THE BOY WHO BEFRIENDED THE THUNDERBIRDS. Ji 
said: “Go to the bank, and both of you must say, ‘Grandfather, my 
grandmother says that you are to take us across.’ A large serpent will 
come first, and you must say to it, ‘My grandmother says you are not 
the one.’ It':will go away. Then call for another one. The a ae 
will come. Send it away. The third one will come. Send it afvay. 
The fourth one will come. It is your grandfather, for he carries land 
upon his head, with trees growing upon it. Get on the serpent’s head 
and give the serpent one cake. Your grandfather has lice. Take one 
off of his head and give it to your grandfather; he likes to eat them.” 
These lice were soft-shell turtles. 
The fourth serpent came, and the boys got upon it with their cakes 
of mush. The boys took one cake and told their grandfather to open 
his mouth. When he opened it the boys put one of the cakes into it. 
Their grandmother came and told the boys to get the big serpent a 
louse and to throw it into its mouth. This the boys did. The boys’ 
grandmother told them not to jump when the serpent was within three 
or four feet of the bank, but to stay on it until it was up to the bank. 
One of the boys now said to his grandfather: ‘Grandmother says that 
you are to start for the other side of this big water.” So the serpent 
started and went all day. At noon of the next day the serpent stopped, 
and said, “I want something to eat.” So the boys gave it another cake, 
and also one soft-shell turtle. Then the serpent started again. The 
next day the serpent stopped and the boys gave it another cake and 
turtle. The serpent started again, and the third day it stopped and the 
boys fed it with another cake and turtle. The fourth day, the boys saw 
land. The wild boy jumped before the serpent came to the bank, and 
was swallowed by the serpent. The other boy waited until it landed, 
then got off, and said, “Grandfather, grandmother said you were to stop 
here and rest.” When the boys had got on the serpent they untied 
themselves, and this is why only one of them was swallowed. 
Now the boy on dry land said: “Grandfather, I am about to leave 
you. Grandmother said that I was to feed you with your own lice” 
(turtles). The boy took turtles from the monster and gave them to 
him. “O, grandfather, open your mouth. I must see your teeth. 
Grandmother said I could see your teeth.” So the serpent opened its 
mouth, and there the other boy was, sitting inside the serpent. The 
boy asked the serpent to open its mouth wide, so he could see how long 
his teeth were. He then reached in the serpent’s mouth and dragged 
out the other boy. 
The two boys thanked the serpent and went west, hunting their 
home. They traveled many days, until at last they came to the Mis- 
