Origin of the Mallard Ducks. 3

Q!â'nêqi?lax^u went again, and he saw the Mallard Ducks. They were steaming clover-roots. They could not see. Then they smelt him. "Hm! what should bring our lord Q!â'nêqi?lax^u here? It smells like Q!â'nêqi?lax^u." Then (the roots) were done. Then Q!â'nêqi?lax^u took them and hid them from one of the old women. Then he hid them from

p. 205

another one. Then he hid them from still another old woman. "Is that the way you are"--"That is the way we little ones are. We little ones cannot see."--"Come this way!" Then they went towards Q!â'nêqi?lax^u, and he took the gum that he had chewed and spit into their eyes. Then their eyes opened and they saw. "Ah! this is the light on the face of our world, Lord Q!â'nêqi?lax^u." That was all. He took the four old women. Now they could see the light of our world. He took them, and they flew upward, and they became birds.

Footnotes

203:3 Ibid., p. 215.