brave and mischievous Lox; always the Indian devil. "Not yet," he says,
"do I die." Not anything can kill him; it is hard to get rid of him.
Then these brothers go along further. Then they come to the top of a
high mountain; here is placed a great rock, a round rock; they say to
it: "Let us run a race," and they roll it using great trees (as levers).
So it rolls along until it stops at the bottom. They run along with it,
always mocking (they beg it; they race with it).
They did not have long to wait; while sitting and cooking they hear
something coming like something chasing through the woods. Now that is
the big rock; in anger it had rested a little while; then rushing at
once through the forest, smashing the mighty trees it acts like the
thunder; it cuts down the trees like grass, coming like lightning; more
and more strongly it runs up. After the wizards this rock comes along.
The younger dodges aside like a snake, but the elder Indian could just
say his charm: "noogoon uskudeskooch," that is "My backbone shall remain
entire as always." This great rock rolls on through the air until its
sound dies out on the wind.
* * * * *
Then the younger brother says to the backbone: "Why lie you there?" When
it hears these charmed words, the bone calls out: "My body, come here,"
(and) "My leg, come here," and to all the broken members as always,
until he who began to decompose is again completely restored (Mitchell:
recomposed) and he who was dead lives again. He says like one waking:
"what have I been doing?"
The younger brother causes him to hear (tells him) everything. Then he
is very angry. (When Lox is angry), it is not only a little. He says in
his wrath: "Shall I, the Indian devil himself, be able to be slain by
birds and stones and not be revenged?" They go on in the woods; they
trace it (the rock) by logs and also by trees; when they find it they
burn round about it; with great rocks they hammer it until they smash it
in pieces, until it is dust. Thus Lox is avenged.
But now a wonder (occurs); he who is the spirit of the rocks turns the
dust into black flies, into the stinging things and other
* * * * *