Part 10 (1/2)

Again the Fish said: ”Shu... hi pi!” Everywhere stood young and old with a palm to an ear. Still no one guessed what the Fish had mumbled!

From the bewildered crowd witty old Iktomi came forward. ”He, listen!”

he shouted, rubbing his mischievous palms together, for where there was any trouble brewing, he was always in the midst of it.

”This little strange man says, 'Zuya unhipi! We come to make war!'”

”Uun!” resented the people, suddenly stricken glum. ”Let us kill the silly pair! They can do nothing! They do not know the meaning of the phrase. Let us build a fire and boil them both!”

”If you put us on to boil,” said the Fish, ”there will be trouble.”

”Ho ho!” laughed the village folk. ”We shall see.”

And so they made a fire.

”I have never been so angered!” said the Fish. The Turtle in a whispered reply said: ”We shall die!”

When a pair of strong hands lifted the Fish over the sputtering water, he put his mouth downward. ”Whss.h.!.+” he said. He blew the water all over the people, so that many were burned and could not see. Screaming with pain, they ran away.

”Oh, what shall we do with these dreadful ones?” they said.

Others exclaimed: ”Let us carry them to the lake of muddy water and drown them!”