Part 28 (1/2)

”I will go and bring him,” said Tsaroki.

”Go, my grandson. I will show you a trail, but do not go near the east side of my sweat-house. It is not far. Kanhlalas lives northeast from here.”

Tsaroki found Kanhlalas's sweat-house on the trail. He heard music inside, beautiful music. He stood awhile listening, then went in and saw an old man lying on his back playing. The old man stopped playing, but did not speak. Tsaroki touched him on the shoulder and said,--

”My grandfather, I have come for you. Waida Dikit, my grandfather, sent me to ask you to visit him.”

”I will go,” was all that the old man said. No questions were asked or answered. ”I have come for you,” ”I will go;” no more. Those people of long ago talked in that way; they didn't talk much.

Tsaroki went home. Kanhlalas made ready to go, and went under the ground. Waida Dikit was lying in his house when on a sudden Kanhlalas rose at his feet. Waida Dikit sat up when he saw him, took a pipe, and told him to smoke. Kanhlalas smoked, and the two old men talked a good while. The young men played, first one, then the other. It was dark in the sweat-house, but after Kanhlalas came he shone and gave light like a torch in a dark house. You could see some, but not very much.

Kanhlalas was a grandfather of Waida Werris.

”I sent for you,” said Waida Dikit, ”for I thought you might teach my grandsons to play better. They like to make music. They think of nothing else.”

”I am old,” said Kanhlalas. ”I am not as I used to be. I cannot play much now. When I was a boy, when I was young, I could play. But I will play a little.”

About dark he said a second time, ”I will play a little.” So he lay on his back, took his own flute, which he had brought with him, and began. The two brothers lay and listened. Kanhlalas never took the flute out of his mouth from the dark of evening until daylight. Next day he played, and all night again. When morning came there was a light stripe down his breast, and when the sun rose his breast was white, for the breath was nearly out of his body. That morning old Waida Dikit said,--

”Now we will invite all people in the world who can play, to come here.”

”If you invite all people in the world who can play,” said Tsaroki, ”this house will be too small for them.”

”No,” said the old man, ”it will not be too small. You will find it large enough when they come.”

Tsaroki was sent to the northwest to invite people. He went very fast.

In a little while he was at a place just this side of where the sky touches the earth. He went to Nop Hlut. When near the sweat-house he heard stamping in a dance. He went in and saw a very big house full of people sitting around at the wall. Only one woman and a young girl were dancing in the middle of the house, Nop Pokte and Nop Loimis. The girl was very small, and had fawn's feet tied behind her head. These rattled so sharply that you could hear them when far away. As Tsaroki was coming in through the door on the south, he saw an old man lying on the north side. This was Nop Kiemila, the master of the house.

Tsaroki went straight to him, put his hand on his shoulder, and said,--

”I have come for you.”

”What kind of call do you make?” asked Nop.

”My grandfather is going to have a playing on flutes.”

”I will go,” said Nop.

”My grandfather is inviting people from all parts of the world. All will be invited who can play on the flute.”

Waida Dikit himself went south to invite people living in the water, and sent Tsaroki to invite all the land people. They went far and near to invite all. After a time both grew wearied, and wanted to get some one to take invitations. They thought who would be best in heat and cold, light and darkness, and thought that Kinus would be; so they called him, and hired him to go.

Kinus went as far as he could go, went around the whole world to a distance a little this side of where the sky comes down. After a time he returned and said,--

”This world is wide and big. I called all the people as far as I went, but I was not able to go everywhere,--this world goes farther than I went. Whole days I could get no water, no food; but I invited all the people that I saw.”

Now, while Kinus was speaking the invited people were listening; and there were many of them then at Waida Dikit's. Lutchi sat at one side and listened.

”There is,” said Waida Dikit, ”a man that we should like to see here.

Waida Werris and also a man who lives far in the East, Patkilis; he lives behind the sky, beyond the place where the sky touches the earth, and Sedit lives with him. We want these three. Now Kinus cannot go to them,--n.o.body that we know is able to go to them. What shall we do?”