THE RENEWAL OF THE GREAT JOURNEYING AND OF THE SEARCH FOR THE MIDDLE.
Long sojourned the people in the town on the sunrise slope of the mountain of Kâ´‘hluëlawan, and what though the earth in time began to groan warningly anew, loath were they to leave the place of the Kâ´kâ and the lake of their dead. But the rumbling grew louder apace, and at last the Twain Beloved called, and bade the people arise, and all together—now that their multitudes were in part diminished—follow them eastward, seeking once more the place of the Middle. Not without murmuring among themselves did the people obey; but after they had fared forward a certain distance they came to a place of fair seeming and great promise, so much so, indeed, that it was said, "Let us tarry in this favored spot, for perchance it may be the place of the Middle."
And so they builded for themselves there greater houses than ever they had builded, and more perfect withal, for they were still great and strong in numbers and wittier than of old, albeit yet unperfected as men; and the place wherein they so builded was Hán‘hlipíŋk‘ya, "The Place of Sacred Stealing," so named in after time for reasons we wot of.
Long did the people abide therein, prosperously; but with waxing ever wiser and stronger their condition changed, so that little suited to it—with their tails and beast clothing—were our wonderful, magical, yet rude, ugly fathers. Being beast-like, they were sore inconvenienced both at home and abroad, in the chase or at war; for now and again they still in their wanderings met older nations of men and man-beings, with whom they needs must strive, so they thought, forsooth, thereby gaining naught save great danger with increase of anger and stubbornness. Thus, not any longer in fear only of the gods and great monsters, but in fear now of the wars they themselves provoked, contending the world with their own kind and with man-beings, changed yet otherwise were they. Of the elders of all their folk-kins the gods therefore called a council.