"My grandmothers, I cannot tell what to do nor how to get what I want,
but far west of here is a ridge that stretches from the south to the
north, and on that ridge people of some kind come from the south and
hurry north; they do that every day; they go north along that ridge,
and I do not know what kind of people they are. When they are on the
top of the ridge, they run north very swiftly. As soon as Klabus and
Yilahl finished the level ground and the hills and mountains in the
world below, these people began to travel along the ridge in this way,
and they have been going north ever since."
"You do not know those people," said the old women, "but we know them,
the Katkatchila brothers know them; they are Kahsuku, the cloud dogs,
the cloud people. If you wish to know more about these cloud people,
ask the elder Katkatchila; he knows them; he lives far west at this
time; go and ask him, go yourself."
Olelbis set out next morning early, and just before he reached
Katkatchila's house in the west he came upon some one who was stooping
and looking toward the south. It was the elder Katkatchila, who was
watching the cloud people.
"Stop, my brother," said Katkatchila, "and watch with me."
The two looked along the ridge toward the south--it was before sunrise
then--and they saw a person come a little way in sight, then turn and
go back. He did not come nearer because he saw Olelbis. The cloud
people are very timid; they can see a long distance, and have a very
keen scent. When he saw Olelbis, this one ran away home.
"My brother," said Katkatchila to Olelbis, "we have been watching here
to drive back these cloud people. We have watched night and day, I and
my little brother. My brother is near the eastern slope of this ridge
which runs north and south; he stays there and watches."
"What do you mean by cloud people?" asked Olelbis; "what kind of
people are they? I have seen only the head and neck of one; what I saw
looked well, seemed good. I wish you, my brothers, would catch one of
these people, if you can."
"How is it that you do not know these people?" asked Katkatchila. "You
ought to know them; you have seen every place, every person,
everything; you ought to know these people. I will tell you how they
came. My sister and I made the great world fire; we made the wakpohas
because Torihas and his people stole my flint. I was angry. I told my
sister to put her baby outside the house. We put pitch-pine around it,
and fire blazed up from the baby. When the fire was burning all over
the earth and there were great flames and smoke, a big water and a
strong wind came; the water filled the whole world with steam, and the
wind drove the steam and smoke from the great fire, and carried them
far off to the south, where they became a people,--the cloud people.
These people are red or white or black, all of them, and they are
going north always. They have good heads and long necks."
"I should like to stand near some of these people and look at them,"
said Olelbis.
"I do not like to see them go north," said Katkatchila. "My brother
and I are here trying to drive them back; but they go north in spite
of us. My brother is on the other slope over there to frighten them
back; but they turn to the east a little and go around him."
"Bring your brother here," said Olelbis.