2. Okulâ'm

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Once upon a time there were five brothers. The four older ones went hunting elk every day and left the youngest one at home. Their house was full of meat and of tallow. Once upon a time the youngest brother felt lonesome, and said: "O, I wish he would come, the Glutton, and eat all the meat." Four days he continued to say so, then he heard a noise like the shaking of rattles at the door. Now a person appeared who was so large that his blanket consisted of two elk-skins. It had a fringe of elk-hoofs. He entered, sat down, and said: "O, grandson, I am hungry." The boy arose and gave him some meat and tallow. When he looked the stranger had eaten it all. He gave him more, and when he looked again it had all disappeared. The whole day long he gave him meat and tallow. In the evening his brothers came home and brought a fresh supply of meat. When they saw what had happened they said to him: "What did you do? How did the evil spirit come here?" The boy replied, "I felt lonesome, and said: 'O I wish he would come, the Glutton, and eat all the meat.'" "Oh, you fool, certainly the monster will eat us." They fed him all night until sunrise. They continued to feed him the whole day. Then the meat was at an end. The youngest brother said to the monster: "What will our grandfather eat next? There are only skins left." The monster replied: "What shall I eat, grandchildren, now there are only skins and you." "What does he say?" "'Now there are only skins and you,' he says." "Speak to him again." "What will our grandfather eat next? There are only skins left." The monster replied: "What shall I eat, grandchildren, now there are only skins and you."

"What does he say?" "'Now there are only skins and you,' he says." "Speak to him again." "What will our grandfather eat next? There are only skins left." The monster replied: "What shall I eat, grandchildren, now there are only skins and you." "What does he say 'Now there are only skins and you,' he says." Now they began to understand him. They boiled skins and gave them to him. For a long time he continued to eat and it grew dark again. Then they dug a

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hole in the ground, sharpened some arrow-wood, which they placed upright at the place where they used to sleep, and then escaped through the hole which they had dug. At a distance from the house they came out of the hole. They left their bitch at the entrance to the hole and said to her: "If the monster asks you which way we have gone, point with your head another way and call 'Wo'." Then they ran away.

When the day began to dawn the monster awoke and made a jump at where he believed the brothers to be; then he fell on the sharp sticks which pierced his belly. He pulled them out of his body, broke them, and saw that the brothers had escaped through the hole. He followed them, and when he came to the outlet of the hole, he found the bitch. He asked: "Which way went your masters? "She replied: "Wo," pointing with her head in a direction which they had not taken. He pursued them. But after a while, when he did not find their tracks, he turned back. Then again he said to the bitch: "Which way went your masters?" She replied: "Wo," pointing with her head in a direction which they had not taken. He pursued them, but he did not find their tracks and turned back. Three times he pursued them, then he found their tracks which he followed. He followed them a long distance, and finally overtook the eldest brother. He killed him. He ran on and overtook the next one, whom he also killed. He ran on and killed one more. Thus he overtook and killed the four eldest brothers. Now the youngest only was left. He fled, and arrived at a river where he found an old man, the Thunderer, who was fishing with a dipnet. He said, "Take me across; the monster pursues me. Quick, quick, grandfather!" "Hohoo, who is your grandfather?" "Quick, quick, take me across, uncle." "Hohoo, who is your uncle?" "Take me across, elder brother." "Hohoo, who is your elder brother?" In the stern of the canoe there was an old woman whose body was full of scabs. Now the young man said, "O please take me across, father-in-law." "Ho, why did you not say so before?" Then he took him across. "Quick, quick, go to my house and enter!" Then he entered and the old man stayed in his canoe. After a little while the monster arrived at the river and said to the old man, "Did you see the one whom I pursue?" "I did not see him." "Quick, quick, take me across; I will give you my hat in payment." "What shall I do with a hat?" "I will give you my cane." "What shall I do with a cane?" "I will pay you with my blanket." "What shall I do with a blanket?" "I will give you this twine." This he accepted. Then the Thunderer stretched his leg across the river, and said: "Walk across over my leg, but take care that you do not strike it with your cane." Now the monster walked over his leg. When he was in the middle of the river he struck it with his cane. Then the Thunderer bent his leg, the monster fell into the water and drifted down toward the sea. His hat fell down. and drifted down after him. Then the Thunderer said: "Ôkulâ'm

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[paragraph continues] (noise of surf) will be thy name; only when the storm is raging you will be heard. When the weather is very bad your hat will also be heard."

