21. The Men Who Went to the Sky (Second Version)

21. THE MEN WHO WENT TO THE SKY (23)

(SECOND VERSION)

Some people were living at a certain place and one of their women died. When she was gone her children who had been left behind cried continually. Therefore, two persons set out to hunt for her. They started westward, kept on traveling, and reached the place where the sky stood. While they were there the sky went far up and came down again. Then one of them ran, in the form of a panther, and got through. The other got through in the same manner in the form of a bear.

Then they started on. Presently they reached the place where an old woman lived and spent the night there. She told them of a good trail and they went along upon it. They went on and made camp. They camped again. After they had camped eight times they reached a sheet of water. They dipped up water in a dipper and after they had thrown a little to each side the water divided and they got past and went on. After they had traveled on a long distance they came to where a man was living. "Why do you come here?" he asked. "Only because the children's mother came here and we are in search of her," they said. "She is here," he answered. "She is living not far off. Tell us when you are ready to go back." He gave them a corncob and said, "Throw this upon her." He also gave them a big bottle and sent them on. And they started off.

When they reached the place they found the woman dancing. They threw the corncob at her but missed. Finally they hit her and made her fall down and they seized her. They put her into the big bottle and brought her back. They brought her to the place where they had been staying and set the bottle down.

p. 142

"Did you think that you came a very great distance?" the man said. "Yes." "Come here and look down," he replied, and when they went and looked their house was close by. They lay down and slept and when they awoke next day they were lying right by their house, the big bottle with them. When the sun got high and it was nearly noon, something inside of the bottle cried, and they thought the woman wanted to get out, so they took the bottle, set it down in a shady place, and unscrewed the top a trifle. But when they set it down the sound was no longer to be heard. "What is the matter?" they thought. They opened it and found that she was gone. "You will not restore me to life properly," she had said, and it was so.