Creation Myths of Primitive America Part 17

The door of Sehinom's sweat-house was on the east, and he was sleeping on the north side. Just before daylight some of the men lying outside woke up, and some in the sweat-house were awake, but none had risen yet. All at once they heard an uproar, a crowd of men shouting.

When the people around the sweat-house heard this shouting, they took their arms and ran forward. All inside the sweat-house rushed to the door, and as soon as they were out strange people killed them.

Sehinom Chabatu remained in the sweat-house. Chir Pokaila was taking bow and arrows to her grandson, but when she reached the door she was killed.

Chir Chuma, who lived near by, came when he heard the uproar. He was carried by the Siriwits, and went around fighting here and fighting there, killing many.

Sehinom, in the sweat-house, heard some one outside asking,--

"Is this Sehinom Chabatu's house? I cannot find him. He is not among these people. Perhaps this is not his house at all. I should like to see Sehinom Chabatu. If he is brave, he will come out. I am Sutunut."

Others cried, "I am Hus!" "I am Chutuhl!" "I am Koip!" "I want to see Sehinom Chabatu!"

All the people outside were killed now, except Chir Chuma. The Siriwits had carried him home. Sehinom Chabatu was left in the sweat-house. It was about the middle of the forenoon when all were killed, and the strangers set fire to the sweat-house. There was a log at each side of the door for people to sit on. Sehinom went into the ground, and came out under the log on the left side. He dug forward, as the fire moved, till he came near the end of the log. It was burned out now except a very short piece. He stopped under that.

Sutunut's people stood around watching for him.

"We should like to know where he is," said they. "The sweat-house is burned. He was not there or he would have run out." They pushed the cinders about,--found no trace of his bones. "He cannot be under this log," said one man; but he did not touch the burning log.

At last, about dark, when the log was burned almost to the very end, Sutunut and all his people went away.

Sehinom Chabatu heard everything they said. When they had gone and all was silent, he crept out from under the ground; he saw his friends lying dead, the houses destroyed, and the sweat-house burned down. He cried all night,--mourned for his friends, mourned until daylight. At daylight he walked around everywhere; looked at the ruins; did not know what to do; walked around again and again.

Just before sunrise he heard something and stopped to listen. There was a sound like the cry of a little dog. He looked, and saw at last a piece of bark of the yellow pine. The noise came from under that bark.

"What can be under this bark?" thought Sehinom, and turning it over he found two little boys lying in each other's arms and crying. He stooped down and took them up.

"Now, brother," said one of them, "we had luck. We hid here and escaped."

They were Tsudi boys. Sehinom Chabatu took the boys to care for them.

He buried all the people he could find, took the two little boys, and went up Pui Mem to get kopus wood for arrows. He found the wood, brought it home, and made four hundred arrows. Then he made five bows of yew wood.

The two boys grew very fast. Sehinom gave a bow and forty arrows to each of them and said,--

"I wish you could do something for me, but you are so small I don't like to send you."

"We can go wherever you send us," said the elder boy.

"Well, my little brother," said Sehinom next morning, "go and tell my two sisters, Kawas Loimis in Waiti Nomken to come here. Tell them that I am hungry, that I have nothing to eat. Say that I am starving. Tell them to bring food to me. From my sisters go to my brother Kichuna; he lives at Kenwinis Pom. Go next to Wai Hau, at Hau Buli, then to Nomel Hiwili at Waiel Nomeltos. Go to Dokos Hilit; you will find his house by inquiring; from there to my father-in-law, Nom Sowiwi. Tell these people to come to me and bring all their forces."

Then, turning to the other brother, he said: "I will send you, my little brother, down south. I want you to go to Tidok Kiemila at Tidok Waisono. This old man and his people have plenty of feather dresses for war. Go to the Tede Wiu brothers; go to Hokohas Herit. Go eastward to Dokos Herit, at Dokos Hle Puriton; go to Kaisus at Kaisansi Haraston, tell all to come to-morrow and bring their people."

The elder Tsudi brother came back in the evening. "Your sisters will come to-morrow morning," said he, "and the others will all come."

