"You are our brother, too," said Keriha; "you are Eltuluma."
"It is dark. We do not know what to do," said Norwinte.
"And we do not know," answered Keriha.
"Not far from here are more people," said Norwinte. "Let us send to
them to come here. Perhaps we may learn what to do."
Norwinte sent a messenger to the north. He brought a new person soon,
a good-looking man; and when this stranger had talked a while he said,
"There is a person in the southeast who can help us."
"Will you bring him here?" asked Norwinte.
"I cannot go there," said the stranger.
"You go, Keriha," said Norwanchakus. "No one can go there but you."
Keriha went, and was not long gone. He brought back Patkilis.
"My brother Patkilis, do you know of any more people anywhere?"
"I know of no more people. I have seen none; but in the far east I
hear shouting, with dancing and singing."
"Well, my brother, I wish you would go and see what kind of people are
making that noise there."
"I will go," said Patkilis. "I don't think it is very far from here to
where they are."
Patkilis was gone a long time. When he came back, he said: "I saw many
people, but they did not see me. There is a hill beyond the sky in the
east. On the northern slope of it are houses. On the southern slope
there are houses, also. A river flows from this hill westward. South
of the hill every one is dancing. I went into the houses on the north
side. All were empty except one. In the middle house of the village I
found a blind boy. I looked around and saw much in the house. 'Why
have you so many things here?' asked I of the boy. 'What are they good
for? I live on the other side. We haven't such things in our houses.'
He said nothing. I talked a long time to him, asked many questions,
but got no answer. All he said was, 'My people have gone to dance.'
There were piles of acorns inside and outside, great baskets of them
put around everywhere. I sat down. 'What is this?' asked I. 'What is
that? What is in those baskets there?' 'Oh, something,' said the blind
boy; and that was all the answer he made. There were many bags, all
full of something. I saw two small bags hanging in the house, and they
were very full. 'What is in those small bags that are so full?' asked
I. 'Can you tell me, little boy?' 'Why do you want to know
everything?' asked the blind boy. I asked about those two bags in
different ways, but he wouldn't tell me for a long time. I teased him
and teased him to tell. 'You want to know everything,' said he, at
last; 'I will tell you. In one is Puriwa.' 'Well, what is in the other
bag? Tell me. You have told about one, now tell about the other.' He
thought a while and asked, 'Why do you want to know so much? Sanihas
is in the other bag.' He would tell no more, and I came away."
When Patkilis had told all this, Keriha said, after thinking a while:
"This is the best news that we have heard in this world yet; some one
of us ought to go there. We must bring those two bags here. If we open
one, the world will be dark; if we open the other, there will be
daylight. Those acorns, too, are good. You must send some one for
those two bags."
"There is a man up north here, Pawnit. He could go; send for him,"
said Patkilis.
They sent for him, and he came. They told him what they wanted.
"I can go for those things," said he, "but I don't like to go alone.
My brothers, you bring a man here who lives up north, Tsaik. He is
blind of one eye."
When Tsaik came and heard about the acorns, he said: "I should like to
have them; they are good. If I go, I will take the acorns, and you can
bring the two bags," said he to Pawnit. "When you come to that hill in
the east," said Patkilis to Pawnit, "you will see many houses on the
north side of it, and many on the south, where people are dancing; but
go to the north, and right in the middle of the village you will see a
big house, with the door toward the south. When you go in, don't let
the blind boy know that there are two of you. Let one talk to him
while the other takes the bags. The one talking will make him believe
that he came from the south side of the hill, where people are
dancing. When you are going in through the door, you will see the two
bags right opposite, both smooth and very full. Get those bags, so
that we can see what kind of place this is. We want plenty of light.
We want darkness, too, so that there may not be too much light."
Pawnit and Tsaik started off on their journey. How long the journey
lasted no one knows. They went beyond the sky and reached the eastern
hill, they saw the villages south and north of it, and heard a great
noise of dancing at the south. They went to the northern village,
found the big house in the middle of it, and stopped before the door.
"Go in," said Tsaik. "I will stay outside. I have a strap. I am going
to carry away the acorn baskets. You go in. I will stay here and tie
them together."
Pawnit went in and sat down on the west side. The blind boy was lying
on the east side.
"Well, blind boy," said Pawnit, "I am cold. I have been dancing. I
have come here to warm myself."
"I should like to know why you people come here while there is
dancing at the other side," said the blind boy.
Pawnit made no answer, but went out to see what Tsaik was doing.
"Where are you, Tsaik?" asked he.
"I am here making ready to carry acorns," answered Tsaik.
Just then they saw some one near them. "Who is this?" asked Pawnit.
"I am here," said Patkilis. "Come, Pawnit, you and I will go in and
get the two bags. You, Tsaik, take the acorns."
Tsaik put a big load on his back and started on, while the others were
in the house. Patkilis took daylight, and Pawnit took darkness. As
soon as they were outside the house, the blind boy stood up and
screamed,--
"Who was that? Some one has stolen something!"