14. Story of the Lizard

p. 96

14. STORY OF THE LIZARD (40)

A man accompanied by his wife went hunting. They traveled until they reached a creek and encamped close by it. The woman stayed there while the man went out hunting. While they were there and the man was out hunting the woman found a big lizard living in a hole in the ground and she went there and stayed with it. After a while the man became suspicious and when he went hunting turned back and spied upon her. He saw her comb up her hair and go out. She went to the opening of the big lizard's den and sang for him and the big lizard came out and lay with her. Then the man started off, traveled about, and returned home.

When he went out again, he went to the opening of the big lizard's den. He sang as the woman had done, and when the big lizard came out be shot it and killed it. Then he split it open along the underside, laid it down in the same position as before, and went away but kept watch. While he was sitting there, the woman came. She reached the place where the big lizard was lying down in its doorway and said, "Why are you lying there laughing like that?" She ran up to it and turned it over. It was full of flies. It lay dead and she cried over it. He saw her crying.

Then the man went off, walked around, and returned home. When he got there he found that she had come back. He said, "We will go home," and presently they got there. After they got there the woman was found to be pregnant and he left her. When the woman was about to be confined they shut her up in a little house, and when her time came she gave birth to a lot of little lizards which crawled about everywhere inside the house. Her parents saw them and burned the house completely up. The ends of the little lizards' tails were blue in consequence. Therefore it is said that the lizards which are seen around are from the family of a human being.