Then the boy went out of the lodge. His voice continued to break forth as he went murmuring right there round about the lodge. He did not go far away. In the evening he entered the lodge, saying: “Ho, my elder sister, I come, having killed nothing. Tomorrow, very early in the morning, you must arise and prepare food for me. Then I will go to hunt, for very early in the morning game wanders about in the clearings.” In the evening they became quiet and slept.
At the dawn of day the boy spoke, saying: “Elder sister! come now, arise. You must prepare food for me. As soon as I finish eating I will go to hunt.” Arising, she prepared food, which was soon ready for him. As soon as he finished eating, he said: “Now, elder sister, I will go to hunt.” “Let it be so,” she said in reply, thinking that he would not go far away, as he was still so very small.
He went out of the lodge early in the morning. After a long time his voice was no longer heard. Thereupon his sister went out, wondering, “Where has he gone?” She looked around, going from place to place, but nowhere was he to be found. Then she thought, “He will get lost.” Soon after she had reentered the lodge, the sun being nearly set, it happened that all at once a noise again arose, as if something had struck the door—then suddenly Hodadeñon pushed his body against it and entered the lodge. He said: “Elder sister, it is a fact that I have been to hunt for game. I have killed a something, I know not what [it is]. Blacklegs, perhaps, it is called; banded-tail, perhaps, it is called, this thing that I have killed. So to the spot you and I must go, and you must take along the ‘burden cradle,’ for in that will the body be brought, as it is of great size.” “Let it be so; go on,” she said. “You would better take the burden cradle,” he said again. “Wah, I will carry its body easily,” she said. “Wah, you must be very strong,” he replied. “Go; let it be so,” she admonished him.
Then the two started. Having arrived at the place, he told her: “Right there I stood, and there it walked. Thus [I did] with my arrow, saying, ‘sî, sî, sî, sî, stop thou, first.’ So it did stand, forsooth. From here I shot, so that I hit it right in the center [of its body], whereupon it fell backward, saying, ‘daʻ, daʻ, daʻ, daʻ.’ Toward it I ran, crying, ‘Do not break my arrow that I prize so highly,’ while it rolled itself about in the dust.” While they slowly made their way along Hodadeñon did not cease telling what had happened. At times his sister would say: “Come, go thou on.” Suddenly he said: “Right there it lies. Do you think you can indeed carry it back?” “Wah,” she said, seizing it by the neck and starting homeward, [[575]]adding: “Come; go thou on.” “Goh, it is true, thou art strong, elder sister,” he said.
“What thing is it named, the thing that I have killed?” “Djoqgweyani[430] it is called,” she said. “Djoqgweyani is it named, elder sister?” he asked. “That is its name,” she replied. “Does it taste good?” he asked. “It tastes good,” she answered. “Dumplings are what it requires, for dumplings are what people put with it.” After reaching home she plucked the game, after which she “set up” the kettle and put in dumplings [with the meat]. Constantly did Hodadeñon stand around about the fire saying, “So it will indeed taste good to us?” “Ho, it certainly does taste good,” she said. When it was done she removed the kettle [from the fire] and placed the mess on pieces of bark, and the soup and dumplings in a bark bowl. Then they ate. Hodadeñon kept saying constantly, “It is so good, is it not, elder sister?” “Oh, yes! it is good,” she would reply. “Djoqgweyani—is it not true that is the name of the thing I killed?” he would say. “That is its name,” was her answer. When they finished eating, he said, “Tomorrow again will I go to hunt. Then indeed a large game animal will I kill.”
It was a usual thing in the evening that this boy did not go to sleep at once. Continually in the dark noises were heard here and there; then, again, under the bed these noises were heard. What he was doing was not known. So the elder sister said: “My younger brother, what are you usually doing making noises in the dark, yes, even under the bed, for long periods; and, too, you go about laughing?” “Well,” said he, “I will tell you. It is this. I am engaged in hunting fleas. They are very palatable, tasting good to me. I have now told you. Whenever one escapes I laugh. So never ask me this again.” He added, “Now again I will go to hunt.” “Let it be so,” she said in reply.
Thereupon Hodadeñon went out. For a short time his voice was heard around about outside the lodge; then again nowhere was his voice heard by his elder sister. On going out of doors and looking around without finding traces of him, she reentered the lodge. Not very long after, all at once she heard approaching footsteps; then something struck the door, which opened, and there stood her younger brother, Hodadeñon. He said: “My elder sister, get the burden cradle right away; forsooth, I have killed a large animal, and you are not able to bring it without the burden cradle. I wonder what the animal is called. Perhaps Baldheaded is its name; perhaps Snot-nose is its name; perhaps Tasseled-with-Hemlock-bough[431] is its name.” “Come, go on! let us go back there,” she replied. “But you will take the burden cradle,” he added. She answered: “Oh! I am fully prepared to bring it. Go thou on. Let us then start.” [[576]]
Thereupon the two started. She followed him a long distance, when at last he stopped and she did likewise. He said: “Right here I stood when suddenly yonder there walked a very large animal, and when I said, ‘Tci, tci, tci, tci, tci. Stop thou first.’ Just this way [indicating] I did with my arrow. I shook my arrow. The animal stopped. Then I said, ‘What, indeed, is thy name? Bald-head, it may be, you are named; Snot-nose, it may be, you are named.’ Then I shot it there so that the arrow fixed itself just in the center of the body, making it fall backward, saying [with its wings] du, du, du, du; it fluttered loudly its wings as it fell backward. Thereupon then I ran thither, saying as I went, ‘Do not break my arrow’; which I prize so much. Then I went near the place where it lay. So right there it lies.”
Hodadeñon then asked: “Gwe. What is its name?” She replied: “O’soont it is called.” Seizing it by the neck and throwing it on her shoulder she started homeward bearing the body, and said: “Come, go thou on; let us go home.” So they started homeward. They had not gone far when he said: “O’soont, is it not the name of what I have killed?” “That is it,” she said. Soon afterward he again said: “O’soont, is it not the name of what I have killed?” “That is it,” she again replied; “go thou onward; so be it.”
Once more they started forward. It was troublesome to answer him as they went along, for every little while he would stop again, saying: “My elder sister, what is the name of what I have killed?” Her answer was always: “O’soont is its name. Come, do you go on.” She became thoroughly provoked with him because at short intervals during the day he kept asking her the same question over and over.