“Besides, what are people to eat if nothing dies? Deer will not die, fish will not die; the coming people cannot kill them. What are they to eat? They will have nothing to eat except acorns.
“I think it is better for women and men—young men and young women—to marry, live day and night with each other. When they get up in the morning, the man will work for the woman, the woman will work for the man, and they will help each other. I think that the better way. If a man has a wife, he will catch fish and kill deer, he will bring them in, and give them to his wife to cook. She will cook them, and both will eat. I think that is the right way. If people live in this manner, and a woman has a child, her neighbors will say, ‘There is a nice baby over there,’ and they will go to see it, and will say, ‘What a nice baby that woman has!’ I think this is better than anything Olelbis told you.
“When that baby grows up and another baby grows up, they will be a man and a woman, and the two will get married and have children themselves, and in that way there will be plenty of people always; new people, young people. When a man grows old, he will die; when a woman grows old, she will die. When they die, others will go around and tell their neighbors about it, and say, ‘A woman died over there,’ or ‘A man died over here. They will bury him to-morrow.’ Then all the people will make ready to help the relatives of the dead man; they will cry, the dead man’s relatives will cry and mourn. I think this is better. When a man dies, his nearest relatives will cut their hair very close, paint the face black; and when people see one of them coming or going, they will say, ‘His father is dead,’ or ‘His wife is dead,’ or ‘His mother is dead,’ and they will talk about that man and his dead father, or dead mother, or dead wife, and say, ‘Poor man, he has lost his father, or his mother, or his wife.’ I think this is better.
“When an old woman dies, she will leave a daughter, and that daughter will have a daughter, or an old man dies, he will leave a son, and that son will have a son. As men and women grow old, they will die, and their places will be taken by young people. I think this is the right way. I think this is the best way. All living things should go this way,—all should grow old and then die. When the new people come on this earth, they ought to go this way. When those people come and live all around on this earth, they will die in many ways,—they will fight with each other and die; when trees grow old, they will die and fall down; everything will die in like manner.
“When a man dies, his friends will put mempak on him, like this which I have around my neck, and an otter-skin band around his head, and give him a quiver, dress him, and then put him in the ground. When a man goes to some place, a grizzly bear may catch and kill him, or a rattlesnake will bite and kill him, and when people fight they will use flint and kill one another. People will get angry and fight. When there is a gathering, somebody will come running in and say, ‘People over there are fighting.’ Those inside will hurry to see, and will find a man killed, and say, ‘A good man is killed;’ then they will punish the others for killing him.”
The two brothers sat there, made no answer.
“Well, my grandsons,” continued Sedit, “I know that what I tell you is right. What do you think?”
The brothers said nothing at first. They thought and thought. After a while the elder looked at Sedit and said,—
“I think what you say is better. I think that it is right. I suppose it is true. I believe that you are old enough and ought to know. I think that you are right.”
“Grandfather,” said the younger brother, “would you like to die, too, the same as others, and be lying in the ground and not rise any more; never go around with an otter-skin band on your head, and a beautiful quiver at your back, and fine things such as you are wearing to-day? You want others to die; you want death in the world. What would you say if you had to die yourself? You want all the coming people to die, and all living things hereafter to die and be gone from here. Olelbis does not want any one to die, but you want all living things on this earth to die. You want to spoil all the work which Olelbis sent us down here to do.”