Part 66 (2/2)

PERSONAGES

After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the personage was changed subsequently.

=Ahalamila=, gray wolf; =Bohkuina=, silver-gray fox; =Chichi=, fish hawk; =Demauna=, pine marten; =Gagi=, crow; =Haka Kaina=, flint; =Hehku=, horned serpent; =Jihkulu=, big owl; =Jupka=, b.u.t.terfly of the wild silkworm; =Kaitsiki=, ground squirrel; =Kechowala=, bluejay; =Malewula=, wolf; =Malwila=, meadow lark; =Manjauchu=, gopher; =Mapchemaina=, the first people now turned into birds, beasts, and other things; =Matauwila=, beaver; =Matdasi=, spring salmon; =Miniau Marimi=, fire-drill woman; =Tillipka=, crane; =Periwiri Yupa=, acorn of the black oak; =Petaina=, skunk; =Topuna=, mountain lion; =Tsanunewa=, elk; =Tsuwalkai=, red flint; =Putokya=, skull people, _i. e._ people who could turn themselves into a head.

A long time ago, when Jupka and Bohkuina were sitting in the sweat-house Jigulmatu, Jupka called to him people of the Mapchemaina; he called Demauna, Wirula, Matauwila, Topuna, Ahalamila, Manjauchu, Kechowala, Malwila, Gagi, and many others. He did not make them; he just called, and they came from different parts of the earth to him.

He gave them their names and said,--

”Hereafter all who live in the world will call you as I do now.”

One side of Jigulmatu was filled with these people called up by Jupka.

”This is Jigulmatu, my small sweat-house,” said Jupka, ”but I am going to make my Igunna” (great house); and later he made Wahkalu (Mount Shasta), made it to be his great house, but he lived at Jigulmatu till he made the Yana, and went to Jigulmatu often afterward.

At this time Tsuwalkai Marimi, an old woman, had reared a small boy.

His name was Tsanunewa. She called the boy grandson, and he called her his grandmother. He was an orphan. All his kindred were dead; all had been killed one after another, and he was alone when the old woman found the boy and reared him.

”I want to go west and catch mice,” said Tsanunewa one day to her.

”I don't want you to go away from the house. I don't want you to trap mice; you might go astray; you might get killed,” said the old woman.

Tsanunewa began to cry. He cried and teased till at last she said: ”Go, if you wish, but be careful; you may get hurt. The traps may fall on you; something may kill you.”

The old woman made acorn bread for him, and showed him how to set rock traps and other traps, and how to bait them with acorns.

”Stay around the house,” said she. ”You must not go near that rocky mountain off there. That is a bad place, a very bad place; it is dangerous. You must not go to it.”

The boy started, went some distance from the house, then stood still and looked at the rocky mountain.

”I will go to that place,” thought he; ”I will go where my grandmother told me not to go. Why is she afraid? Why did she tell me not to go there? I will run and see.”

He hurried off to the mountain, went up on the rocks, looked around all the time; he remembered his grandmother's words, and said to himself,--

”I should like to know who is here; I should like to know what frightens my grandmother.”

He went around the mountain, saw no one, set all his traps, big traps and little ones; he stayed there till near sunset. After that he ran home.

”I am afraid to eat to-night,” said he. ”If I eat, perhaps the mice will not like the acorns in my traps.”

”You must not eat,” said his grandmother; ”I do not wish you to eat anything. You must not touch salmon this evening. You may eat a little just at midnight. Now go and play around the house; all the mice will see you; they are out playing and will go to your traps.”

Hehku Marimi lived at that mountain. She killed all the people who went there to trap. It was she who had killed Tsanunewa's kindred.

Next morning at daybreak Tsanunewa went to see his traps. He looked at the first, second, third, fourth; he had not caught anything. The traps were empty, just as he had left them. He found nothing till he reached the last one; he saw that there was something in that trap. He stood and looked at it; saw Hehku Marimi; she was there in the last trap. She had made herself small and gone in. She looked ugly, and Tsanunewa was frightened. He ran home as fast as he could; he was pale, and trembling.

<script>