CHARACTERS
| Gáhga | Heron |
| Kówam | Red-billed Duck |
| Lok | Bear |
Kówam and his little brother lived on the south side of Klamath Lake. The little boy’s name was Gáhga.
Kówam had a nice-looking wife, and when he went to fish in the lake, he always told her that if any one came to bother her she must send Gáhga to tell him.
One morning, when Kówam had gone to the lake, and his old mother-in-law was out gathering wood, Kówam’s wife sat down by the fire and began to make a reed basket for Kówam to put fish in. After a while the old woman ran in and cried: “The big-footed people are coming!”
Soon the five Lok brothers came in and sat down by the fire. The eldest brother put his head on the young woman’s lap.
Gágha began to cry, and Lok said: “Why do you cry, little boy? Are you sorry for me because I haven’t a wife? This woman is my wife.”
Gágha kept crying. At midday his eyes were so swollen that he could hardly open them. “Stop crying,” said his sister-in-law. “Go and find your brother and tell him that the big-footed men are here. Maybe nothing has happened, and he doesn’t know there is trouble at home.”
Gágha cried all the time he was going to the lake. When he found his brother Kówam asked: “What’s the matter? What makes you cry? Did you hurt yourself?”
“No,” said Gágha, “five of the big-footed people from the north side of the lake are in our house, and one of them has his head on my sister-in-law’s knees.” [[285]]
“Is she crying?” asked Kówam.
“No, but I’ve cried all the time, I’m so sorry they have taken my sister-in-law away from me.”
“If she isn’t crying, she doesn’t care for us, and there is no use in crying. If they had made her cry, I should kill those men.”
Kówam sat still a long time; he was thinking what he could do. Then he said to Gágha: “Stop crying and get some wood; we will cook fish to eat. You must hurry, so we can go home before it’s dark.”
Little Gágha could hardly stand; he had cried so long that he was dizzy.
Kówam said: “Don’t cry any longer. I know what I will do to those big-footed people.”
They built a fire and cooked fish. Gágha’s tears were dropping all the time he was eating.
“Stop crying and finish eating!” said his brother. “Whenever a man has a nice wife he is bothered. It will always be that way.”
Kówam filled an old basket with fish, picked it up, put it on his back, and said: “Now we will go home.”
“How can we go home while those big-footed people are there?” asked Gágha. He was crying again.
“I am not afraid of those men,” said Kówam. “That is my house; I will drive them out of it or I will kill them.”
When they were part of the way home, Kówam said: “Little brother, take my bow and arrow and shoot me in the heart.”
“How can I do that? You are my brother.”
“It won’t hurt me. I want you to practise shooting.”
“You are my own brother, all the one I have. I won’t do it,” said Gágha.
“You must,” said Kówam. “It won’t hurt me.”
“It will kill you; then I shall be all alone,” said Gágha.
Kówam talked a long time, asked in every way, but Gágha always said: “You are my brother; I won’t kill you.” At last Kówam said: “If you don’t shoot me and make me strong, I will let the big-footed people have your sister-in-law; I [[286]]won’t try to kill them. You can’t kill me. Nobody can kill me; I shall live always.”
At last Gáhga took the bow and arrow and shot Kówam in the heart, killed him; then he ran, for he felt scared. Right away Kówam overtook him, and said: “Now shoot me in the heart and tear my body to pieces.” Gáhga did as Kówam told him to and then ran away. Again Kówam overtook him. That time he said: “Kill me and pound my body to pieces; then mix the pieces with dirt and stones.” Gáhga did as he was told. Soon his brother caught up with him, and said: “Kill me, then pound my body up and throw the pieces away.” Gágha did that, and went on; he didn’t run that time, he just walked; he didn’t feel scared any longer. Kówam came up behind him, and said: “Now, little brother, try again. Kill me, then build a big fire and burn up my body and let the wind carry the ashes away.” Gáhga did that. His brother overtook him again.
“What kind of a man are you?” asked Gáhga. “Is there any way to kill you?”
“I wasn’t made to die,” said Kówam, “I shall live always. Now kill me and cut off my feet and hands and carry them away. Hold them tight.”
Gáhga shot Kówam in the heart, cut off his hands and feet, held them tight in his own hands, and traveled on, went fast. Right away his brother called to him. Gáhga’s hands were shut, but the feet and hands that he had been carrying were gone, and Kówam was by his side. Then he cut Kówam’s head off and threw it away. At once the head and body came together.
The brothers were almost home now and Kówam said: “You must take my bow and quiver and wait on top of the house; I will go in alone. Don’t be scared when they throw me out; they can’t hurt me.”
Kówam went in, pulled Lok’s head off from the woman’s knees, and threw him out of the house. Lok came in, caught Kówam, killed him, and threw the pieces on the fire.
Right away Kówam had Lok by the throat. He choked him and threw him out. [[287]]
When Kówam was killed and thrown out, his mother-in-law screamed: “I am glad you are dead, old Black Legs!” When Lok was thrown out, she screamed, “Now you are killed, old Big Feet, my son-in-law is a great man!”
The fight lasted all night. Just as daylight came, Lok tore Kówam’s head off; he kicked the body out and held tight to the head. That moment Kówam said to his brother: “Now I am ready to fight. I was just waiting for another sun to come up.”
He took his bow and arrows and shot at the Loks through the smoke hole, and killed them all. Then he covered the house with dry grass, piled up wood around it, and set it on fire.
Gáhga screamed and cried; he wanted his sister-in-law saved. Kówam wouldn’t listen to him and wouldn’t let his wife out. Then Gáhga got mad at his brother, and said: “Hereafter you won’t have a person for a wife. You will be an animal. People will call you by different names, and you will always live in the woods and make a great noise talking.”
Kówam said: “Punch a stick in where your sister-in-law was sitting.” She was dead, but a voice spoke out of the fire and said to Kówam: “You will always stick your bill up in the sun and look off on the water. And you, my little boy, will be like your brother.”—Ningádaniak. [[288]]