The younger brother came back a little later. "All the people will come to-morrow morning," said he: "all the Hokohas people with their elkskins, all the Tidok people will come with their feather headdresses. When I went to the Tede Wiu brothers, they said: 'Sehinom Chabatu has great trouble.' I said: 'He has, indeed; my brother and I are all that are left.' 'He is our brother,' said they; 'we must help him.'"

Next morning the two Kawas sisters came, bringing many things. Each brought two elkskins and a great many arrows and otter-skins.

"Now, brother, eat and feed the two little boys," said they, taking out food.

People began to come. They came from every direction, from all sides.

All that day they poured in; in the evening and night they kept coming. Sehinom Chabatu had to wait some days for all to come. The Kawas sisters had food for every one.

"We heard that you were killed," said the Tede Wiu brothers when they came. "We are glad to see you living."

"I am alone," said Sehinom. "I do not know what saved me. All my people were killed except these two little boys."

The Tede Wiu brothers were the first to come from the south. Next came the Tidok people. They came in crowds, in thousands, and every one had a feather net on his head. They began to come in the morning, and kept coming all day, all night, on the morrow, and second night, without stopping. They came without stopping for twelve days and nights, they came till there was no room for them anywhere around. More Tidoks remained at home than came, and more Tidoks came than all other people put together.

"You people," said Sehinom Chabatu, when all had come, "I did not cause this war and fighting. I did not begin. The war was made by the Tede Wiu brothers and Norbis."

"Now, my brothers," said Sehinom Chabatu to the Tede Wiu brothers, "people far off talk of me; but you caused the trouble. You began it, and you must do your best to help me. We must leave here to-morrow morning."

They started next morning early. Sehinom Chabatu gave orders to travel in parties. They moved toward the southeast. The last party of the first day left in the evening. When night came the van of the army camped and the rear marched all night.

When Sutunut's forces came northward from the edge of the sky in the south to attack Sehinom's people, they made a trail coming and going.

Now, Sehinom's army followed this trail. They travelled the second day till they reached a camping-place of the returning southern army.

There they spent the night. At noon of the third day they sent Kaisus and Bulibok ahead to look for the enemy. They went to the south. On the following morning they came back and said,--

"We found a canon where they camped; you can camp there."

The army moved on. The two Kawas sisters had food to give the whole army; the two baskets were never empty, and all had enough.

They stayed three days in the canon, and the Tidok people never stopped coming.

"We have far to go; you must hurry," said Sehinom next day; and the Tidok forces began to travel faster. Sehinom sent forward Hus as a scout. Before daybreak all rose and travelled till evening. Hus came back and said,--

"I have been very far down. I found another place where they camped. I went farther south then, till I saw fire and smoke far away. We can rest to-night in their camping-place."

"Sleep well, all you people," said Sehinom Chabatu that night; "you must be fresh to-morrow morning."

Next morning Hus was sent forward again, and the army started soon after. They travelled all day. At sunset Hus came back and said,--

"I found the next camping-place; it is not far from here. Then I went south a great way till I came to a hill which runs east and west. I went to the top of that hill and looked down. On a broad flat I saw fires and a great many people. Their camp is very wide from east to west, and runs south as far as my eyes could see. Now, our friends, I have seen the enemy; we must do the best we can."

When they reached the camping-place Sehinom said: "We will rest here to-morrow, not travel till the next day."

On the second morning they rose and started early, went slowly, resting occasionally. About sunset they came to the hill and camped on the north side of it.

"I want to send some one to see how many people there are in that camp," said Sehinom Chabatu.

Bulibok went. On the end of the ridge was a tree with one limb sticking out toward the east. Bulibok went on that tree, sat on the limb, and looked down. He saw the people moving around, playing, and dancing. He could see a long distance. Pretty soon people below, who were looking around everywhere, saw Bulibok, and one of them asked,--

"What is that sitting on the limb up there?"

"I don't know," answered another. "It looks like some person. Let us throw at it and see if it will move."

Notudui Ulumus, who always wore a sling around his head, took it off, put a stone in it, and said,--