The women gave no answer, said nothing. They were afraid; they could not bite, for their teeth were out. “If I had my teeth, I would kill that man,” thought each woman.
Tsawandi kept his eye on the teeth, which were at one end of the fire; he would let no woman come near them. “Come up! come up!” called he. At last they came up and sat near the fire, but could not get their teeth. “I did not know that women go out in the morning so early,” said he. “I saw a deer some distance back here and killed it. I was in a great hurry. I took only a small piece of meat.”
He took out the heart, cut it into pieces, roasted them by the fire; then he gave some to each woman. The women were hungry, and were glad to get meat.
“Have you no bread?” asked Tsawandi.
“We have no bread,” said the women.
“Well, I have acorn bread.” He had no bread, but he put his hand in his bosom and thought, “I want bread of red flint meal.” This bread came to his bosom, and he gave each woman a piece of it. “My grandmother makes good bread,” said he. “I carry it with me always to show people and let them have some to eat. Every one likes my grandmother’s bread.”
The bread tasted well; all ate. He watched their teeth closely. Very soon a woman fell dead; then all fell quickly and died. He cut their hearts out—fifty hearts—and carried them under his deerskin. He went farther south now; ran quickly. He saw fifty more women working near a fire; went near the fire, sprang up to it, and cried,—
“Hu, hu! women, you are out early; why so early? It is cold; come warm your hands. Give me something to eat; give me worms and clover; give me something to eat, and I will give you something; I will give bread, I will give venison.”
These women had come out to dig roots; their teeth were hanging on a tree near the fire. The Tenna women never kept their teeth in their mouths while they were working. “I wish my teeth were in my mouth,” thought each woman, “I would kill that man.”
All these fifty women came up to the fire, ate acorn bread as the others had eaten, and died.