Wus was near by; he heard Coltz talking and he listened. He thought: “I wonder what that old man is saying.” He waited, heard Coltz say the same words again, then he said: “Hach! hach! hach!” and ran a little nearer. He heard the same words a third time, then he scratched his head and thought hard. “I believe that old man has killed an elk,” said he. Then he called out: “Hach! hach! hach!” ran right up in front of Coltz, and asked: “Old man, what did you say?”
“I didn’t say anything; I’m hunting for a stone to sharpen my arrows with.”
Coltz was terribly scared.
“No,” said Wus, “you said you had nothing to skin Wŏn with. I’ll lend you my knife, if you will tell me where your elk is.”
“I haven’t any elk. I was just talking to myself, and making believe I had one.”
“You have killed an elk. Tell me where it is, and I’ll help you cut it up. You are an old man, but I am young; I will skin the elk for you.”
“I haven’t any elk. How could I kill a big elk? I have no bow or arrows.”
“You are wise,” said Wus. “You have power; you can do anything. You are a big man.”
Coltz began to feel proud. At last he said: “Come and see what a big elk I have killed.”
When Wus saw the elk, he said: “Now, Coltz, let’s play a game. We’ll run and try to jump over the elk. The one that [[274]]jumps best and farthest will have him.” Wus had made Coltz think he could do anything.