204 THE (EGIHA LANGUAGE—MYTHS, STORIES, AND LETTERS. 
at a stride. When he opened his eyes, behold, the young man reached the other side. 
The lodge was there; and the smoke arose in a straight column. “This is the lodge 
of which my grandfather told heretofore. This is it,” said he. Having arrived there, 
he entered. Behold, two old men sat there, and they were aged Thunder-men. The 
rest had gone hunting. When he pushed down on his head the hat which the old man 
had given him, the old men did not detect him. And behold, the Thunders were eat: 
ing men like us. Yet, when they sat without discovering him, the youth sat thinking, 
“They behave very wrong! My grandfather meant these when he said that I should 
talk to them” And when they filled a pipe, he made himself visible, having pulled oft 
his hat. Mesnatched the pipe from them. When the pipe was hot, he held it against 
the other aged Thunder-man. “JT am burnt!” said the old man. And when the young 
man pushed on his hat, he was missing. “Why! A man brought himself hither 
very easily heretofore. Why was he not destroyed?” said one. The other said as 
follows: ‘When I said that I left him for you, why was he not destroyed? Those who 
are coming home will blame us. They will scold us because a man went away again 
who had come hither very easily.” At length one came home carrying a man whom 
hehad killed. “Take ye that object,” said he. Having taken it, they laid it by the side 
of the lodge. ‘“ Well-a-day! You will surely blame us. A man went away again who 
had brought himself hither very easily,” they said. ‘Fie! What were you about that 
you let him go homeward and did not kill him? We have always gone a very great 
distance. When he came hither with no trouble to you, and you let him go homeward 
instead of killing him, you did wrong. I hate you. Come, fill ye the pipe, simple- 
tons!” said he. And having filled the pipe, they gave it to him who had brought back 
the man. When the old man had taken a whiff from the pipe, the youth snatched it 
from him, and pressed it against him. “I am burnt!” said he. “Tt was not I,” said 
one. The other said, “It was not I.” . The youth pulled off his hat. He sat suddenly 
with them. ‘What thing did you say?” said he. ‘We said nothing,” said they. 
“You were speaking,” said the youth. “Come, do ye as ye wish to do.” They de- 
nied it. ‘Friend, it is not so. We were not speaking,” said they. When the three 
looked at him, behold, the youth pushed on his hat very suddenly, and was missing. 
“Why! younger brother, you blamed us formerly,” they said, as they scolded him. 
“Younger brother, why did you let the man go homeward instead of killing him? 
You blamed us heretofore. Those who are coming home will surely blame us,” said 
the first ones. At length one came home. He brought an infant home on his back. 
“Take ye that,” saidhe. They laid it by the wall. Said he, ‘I went very far, and I have 
brought this home on my back.” . They said as follows: ‘“ Younger brother, a man came 
hither very easily heretofore. We did not kill him, and he went homeward. Yonder 
one blamed us, but he was just as unsuccessful. We left it to him to kill the man, so 
we did not kill him.” He» said as follows: “‘Why! I suffered very much formerly in 
going a great distance. When one came hither very easily, and you let him go home- 
ward instead of killing him, you did wrong. If J see him, J will kill him at all 
events.” When they were scolding each other, the youth pulled off his hat, and sat 
suddenly just like them. ‘What did you say?” said he. ‘We did not speak,” they 
said. “Friend, we said nothing.” They denied it. The boy was feared. ‘You were 
speaking. Speak ye what thing ye said.” ‘Friend, we spoke not of anything whatso- 
ever,” said they. When he put on his hat, behold, he disappeared suddenly. “ Younger 
