Five Brothers

Once upon a time there were five brothers. The four
older ones went hunting elk every day and left the youngest one at
home. Their house was full of meat and of tallow. Once upon a time
the youngest brother felt lonesome, and said: "O, I wish he would
come, the Glutton, and eat all the meat." Four days he continued to
say so, then he heard a noise like the shaking of rattles at the
door. Now a person appeared who was so large that his blanket
consisted of two elk-skins. It had a fringe of elk-hoofs. He
entered, sat down, and said: "O, grandson, I am hungry." The boy
arose and gave him some meat and tallow. When he looked the stranger
had eaten it all. He gave him more, and when he looked again it had
all disappeared. The whole day long he gave him meat and tallow. In
the evening his brothers came home and brought a fresh supply of
meat. When they saw what had happened they said to him: "What did
you do? How did the evil spirit come here?" The boy replied, "I felt
lonesome, and said: 'O I wish he would come, the Glutton, and eat
all the meat.'" "Oh, you fool, certainly the monster will eat us."
They fed him all night until sunrise. They continued to feed him the
whole day. Then the meat was at an end. The youngest brother said to
the monster: "What will our grandfather eat next? There are only
skins left." The monster replied: "What shall I eat, grandchildren,
now there are only skins and you." "What does he say?" "'Now there
are only skins and you,' he says." "Speak to him again." "What will
our grandfather eat next? There are only skins left." The monster
replied: "What shall I eat, grandchildren, now there are only skins
and you." "What does he say?" "'Now there are only skins and you,'
he says." "Speak to him again." "What will our grandfather eat next?
There are only skins left." The monster replied: "What shall I eat,
grandchildren, now there are only skins and you." "What does he
say 'Now there are only skins and you,' he says." Now they began to
understand him. They boiled skins and gave them to him. For a long
time he continued to eat and it grew dark again. Then they dug a
hole in the ground, sharpened some arrow-wood, which they placed
upright at the place where they used to sleep, and then escaped
through the hole which they had dug. At a distance from the house
they came out of the hole. They left their bitch at the entrance to
the hole and said to her: "If the monster asks you which way we have
gone, point with your head another way and call 'Wo'." Then they ran
away. When the day began to dawn the monster awoke and made a jump
at where he believed the brothers to be; then he fell on the sharp
sticks which pierced his belly. He pulled them out of his body,
broke them, and saw that the brothers had escaped through the hole.
He followed them, and when he came to the outlet of the hole, he
found the bitch. He asked: "Which way went your masters? "She
replied: "Wo," pointing with her head in a direction which they had
not taken. He pursued them. But after a while, when he did not find
their tracks, he turned back. Then again he said to the
bitch: "Which way went your masters?" She replied: "Wo," pointing
with her head in a direction which they had not taken. He pursued
them, but he did not find their tracks and turned back. Three times
he pursued them, then he found their tracks which he followed. He
followed them a long distance, and finally overtook the eldest
brother. He killed him. He ran on and overtook the next one, whom he
also killed. He ran on and killed one more. Thus he overtook and
killed the four eldest brothers. Now the youngest only was left. He
fled, and arrived at a river where he found an old man, the
Thunderer, who was fishing with a dipnet. He said, "Take me across;
the monster pursues me. Quick, quick, grandfather!" "Hohoo, who is
your grandfather?" "Quick, quick, take me across, uncle." "Hohoo,
who is your uncle?" "Take me across, elder brother." "Hohoo, who is
your elder brother?" In the stern of the canoe there was an old
woman whose body was full of scabs. Now the young man said, "O
please take me across, father-in-law." "Ho, why did you not say so
before?" Then he took him across. "Quick, quick, go to my house and
enter!" Then he entered and the old man stayed in his canoe. After a
little while the monster arrived at the river and said to the old
man, "Did you see the one whom I pursue?" "I did not see
him." "Quick, quick, take me across; I will give you my hat in
payment." "What shall I do with a hat?" "I will give you my
cane." "What shall I do with a cane?" "I will pay you with my
blanket." "What shall I do with a blanket?" "I will give you this
twine." This he accepted. Then the Thunderer stretched his leg
across the river, and said: "Walk across over my leg, but take care
that you do not strike it with your cane." Now the monster walked
over his leg. When he was in the middle of the river he struck it
with his cane. Then the Thunderer bent his leg, the monster fell
into the water and drifted down toward the sea. His hat fell down.
and drifted down after him. Then the Thunderer said: "Ôkulâ'm (noise
of surf) will be thy name; only when the storm is raging you will be
heard. When the weather is very bad your hat will also be heard."
