BOAS] HANDBOOK OF INDIAN LANGUAGES COOS 429 



the maggots had eaten up ahuost half of his body. The earth-chief 

 was sitting there for a while, and began to think, "With what shall 

 I point my finger at him? It seems that I ought to point at him with 

 some very terrible thing." The sky-chief still did not look at the 

 maggots. Only his bones, joined together, were sitting there. Still 

 he did not look. 



Now the earth-chief said to his people, "Don't forget to seize the 

 fire as soon as we win the game. — And you take hold of the water." 

 One of his men said, "I will run away with the water, and you ought 

 to run with the fire." The earth-chief said to the head man of the 

 sk^^-people, "Now it is your turn to put your hands behind your 

 back." All the time he was thinking to himself, "With what shall I 

 point my finger at him? It seems that nothing terrifies him. It will 

 be very good if I point at him with a snake." 



In the mean time the fire kept on burning. He then pointed at him 

 with a snake. But he (the sky-chief) was on the lookout. The snake 

 coiled around his thigh. Still he did not mind it. It crawled up to 

 his waist and threatened to go into his mouth, all the while sticking 

 out its tongue. Soon it seemed as if it were about to enter his nose. 

 The sky-chief became afraid when he saw this. He shook off the 

 snake and ran away. People were shouting at him. 



The earth people quickly seized the fire. A very poor man ran away 

 with the fire, while a little man kicked the water. They were running 

 homewards. The man put the fire into his ear while running. As 

 soon as the water was spilled, it began to rain. The fire was thrown 

 into some willow-brush, and soon began to blaze. Thus they returned. 

 From that time on, people have had fire; and from that time on, it has 

 rained. Thus only the story is known. This is the end of it. 



