4. The Boy and the Wizards

4. THE BOY AND THE WIZARDS (38)

Two old people, an old woman and her husband, and the nephew of the latter, were living together. One evening the boy went visiting and the old people were alone in the house. When it was dark

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the boy came back. The door of the house was shut and he heard them talking inside. He went to a corner and stood listening to them. While he stood there one of them said, "Let's go round." "All right," the other answered. After they had gone out, the boy went in, turned down the bedclothes, and got into bed. He lay there waiting for those old people. One made a noise like a horned owl, and he heard the other sound like that also. While he was still lying there they left the house, but presently he again heard the sound coming back. After going round and round the house they came in. While they were getting the bed ready to lie down in, the old woman turned over the bedding and found the boy lying there. "Did you hear us go out?" she said. "Were you there while we were around?" "I heard," he said. "Well, do not tell anyone about us. If you do not tell anyone about us, when we are both dead all the things in this house shall be yours." "I will not tell," he answered, and all went to sleep.

Next day a little girl who lived near fell sick and died. The old woman heard people crying and started out. When she got to the place, she went to where the little girl was lying dead, dropped upon her body and wept and rolled about upon it. The boy had an arrow. He got to the place and saw her. The old woman saw him and stopped crying. When she started back the little boy came up and spoke to those people. He said, "Last night that old woman bewitched her so that she died." When he said so, they exclaimed, "That old woman has killed her." They followed her to her house. When she got there the old man was sitting outside sunning himself. She came up and said, "Come in. They want to kill us," and he ran in and shut the door. Then the people surrounded the house and set it on fire and both were burned.

This is how it is told.