“We have come for your daughter.”
“My children are on that island over there. I have a place ready for each one of them; I make deep holes under the water, where they can watch the fish. My daughter wouldn’t like you. She travels on trails under the water. You are land people; you mustn’t go to my island, for my children would kill you.”
The brothers climbed a high mountain. Near the top of it they found a lake. In the water at the edge of the lake was another old man like the first one. They saw him come out of the water with his mouth full of fish; they had never seen any one fish in that way before. When he saw them coming, he was frightened, and jumped into the water. They called to him and he turned around; then he knew they were Pitoíois’ brothers. He called them “cousins” and asked: “Where are you going?”
“We are looking for a woman. Do you know where we can find one?”
“I don’t know, for I live in the water. If I travel on land I get dry; I should die if I went far from water. Maybe if you go toward the west you will find people.”
“We must go home,” said the brothers; “our sister will be lonesome.”
They found Pitoíois crying; she said: “It’s useless for you to travel around; there are no women, except far away in the north.”
The elder brother went to the top of a mountain and cried all day. His sister was sorry for him; she said: “There are people in the north. Maybe you will find a wife there.”
“I will go north,” said he, “and my brother will go with me.” His medicine was the feather of a white eagle. He put a feather on the top of his little nephew’s head, twisted his hair around it, and said: “If this feather comes off while we are gone, you will know that we shall never come back.” [[332]]
“You must watch for Wus,” said the brother-in-law. “He is mad at us and will kill you if he can.”