"Go you and tell my brother Sehinom Chabatu to come and help me, and
to come early in the morning. Go also to Waiti Nomken, a place on the
upper Bohema Mem, to two women Kawas Loimis; let them know that we are
fighting. On this side of their house lives Chir Chuma, a lame man;
let him know. Opposite Pas Puisono lives Katsi Herit. Tell him to come
early to-morrow. A short distance from Tsarau Heril lives Wik Herit.
Tell him to be here. These are all great men, and each will bring his
people. There is a man who lives at Kilichepin Kenharas. Kilichepis is
his name. Tell him to come with his people. There is a man who lives
at Sudi Sawul. His name is Tuichi Kelis. Tell this man that I expect
him early with his people. All these big men will help us greatly."
Norbis sent messengers to his friends. They went southeast, south and
southwest. He sent southeast to Saias Saias Herit and south for Hus
Herit. He sent for Karili Herit; for Tcutuhl Herit.
Next morning about daylight the friends of the Tede Wiu brothers came.
All came who had been called, each bringing his own people. Friends
came to Norbis in the same way; none of those invited failed on either
side.
When all Tede Wiu's friends had come, the elder brother confined
Norwan as on the first day. He bound the house all around with mempak.
They started then, and crossed the river with many people. Chir Chuma
had come. He was so lame that he could not walk, and had two men to
carry him. These were the two Siriwit brothers (whirlwinds). (The
whirlwinds were people at that time.)
The Siriwits carried Chir Chuma on two sticks. He sat on the sticks.
One brother held the sticks behind, and the other in front. They
moved around with great speed, and travelled as easily on water as on
land. When the two brothers had crossed the river, they saw two more
lame men, one coming from the north, Chali Dokos: he was carried by
Wainot Herit. The other was Sawi Herit; he was coming from the west,
carried by Kichinot Herit.
After Tede Wiu's forces had crossed the river, the Wul Wuhl brothers
came from Norbis, and said,--
"There are many people coming from the south with Norbis to-day. You
will have a heavy battle."
Sehinom saw the southern people coming, and said to the elder Tede
Wiu,--
"My brother, I will be with you all the time. I will guard you."
Three of Tede Wiu's men, Wik Herit, Tuichi Kelis, and Kilichepis,
said,--
"We will go together. We will go to the eastern side, near the river,
and take our people with us."
When going they turned to the Wul Wuhl brothers or Norbis's men, and
said,--
"Tell Saias Saias Herit, Koip Herit, and Tsutsu Herit to come toward
the river. We will fight them there."
"I will," said the elder Wul Wuhl; and turning to Chir Chuma, he said:
"There is a man with a net coming from the south, Karili Herit; he
will fight with you."
The Kawas sisters came now on Tede Wiu's side, bringing food,
elkskins, and arrows for their brother, Sehinom Chabatu. They did not
go where the fighting was, but stood back in the rear a little. Now
Wai Charatawa came to Tede Wiu's side. He was a very small man and
left-handed, but a great chief, a brother to Sehinom and to Wik Herit.
He had his hair tied up and fastened in front with a long bone sharp
at one end.
Norhara Chepmis came to help Norbis on the southern side.
Before the struggle began Norbis sent a message to the brothers,
asking, "Are you willing to give up that woman?"
They refused.
"Now, my people," said Norbis, "we are going to fight. I have done
what I could to persuade these brothers to give up Norwan, but they
refuse, and we are going to fight a second time."
At this moment Kiri Hubit came from the south, a strong man. He went
to the east side to fight. He had only one arrow without a point.
When all these forces met, there was a terrible uproar.
"Now," cried Wul Wuhl, "a man from the south is coming; he is small,
but brave and quick-tempered, a terrible fighter. He will strike on
the left flank. His name is Nor Patsas Herit."
Yipokus Herit, who lived on the northeastern slope of Bohem Puyuk, was
to be on the field at midday; he was the one to fight Nor Patsas. His
weapons were ice and snow.
Just at this time Norwan found a weak place in the mempak and untied
it. As soon as she was out she went home to Norwan Buli.
