Day had come—there was light in the sweat-house. They heard some one coming, and soon they saw an old woman in the door. This was Tunhlucha Pokaila. She would not go in, but stood a while holding in both hands two beautiful baskets of water. These she put down at the door, looked in, and went away. Waida Dikit took the baskets, put them on the ground north of the fire, and said,—
“Here is a little water, but come all and use it,—wash.”
The old woman was Waida Dikit’s sister; she lived north of her brother’s, not far away. There was a rock at that place, with a spring in it. The rock was her house. Water rose in that rock to the surface and went into the earth again in another part of the same house. The old woman had two baskets; the smaller one held water for drinking, the larger one water for washing. Great crowds of people drank from the smaller basket and washed from the other; each used what he needed, the water never grew less; it remained the same always in quantity.
“Have all washed and drunk?” asked Waida Dikit.
“We have all washed and drunk.”
The old man removed the baskets, and set out two others which the old woman had just brought,—one of cooked venison, and another a very small basket of acorn porridge. He put the baskets in the middle of the sweat-house and said,—
“Now, all people, I ask you to eat.”
“I will try that food,” said Karkit. He went and ate. Next Hus ate, then Yipokos. Now these three men ate deer meat since that time, and will always find meat by the smell,—this was the first time they ate venison. Tsihl and Wima, called also Bohemba, ate all they could from the little basket, yet the food was not less by one bit. Patit ate plenty. Hus ate, and so did Sedit. All ate as much as they could; still each basket was full. The food grew no less. Waida Dikit kept saying,—
“You people, here is food. I do not need it. Come and eat what there is.”
He sent Tsudi around to ask each man if he had eaten. All said they had eaten till Tsudi went half around, when he found one man, Memtulit, who said that he had not eaten, but was willing to eat.