“There will be many bad places along the road,” said the old woman. “You will meet Wekómpmas. He carries great stones on his back; he has dug deep holes around his house, and when a man falls into one of them, he throws stones on to him and kills him.”
Wus wouldn’t stay; he wasn’t afraid. He started off and soon he met Wekómpmas, a big, old man. In his house he had five yans[2] hung up; they were his medicine, and he didn’t let any one touch or go near them. Just as Wus met him, Wekómpmas turned and ran home; he felt that some one had touched his medicine.
Two men went to Wekómpmas’ house; one was a fool. He talked smart and felt smart, but always did foolish things. Those men saw the yans, and the foolish one said: “Let’s [[139]]eat them. Old Wekómpmas says they are medicine. I don’t believe it. If we eat them and they make us vomit blood, we shall know.”
Wekómpmas’ sister tried to stop them, but couldn’t. As soon as they had eaten one yan, she climbed a tree near the house and drew up her child. Then she listened for her brother.
When he came he called out: “Where are my yans? Where are my yans?” He killed the two men, then he scratched his arms with his nails and sucked his own blood. Right away he was a man-eater. He killed all the people around and ate them. Then he started off to find others to kill and eat. As he traveled he looked in at every smoke hole, but he found only empty houses, for everybody had heard of him and had run away. In only one house did he find a living person. In the house at the edge of a village was a woman with but one leg. She sat inside making a basket. When Wekómpmas looked down the smoke hole, he was glad, and said: “She doesn’t see me! Now I will have something to eat!”
But Nátcaktcókaskĭt had seen him, for she had an eye on the top of her head. Just as he was going to throw a stone down and kill her, she took her cane, and, with one hop, went far away, turned into a bug as small as a louse, and crawled under the rocks.
Wekómpmas tried to get her; he punched the ground with a stick, turned everything over; but Nátcaktcókaskĭt was a medicine woman, and he couldn’t find her.
As Wus traveled around, he came to a village where all the people were crying. “Why are you crying?” asked Wus.
“There is a terrible man-eater in this country; he destroys whole villages. He will kill and eat us.”
“I will meet him,” said Wus. “Give me strings to tie back my hair, and don’t make any noise.”