At this moment the old man cried out, “I have now divined the ‘word of your dream.’ I have thought all along that perhaps what you desired is the small woman in a bark case standing under the bed whereon I usually rest. She is, indeed, very small. That is, perhaps, what you desire?” The youth replied: “I am thankful. Set her in the place where people usually sit in the lodge.” For answer the old man said: “You would agree, perhaps, that I make a bark case, a very small one, and also make a small doll which I should fasten in the bark case. This is just the way they do when they ‘divine the dream word’[434] of anyone.”
Combating his uncle’s attempt to have the command of the dream changed and therefore made entirely void, the nephew said to him, “The dream did not tell me that the command should be carried out by means of an artificial thing.” At this he again began to walk to and fro in his own part of the lodge, singing, as before, the potent song, which caused the flames again to burst out of the ground and completely cover the old man, Sʻhogoⁿʻʹgwāʼs, as he sat on his bed. At once he exclaimed, “I will now give up what you desire.” The flames went down with a roar.
Still attempting to thwart his nephew by sly cunningness, the old man said: “It is the custom to make something resembling that which the ‘word of the dream’ commanded to be produced and which customarily is given to the one who has dreamed; and it is now my purpose to make a bark case resembling the one which is lying under my bed, and in which shall be the representation of a woman. I shall make it fine and beautiful. I will give it to you.” The youth replied: “You know that now the time is up for you to do your part, and yet you delay, although you have asked me not to be too heavy handed with you. So at once give me what is required by the ‘word of the dream.’ ”
Seeing that it was of no use trying to outwit his nephew, the uncle went over to his bed and, raising it up on one side, drew from under it a small bark case, in which was the small woman. She was indeed very small. As he drew her forth she was winking her eyes, and as she saw her brother she smiled pleasantly. The old man gave the case to his nephew without further resistance. Then the youth prepared her to take her away. It was very cold, being winter, so he [[603]]wrapped her up in furs in a close bundle and replaced her in the bark case, which he carried on his shoulder out of the lodge.
The youth directed his course toward the place where the skull of his other uncle protruded out of the ground. He arrived there bearing on his shoulder the case of bark. His mysterious uncle said to him, “Well, nephew, what has happened since you were here the last time?” The nephew replied, “Everything you said has come to pass as you desired.” The uncle answered: “Now it is your other uncle’s turn to kindle the fire, and he is gathering the necessary fuel for it. This is what your uncle is now doing. So perhaps you will return there never to come back here alive. When you reach your lodge he will have completed his preparations, and the fire too will be a great one. It shall be your duty to watch him carefully during the night. Just at your back—behind you—shall stand the case of bark containing your sister. At midnight your uncle will be suddenly roused again, I know, by an evil dream, and will again scatter the firebrands in all directions. Some will fall over your bed, and so you must be up and out of the way. At the first symptoms of his dream you must leap up and, going over to the opposite side of the fire, you must take down his war club and strike him a blow with it; then at once raise it for a second blow. When he shall say, ‘Now it has ceased,’ you must ask, ‘What thing is causing you to see marvels?’ Then he will answer, ‘The thing that the dream has commanded me is baleful and difficult of accomplishment.’ ”
The nephew asked, “Well, what did the dream command you to do?” The uncle replied, “It said that when daylight came again I must haul you around in a sledge made of green, fresh-peeled bark, ten times around this lodge, and that you must be entirely naked. You know that this lodge is very long. It said also that something evil would befall you, should you, my nephew, fail to see that this desire is carried out as the dream has declared it.”
The nephew, Gādjisʹdodoʻ, answered, “Let it be so.” The two thereupon returned to their respective beds, and there they lay down to rest and sleep.
Very early the next morning Sʻhogoⁿʻʹgwāʼs arose, saying to his nephew, “Oh, my nephew! I am now going to fetch the bark sledge required for our purpose.” To this the youth Gādjisʹdodoʻ replied, “So be it.” The old man went out, and it was not long before he reentered the lodge, saying, “I have now completed my preparations out of doors; now we two will go out there.” They went forth, and the old man at once began to wrap the youth in the newly stripped bark which he had prepared for the purpose and to bind him very closely with bark cords. After coming out of the lodge the old man had said, “Now undress yourself fully,” and there in front of the doorway the youth undressed himself. There stood the bark sledge. [[604]]On coming out the old man had told him, “You must lie down upon this thing.” It was winter and very, very cold. The wind was severe, and the snow was blustering. When the youth lay down on the bark sledge the old man wrapped him up with the bark sides and tied him therein securely, saying as he did so, “I am doing this lest you should fall when I start to run.” Finally he said, “Oh, my nephew! I am now ready.” The nephew, Gādjisʹdodoʻ, answered, “So be it.”
Next the old man drew a starting line and began drawing the sledge around the lodge very swiftly. While running, the old man sang: “I am dragging him in a sledge, I am dragging him in a sledge, I am dragging him in a sledge. He is Gādjisʹdodoʻ, you who are a nephew. I am dragging him in a sledge, I am dragging him in a sledge,” etc. Having gone around the lodge once and having returned to the doorway of the lodge, Sʻhogoⁿʻʹgwāʼs said, “Oh, my nephew! are you alive?” Gādjisʹdodoʻ answered, “I am alive.” At this the old man said, “This is once around,” and started again drawing the sledge around the lodge, singing, as before, while he ran.
Having gone around the lodge a second time, the old man said, “Oh, my nephew! are you alive?” The nephew replied, “Hōʹ, I am alive.” Saying, “This is the second time,” the uncle again started around the lodge. The weather was indeed very cold, and no one who was entirely naked could possibly live in weather so severe (except he be a very great sorcerer).