276 THE (EGIHA LANGUAGE—MYTHS, STORIES, AND LETTERS. 
turtle said, ‘Why do you seek me?” ‘“T did not seek you. As I desired food, we 
have met each other,” said the Otter. ‘No, you wished to join those who desire to kill 
me, so you sought me,” said the Big turtle. ‘O elder brother! O elder brother! O 
elder brother! I pray to you. I have not sought you,” said he. ‘TI will by no means 
let you go from my mouth,” said the Big turtle. ‘Ho! elder brother, how long before 
you open your mouth and let me go?” said the Otter. ‘When the Thunder-god has 
come back, I will let you go,” said he. “ Halloo! He lets me go when the Thunder-god 
has come back. Halloo! He bites me between the legs. Halloo!” said he. Raising 
his voice, he asked a favor of the people. ‘Hesays that he is bitten. He says that he 
is bitten between the legs. Hit tent-skins for him,” said the people. They made the 
tent-skins sound by hitting them. “Ho! elder brother, the Thunder-god has come 
back,” said the Otter. ‘Those hit tent-skins,” said the Big turtle. And the people 
said, “It is good to fell trees.” They were felling the trees here and there. The trees 
said, “Qwi+, qwit,” crashing as they fell. ‘Ho! elder brother, the Thunder-god has 
come back,” said the Otter. ‘Those, too, fell trees,” said the Big turtle. “It is good 
to fire guns,” said the people. “Elder brother, he has come back,” said the Otter. 
“Those, too, fire guns,” said the Big turtle. At length the Thunder-god roared very far 
away. ‘Ho! elder brother, he has come back,” said he. He let him go. The Otter 
was very thin. He went homeward. He reached home very lean. ‘Let the two birds 
drink the stream dry. Bring ye the Pelicans hither,” said they. When they were com- 
ing back with them, the people said, ‘‘ Drink ye the stream dry. A person came hither 
to war, and we killed him, but he is alive. He laughs heartily at us, when we take him 
and desire to kill him.” The birds drank it dry. There was left only the very small 
quantity in which the Big turtle sat. And the Big turtle said as follows: “Ho! war- 
rior Gray-squirrel, be coming hither again, wherever you may be moving. They have 
almost killed me.” Gray-squirrel was coming back, crying loud. He was coming back 
to attack them. He tore open both of their water-pouches by biting. He bit holes in 
them. At length all the water returned to its former place. At the creek and lake it 
was as before; they were filled with their water. ‘Sew ye the pouches for them,” said 
the people. They sewed up the throats of the Pelicans. They finished sewing them. 
“Come, drink it dry again. Do your best. Beware lest we fail,” said the people. 
They drank it dry again. Again was very little of the water left. ‘‘Ho! warrior 
Gray-squirrel, wherever you may be moving. They have nearly killed me. Be coming 
hither again,” said the Big turtle. When he was coming back, he bit and tore open 
their throats again in many places. Again all the water returned to its place. He 
made their throats very bad. He made them very bad to be sewed at all. It was diffi- 
cult to sew them. ‘ Yet we shall fail. The Gray-squirrel is very abominable! I think 
that the Gray-squirrel is the only one with the Big turtle. 1 think that he is the only 
one siding with him. Therefore we have failed to hurt them,” said one of the people. 
They ceased. When it was night the Big turtle went back. He reached his comrades 
again. ‘Ho! warriors, when men get the better of their foes in a fight, they usually 
go homeward. I suspect that your sisters are tired of waiting to dance!” said he. 
They went homeward. He walked around them, rattling his gourd. ‘ Warriors, I said 
that I would do thus, and so it is,” said he. He burnt the grass. “You did nothing 
but laugh at the Big turtle when he went on the war-path.” (This was addressed to the 
absent people of his village). He burnt the grass so that they might think that he 
