Now he shot it with the one that had the figure of a mouse upon it, and it dropped the town. Lo and behold! he (the thunderbird) burst.[18] He put together their bones. If any of them was wanting, he repaired it with salmon-berry bushes. Then he went home. He had restored his grandfather’s town.
Again he lay in bed in the morning. Again something, passing beneath his pillow, said: “He-who-was-born-from-his-mother’s-side, are you awake? Do you not feel that the supernatural beings, whom people are afraid even to think of, are coming together against you?” Then he seized his bow quickly and ran out. And around a point at one end of the town came ten canoes with red bows.
Then he went over to his grandfather. “Grandfather, they are coming to fight with me by sea.” And his grandfather asked him what the bows of the canoes looked like. He told him that the bows of the canoes were red. “Now, brave man, have the town people pull î′nłîñ[19] out of the ground and spread it before them.” And he did as he had said. In a short time they rolled their eyes upward. Those were the silver salmon,[20] they say.
Still another time, while he was lying down, something passing under his pillow spoke the same words as before. Then he picked up his bow and ran out. And he looked at those who were coming. The bows of their canoes had vertical stripes.
Then he again went to his grandfather. “They are coming by sea to fight with me.” And he said: “Stop! brave man, what are the bows of their canoes like?” “The bows of their canoes have vertical stripes on them.” “Now, brave man, have the town pull up î′nłîñ and throw it about before them.” And so he had it done. At once their eyes were rolled upward. They were the dog salmon,[21] they say. He-who-was-born-from-his-mother’s-side made them cowards by putting î′nłîñ-teeth[19] into their mouths. [[230]]
After another space of time had elapsed, something again said as it had said before: “He-who-was-born-from-his-mother’s-side, are you awake? Do you not feel that the supernatural beings, whom people are afraid even to think of, are coming together against you?” Then he picked up his bow and ran out. Again there were ten canoes with red paintings on their bows.
Then he went to his grandfather. “They are coming after me by sea, grandfather.” “Stop! brave man, what are the bows of their canoes like?” “They have red paintings upon them.” Then he said to him: “Have the urine in this town gathered together and hot stones put into it. Then have it spilled about in front of them.” And so he did. Those were the sand fleas,[22] they say.
By and by, something went along under his pillow, saying the same thing it had said before, and he again laid hold of his bow. Again ten canoes with their bows painted red were coming along.
Then he started off to his grandfather. “They are coming against me by sea.” “What, brave man, what do the bows of their canoes look like?” “The canoe bows have red paintings on them.” “Do the same way you did when you destroyed the others.” Then he again spilled urine around in front of them. Again their dead bodies lay around thickly. These were the fleas,[22] they say.
And he again lay in bed. Something passed hurriedly under his pillow. “He-who-was-born-from-his-mother’s-side, are you awake? Do you not feel that the supernatural beings, whom people do not even like to think of, are assembled against you?” He quickly took his bow. He looked in the direction from whence they had always come. Nothing was to be seen. Then he also looked upward. There was nothing in sight. Then he looked toward the edges of the sky. Lo! a great fire came toward him upon the surface of the ocean.[23]