cusHiNG] THE WORLD GENESIS. 389 



the Sun-fatber, and iustmcted by him, the ekler said to the younger, 

 " Brother, behohl ! 



That the earth be made safer for men, aud more stable, 



Let lis shelter the land where our children be resting. 



Yea! the depths and the valleys beyond shall lin sheltered 



By the shade of our eloud-shicld! Let us lay to its circle 



Our tirebolts of thunder, aimed to all the four regions, 



Then smite with our arrows of lightning i'rom under. 



Lo! the earth shall heave upward aud downward with thunder! 



Lo! fire shall belch outward and burn the world over, 



And floods of hot water shall seethe swift before it! 



Lo! smoke of earth-stenches shall blacken the daylight 



And deaden the senses of them else escaping 



And lessen the number of tierce preying monsters ! 



That the earth be made safer for men, and more stable." 



"It were well," said the younger, ever eager, and forthwith they 

 made ready as they had between themselves devised. Then said tlie 

 elder to the younger, 



"Wiltthou stand to the right, or shall I, younger brother?" 

 "I will stand to the right! " said the younger, and stood there. 



To the left stood the elder and when all was ready, 

 'Hluaa they let fly at the ftrebolts, their arrows! 



Deep bellowed the earth, heaving upward and downward. 

 " It is done," said the elder. " It is well," said the younger.. 



Dread was the din and stir. The heights staggered and the moun- 

 tains reeled, tlie plains boomed and crackled under the floods aud hres, 

 and the high hollow-places, hugged of men and the creatures, were 

 black aud awful, so that these grew crazed with panic and strove alike 

 to escape or to bide more deeply. But ere-while they grew deafened 

 aud deadened, forgetful and a.sleep ! A tree lighted of lightning burns 

 not long! Presently thick rain fell, quenching the fires; and waters 

 washed the face of the world, cutting deep trails from the heights 

 downward, and scattering abroad the wrecks and corpses of stricken 

 things and beings, or burying them deeply. Lo! they are seen in the 

 mountains to this day; and in the trails of those fierce waters cool 

 rivers now run, aud where monsters perished lime of their bones 

 {dluwe — calcareous nodules in malpais or volcanic tutt) ^\e find, and 

 use in food stuff ! Gigantic were they, for their forms little and great 

 were often burned or shriveled and contorted into stone. Seen are 

 these, also, along the depths of the world. Where they huddled together 

 and were blasted thus, their blood gushed forth and flowed deeply, here 

 in rivers, there in floods ; but it was charred and blistered and blackened 

 by the fires, into the black rocks of the lower mesas {dpkwina, lava 

 or malpais). There were vast plains of dust, ashes and cinders, 

 reddened as is the mud of a hearth-place. There were great banks of 

 clay and sod burned to hardness — as clay is when baked in the kiln- 

 mound, — blackened, bleached or itained yellow, gray, red, or white, 

 streaked and banded, bended or twisted. Worn and broken by 



