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After a time he succeeded, and carried the fire home with
him, far to the south. He put Woswosim (a small bird) to guard the fire,
and see that no one should steal it. Thunder thought that people would die
after he had stolen their fire, for they would not be able to cook their
food; but the people managed to get along.
They ate most of their food raw, and sometimes got Toyeskom (another small
bird) to look for a long time at a piece of meat; and as he had a red eye,
this after a long time would cook the meat almost as well as a fire. Only
the chiefs had their food cooked in this way. All the people lived
together in a big sweat-house. The house was as big as a mountain.
Among the people was Lizard and his brother; and they were always the
first in the morning to go outside and sun themselves on the roof of the
sweat-house. One morning as they lay there sunning themselves, they looked
west, toward the Coast Range, and saw smoke. They called to all the other
people, saying that they had seen smoke far away to the west.
The people, however, would not believe them, and Coyote came out, and
threw a lot of dirt and dust over the two. One of the people did not like
this. He said to Coyote, " Why do you trouble people_ Why don't you let
others alone_ Why don't you behave_ You are always the first to start a
quarrel. You always want to kill people without any reason."
Then the other people felt sorry. They asked the two Lizards about what
they had seen, and asked them to point out the smoke. The Lizards did so,
and all could see the- thin column rising up far to the west.
One person said, "How shall we get that fire back_ How shall we get it
away from Thunder_ He is a bad man. I don't know whether we had better try
to get it or not."
Then the chief said, "The best one among you had better try to get it.
Even if Thunder is a bad man, we must try to get the fire. When we get
there, I don't know how we shall get in but the one who is the best, who
thinks he can get in, let him try."
Mouse, Deer, Dog, and Coyote were the ones who were to try, but all the
other people went too. They took a flute with them for they meant to put
the fire in it.
They traveled a long time, and finally reached the place where the fire
was. They were within a little distance of Thunder's house, when they all
stopped to see what they would do. Woswosim, who was supposed to guard the
fire in the house, began to sing, "I am the man who never sleeps. I am the
man who never sleeps."
Thunder had paid him for his work in beads, and he wore them about his
neck and around his waist. He sat on the top of the sweat-house, by the
smoke-hole.
After a while Mouse was sent up to try and see if he could get in. He
crept up slowly till he got close to Woswosim, and then saw that his eyes
were shut. He was asleep, in spite of the song that he sang. When Mouse
saw that the watcher was asleep, he crawled to the opening and went in.
Thunder had several daughters, and they were lying there asleep.
Mouse stole up quietly, and untied the waist-string of each one's apron,
so that should the alarm be given, and they jump up, these aprons or
skirts would fall off, and they would have to stop to fix them. This done,
Mouse took the flute, filled it with fire, then crept out, and rejoined
the other people who were waiting outside.
Some of the fire was taken out and put in the Dog's ear, the remainder in
the flute being given to the swiftest runner to carry. Deer, however, took
a little, which he carried on the hock of his leg, where to-day there is a
reddish spot. For a while all went well, but when they were about half-way
back, Thunder woke up, suspected that something was wrong, and asked,
"What is the matter with my fire_"
Then he jumped up with a roar of thunder, and his daughters were thus
awakened, and also jumped up; but their aprons fell off as they did so,
and they had to sit down again to put them on. After they were all ready,
they went out with Thunder to give chase. They carried with them a heavy
wind and a great rain and a hailstorm, so that they might put out any fire
the people had. Thunder and his daughters hurried along, and soon caught
up with the fugitives, and were about to catch them, when Skunk shot at
Thunder and killed him.
Then Skunk called out, "After this you must never try to follow and kill
people. You must stay up in the sky, and be the thunder. That is what you
will be." The daughters of Thunder did not follow any farther; so the
people went on safely, and got home with their fire, and people have had
it ever since.
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