MiHiNEY] thp: first fire 241 



account of the water, so they ho\d :i council to decide what to do. This 

 was a long time ago. 



Eveiy animal that could fly or swim was anxious to go after the tire. 

 The Raven oiTered, and because he was so large and strong they thought 

 he could surelj' do the work, so he was sent first. He flew high and 

 far across the water and alighted on the s^'camore tree, but whiles he 

 was wondering what to do next, the heat had scorched all his feathers 

 black, and he was frightened and came back without the fire. The 

 little Screech-owl ( Wa'huhi/') volunteered to go, and reached the place 

 safely, but while he was looking down into the hollow tree a blast of 

 hot air came up and nearly burned out his eyes. He managed to fly 

 home as best he could, but it was a long time before he could see well, 

 and his eyes are red to this day. Then the Hooting Owl ( rj'gul'u') and 

 the Horned Owl {Tskill') went, but by the time thej' got to the hollow 

 tree the tire was burning so fiercely that the smoke nearly ])lin(lcd 

 them, and the ashes carried up by the wind made white rings about 

 their eyes. They had to come home again without the fire, but with 

 all their rubbing they were never able to get rid of the white rings. 



Now no more of the birds would venture, and so the little Uksu'hi 

 snake, the black racer, said he would go through the water and bring 

 back some fire. He swam across to the island and crawled through 

 the grass to the tree, and went in by a small hole at the bottom. The 

 heat and smoke were too nuich for him, too, and after dodging about 

 blindh' over the hot ashes until he was almost on fire himself he man- 

 aged by good luck to get out again at the same hole, but his body had 

 been scorched black, and he has ever since had the habit of darting 

 and doui)ling on his track as if trying to escape from close quarters. 

 He came back, and the great blacksnake, Gule'gi, "The Climber," 

 oiiered to go for fire. He swam over to the island and climbed up the 

 tree on the outside, as the blacksnake always does, but when he put 

 his head down into the hole the smoke <-hoked him so that he fell into 

 the burning stump, and before he could climlj out again he was as 

 black as the Uksu'hi. 



Now they held another council, for still there was no fire, and the 

 world was cold. l)ut birds, snakes, and four-footed animals, all had 

 some excuse for not going, because fchey were all afraid to venture 

 near the l)urning sycamore, until at last Kanane'ski Amai'yehi (the 

 Water Spider) said she would go. This is not the water spider that 

 looks like a mosquito, but the other one. witli black downy hair and 

 red strip(>s on her liody. She can run on top of the water or dive to 

 the bottom, so thi^re would be no trouble to get over to the island, but 

 the question was, How could she })ring l)ack the fire? "I'll manage 

 that," said the Water Spider; so she spun a tliread from her body and 

 wove it into a f}(.sti bowl, which she fastened on hci- back. Then she 

 cros.sed over to the island and through the grass to where th(! tire was 



lit ETH— 01 16 



