16. The Story of Crow

16. THE STORY OF CROW (3)

A man having two little boys used to go hunting, kill deer, and bring the liver back to them. "What does our father do with the meat?" said the boys. "When he goes again let us watch him secretly." So, when their father started out, they followed behind him. As they traveled along their father killed a deer and went on carrying it on his back. They looked to see where he hid it. Then he stood on the shore of a big pond near by and shouted. A woman came out and he put it down for her. When he started back the boys were on the watch and got home quickly. While they were there their father came, bringing only a liver, but he thought they had remained at home. When their father again went hunting the boys ran to the pond and called out, and when the woman came out they shot at her and killed her. She was a bullfrog. They went right back and waited until their father came home.

"I used to tell you that you must do nothing, but you have done something," he said. The boys did not reply to this. Then their father said, "You are grown up. I am going to bring warriors to fight you." When he had so spoken he ran away. Then those boys made many arrows. And they hunted for bees, wasps, bumblebees, hornets, yellow jackets--all creatures that have stings--and brought them into the house. They got ready. They dug a cavern under the ground and then waited.

By and by their father came with numerous men in ranks. When they got near the boys opened the receptacles containing the stinging things and threw them all down, while they went underground to hide. Then they heard many noises, and when these died away they came up and looked out. The ground was black with dead men. Then the boys said, "Where is our father?" They went about hunting for him and saw him lying among the rest. "You haven't any sense," they said. Then they took a bowstring and sawed across their father's buttocks with it. "From now on you shall travel about under the name of Crow," said they. They left him and the Crow got up. Calling "Ha ha ha" he went away. Crow is what he is.