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Show 4 Sharp Knife, another Broken Nose, and the rest are girls. All have chopped hair except the mother who is tired from shaking her children. No matter how hard this father and mother beat the evil spirits away from the Hogan, it did no good. The children were there with loud voices, with dirty clothes, with bushy hair. The father said to the Trader one day, his children were so bad the coyotes would die if they ate them. They were awful those children, so said the brothers and sis.ters of Somli. / Somli's mother sighed as she dipped seven bowls of stew and they all sat around the fire to eat. She changed the talk to pleasant, quiet things - plans for tomorrow. "Your father is wise and now Somli will take his place!" Somli knew more than ever that he must carry out his father's advice. The next day, Somli fastened on his leather pouch and set out for the Red Pool. For many days, he went to the pool to swim. He would rest in the sun, swim with the tree, rest and swim. Each day he grew stronger. Each day he could walk farther with less resting. One afternoon on his return home, he saw a huddle of bushy-headed children waiting at the turn of the road. He turned from the road to avoid ,them, but he heard them yelling, "Weak one, Weak one." Closer and closer their voices sounded but faded away when Somli turned and followed a bank covered by grease wood. He was faint and tired when he reached home. Telling his mother, again she took the rug and whisked away the evil spirits from the hogan. The children came to tell more about this family - |