“How far away is your grandmother’s house?” asked the old man.
“It is on the other side of the world, in the south,” said Góshgoise.
Old Juljulcus’ spear was the little lightning that flashes all around the sky. Góshgoise gave his spear, long lightning, to his father-in-law, and took the old man’s spear. His wife gave him seed to eat on the road, and they started. Old Juljulcus looked back, and said: “Son-in-law, don’t forget what I have told you.”
It took Góshgoise two days to reach the mountain, but his wife and his father-in-law camped a good many times before they got to his grandmother’s house.
When Góshgoise reached the top of the mountain, he found a spring; he talked to the spring, and to the earth, and to the trees, and to the rocks; asked them not to hurt him. When he looked toward the ocean he saw many houses and smoke coming out of each house; then he remembered what his father-in-law had told him. As soon as he saw the smoke, the sun went down.
The village was full of people; they looked like lightning bugs, throwing fire, for each person had a lighted torch. When Góshgoise got to the village, he found the people killing one another. He crept up carefully, and with his short lightning [[179]]spear began to cut off heads. All night he killed people and burned houses. At daybreak, when there was no one left to kill, Góshgoise went to the mountain, and standing on the top, looked down. Only one house was left; that was the house of old Tsmuk. (The people he had killed were Lóluks.) Góshgoise stayed all day on the mountain, and when night came he went to Tsmuk’s house. (Day was night for the people who lived with Tsmuk and night was day.)
In Tsmuk’s house there was a great ball of light; the light was so strong that no one could look at it. Góshgoise held his lightning spear in front of the ball, and said: “My spear is as bright as this ball; my long spear would be stronger and brighter than the ball.”
Tsmuk’s daughter was near the door. She had the bright ball right there at her side. Góshgoise sat down by her and turned his spear over. It frightened those in the house, and one man called out: “What is that? I saw something flash.” Góshgoise held the spear near his head, and they didn’t see it again.
There were six persons in the house,—the old grandmother, Tsmuk, his wife, his two sons, and his daughter. When the elder son was going to make a fire, Góshgoise held out his spear. The young man saw it and was scared. In the morning it was night for him, and he could see Góshgoise. He pushed his brother, and said: “That is what came in here last night.” He pushed his father, and said: “That is what came in here last night!”
Old Tsmuk and his family were terribly scared, for lightning was darting among them, and it was red like fire. The three men ran out of the house, for they were afraid the thing would kill them.