Now the Thunderer and his daughter went home. They lived there for some time. The young man did not like his wife. After several days she arose early and went to bathe. When she tried to touch her husband he rolled his blanket about himself. They had each a separate blanket. After several days he rose, then he saw that she had become a beautiful woman. Now they continued to live there. It grew dark. Now when he tried to touch her she rolled her blanket around herself. She took revenge on him. But after awhile they began to like each other.

The Thunderer used to go whaling every day, and the young man said: "I shall look on when my father-in-law goes whaling." "No, no; nobody ever looks at him when he goes whaling." He got angry and said: "I must see him." Now after awhile he looked at him. Soon he saw a whale which went into the dipnet which the Thunderer held. The latter lifted it, but the whale jumped over the rim of the net. The Thunderer looked toward the land, and at once there was thunder, lightning, and hail. Another whale entered his dipnet and he lifted it, but when he did so the whale jumped out of the net. Then the Thunderer got angry, and it began to hail and to storm. He went home and threw down his dipnet. Then his son-in-law left the house, took some coal, and went to a rock. He blackened his forehead and soon a southwest wind arose which blew away the old man's house. He tried to fasten the boards to the roof, but was unable to do so. Then the Thunderer said to his daughter: "Oh, child, go and look for your husband. Tell him to-morrow he may look at me when I go whaling." His daughter went and found her husband. She said: "Oh you destroyed your Father-in-law's house. He says to-morrow you may look at him when he catches whales." Then the young man took some water and washed his face. It became calm. He went home with his wife and helped the old man fasten the boards to the roof. He said to his father-in-law: "To-morrow I shall go down to the beach and you shall see me catching whales." On the following morning they went down to the beach together. After a little while a whale entered the dipnet. The young man lifted it and threw the whale ashore. Then the Thunderer said: "Hohoo, my son-in-law, you are just as I was when I was a young man."

Now the Thunderer's daughter became pregnant. After awhile she gave birth to two children. Then the old man said to his son-in-law: "Quick, quick, go and catch two wolves; I used to play with them when I was young." He went to the woods and caught two wolves which he carried to his father-in-law's house. He threw them down at his father-law's feet and they bit him all over and hauled him about. He cried: "Oh they have forgotten me; quick, quick, carry them back." The

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young man took them and carried them back. After awhile the Thunderer said: "Go quick and catch two bears; I used to play with them when I was young." Then his son-in-law went and caught two black bears. He carried them to the house of his father-in-law and threw them at his feet. Then they took hold of him, struck him with their paws, and threw him about in the house. "Oh," he cried, "carry them back, carry them back, they do not remember me." The young man carried them back. Again after awhile the Thunderer said: "Go quick and catch two grizzly bears; I used to play with them when I was young." The Young man went into the woods, and when he found the grizzly bears he said: "I came to carry you along." He carried two of them to his father-in-law's house. He entered and threw them at the feet of his father-in-law. Oh, now they scratched him all over so that his body was full of blood. "Oh, carry them back, carry them back, my son-in-law they have forgotten me." Then his son-in-law carried them back. Then after some time the old man said: "Go quick and catch two panthers; I used to play with them when I was young." Then the young man went into the woods and [when he met the panthers] he said: "I come to take you along." And he carried two of them to his father-in-law's house. He opened the door, entered, and threw them at his father-in-law's feet, Then they scratched him all over, and his whole body was full of blood. "Oh," cried he, "carry them back, carry them back, they do not know me any more." Then the young main carried them back.

[After awhile the Thunderer said:] "Come, son-in-law, let us go and split a log." They went and split a log in half. He said to his son-in-law, "Crawl in there and stem your arms against the log." The young man sat down in there. Then the old man knocked aside the wedges and broke them all. The tree closed over his son-in-law. He left him and went home. He went a long distance. The young main, however, kept the log apart with his elbows and broke it. He carried it home on his shoulder. He came home and threw it down in front of the house. When his father-in-law heard the noise he went out and [on seeing the young man] said: "Oh, my son-in-law, you are just as I was when I was young." They remained there and the children grew up.

Then his father-in-law said to him: "Oh, go to the supernatural people and bring me their hoops." The young man went, a long time he went, and finally he reached the country of the supernatural people. They stood in a circle, the hoop was being rolled to and fro in the circle. He was afraid to approach them any nearer and stood aside. But when it grew dark he made a jump and caught the hoop by pushing his arm through it. Then he ran away, carrying the hoop, and pursued him. They The supernatural people lit their torches, pursued him a long distance; then his wife thought of him and told

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her children, "Now whip your grandfather." They took a stick and whipped him; then he cried and urinated. It began to rain and the torches of the supernatural people were extinguished. Thus he reached home.

