Sacred Texts Native American California Index Previous Next
Long ago Fisher-Man lived with his elder brothers in a sweat-house, they say. Now he said to the Cottontail people, "Ye must remain at home, ye must stay here! I shall go away. Ye must stay close, must not go about. Thither, in that direction, I shall go in the morning." Then he went.
Now, all those people, those boys, staid there. He had explained to them when he would return. "So many times dawning, at the sixth dawning I (shall) have returned," said he, "if other people do not choke me on the road. Do ye stay there close (at home)." So they staid.
In the morning one of them crawled out when it was dawning. After he had sat a while, standing up, (he went and) sat on the edge of the smoke-hole. Now opposite, they say, that Wood-Rat lived in a sweat-house with his grandmother. From thence Wood-Rat crawled out. "How are you?" said he, said Wood-Rat.
"Ugly Wood-Rat-Man, defecating on his grandmother's blanket, stinking, defecating all over the house, urinating all about, dirty-acting Wood-Rat!" said (Cottontail). "His
house stinks," he said. Then Wood-Rat-Man said, "Ham, ham! My grandmother, bring out my net! He calls me very bad names." Then she brought it out.
Then, having walked over, he stretched it across the door of the house. Then he stamped on the house (Cottontail's). He kept stamping, and then one (of the Cottontails) jumped out; and just as he did so, he was caught in the net. After a while, after he had gotten into (the net), Wood-Rat carried him across. And carrying him home, when he had carried him in, his grandmother skinned (the Cottontail) and cooked him; and, roasting him, they both had breakfast.
Next morning, crawling out, Wood-Rat said, "Halloo!" Then one (of the Cottontails) stuck his head out. "Dirty, ugly Wood-Rat, defecating on his grandmother, urinating about, making things dirty, Wood-Rat, who stays where he has made it stink!" said he. Then he jumped in again.
Then, "Ham, ham!" said (Wood-Rat). "He speaks evilly of me! My grandmother, hand out my net!" Thereupon he went over, and having gone over, and stretched the net in the doorway, he stamped, kept stamping, (on the roof). Then one (of the Cottontails) rushed out, and so was caught in the net. Meanwhile, having got him into the net, Wood-Rat carried him off. He carried him over to his grandmother; and, having given him to her, she skinned him, and they both had breakfast.
Next morning, again, Wood-Rat crawled out. Then. he said, "Siī!" Then one (of the Cottontails) stuck his head out repeatedly. "Bad Wood-Rat, defecating on his grandmother's blanket, one who does dirty things, urinating all about the house, Wood-Rat, who does dirty things that make things stink!" he said. Then Wood-Rat said, "Ham, ham, ham! He calls me very bad names. Hurry and give me my net, my grandmother!" Then she gave it to him.
Having gone over, he stretched it in the doorway, and then stamped on the house, kept stamping. By and by one rushed out, and was caught in the net. Then, having got him into the net, he carried him over. Meanwhile only one (Cottontail) was left, (who) had crawled over behind the fireplace. Now, Wood-Rat, having carried (the one he had caught) over, they skinned him, roasted him, and had their breakfast.
Next morning, again, (Wood-Rat) crawled out. "Sh!" he said. But no one stuck out his head. Then said he, "There are none left. I have killed them all." Next morning, again, (Wood-Rat) stuck his head out. "Hiī," he said. Again no one looked out. "Well, my grandmother, I think I have killed them all," he said. "I did not see any, none crawled out." Then he remained there. Next day again he looked out. "Sī!" he said, but nobody looked out. "I guess I have killed them all," he said.
That night, as it grew dark, Fisher-Man returned. He crawled in, and then (found) all had gone. Then one crawled out toward him from behind the fire, and said, "Wood-Rat chased us; and when he stamped on the house, (the others) ran out, and then he killed them," he said. "He continued doing this until he killed them all. I alone, not jumping out, (but) hiding and not moving, have kept alive." Then Fisher-Man said, "Hō!"
In the morning Fisher went after him (Wood-Rat). Crossing over, he reached (the house), and, having crawled in, he killed both, grandmother and grandson. Then he spoke. "Now you are Wood-Rat-Man! Not bothering people, you shall live and run about where rocks lie all around, doing no harm to people," said he. "And mortal men shall say of you, 'Long ago Wood-Rat was a bad man.' So mortal men (will) tell of you." Then he went over, and, having returned to his house, remained there.
In the morning, having fixed his bow, and having taken three quivers full of arrows, he went off. He went towards the east, and kept going, kept going. His brothers staid under a bush. Then, after he had gone some ways, he hung up one quiver of arrows, and went on. He kept going, kept going, and then a little ways off he hung up another quiver of arrows. He went on, kept going, and again a short ways off he came to a valley, a large valley.
When he had looked down into it here and there, (he saw) there were brown bears feeding, and grizzly bears also feeding, it is said. One was feeding there in the very middle (of the valley). And it was a white bear, it is said, a silver-tip. So he (Fisher), having crept down into (the valley), ready to shoot, shot him.
Then from there (the bear) ran after him, jumped at him, trying to catch him. And he (Fisher) ran up out of the valley. Meanwhile he kept shooting, and still continued to run up out of the valley, the bear jumping at him to seize him. He kept shooting; he shot dodging from side to side, he shot whatever he had (?).
Meanwhile (the bear) jumped at him to seize him in his mouth. He (Fisher) kept running away and when all his arrows were shot, he reached the place where he had left the arrows, and, taking them down, he ran on up. He kept on shooting, and still (the bear) jumped at him to seize him in his mouth. Again it seems as if he came a little closer. He (Fisher) ran, dodging all the time, dodged as he ran. And meanwhile he shot. Only half his arrows were left, he had almost shot them all away.
Meanwhile he ran on, he dodged, he shot. And, so doing, he shot all his arrows. And all being gone, he ran to the place where he had hung tip his arrows, and, having taken them down, he shot. The bear jumped to seize him in his arms, (but,) dodging as he ran, (Fisher) kept
shooting. So continually shooting, (the bear) coming running up pretty close, he shot, dodging as he ran. And, so doing, he ran round and about the place where he had made his brothers stay. Meanwhile (the bear) still ran after him. And while he was doing thus, he (Fisher) killed him.
Then he spoke. "You shall be bad. You shall not trouble mortal men when they see you," he said, speaking after he had killed him. "You shall not hunt to seize mortal men coming into the middle of this world. That, mortal men in story-telling, (shall say) of you. Then, 'Silver-Tip in the olden time killed people, (was) a killer, they say. Killing them, he was sent away from this world, they say. And then, they say, there were no Silver-Tips.' That (is what) mortal men (will) be saying of you," he said.
Then he said, "Well, my brother! You must live on, staying in this sort of a place, staying squatting down under bushes. I shall be a traveller in this world in all countries; but you will be one who shall stay travelling about in this country only, going about only in this country," said he, speaking. Then he went on. "Well," said he, "I am going," said he. "Stay there!" said he, and he went off. And when he looked back, the ears (of the Cottontail) were shimmering (quivering?). So he went off, after looking back. That is all, it is said.