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Show 116 EXPLORATION OF THE CANONS OF THE COLORADO. up by this, to them, unusual good living, it is decided that the night shall be spent in relating mythology. I ask To-mor' -ro-un-ti-lcai to tell us about the So' -kus Wai' -un-ats, or One Two Boys, and to this he agrees. The long winter eveninO's of an Indian camp are usually devoted to b . the relation of mythological stories, which purport to give a history of an ancient race of animal gods. The stories are usually told by some old man, assisted by others of the party, who take secondary parts, while the members of the tribe gather about, and make comments, or receive impressions from the morals which are enforced by the story teller, or, more properly, story tellers; for the exercise partakes somewhat of the nature of a theatrical performance. THE so'· KUS W AI1 - UN-ATS. 1'um-pwi-nai' -ro-gwi-nump, he who had a stone shirt, killed Si-kor', tho Crane, and stole his wife, and seeing that she had a child, and thinking it would be an incumbrance to them on their travels, he ordered her to kill it. But the mother, loving the babe, hid it under her dress, and carried it away to its grandmother. And Stone Shirt carried his captured bride to his own land. In a few years the child grew to be a fine lad, under the care of his grandmother, and was her companion wherever sho went. One day they were digging flag roots, on the margin of the river, and putting them in a heap on the bank. When they had been at work a little while, the boy perceived that the roots came up with greater ease than was customary, and he asked the old woman the cause of this, but she did not know; and, as they continued their work, still the reeds came up with less effort, at which their wonder increased, until the O'randmother said "Surely b ' ' some strange thing is about to transpire." Then the boy went to the heap, where they had been placing the roots, and found that somo one had taken them away, and he ran back, exclaiming, "Grandmother, did you take the roots away~" And she answered, "No, my child; perhaps some ghost has taken them off; let us dig no more; come away.'' But the boy was not satisfied, as he greatly desired to know what all this meant; so he searched about for a time, and at length fonncl a man sitting ~mcler a tree, whom he taunted with b?ing a thief, and threw m11d a11d H~ones at him, until he broke THE STRANGER'S STORY. 117 the stranger's leg, who answered not tho boy, nor resented the injuries he received, but remained silent and sorrowful; and, when his leg was broken, he tied it up in sticks, and bathed it in the river, and sat down again under the tree, and beckoned the boy to approach. When the lad camo near, tho stranger told him he had something of great importance to reveal. "My son," said he, "did that old woman ever tell you about your father and mother ~" "No," answered tho boy; "I have never heard of them." "My son, do you see these bones scattered on the ground~ Whose bones aro th ese~" "How should I know ~" answered tho boy. "It may be that some elk or deer has been kil1od here." ''No," said the old man. "Perhaps they aro the bones of a bear;" but the old man shook his head. So the boy mentioned many other animals, but tho stranger still shook his head, and finally . said, "These are the bones of your father; Stone Shirt killed him, and left him to rot here on the ground, liko a wolf." And the boy was filled with indignation against the slayer of his father. Then the stranger a ked, "Is your mother in Y?nder lodge ~" and the boy replied, "No." "Does your mother live on the banks of this river~" and the boy answered, "I don't know my mother; I have nE:~ver seen her; she is dead." "My son," roplierl the stranger, "Stone Shirt, who killed your father, stole your moth or, and took her away to tho shore of a distant lnke, and there she is hi~ wifo to day." And the hoy wept bitterly, and while the tear~ filled his eyes so that he could not see, the stranger disappenred. Then the boy was filled with wonder at what he had seen and heard, and malice grew in his heart against hi father's enemy. Ile returned to the old woman, and said, "Grandmother, ~vhy have you lied to me about my father and m other ~" and she answered not, for sho knew that a ghost had told fl.ll to the boy. And the boy fell upon the ground weeping and sobbing, until he fell into a deop sloop, whon strange things were told him. Ilis slumber continued three days and throe nights, and when ho awoko, he said to his grandmother: "I am going away to enlist all nations in my fight;" and straightway he departed. (IIero the boy's travels aro related with many circumstances concerning the way he was received by the people, all given in a series of conversations, very lengthy, so they will bo omitted.) |