After a while the old man said again, "Now go and bring the targets of the supernatural people." He made himself ready and went. After a long time he reached the country of the supernatural people. They were shooting at targets. He was afraid, but when it was dark he took the targets and ran away. Then the supernatural people lit their torches and pursued him. He came running, heh! He was pursued. After some time his wife thought of him and told her children, "Now whip your grandfather." They took a stick and whipped him; their mother helped them. Then the old man urinated, and it began to rain. Thus the torches of the supernatural people were extinguished, and the young man reached home carrying the targets.

After awhile he said to his wife, "Now I shall leave you." He made himself ready, put on all his dentalia and took two quivers full of arrows. Then he went. After awhile he reached a large town which consisted of five rows of houses. The last house was very small. This he entered and found two old women [the mice. When they saw him they said:] "Oh, now Blue-Jay will make another chief unhappy." Then Blue-Jay thought, "A person came to the house of the mice." He went to see and, indeed, there was a chief in the house. Then Blue-Jay went back to his chief and said: "A chief has arrived; he wants to have a shooting match with you." Then he went back to the stranger and said: "Our chief wants to play with you. You will have a shooting match." He said: "Oh." Blue-Jay ran back [to his chief and said]: "That chief said 'Oh.'" He went back again: "The chief says to you you shall come down to the beach quickly." Then Blue-Jay's chief took his arrows and went down to the beach. Blue-Jay ran back [to the stranger and said]: "Our chief went down to the beach." Then the other chief went down to the beach. Now they shot at the targets. The other chief lost and Blue-Jay's chief won. He lost all his dentalia. He lost his arrows. He lost his hair. He lost his head. He lost both his arms. He lost both his legs. Then they made him miserable. They cut off his hair and hung him up in the smoke. But at night the two mice always went and gave him water and gave him to eat. Every night they did so.

One year he had been away. Then his sons said, "Let us look for our father." They made themselves ready, put on their dentalia, took their targets and their arrows. Then they went, they went a long distance; they found a town, oh, a large town. [They said:] "Perhaps here we shall find our father." They entered that small house. There were two old women [who said]: "Oh, chiefs, where did you come from?" "We search for our father." "Oh, Blue-Jay will make miserable two more chiefs. A long time ago a chief came and they made him miserable

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and put him into the smoke. But we always gave him water; we always gave him food. He has lost his eyes."

After some time Blue-Jay thought that a chief must have arrived at the house of the mice. He ran there to look and he found two chiefs. Then he went back and said to his chief: "Two chiefs have arrived; they stay at the house of the mice; they came to play with you." "Oh," replied Blue-Jay's chief. He ran back [to the house of the mice, and said to the strangers]: "Our chief wants to play with you. You will have a shooting match." They did not say anything. Then Blue-Jay ran back and said to his chief: "Go down to the beach!" Three times Blue-Jay went back. But they did not speak to him. When he went there the fourth time the younger brother looked at him. He looked at Blue-Jay. At once all his hair began to burn. Then he returned and told his chief, "O, these strangers are more powerful than we are. They looked at me and my hair caught fire. They tell you to come down to the beach." After a little while they went down to the beach. Two targets were stuck into the ground. [They said:] "How bad are these targets!" and they pulled them out and threw them away. "Here, our targets are good." They put their targets into the ground. Their targets were shining. Then they began to shoot. Now Blue-Jay's chief lost. He lost all his dentalia. He lost all his people. They won their father from him. They won Blue-Jay. Now they staked his hair and they won it. They staked his head, they staked his arms. They won his head and his arms. They staked his legs; they won it all. Then they took four potentilla roots and put them on to the forehead [of Blue-Jay's chief]. They took pieces of flint and put them all over his body. They took green mud and painted his belly and his back green. Then they threw him into the water, and said: "Green Sturgeon shall be your name; henceforth yon shall not make chiefs miserable." They took Blue-Jay, threw him away, and said: "Blue-Jay shall be your name; henceforth you shall not make chiefs miserable. You shall sing 'Watsetsetsetsetse,' and it shall be a bad omen." [Then they turned to the [mice and said:] "Oh, you pitiful ones, you shall eat everything that is good. You shall eat berries." Then they took their father and carried him to the water. They blew on him and he recovered his eyesight. Then they returned home.