13. Naiyenesgani Takes His Leave (Second Version)

Naiyenesgani came to the rock that was rolling over people. It rolled away from him and he could not overtake it to kill it. After trying for some time to pass it, he succeeded in getting ahead of it and shooting it. Before he killed it he said, "What shall I do with you who swallow people?" Killing it, he said, "This is what I do with bad people, I kill them." He did not go up to it nor did he cut it. ⁴

"Now I will go and look for other bad things," Naiyenesgani said. "Wait for me, my friend." Then four of them started away toward the east. They climbed one of the sacred mountains and looked around without finding anything. After that, they came to Balgai, another mountain, which they climbed. When they had looked about without finding anything, Naiyenesgani said, "There are no bad things. Now, we will go back. He

p. 207

threw all the yucca stalks back of him, saying, "People will live on you right here." ¹ The name of this mountain will be Balgai." Then they started back and taking only four steps, they reached Taos.

"Do you like it?" he asked the people. "I have killed for you all the monsters which were in the world. That is why my name is, 'Monsters-he-kills'. Are you all pleased?" "Yes," they replied. "I made these things which are on the earth so that you may like them. I have made everything that you will eat; the berries, amole fruit, and plums. Are you satisfied? I made all these for you when you were poor and had nothing. Are you pleased with all these fruits I have made for you." "They are very good, my grandson," she said. "You will eat them every summer. I do not wish that you shall live on these things all the time because I am not going to talk about them for you always."

Footnotes

206:4 Mooney, (a), p. 208. Matthews has an incident differing in several particulars, p. 125.

207:1 This refers to the food of the Mescalero as explained in the preceding myth.