Page:Kutenai Tales.djvu/196

Rh the old woman saying?" They went there, and questioned her. She did not speak. She was just crying aloud. | Then all had questioned her, but the old woman did not speak. Coyote went there. | He said to the old woman: "Do you say || that you will have no more 20 food for a long time?" Then the old woman cried no more. She said: | "Yes!" The people said: "What shall we do to make spring come?" |

There was another town, and there they kept | the seasons. After twelve months had passed, these | people would untie the springtime and the summer time and || the fall of the year. Then they would tie 25 up again the winter. | Therefore they said: "What shall we do with them?" They said among themselves: | "Let us go and steal it!" |

Then they started. Now, those up in the sky counted that the winter would last six | months, and that six months more would pass || before spring came. They arrived at that town, and said: "Whoever 30 known that he could walk secretly. He was told: "You shall steal it." Then | he started. He almost came to the tent. He worked | his manitou power. After he had done so, his manitou spoke to him, and told him || what he was to do when he entered, and where it was 35 hanging. He took some gum. | He entered the tent; and when he arrived, they said: | "Whoever can throw farthest shall take it, after it has been thrown out. | Then he shall throw it away; and the one who is strongest shall stay on | the prairie on the hillside. It will be thrown there; and when he catches it, || he shall tear it at once." | 40
 * can walk secretly shall go there." There was a boy. | It was

There was one very strong man. His manitou was | Grizzly Bear. He was told: "You shall tear it." Then | the youth went in. He saw an old woman standing there. | She said to him: "It is midwinter." Then he said to her: || "Where is the springtime?" He was 45 told: "It is hanging there." | He said to her: "Where is the summer?" and she told him. | He was holding the gum. He held it in his hand dose to the fire. | The old woman thought that he was warming his hands, for it was cold. | She did not know that he was heating the gum. After some time || it melted. Then he attacked the 50 old woman and stuck | (the gum) on her mouth. Then he went to get the thing in which she had said | the springtime was kept. He pulled it off and carried it out. Then the old woman | ran out quickly. She intended to speak, but could not speak. | (The gum) was stuck on her mouth. It was just seen that || the old woman was moving her 55 arms, pointing in a certain direction. They went that way. | When they got there, she pointed to her tent. She pointed that way. | They looked in, and the springtime was gone. They looked for it, | and it was known that the people were carrying it away. | Then they made war on them. They wanted to kill all those who had stolen it. When || they were about to overtake them, another one | 60