Page:Memoirs of the American Folk-Lore Society V.djvu/131

Rh, of what do you speak?" but the women again replied: "We speak of nothing." The boys then questioned: "Who are our fathers?" "You have no fathers," responded the women; "you are yutáski (illegitimate)." "Who are our fathers?" again demanded the boys, and the women answered: "The round cactus and the sitting cactus104 are your fathers."

299. Next day the women made rude bows of juniper wood, and arrows, such as children play with, and they said to the boys: "Go and play around with these, but do not go out of sight from our hut, and do not go to the east." Notwithstanding these warnings the boys went to the east the first day, and when they had travelled a good distance they saw an animal with brownish hair and a sharp nose. They drew their arrows and pointed them toward the sharp-nosed stranger; but before they could shoot he jumped down into a canyon and disappeared. When they returned home they told the women—addressing them as "Mother" and "Grandmother"—what they had seen. The women said: "That is Coyote which you saw. He is a spy for the anáye Téelgĕt."

300. On the following day, although again strictly warned not to go far from the lodge, the boys wandered far to the south, and there they saw a great black bird seated on a tree. They aimed their arrows at it; but just as they were about to shoot the bird rose and flew away. The boys returned to the hogán and said to the women: "Mothers, we have been to the south to-day, and there we saw a great black bird which we tried to shoot; but before we could let loose our arrows it flew off. "Alas!" said the women. "This was Raven that you saw. He is the spy of the Tse‘nă′hale, the great winged creatures that devour men."

301. On the third day the boys slipped off unknown to the anxious women, who would fain keep them at home, and walked a long way toward the west. The only living thing they saw was a great dark bird with a red skinny head that had no feathers on it. This bird they tried to shoot also; but before they could do so it spread its wings and flew a long way off. They went home and said to the women: "Mothers, we have been to the west, and we have seen a great dark bird whose head was red and bare. We tried to shoot it, but it flew away before we could discharge our arrows." "It was Dzéso, the Buzzard, that you saw," said the women. "He is the spy for Tse‘tahotsĭltál‘i, he who kicks men down the cliffs."

302. On the fourth day the boys stole off as usual, and went toward the north. When they had travelled a long way in that direction, they saw a bird of black plumage perched on a tree on the edge of a canyon. It was talking to itself, saying "a‘a‘i‘." They aimed at it, but before they could let fly their arrows it spread its