MATTHEWS. ] MYTH: THE NAME OF THE PROPHET. 405 
42. After this adventure he continued on his way to Tsenastci. He 
had not journeyed far when he met the wind god, who said to him: 
“Those whom you will meet at Tsenastci are evil ones; therefore I will 
be with you and will walk before you.” When they came to Tsenastci 
they found a hole in the rocks guarded by two great rattlesnakes, one 
on each side, and covered by two pion trees, for a door. When the 
travelers drew near, the serpents snowed signs of great anger, and when 
the former approached the door the reptiles shook their rattles vio- 
lently, thrust out their tongues, and struck at the intruders 4s though 
they would bite them; but they did not bite. Niltci thrust aside 
the pinon trees; he and his companions entered, and, when they had 
passed within, the pifon trees, moving of their own accord, closed the 
entrance behind them. Within they encountered a bald headed old man 
who had only alittle tuft of hair over each ear. This was Klictso, the 
Great Serpent. He asked Niltci who his human companion was, and 
the wind god answered that he was a Navajo who had been captured 
by the Ute, but had escaped from them and had suffered many hard- 
ships. On hearing this Klictsd showed the Indian how to make the 
kethawns, now known to the Navajo shamans as klictso-bikegan, or sac- 
rificial sticks of the Great Serpent, and he told him how to plant these 
sacrifices. 
43. From the home of Klictso they went to a place called Tse‘binayol 
(Wind Circles Around a Rock). When they drew near the place they 
heard loud peals of thunder and the lightning struck close to them in 
four different places. They were now approaching the home of the 
lightning gods; this is why destruction by the thunderbolt seemed to 
threaten them. Then the Navajo spoke tothe lightning, as he had for- 
merly spoken to the whirlwind, saying, ‘‘’Tis I, Reared Within the Mount- 
ains. Who art thou?” whereat the thunder and the lightning ceased, 
and the travelers walked on until they entered a house of black clouds,, 
inside of a mountain, which was the house of I‘¢ni‘, the Lightning. He- 
was bald, like the Great Serpent, having only a little tuft of hair over 
each ear, At each of the four sides of the room where I‘¢ni‘ sat was a 
lightning bird; that in the east was black, that in the south was blue, 
that in the west, yellow, and that in the north, white. From time to 
time the birds flashed lightning from their claws to the center of the 
room where the god sat, and the lightning was of the same color as the 
bird that emitted it. When the travelers entered I‘¢ni‘ said to Niltci, 
“Who is this that you have brought with you?” The latter answered, 
“It is a Navajo who has been a captive with the Ute and has escaped. 
He has suffered much. See how his knees and ankles are swollen.” 
Then the Lightning showed him two kethawns, such as the shamans now 
sacrifice under the name of i‘¢ni‘-bikegan, or sacrificial sticks of the 
lightning, and, having instructed him how to make and to plant these, 
he bade his visitors depart. 
