Part 40

"In this place," said the boys.

"Where is Otter? Where is Grass Snake? Let those two seek him," said they.

Big Turtle sat under the mud at the bottom of the water. Only the tip of his nose and his eyes were sticking out. Snake and Otter sought him beneath the water. They passed very near to him, and stepped regularly over his head. When Otter was about to pass the second time, Big Turtle bit him in the stomach.

"Ho! elder brother, you give me pain," said Otter. Big Turtle said, "Why do you seek me?"

"I did not seek you. As I desired food, we have met each other," said Otter.

"No, you wished to join those who desire to kill me, so you sought me," said Big Turtle.

"O elder brother! O elder brother! O elder brother! I pray to you. I have not sought you," he said.

"I will by no means let you go from my mouth," said Big Turtle.

"Ho! elder brother! How long before you will open your mouth and let me go?" said Otter.

"When the Thunder God has come back, I will let you go."

"Halloo!" shouted Otter to the people. "He will let me go when the Thunder God comes back. Halloo! He bites me between the legs. Halloo!" said he.

"He says that he is bitten," said the people. "He says that he is bitten between the legs. Hit tent skins for him."

They made the tent skins resound by hitting them.

"Ho! elder brother, the Thunder God has come back," said Otter.

"They hit the tent skins," said the Big Turtle.

The people said, "It is good to fell trees." They began felling trees here and there. The trees said, "Qwi! qwi!" as they fell.

"Ho! elder brother, the Thunder God has come back," said Otter.

"They are felling trees," said Big Turtle.

At length the Thunder God roared, very far away.

"Ho! elder brother, he has come back," said he. Big Turtle let him go. Otter was very thin. He went homeward. He reached home very lean.

"Let the two birds drink the stream dry," said the people. "Bring the Pelicans here."

When they came, the people said, "Drink the stream dry. A person came here to war and we killed him, but he is alive. He laughs heartily at us."

The birds drank the stream dry. There was only a very small quantity left in which Big Turtle sat.

Big Turtle called, "Ho! warrior Gray Squirrel, be coming hither, wherever you may be moving. They have almost killed me."

Gray Squirrel was coming back, crying loud. He was coming back to attack them. He attacked the two birds. He tore open their water pouches by biting. He bit holes in them. At length all the water returned to its former place. At the creek and the lake it was as before; they were filled with water.

"Sew up their pouches for them," said the people. So they sewed up the water pouches of the Pelicans. They finished sewing them.

"Come, drink it dry again. Do your best. Beware lest we fail," said the people. They drank the stream dry again. Again very little of the water was left.

"Ho! warrior Gray Squirrel, wherever you may be moving. They have nearly killed me. Be coming hither again," said Big Turtle. He came back again. He bit and tore the throats in many places. It made their throats very bad. He made them bad to be sewed at all. It was difficult to sew them.