Nachoochi said, "Yes, I will let you have it, 

 but not forever." "Come, let us hold that belt! If I get it first, it 

 will be mine." "No, if I roll it and you catch it before it unrolls, 

 then it is yours." So he rolled it up tight. Nachoochi started to 

 throw it. He hurled it forward three times. The fourth time he 

 threw it and when his friend jumped for the belt it turned into a big 

 snake. Nachoochi said to him, "My friend, do not cry!" His tears 

 were falling. "When you tricked me, I did not cry. You know that 

 I was the father of every creature and everybody in this world, and 



