Wus ran out of the house, came to the second house, looked in and saw a fire burning. Five brothers were sitting around the fire, but Wus couldn’t see them. Those five brothers jumped on him and bit him; the other five came in and helped them. Wus screamed with pain, but they didn’t stop biting. They killed him and had almost eaten him up when Pshagéknik came in.
He saw Wus, and asked: “Old man, why are you sleeping so long?”
That minute Wus jumped up, and said: “Oh, I’m sleepy!” He went out of the house and traveled on toward the north. [[194]]
CEDAR BIRD’S DAUGHTERS MARRY BULL SNAKE
CHARACTERS
| Kéis | Rattlesnake | Tcoóks | Crane | |
| Kékina | Lizard | Tusasás | Joker (Skunk) | |
| Kéwe | Eel | Wámanik | Bull Snake | |
| Kûlta | Otter | Wískäk | Cedar-bird | |
| Moi | Squirrel | Witkátkis | A Hawk | |
| Ndúkis | Duck-hawk | Ygiak | A Bird “that never sleeps.” (English name unknown.) |
Ndúkis’ house was on the bank of Klamath Lake and near it was the house of old man Tcoóks. On the south side of the lake lived Wískäk and her two daughters. The daughters liked the Shasta people; they went often to see them and carry them presents. Once, on the way home, the girls stopped to dig roots west of where Ndúkis and Tcoóks lived. Ndúkis saw them. He thought: “Those are nice-looking girls. They dig roots fast. I like those girls.”
Now Witkátkis came to visit Ndúkis and his son; they were kin. Ndúkis’ wife said: “I’m glad you have come, there are nice-looking girls living right south of here. They are good workers; they dig roots summer and winter, you should get one of those girls for a wife.”
“I am afraid they wouldn’t like me,” said Witkátkis.