Now the Thunderer and his daughter went home. They lived there for
some time. The young man did not like his wife. After several days
she arose early and went to bathe. When she tried to touch her
husband he rolled his blanket about himself. They had each a
separate blanket. After several days he rose, then he saw that she
had become a beautiful woman. Now they continued to live there. It
grew dark. Now when he tried to touch her she rolled her blanket
around herself. She took revenge on him. But after awhile they began
to like each other. The Thunderer used to go whaling every day, and
the young man said: "I shall look on when my father-in-law goes
whaling." "No, no; nobody ever looks at him when he goes whaling."
He got angry and said: "I must see him." Now after awhile he looked
at him. Soon he saw a whale which went into the dipnet which the
Thunderer held. The latter lifted it, but the whale jumped over the
rim of the net. The Thunderer looked toward the land, and at once
there was thunder, lightning, and hail. Another whale entered his
dipnet and he lifted it, but when he did so the whale jumped out of
the net. Then the Thunderer got angry, and it began to hail and to
storm. He went home and threw down his dipnet. Then his son-in-law
left the house, took some coal, and went to a rock. He blackened his
forehead and soon a southwest wind arose which blew away the old
man's house. He tried to fasten the boards to the roof, but was
unable to do so. Then the Thunderer said to his daughter: "Oh,
child, go and look for your husband. Tell him to-morrow he may look
at me when I go whaling." His daughter went and found her husband.
She said: "Oh you destroyed your Father-in-law's house. He says to-
morrow you may look at him when he catches whales." Then the young
man took some water and washed his face. It became calm. He went
home with his wife and helped the old man fasten the boards to the
roof. He said to his father-in-law: "To-morrow I shall go down to
the beach and you shall see me catching whales." On the following
morning they went down to the beach together. After a little while a
whale entered the dipnet. The young man lifted it and threw the
whale ashore. Then the Thunderer said: "Hohoo, my son-in-law, you
are just as I was when I was a young man." Now the Thunderer's
daughter became pregnant. After awhile she gave birth to two
children. Then the old man said to his son-in- law: "Quick, quick,
go and catch two wolves; I used to play with them when I was young."
He went to the woods and caught two wolves which he carried to his
father-in-law's house. He threw them down at his father-law's feet
and they bit him all over and hauled him about. He cried: "Oh they
have forgotten me; quick, quick, carry them back." The young man
took them and carried them back. After awhile the Thunderer
said: "Go quick and catch two bears; I used to play with them when I
was young." Then his son-in-law went and caught two black bears. He
carried them to the house of his father-in-law and threw them at his
feet. Then they took hold of him, struck him with their paws, and
threw him about in the house. "Oh," he cried, "carry them back,
carry them back, they do not remember me." The young man carried
them back. Again after awhile the Thunderer said: "Go quick and
catch two grizzly bears; I used to play with them when I was young."
The Young man went into the woods, and when he found the grizzly
bears he said: "I came to carry you along." He carried two of them
to his father-in-law's house. He entered and threw them at the feet
of his father-in-law. Oh, now they scratched him all over so that
his body was full of blood. "Oh, carry them back, carry them back,
my son-in-law they have forgotten me." Then his son-in-law carried
them back. Then after some time the old man said: "Go quick and
catch two panthers; I used to play with them when I was young." Then
the young man went into the woods and [when he met the panthers] he
said: "I come to take you along." And he carried two of them to his
father-in-law's house. He opened the door, entered, and threw them
at his father-in-law's feet, Then they scratched him all over, and
his whole body was full of blood. "Oh," cried he, "carry them back,
carry them back, they do not know me any more." Then the young main
carried them back. [After awhile the Thunderer said:] "Come, son-in-
law, let us go and split a log." They went and split a log in half.
He said to his son- in-law, "Crawl in there and stem your arms
against the log." The young man sat down in there. Then the old man
knocked aside the wedges and broke them all. The tree closed over
his son-in-law. He left him and went home. He went a long distance.
