THE STONE PEOPLE
CHARACTERS
| Heûwûs | The stone that pounders are made of | Nkok | Bird (English name unknown) | |
| Wûspahlákls | Hairless Fox (Lakl is hair) | Lŭ′luphlainik | Name of a hill (Lulup is eye) |
A great many of the Heûwûs people lived near Tula Lake. They were smooth, round people. They had no faces, but they could talk to one another. Every morning and evening a young woman passed their place on her way to the lake to catch fish. They knew when she was coming, for she sang as she traveled. They could hear her far off. Her song said: “I am a great hunter of fish and of seeds.”
The young men of the Heûwûs people listened for the girl’s song and were glad when they heard it; they thought she was nice-looking, and they wanted to marry her. Some said: “We can’t talk to her;” others said: “Maybe she isn’t good; she might break us up.” “Why should we be afraid?” asked others. “If she broke us to pieces, we wouldn’t die; we shall never die.” The chief said: “Let that girl alone. I like her; every morning her song wakes me up.” One man said: “I don’t want her to pass so often; the next time she goes by here I will say something to her.”
That evening when the girl passed, nobody spoke to her; some of the men wanted to, but others wouldn’t let them.
Early the next morning the Heûwûs people heard the girl’s song and said to one another: “She is coming!” “She doesn’t hurt us,” said one young man. “Don’t bother her.” “Why does she come here so often?” asked another. “Maybe she belongs to this place.” One big Heûwûs said: “I am stronger than any of you. I will have this good-looking girl for a wife.” “Maybe she will break you to pieces,” said one [[315]]of the young men. “I am not afraid; she can’t kill me. If she hurts my body, I will hurt her in some way.”
The girl listened to the Heûwûs people: when she was a long way off, she could hear them talking.
Some of the young men sent their spirits to the lake to turn to fish and jump up in the water and paddle around where the girl was.