26. Story of Two Brothers Who Tried to Restore Their Sister to Life

26. STORY OF TWO BROTHERS WHO TRIED TO RESTORE THEIR SISTER TO LIFE (23)

Two Indian brothers were living with their sister. Their sister, who had some children, died. Then the brothers went to search for her. They went on until they came to the sky. Then one of them stood upon it and the sky flew upward with him and set him down. When it came back, the other stood upon it and it carried him up and set him down also. Then they traveled on. They traveled until they came to where an old woman lived. They spent the night there and when they awoke next morning they started on again along the trail which she pointed out to them. They went on until they came to a place where many snakes lay across it. Then they peeled off slippery-elm bark and went on with this tied about their legs. They got through and went on still farther. On the way they came to where another person lived. They spent one night there. Then the person told them something. "On the trail is something bad," he

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said. And he gave them many cigarettes. So they went along the trail and presently came to where people were fighting with clubs. They blew out tobacco smoke and everything was covered with smoke as from fires, so that they passed through. Then they came to where another old woman lived and spent the night. She said to them, "There is a stream ahead so deep that you can not ford it. Dip it out!" She gave them a dipper. With this they went on, and when they got to the water they dipped in with the dipper and threw a little water out. Upon this the water divided, and they got through. When they got through the water came together again. Then they went on and stayed all night with another person. Next morning they went on and got to the place where God (Never-dying) lives. "Are you very tired?" he said. "Sit down. Are you hungry?" He split a big watermelon in two, and they ate. They wanted some watermelon seeds but he would not let them have any. The seed and the rind were all put back into the place from which they had been taken. In the evening he said, "Come this way! You traveled a long distance in coming here, did you not?" Then he got something that turned about, moved it around and said, "Look through this." They looked down. When they looked they saw their house not far away. "When you want to leave, tell me," he said. They slept there three nights and on the fourth told him they wanted to go back. That night they took their sister in a big jug with the top screwed in and carried her off. "Lie down here," Never-dying said to them, and they lay down, slept, and awoke at their own house. They were sorry to leave. The jug lay by them. When the sun rose the men heard groaning inside. The voice said, "I can not well live here. I want to stand up; I am almost killed." When they heard that they pitied her. They took the bottle to a shady place and loosened the top a little, upon which the voice ceased. They thought, "She is inside but no longer makes a noise or groans." They looked to see whether she was still there, but she was gone.