THE YOUTH AND THE UNDERGROUND PEOPLE. 353 
thither. When he arrived there, he knocked repeatedly on the door. Though he stood 
hearing them speaking, they did not open the door for him. The woman said as follows: 
“Fie! a person has come. Open the door for him.” Behold, the man’s child was dead, 
therefore he sat without speaking. He sat, being sorrowful. The young man arrived 
within the lodge, the woman having opened the door for him. Yet her husband sat 
without speaking. The young man was impatient from hunger. The husband ques- 
tioned him: “From what place have you walked?” said he. So the young man told 
his story. “I walked up above, but a man headed off the herd, and having fallen 
from a height, he came hither. I came hither to take him back. They did not take me 
back; and I have no way of going back. Help me,” said he. The man told him of the 
death of his child. “We had a child, but he died. We will treat you just like the child 
who died,” said he, referring to his adopting him as his child. “All things which I have 
are yours,” said the father. The young man did not speak, yet he felt some desire to go 
homeward. “And whatever you say I will do it for you. Even if you desire to go 
homeward, it shall be so,” said the father. At length the young man spoke of going 
homeward. “Though you shall go homeward, if you say, ‘I will go homeward riding 
a horse of such a color of hair, O father!’ it shall be So,” said the father. ‘Fie! here- 
tofore we were deprived of our child, and this young man who has come home is just 
like him. Give him one thing which you had,” said the woman, addressing her 
husband. “TI make you my child. I will give you something. Whatever I desire I 
always make with it, when I wish to have anything,” said the father. (When he 
wanted anything he used to point at it, and thus obtain it by means of the iron.) 
“O father, I wish to go homeward riding a horse with very white hair. I also 
desire a mule with very white hair, and a good saddle,” said the young man. “Come, 
go thither. Open the door of the stable. When you wish to see us again, you shall 
see us. Though you will go homeward, you shall say, ‘Come, O father, I desire to go 
homeward,’” said the father. The young man went homeward. He made the rocks 
open suddenly by pointing directly at them with the iron. He went up the steps, 
making the ground resound under the horse’s feet. And when he pushed aside a very 
large rock which lay as a cover to the entrance, he arrived again on the surface of the 
earth. The horse and mule were very sudden in their movements; they continued to 
shy at every step, as they snuffed the odor of what was a bad land in their estimation. 
When the young man had come again to the surface, he departed to seek his nation that 
he had left. Behold, they had very recently removed and departed. Though they waited 
some time for him to appear, they had removed the camp and departed. The horse and 
mule walked along, fearing the sight of the old camping-ground. The young man went 
along the road made by the migrating party. Atlength he suddenly discovered in the 
distance two persons on the large hill, who were walking in the path of the migrating 
party. They were the head-chief and his wife, who were walking along, mourning for 
the dead. When they looked behind, they said, “‘ Yonder comes one on horseback, fol- 
lowing the road made by the migrating party.” He drew near. They sat waiting for him 
toappear. The horse and mule were fearing the sight of them, and snuffing a bad odor. 
“Why! of what nation are you?” the head-chief called out. “It is I!” said the young 
man. “But which one are you?” said the chief. ‘Your child went headlong into a pit 
when they surrounded a herd, and I went thither to gethim. You did not brin g me back. 
It is I!” said the young man. As he was very much changed, the old man doubted his 
VOL. VI——23 
