parsons] folk tales 397 



boys went out to herd the sheep. They went one way, but turned 

 around in the direction of the pond and took the sheep to drink. 



While they were there the serpent came down from his cave, with 

 mouth open to swallow them. The serpent said to them to go away, 

 he would eat the sheep. The twins said they were man enough to 

 fight. When they said this, the sheep the serpent had swallowed 

 came out of the pond. He had swallowed them into the pond. So 

 the boys had more sheep than before. The youngest girl the father 

 had told to follow the boys and watch them. So she was watching 

 them. Then the boys turned back to go to the corral. The girl ran 

 on ahead and told her father, "What you told the boys not to do they 

 did and went to the lake and tried to fight the serpent, and more 

 sheep came out of the lake, and we have more sheep than before." So 

 they went for three days to the pond and fought with the serpent, 

 and the more they fought, the more sheep they got. On the fourth 

 day the serpent said this was the last time he was going to fight. 

 "All right, we are man enough to fight." And the younger got his 

 bow and arrow, and when the serpent was going to swallow him he 

 put his bow up against his mouth. The girl was still watching them, 

 and she ran to her house and told her father the boys were fighting 

 with the serpent. Inside of the serpent was the heart of their father, 

 the Sim.*" That is why they were fighting him. The younger boy 

 called with his power (nashau) the bear and the lion. The lion and 

 the bear came and the eagle, and all fought the serpent, and at last 

 they kUled him. The older boy wanted to open the serpent with his 

 stone knife. When he opened it a dove was sitting on the heart, 

 which was an egg, and the dove flew out with the egg and lit on a high 

 tree in the mountain, and the younger boy called the eagle to catch 

 the dove, and the eagle flew and caught the dove. This dove was the 

 youngest girl who was talcing care of her grandfather's heart. The 

 eagle brought her down. The younger boy cut open the dove with 

 liis knife because she had swallowed the heart. When he opened the 

 dove a rat ran out with the heart. Then the lion ran after the rat 

 and killed the rat, and they took out the egg. They gave thanks to the 

 lion and the eagle and the bear. Then all the sheep that were in the 

 lake came out, and the lake went diy. Then aU at home were glad. 

 Next morning they said to the old man they were going away, leaving 

 lots of sheep for him. 



So they went out across where the lake was, and at last they reached 

 where their father was living. They came near the house. He had 

 an old man there. He was surprised to see the boys. "What are 

 j^ou doing here? The sun wdll kill you. I am going to tell him." 

 "Call them in," said the sun. They went and said, "Akuwam 



'" The girl had told that to the boys. 



