“This is a black one! They broke down the fence and ran away! They are a strong people.”
“Now, my brother,” said the elder Katkatchila, “we will skin this cloud, and you may have the skin. We will give it to you.”
“I shall be glad to have it,” said Olelbis.
They stripped the skin from the cloud, and, when giving it to Olelbis, the elder one said, “You must tan this carefully.”
“Make another fence,” said Olelbis, “but make it stronger. You will catch more of these people.”
“A great many clouds have broken through our fence to-day and gone north. Others went before we made the fence. We shall see these people by and by,” said Katkatchila. (He meant that clouds would stay in the north and become another people; stay there always.)
Olelbis took the skin, turned toward home, and travelled on. He was rubbing it in his hands, tanning it as he went. The brothers put the body in a hole and buried it, not caring for the flesh. They wanted only the skin.
Olelbis went along tanning the skin of the black cloud, and he walked around everywhere as he tanned. He went away west, then north, then south, then east. At last he came home with the skin well tanned. He spread it and stretched it smooth. The two Katkatchila brothers had not been able yet to catch another of the cloud people, but they were working at it all the time. After Olelbis spread the skin on the ground, he took it up and said to one of the old women,—
“My grandmother is always cold; let us give her this skin;” and he gave it to her. Each of the two old women said,—
“My grandson, we are glad to have this skin. We shall sleep warm now.”