When ready to meet, the two armies saw a very big woman coming from
the northwest: an old woman, Nom Toposloni Pokaila. She was carrying
on her back a great basket, as big as a house. This basket was full of
pounded fir-bark, which makes the skin itch terribly and almost blinds
every eye that it touches.
A man came from the northwest to the southern army, and said to Wul
Wuhl,--
"Tell your man Norhara Chepmis not to engage in battle; let him stand
aside and look on. I will do as he does." This man was Wainom Yola
Herit. "If he fights on the southern side, I will do the same on the
northern."
Wul Wuhl gave the message. Norhara drew back, and Wainom Yola did the
same.
The two armies stood opposite, each looking the other in the face,
each waiting for the other to begin.
At this moment the Siriwit brothers left the ranks on the east, the
left wing of the northern army, and went careering around with Chir
Chuma on two sticks. Now Nor Patsas, the small peevish southern man,
saw Chir Chuma (the Siriwits were invisible), and could contain his
wrath no longer. He ran at the lame man with all his might. When just
in front of Chir Chuma, he struck the ground with his brand, and one
hundred people, as passionate and peevish as himself, sprang up around
him. But Chir Chuma rode right over Nor Patsas. The Siriwits knocked
him to one side, rushed across his men, trampled, beat, and killed
them.
The Siriwit brothers went some distance along the front rank, then
turned back and rushed to where Nor Patsas had fallen. He was on his
feet again, and dashed a second time at Chir Chuma. When just before
the enemy, Nor Patsas struck his brand against the ground, a hundred
men leaped up around him; all sprang on Chir Chuma, but the two
brothers scattered and trampled every one of them.
Nor Patsas was raging. He had never been so angry in his life till
that day. He turned and rushed at the northern army. He struck the
ground once, twice, three times with his brand, and three hundred
raging men were there around him. A battle began on the left northern
wing, fierce and very bloody. Nor Patsas found no one to match him
till Chir Chuma returned. The Siriwits were somewhat tired, and went
more slowly while Chir Chuma fought with Nor Patsas. Chir Chuma had a
red flint, called also sucker flint. With every blow of this he killed
fifty and sometimes sixty people. When Nor Patsas gave a blow, he
killed as many, and every time he struck the ground with his brand a
hundred warriors sprang up to help him.
The fight begun by Nor Patsas with Chir Chuma brought in the two
armies. Both sides fought desperately, but no one could conquer Nor
Patsas till Yipokus came at midday. He rushed at the peevish,
passionate warrior with weapons made of ice and snow. In the heat of
battle water flowed from them and killed Nor Patsas, quenched the life
in him. The southern army was pushed back, and driven a long distance
down the river.
In the middle of the afternoon they rallied, turned on the pursuers,
drove them to the field where they began in the morning, and were
driving them farther, when Nom Toposloni ran past, and, throwing her
crushed bark with the wind, filled many eyes with it and almost
blinded them. She brought disorder to the southern army.
Norbis, afraid of being beaten, was ready now for anything. He called
in Norhara Chepmis, who ran swiftly from the southwest with his
warriors. A mighty storm of wind swept forward with Norhara. He struck
the northern army fiercely. Wainom Yola, seeing this, rushed at the
southern force with all his people, and they were so many that no man
could count them. They were as swift as arrows. A roaring wind went
with them.
Wainom Yola cut right through the southern army, and, turning, rushed
toward Norhara Chepmis and his warriors. These two with their armies
fought hardest of all on that day. In half an hour very few were left
alive on either side, and those left were so weak that Norhara Chepmis
and Wainom Yola were hardly able to lead them from the field.
There was not a man in the forces of the Tede Wiu brothers or Norbis
who was not covered with snow and drenched with rain; all were
shivering and nearly dead.
No one wished to fight for a long time after that day.
Norbis went home to the southeast without Norwan, the woman he called
his wife; and when the Tede Wiu brothers went back to their house in
the evening, they found that Norwan had escaped to Norwan Buli.
This was the end of the first battle on earth. None gained anything,
and many were killed. Later there was another battle among the first
people, and afterward many among the Wintus when they came up.