And there was an orphan named Ah-ahn-he-eat-toe-pahk Mahkai
(which means Braided-Feather Doctor) who lived at a place called
Two Reservoirs (Go-awk-Vahp-itchee-kee) north of Cheoff-Skaw-mack,
or Tall Gray Mountain.
And his only relative was an old grandmother. And she used to go
and get water in earthern vessels, a number of them in her carrying
basket. And when she neared home she would call to her grandson,
saying: "Come, help me wrestle with it!" meaning to help her down
with her load. And he would jump and run, and wrestle so roughly he
would break all the vessels in her basket.
And thus was he mean and mischievous, a bad boy in many ways. And
one day his grandmother sent him to get some of the vegetable called
"owl's-feathers," which the Awawtam cook by making it into a sort
of tortilla, baked on the hot ground where a fire has just been. And
he went and found an owl and pulled its feathers out & brought them
to the old woman, and she said: "This is not what I want! It is a
vegetable that I mean!"
And so he went off again and got the vegetable owl's-feathers for her.
After that she sent him for the vegetables named "crow's-feet" and
"blackbird's-eyes," saying to him that they were very good cooked
together. And the mischievous orphan went & got the feet of some real
crows and the eyes of real blackbirds and brought them to her. And
she said: "This is not what I mean! I want the vegetables named after
these things!"
And the boy, who was then about twelve years old, went and got what
she wanted and she cooked them.
And this orphan boy had a dream which he liked and wished to have come
true, and went to a dance that was being danced in the neighborhood,
a ceremonial dance such as is celebrated when a young girl arrives
at womanhood, and he went to see it, hoping it would in some way be
like his dream, but when he saw it he was disgusted.
And he went to hear the song of a singing doctor, a mahkai or
medicine-man, but when he heard his singing he was disgusted with
that too.
And he left his home and on his way found a little house, or kee,
made of rough bushes. And the one who lived therein invited him to
stay awhile and see all the different people who would arrive there.
And he did so, and in the early evening they came--all the fiercest
animals, cougars, bears, eagles, and they were bewitching each other,
but nobody bewitched him, and in the morning he went on.
And he went along until he came to another kee, and the owner invited
him to stay over night and see all the people who came there. And he
did so, and in the early evening came the same creatures and did the
same as before, but he was not bewitched.
And he went on again till he came to a desert place, utterly barren,
without trees or bushes and there a wind came to meet him, a whirlwind,
Seev-a-lick, and it caught him up and carried him to the East &
then back again; and to the North and back again; and to the West &
back again; and then South & back again. And so it got possession of
his soul and carried it off to its own place.