Old Tsmuk and his wife were looking for their daughter. They knew that Wus had been trying to find her and they thought he had caught her. They called to her, and listened for her song, but didn’t hear it.
Tsmuk’s daughter wanted to go home; she wanted to see her father and mother. Wus knew her thoughts, and he asked: “Why do you think of such things? What I wish for will be. To-morrow you will go home.”
The next morning Wus wrapped up the baby and tied it on a board. The child was bright and beautiful. It looked like a rainbow.
Old man Tsmuk sent his youngest son to hunt for his sister. When the young man saw her coming, he didn’t know her, she [[131]]was so beautiful; she was different from what she had been before. He ran into the house, and said: “There is a beautiful woman coming.” When the second brother saw her, he said: “That is our sister.” The woman was alone, except for the baby on her back. When she went into the house, her father asked: “What man have you found? If Wus is your husband, you can’t stay here!”
Wus was a long way off, but he heard what the old man said and he was angry. He thought: “I will find out if old Tsmuk is mad at his daughter.” Then he wished the baby to turn to a little fox. When the young woman took the baby off her back, it was like a baby fox. It was covered with hair.
“That child smells like a fox!” cried the old man. He snatched it and threw it out of the house. The mother screamed. Wus heard her, and said: “Now I will torment Tsmuk.” That moment Wus’ wife was an old woman. Her youngest brother was so frightened that he lay down and cried. The baby was crying itself to death, but the mother couldn’t do anything; she was bent over and helpless, too old to go out of the house.
Wus thought: “Bring in that child!” That minute the young man got up, went out, and brought in the baby and put it by its mother. He said to his sister: “Lie down, and I will cover you up.”
Wus thought: “My brother-in-law is going to like me,” and he was glad. He gave his own feelings to the young man.
The brother watched his sister, and after a while he saw that she was getting younger; then he said: “Go to the river and swim. Maybe you will be young again. I don’t care if you are old, I love you just the same; but I am sorry for the baby.” He kept the child covered, and it went to sleep. He went to sleep himself, and slept till the middle of the night, then he woke up, but he slept again, and when he woke up the second time it was almost morning. He looked at the baby; it was like a person. He didn’t go to sleep again; he was afraid to; he thought if he did the child would turn into a fox.
“Do you know what Wus can do?” asked his sister. “He [[132]]can do anything. He can make people old in a minute; he can turn them to anything; he can move a house or tear it down by wishing. When I saw Wus, he looked as I do; he was a woman and carried a basket on his back. While I was asleep, he turned to a man and built a house. The house is so bright and has so many colors that it hurts my eyes to look at it. If anything happens to Wus’ child, I think we shall die. When it was thrown out, I got old; now that it is in the house, I am growing young again.”