THE BOY WHO BEFRIENDED THE THUNDERBIRDS. 75 
thing crawling out from the lake. Something came out from another 
place. ‘These were the two heads of the monster. Gradually it came 
crawling up the hill. A storm came from the west. The boy saw the 
rain storm, but no bird. He knew that the storm was brought by the 
powers of the Thunderbirds. The storm went by the boy. No rain 
was there where he was. It lightened and thundered under the boy. 
Presently he saw the two Thunderbirds spreading out their wings, mak- 
ing lightning, and every time the lightning struck the serpent the boy 
could see a flash of lightning in every direction, but it did not kill the 
monster. At last the monster came upon the rock where the nest was. 
The birds flew about, the mother squealed, and as the monster opened 
its mouth the Thunderbird sent its lightning into the mouth of the 
monster. The monster was thrown back, but again it crawled up, and 
the female Thunderbird said: “It is all over. We cannot do any 
more. We have failed, so we will fly up, and you, my son, will have 
to die with my children.” 
The boy now picked up his bow and arrows. He took the black 
arrow. This he placed upon the bow-string ready to shoot into the 
mouth of the monster as soon as it should crawl upon the rock. As the 
monster came up and opened its mouth to swallow the boy he pulled 
his bow-string and shot into the mouth of the monster. A noise like 
that of a falling tree was made. The monster fell over and burst open, 
for the arrow was really a sycamore tree with sharp limbs. The birds 
flew downward and were glad. Now the other head of the monster 
came up from another side of the hill. The boy again ran, and as it 
opened its mouth the boy shot the red arrow into its mouth and another 
sound was heard. The arrow lifted off the head of the monster and 
the head fell again upon the rock, breaking it into pieces. 
The Thunderbirds now came and flew around the boy, screaming 
with joy. The two birds flew away to where all kinds of birds dwell. 
The birds all flew up where the boy and the nest were, and the mother 
Thunderbird said: ‘My son, to-day you are chief of all birds. You 
shall have power as I have. Lightning shall be in your breath and eyes. 
I give you a stick that shall have lightning, so that you can kill anything 
you strike. These birds shall follow you wherever you go. They will 
bring you news of bad animals. They will give you their power. Let 
us now go down where the serpent is.” The boy and the birds all 
went down to where the serpent was. It was broken in two. The birds 
all took hold of one side and turned the serpent over. When the ser- 
pent fell, the flint rock upon it had fallen off and scattered. The 
