188 THE (EGIHA LANGUAGE—MYTHS, STORIES, AND LETTERS. 
great many things. Do you tell about yourselves first,” said he. ‘ Well, grandchild, 
though I am an old man, I have nothing to tell about ourselves. I will tell a myth,” 
said he. And the old man told a myth. ‘It happened, grandchild, that there was an 
old man. And he dwelt in a lodge with his three younger brothers. And when his 
younger brothers went to a very great distance hunting, they invariably reached home 
at night. And it happened that when the old man was alone watching the lodge, a 
great many people entered the lodge. And the old man sat thinking thus, ‘Though 
my own brothers have suffered very much by going from time to time to a very great 
distance, I shall kill a great many men right in the lodge.”” And he said, ‘Come, 
grandchild, do you too tell a myth.” ‘Yes, grandfather, let me tell a myth. It 
happened that a chief had some villages. And he hadachild. And the boy was very 
lazy. Though his father commanded him to travel, he did not travel. He did not 
wish at all to do anything whatsoever. At length, the boy having spoken of fasting, 
his mother made a separate lodge for him. And it happened that the boy thought 
as follows, as he fasted: ‘Let me see! I will wear a robe of scalps.’ And the boy 
went on the war-path with a very great number of men. And there were four men 
who lived together. And the war-party arrived there. And when they arrived there, 
the boy sat thinking, ‘I did say “I will wear a robe of scalps!” It is indeed a good 
robe. I will possess it.’ One of them had very white hair, and one had very red hair, 
one had very yellow hair, and one had very green hair.” And the old man laughed 
with him. ‘Ha! ha! ha! My grandchild has, it seems, guessed the very thing,” said 
he. And when it was night, the leader lay with his eye fixed at a hole in his robe, as 
he wished to lie watching the old men. And he spoke to his followers: ‘“ My followers, 
beware lest you sleep. Lie without sleeping.” And it happened as he was lying down 
at night, the old man lifted his head very gently, and looked now and then at the 
supposed sleepers. At length the old man seized his stone hammer. When he seized 
his hammer, the leader arose suddenly, and brandished his club with a terrible roar, 
saying, “Kau+!” And he killed all four Thunders. ‘Ho! warriors, stand ye and take 
the hair of all. Beware lest ye cut one in pieces. Take the scalps entire,” said he. And 
having finished killing them, they went homeward. Having departed homeward, they 
came back to the end of the sky. ‘‘Ho! come, warriors, begone ye to the other side. 
Go back to the other side and stand in a row,” he said. And they did so. He sent all 
homeward before him. And he went after. He ran very fast as he went, and leaped 
very far. And the boy who had gone under the ground went homeward with him, 
being alive again, just as the leader was. And continuing their homeward journey, 
they came again to the place of the grizzly bear. It was so again. He sent all home- 
ward before him. And he went homeward after them, running and leaping very far. 
And he took homeward alive the boy who had been dead. At the place of the wolf it 
was soagain. And at the place of the buffalo it was so again. He reached home with 
all alive; he did not lose even one. And as they went homeward, they passed by a 
great many villages. As they passed by them on their way home, he said, “Ho! 
warriors, that will do. Ye shall surely wear robes made of scalps.” And when they 
reached them again on their way home, having killed all in the villages, he took all 
their hair. And so he killed all the people of four villages. And they came home to 
their own tribe. And when all of his villages made him head-chief, he governed them. 