The young main, however, kept the log apart with his elbows and
broke it. He carried it home on his shoulder. He came home and threw
it down in front of the house. When his father-in-law heard the
noise he went out and [on seeing the young man] said: "Oh, my son-in-
law, you are just as I was when I was young." They remained there
and the children grew up. Then his father-in-law said to him: "Oh,
go to the supernatural people and bring me their hoops." The young
man went, a long time he went, and finally he reached the country of
the supernatural people. They stood in a circle, the hoop was being
rolled to and fro in the circle. He was afraid to approach them any
nearer and stood aside. But when it grew dark he made a jump and
caught the hoop by pushing his arm through it. Then he ran away,
carrying the hoop, and pursued him. They The supernatural people lit
their torches, pursued him a long distance; then his wife thought of
him and told her children, "Now whip your grandfather." They took a
stick and whipped him; then he cried and urinated. It began to rain
and the torches of the supernatural people were extinguished. Thus
he reached home. After a while the old man said again, "Now go and
bring the targets of the supernatural people." He made himself ready
and went. After a long time he reached the country of the
supernatural people. They were shooting at targets. He was afraid,
but when it was dark he took the targets and ran away. Then the
supernatural people lit their torches and pursued him. He came
running, heh! He was pursued. After some time his wife thought of
him and told her children, "Now whip your grandfather." They took a
stick and whipped him; their mother helped them. Then the old man
urinated, and it began to rain. Thus the torches of the supernatural
people were extinguished, and the young man reached home carrying
the targets. After awhile he said to his wife, "Now I shall leave
you." He made himself ready, put on all his dentalia and took two
quivers full of arrows. Then he went. After awhile he reached a
large town which consisted of five rows of houses. The last house
was very small. This he entered and found two old women [the mice.
When they saw him they said:] "Oh, now Blue-Jay will make another
chief unhappy." Then Blue-Jay thought, "A person came to the house
of the mice." He went to see and, indeed, there was a chief in the
house. Then Blue-Jay went back to his chief and said: "A chief has
arrived; he wants to have a shooting match with you." Then he went
back to the stranger and said: "Our chief wants to play with you.
You will have a shooting match." He said: "Oh." Blue-Jay ran back
[to his chief and said]: "That chief said 'Oh.'" He went back
again: "The chief says to you you shall come down to the beach
quickly." Then Blue-Jay's chief took his arrows and went down to the
beach. Blue-Jay ran back [to the stranger and said]: "Our chief went
down to the beach." Then the other chief went down to the beach. Now
they shot at the targets. The other chief lost and Blue-Jay's chief
won. He lost all his dentalia. He lost his arrows. He lost his hair.
He lost his head. He lost both his arms. He lost both his legs. Then
they made him miserable. They cut off his hair and hung him up in
the smoke. But at night the two mice always went and gave him water
and gave him to eat. Every night they did so. One year he had been
away. Then his sons said, "Let us look for our father." They made
themselves ready, put on their dentalia, took their targets and
their arrows. Then they went, they went a long distance; they found
a town, oh, a large town. [They said:] "Perhaps here we shall find
our father." They entered that small house. There were two old women
[who said]: "Oh, chiefs, where did you come from?" "We search for
our father." "Oh, Blue-Jay will make miserable two more chiefs. A
long time ago a chief came and they made him miserable and put him
into the smoke. But we always gave him water; we always gave him
food. He has lost his eyes." After some time Blue-Jay thought that a
chief must have arrived at the house of the mice. He ran there to
look and he found two chiefs. Then he went back and said to his
chief: "Two chiefs have arrived; they stay at the house of the mice;
they came to play with you." "Oh," replied Blue-Jay's chief. He ran
back [to the house of the mice, and said to the strangers]: "Our
chief wants to play with you. You will have a shooting match." They
did not say anything. Then Blue-Jay ran back and said to his
chief: "Go down to the beach!" Three times Blue-Jay went back. But
they did not speak to him. When he went there the fourth time the
younger brother looked at him. He looked at Blue-Jay. At once all
his hair began to burn. Then he returned and told his chief, "O,
these strangers are more powerful than we are. They looked at me and
my hair caught fire. They tell you to come down to the beach." After
a little while they went down to the beach. Two targets were stuck
into the ground. [They said:] "How bad are these targets!" and they
pulled them out and threw them away. "Here, our targets are good."
They put their targets into the ground. Their targets were shining.
Then they began to shoot. Now Blue-Jay's chief lost. He lost all his
dentalia. He lost all his people. They won their father from him.
They won Blue- Jay. Now they staked his hair and they won it. They
staked his head, they staked his arms. They won his head and his
arms. They staked his legs; they won it all. Then they took four
potentilla roots and put them on to the forehead [of Blue-Jay's
chief]. They took pieces of flint and put them all over his body.
They took green mud and painted his belly and his back green. Then
they threw him into the water, and said: "Green Sturgeon shall be
your name; henceforth yon shall not make chiefs miserable." They
took Blue-Jay, threw him away, and said: "Blue-Jay shall be your
name; henceforth you shall not make chiefs miserable. You shall
sing 'Watsetsetsetsetse,' and it shall be a bad omen." [Then they
turned to the [mice and said:] "Oh, you pitiful ones, you shall eat
everything that is good. You shall eat berries." Then they took
their father and carried him to the water. They blew on him and he
recovered his eyesight. Then they returned home.