The next day he met Ku-mi'-a-pöts, the tarantula. Now this knowing personage had heard of the fame of Ta-vwots', and determined to outwit him. He was possessed of a club with such properties that, although it was a deadly weapon when used against others, it could not be made to hurt himself, though wielded by a powerful arm.
As Ta-vwots' came near, Ku-mi'-a-pöts complained of having a headache; moaning and groaning, he said there was an u-nu'-pĭts, or little evil spirit, in his head, and he asked Ta-vwots' to take the club and beat it out. Ta-vwots' obeyed, and struck with all his power, and wondered that Ku-mi'-a-pöts was not killed; but he urged Ta-vwots' to strike harder. At last Ta-vwots' understood the nature of the club, and guessed the wiles of Ku-mi'-a-pöts, and raising the weapon as if to strike again, he dexterously substituted his magic ball and slew him. “Aha,” said he, “that is a blow of your own seeking, Ku-mi'-a-pöts. I am on my way to kill the Sun; now I know that I can do it. A'-nier ti'-tĭk'-a'-nûmp kwaik-ai'-gar.” And sounding the war-whoop he went on his way.
The next day he came to a cliff which is the edge or boundary of the world on the east, where careless persons have fallen into unknown depths below. Now to come to the summit of this cliff it is necessary to climb a mountain, and Ta-vwots' could see three gaps or notches in the mountain, and he went up into the one on the left; and he demanded to know of all the trees which where standing by of what use they were. Each one in turn praised its own qualities, the chief of which in every case was its value as fuel.[3] Ta-vwots' shook his head and went into the center gap and had another conversation with the trees, receiving the same answer. Finally he went into the third gap—that on the right. After he had questioned all the trees and bushes, he came at last to a little one called yu'-i-nump, which modestly said it had no use, that it was not even fit for fuel. “Good,” said Ta-vwots', and under it he lay down to sleep.
When the dawn came into the sky Ta-vwots' arose and stood on the brink overhanging the abyss from which the Sun was about to rise. The instant it appeared he hurled his pa-rûm'-o-kwi, and, striking it full in the face, shattered it into innumerable fragments, and these fragments were scattered over all the world and kindled a great conflagration. Ta-vwots' ran and crept under the yu'-i-nump to obtain protection. At last the fire waxed very hot over all the world, and soon Ta-vwots began to suffer and tried to ran away, but as he ran his toes were burned off, and then slowly, inch by inch, his legs, and then his body, so that he walked on his hands, and these were burned, and he walked on the stumps of his arms, and these were burned, until there was nothing left but his head. And now, having no other means of progression, his head rolled along the ground until his eyes, which were much swollen, burst by striking against a rock, and the tears gushed out in a great flood which spread out over all the land and extinguished the conflagration.
The Uinta Utes add something more to this story, namely, that the flood from his eyes bore out new seeds, which were scattered over all the world. The Ute name for seed is the same as for eye.
Those animals which are considered as the descendants of Ta-vwots' are characterized by a brown patch back of the neck and shoulders, which is attributed to the singeing received by him in the great fire.
The following apothegms are derived from this story:
“You are buried in the hole which you dug for yourself.”
“When you go to war every one you meet is an enemy; kill all.”
“You were caught with your own chaff.”