“No matter,” said Wus, “that will help me to run.”
When the brothers reached the fifth house and found it empty, the elder said: “Let us be only five. We can never [[58]]catch up with the man who killed our brothers, and stole our servant. Let us go back, but we will always watch this country. We won’t let any one come here again. I thought we were the strongest people in the world. I wonder who this man is.”
They didn’t know the people of this world; they had always lived by themselves. The only man they knew about was Kāhkaas.
When the people saw Wus coming, they went to one place to wait for him. They talked about him, and said: “Wus is a smart man; we couldn’t have done what he has done.” When Wus came up to them, they saw that he had Kāhkaas with him. Kāhkaas still had his bundle of roots, for he hadn’t had time to eat many. Everybody was glad now, for there was summer and winter. Up to that time people had had only clouds and storms.
After a while Wus said: “We must do another thing for the Tcanpsaudewas. We have done a good deal,—they will have two kinds of fire,—but there is too much cold. We must hold a council and decide how much cold they can have,—how long winter will be.”
Wus sent for all the people in the world. Every one came; every one thought: “What will Wus say?” But nobody talked; they all sat still waiting. At last Wus said: “There should be ten months of cold.” Then everybody began to talk. Nobody wanted ten months. Some said: “If there are ten months of cold, people will starve to death; they can’t lay up roots and seeds enough. Let us have five months.” Others said: “Two months are enough.” Wus kept saying: “There should be ten.” When they couldn’t agree, some one said: “Let the oldest man here decide.” There was one very old man there,—the oldest of all, but he only listened, he didn’t say a word. Again Wus said: “There should be ten months.”
The council lasted all night; then people asked: “Where is Kânoa? Why doesn’t he talk?” It was getting daylight, and Wus still insisted on ten months. “The months can be short,” said he, “not many days long.” Now the people said [[59]]to Kânoa: “Speak, old man; maybe you have something in your mind to say.” He started to go, and just then he called out: “Danwacuk” (three months).
Wus was mad, but the other people were glad, and said: “The old man is right. There will be three months of winter.”
“I am afraid people will not be thankful for what we have done,” said Hedgehog, “and will eat us.” Porcupine was afraid, too, but others said: “We have got fire for them; we have killed five of the Súbbas brothers; we have made winter short; they will be thankful.”
The council broke up, and soon after all those people turned to common animals, for real people were coming.