254 MYTHS OB' THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19 



Thej' took up the box and .started home toward tlie ea.st. In a little 

 while the girl came to life again and begged to be let out of the Ikjx, 

 but thej' made no answer and went on. Soon she called again and said 

 she was hungry, but still thoy made no answer and went on. After 

 another while she spoke again and called for a drink and pleaded so 

 that it was very hard to listen to her, l)ut the men who carried the box 

 said nothing and still went on. When at last they were very near 

 home, she called again and begged them to raise the lid just a little, 

 because she was smothering. They were afraid she was really dying 

 now, so they lifted the lid a little to give her air, l)ut as they did so 

 there was a fluttering sound inside and something flew past them into 

 the thicket and they heard a redl)ird cry, '■'kiv/'s/i.' l'irii<h.' kwlshf^ in 

 the bushes. They shut down the lid and went on again to the settle- 

 ments, but when the}' got there and opened the box it was empty. 



So we know the Redbird is the daughter of the Sun, and if the men 

 had kept the Ijox closed, as the Little Men told them to do, they would 

 have iM'ought her home safely, and we could bring back our other 

 friends also from the Ghost country, but now when they die we can 

 nevei' bring them Imck. 



The Sun had been glad when they started to the Ghost country, but 

 when they' came back without her daughter she grieved and cried. 

 "My daughter, my daughter," and wept until her teai's made a flood 

 upon the earth, and the people were afraid the world would l)e 

 drowned. They held another council, and sent their handsomest young- 

 men and women to amuse her so that she would stop crying. Thej' 

 danced before the Sun and sang their best songs, but for a long time 

 she kept her face covered and paid no attention, until at last the 

 drummer suddenly changed the song, when she lifted up her face, and 

 was so pleased at the sight that she forgot her grief and smiled. 



6. HOW THEY BROUGHT BACK THE TOBACCO 



In the beginning of the world, when people and animals were all the 

 same, there was onl}' one tobacco plant, to which the}' all came for 

 their tobacco until the Dagul ku geese stole it and carried it far away 

 to the south. The people were suffering without it, and there was one 

 old woman who grew so thin and weak that everybody said she would 

 soon die unless she could get tobacco to keep her alive. 



Diti'erent animals offered to go for it, one after another, the larger 

 ones first and then the smaller ones, but the Dagillku saw and killed 

 every one before he could get to the plant. After the t)thers the little 

 Mole tried to reach it by going luider the ground, but the Daguricu 

 saw his track and killed him as he came out. 



At last the Huunningbird offered, but the others said he was entirely 

 too small and might as well stay at home. He Ijegged them to let him 

 try, so they showed him a plant in a field and told him to let them see 



