YAHYÁHAÄS
CHARACTERS
| Gäk | Crow | Tskel | Mink | |
| Skóŭks | Woodtick. (In every story Tick is a Shasta woman.) | Yahyáhaäs | ||
| Tcûskai | Weasel |
Southeast of the Modoc country there was a large village. The people of that village lived on seeds and roots. One day a man came from the south, and said: “Seeds are ripe. It is time to gather them.”
The people were glad. All went; only four persons were left at home. In one house there was a sick woman, the chief’s wife. She had a little girl and a baby. In another house was a very old woman.
The chief’s wife was afraid of Yahyáhaäs. She said to the little girl: “There is a Yahyáhaäs around. I have often seen him near the river. When he travels, he hops with his one leg and keeps calling his own name. He has a great bushy head. He is awful tall and is always naked. He comes from the rocks and mountains off in the north. You must watch for him, and if he comes here, we will run away.”
One day the little girl saw a man coming. She called to her mother to come and see him. The mother said: “That is Yahyáhaäs! Take the baby on your back and run as fast as you can to where the men are. Tell them to come home and save me.”