312 MYTHS OF THK CHEROKEE [eth.axx.19 



A.s soon as Untsaiyi' saw him he asked him to stop and jiiay a while, 

 but the ])ov said he was lookiiip- foi- his father, Thiiiider, and had no 

 time to wait. ''Well." said Untsaiyi', "he lives in the next house; 

 you ean hear him grumbling over th(>rc all the time" — he meant the 

 Thunder — "so we ma}' as well have a game or two before you go on." 

 The ])oy said he had nothing to bet. "That's all right," said the 

 gamliler, "we'll pla.y for your pretty spots." He said this to make 

 the boy angry so that he would play, but still the boy said he must go 

 first and tind his father, and would come back afterwards. 



He went on, and soon the news came to Thunder that a l)oy was 

 looking for him who claimed to be his son. Said Thunder, "I have 

 traveled in many lands and have many children. Bring him here and 

 we shall soon know. " So they brought in the boy, and Thunder showed 

 him a seat and told him to sit down. Under the blanket on the seat 

 were long, sharp thorns of the honey locust, with the points all stick- 

 ing up, but when the boy sat down they did not hurt him, and then 

 Thunder knew that it was his son. He asked the boy why he had come. 

 "Ihave sores all over my body, and my mother told me you were mj' 

 father and a great doctor, and if I came hei-e you would cure me." 

 "Yes," said his father, "I am a great doctor, and I'll soon tix you." 



There was a large pot in the corner and he told his wife to fill it 

 with water and put it over the fire. When it was boiling, he put in some 

 roots, then took the boy and put him in with tluMii. He let it boil a 

 long time until one would have thought that the fiesh was boiled from 

 the poor boy's bones, and then told his wife to take the pot and throw 

 it into the river, boy and all. She did as she was told, and threw it into 

 the water, and ever since there is an eddy there that we call ttn'tiguhi', 

 "Pot-in-the-water." A service tree and a calico bush grew on the 

 bank above. A great cloud of steam came up and made streaks and 

 blotches on their bark, and it has been so to this day. AVhen the 

 steam cleared away she looked over and saw the Ijoy clinging to the 

 roots of the service tree where th(\v hung down into the water, l)ut 

 now his skin was all clean. She helped him up the bank, and they 

 went back to the house. On the way she told him. '•AVheu we go in, 

 your father will put a new dress on you, but when he o}jens his box 

 and tells you to pick out your ornaments be sure to take them fi-om 

 the bottom. Then he will send for his other sons to play ball against 

 you. There is a honey-locust tree in front of the house, and as soon 

 as you begin to get tired strike at that and your father will stop the 

 play, because he does not want to lose the tree." 



When they went into the house, the old man was pleased to see the 

 boy looking so clean, and said. "I knew 1 could soon cure those spots. 

 Now we must dress j'ou." He brought out a tine suit of buckskin, 

 with l)elt and headdress, and had the boy put them on. Then he 

 opened a box and said, "Now pick out your necklace and bracelets." 



