M'wNtv] SNAKE TALES 305 



become ;i snake, Imt the other huii;lied luid said that was onlv a con- 

 jurer's story. He went on with his preparation, and when the squirrels 

 were roasted made his supper of them and then la\- down beside the 

 fire to sleep. 



Late that nij^ht liis ('(.niiianion was ai'oused by oroaniiio-. and on 

 looking- around he found tiie otlier lyiny on the oround rollinj;- and 

 twistinir in iigonj-, and with the lower part of his body already ehanged 

 to the body and tail of a large water snake. The man was still able to 

 speak and called loudly for help. l)ut his coiii])anion could do nothiiisj;-, 

 but only sit b\" and try to comfort liim while he watched the arms sink 

 into the body and the skin take on a scaly change that mounted grad- 

 ual\,v toward the neck, until at last even the head was a serjx'nt's head 

 and the great snake crawled away from the tire and down the bank 

 into the river. 



58. THE RATTLESNAKE'S VENGEANCE 



One day in the old times when we could still talk with other cnni- 

 tures. while some children w(M-e jdaying about the house, their mother 

 inside heai'd them scream. Kunning out she found that a rattlesnake 

 had crawled from the grass, and taking up a stick she killed it. The 

 father was out hunting in the mountains, and that evening when com- 

 ing home after dark through the gap he heard a strange wailing sound. 

 Looking about he found that he had come into the midst of a whole 

 company of rattlesnakes, which all had their mouths open and seemed 

 to be crj'ing. He asked them the i-eason of their trouble, and they 

 told him that his own wife had that day killed their chief, the Yellow 

 Rattlesnake, and thej' were just now atxnit to send the Hlack Kattle- 

 snake to take revenge. 



The hunter said he was v^ry soriy, l)ut they told him that if he 

 spoke the truth he must be ready to make satisfaction and give his 

 wife as a sacrifice for the life of their chief. Not knowing what might 

 happen otherwise, he consented. They then told him that the Black 

 Rattlesnake would go home with him and coil up just outside the 

 door in the dark. He must go inside, where he would find his wife 

 awaiting him, and ask her to get him a drink of fresh water from the 

 spring. That was all. 



He went home and knew that the Black Rattlesnake was folk)wing. 

 It was night when he arrived and very dark, but he found his wife 

 waiting with his supper I'eady. He sat down and asked for a drink of 

 water. She handed him a gourd full from the jar, but he said he 

 wanted it fresh from the spring, so she took a bowl and went out of the 

 door. The next moment he heard a cr\-, and going out he found that 

 the Black Rattlesnake had liittim her and that she was already dying. 

 He stayed with her until she was dead, when the Black Rattlesnake 

 came out from the gra.ss again and said his tribe was now satisfied. 

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