“After a thousand years this cave became crowded. Men sought the priests and prayed them to find some way to help them.
“The two Sun-children cut their way through the cave above them, and led the people out upon the earth. It was only a small island, for all the rest was water.
“Men covered their faces with their hands, for the light made them blind. They fell down and tried to hide in the sand, they were so hot. The people were taught to make clothing of yucca fiber. Their eyes [[75]]were like owls’ eyes, and they covered them with their hands till they were strong.
“The Sun-children led the people over the quaking earth to the east, where the Sun-father had his home.
“The Sun-children were told to dry the earth. They put the magic shield upon the earth and laid the rainbow upon it. They put arrows of lightning to the north, south, east, and west, and the arrows crossed each other. The older brother shot with an arrow the lightning arrows where they crossed upon the rainbow.
“Thlu-tchu! the lightning arrows shot toward every point. Fire rolled over the face of the earth. The earth was dried when the fire storm was over.
“The earth was then full of great beasts that had lived in the water. The Sun-children shot the beasts with their arrows; then the beasts became stone. The people were free to go on the earth wherever they wanted to go.
“Thus the people were led out of the deep caves; thus the land became dry, and men came to live on the earth.”
From report by F. H. Cushing, who was adopted by the Zuñis. [[77]]