Part 66 (1/2)

”I want to see that new man who is here,” cried Kechowala, ”I want to talk with him.”

”I will go out,” said Juiwaiyu, to his wives. ”My father and mother told me of this place. I know what it is.”

”Come out!” called Kechowala at the door, ”come out; don't be afraid of us, don't be a coward.”

”I will come when I am ready, I will meet you.”

Kechowala went to his people. ”He will be here soon,” said he.

All laughed; all were glad. ”If he comes,” thought they, ”we will kill him.”

Juiwaiyu went out and stood on the housetop, looked around, looked at his enemies, went down slowly, went as if he did not like to meet them.

”Why are you afraid?” asked Kechowala. ”Do you think that we will hurt you?”

He went to them, he sat on a stone. He had but one arrow, and that without a point. This was a staff which his uncle had given him. The playground was beyond a hill at some distance from the sweat-house.

”Stand up and play,” said the sons-in-law; and they pushed Juiwaiyu to throw him, but he did not fall. All went to the playground. Juiwaiyu caught the bones on his club at the middle point, then hurled them; ran and caught them the second time, ran again, put the bones beyond the barrier. He did the same a second time, and won the first game. He won two games; no one else could win.

”Well,” said the western brothers-in-law, ”we have never seen any one play bone like him. We will try him in some other way.”

Next they gave him a start in racing. The race was to a mountain opposite. Juiwaiyu was to get there first if he was able. They thought to strike him from behind, kill him easily, but they could not come near him. He was at the mountain before they had run half the distance. In the afternoon they played bone a second time. They thought to kill him surely in this way. Between the middle of the playground and Juiwaiyu's barrier they put a great poison spider right on the path where Juiwaiyu was to run, Jupka knew their plan, and pointed out the spider to his nephew. Juiwaiyu jumped on the spider, crushed it right away before it could turn to poison him; then he took the bones beyond the barrier.

He went back to the middle of the playground. Kechowala's men said nothing, made no mention of the spider. Juiwaiyu took the bones beyond the barrier that time, and won the second inning. This made the first game of the afternoon. While they were making ready for the second game, Kechowala had flint knives and spear-points put on the path so that Juiwaiyu should fall and kill himself.

They commenced the second game. Juiwaiyu took the bones from all and ran ahead, ran quickly. When near the knives and spear-points, Jupka told him where they were; he came down between some, sprang over others, took the bones beyond the barrier, came back as if nothing had been put upon his path; went a second time and won the second game.

He had beaten all who had played against him. They were very angry.

”We must kill him surely in another way,” said Kechowala.

The playground was far from the sweat-house, and when Juiwaiyu had won the second game he turned to go back to the sweat-house. Kechowala sent a rattlesnake to meet him at one place and a grizzly bear at another. Juiwaiyu jumped on the snake, and crushed his head. When he came to the bear, he struck him one blow with his foot and killed him.

He skinned both, took the skins, and hung them up before the sweat-house.

When Kechowala's men saw the skins, they were angry, terribly excited; they stopped before the sweat-house, jumped, and shouted,--

”We want to look at Juiwaiyu. Let Juiwaiyu come out here; we want to see him.”

Juiwaiyu went out. All the brothers-in-law from the west crowded up toward him, all wanted then to kill him. He had no arms but the staff given by Jupka. All he needed was to point that at any one and say, ”I wish you dead;” that moment the person fell dead. No one could come near Juiwaiyu when running or hit him, and before they stopped threatening he killed half of Damhauja's sons-in-law. The others ran home then, killed their own wives and those of the dead men. ”We will have nothing,” said they, ”that comes from Damhauja's.” They killed all the children, too; none escaped but Darijua, who ran over to the sweat-house and told of the killing.

That night Jupka made a great storm, and drowned every western man left alive by Juiwaiyu. Next morning early he went over, struck the dead women and children with his rose-twig, brought all except the men to life again, and took them to Damhauja's.

Juiwaiyu had brought as many deer that morning as he had the first one. Damhauja made his house stretch out and grow to give room enough for all the children. They cooked venison and feasted, feasted all that day at the sweat-house.

Next morning Juiwaiyu went home with his two wives and his uncle.

THE FLIGHT OF TSANUNEWA AND DEFEAT OF HEHKU