"Let all the people retire, for I must be alone in order to work a cure," declared the supposed medicine-man, as he entered the teepee of the water monster.
All went away unwillingly—the Turtle last of all. He told the others that he had heard the great conjurer whisper as his hand touched the door-flap; "Ah, my poor brother!" Now this door-flap was made from the skin of the little Boy Man.
He-who-was-first-Created, when he was inside the lodge, paid no attention to the dreadful groans of the monsters, but at once took down the skin of his brother, and as he did so, he saw the little Water-snake spying at him from behind the doorway. The others, who were suspicious, had sent him as a scout to see what the medicine-man was doing.
He called the Snake inside, and compelled him to tell where he should find the bones of his brother. Then for a reward he painted the Snake green, and declared that as he had served both sides, he should crawl upon his belly forever after.
He-who-was-first-Created gathered up all the bones and took them with him to dry land. There he immediately built a fire and heated stones for the first sweat lodge. He also picked a bunch of sage-brush, and fetched water in a large shell.
Having carefully wrapped the bones with the dry skin of his brother and built over them a low shelter of willow withes, he covered the lodge tightly with green boughs and then thrust in his right arm and began to sprinkle water with the bunch of sage upon the heated stones.
The steam arose and filled the lodge, and with the steam there came a faint sighing sound.
A second time he sprinkled water, and there were rustlings within as if the dry bones were gathering themselves together.
When he put in his hand for the third time he could hear a sound like far-off singing. Immediately after the Little Boy Man spoke in his own voice, begging to be let out of the lodge.