Long sojourned the people in the town on the sunrise slope of the
mountain of Kâ´‘hluëlawan, and what though the earth in time began to
groan warningly anew, loath were they to leave the place of the Kâ´kâ
and the lake of their dead. But the rumbling grew louder apace, and
at last the Twain Beloved called, and bade the people arise, and all
together--now that their multitudes were in part diminished--follow
them eastward, seeking once more the place of the Middle. Not without
murmuring among themselves did the people obey; but after they had
fared forward a certain distance they came to a place of fair seeming
and great promise, so much so, indeed, that it was said, "Let us tarry
in this favored spot, for perchance it may be the place of the Middle."
And so they builded for themselves there greater houses than ever they
had builded, and more perfect withal, for they were still great and
strong in numbers and wittier than of old, albeit yet unperfected as
men; and the place wherein they so builded was Hán‘hlipíŋk‘ya, "The
Place of Sacred Stealing," so named in after time for reasons we wot
of.
Long did the people abide therein, prosperously; but with waxing ever
wiser and stronger their condition changed, so that little suited to
it--with their tails and beast clothing--were our wonderful, magical,
yet rude, ugly fathers. Being beast-like, they were sore inconvenienced
both at home and abroad, in the chase or at war; for now and again they
still in their wanderings met older nations of men and man-beings, with
whom they needs must strive, so they thought, forsooth, thereby gaining
naught save great danger with increase of anger and stubbornness. Thus,
not any longer in fear only of the gods and great monsters, but in fear
now of the wars they themselves provoked, contending the world with
their own kind and with man-beings, changed yet otherwise were they. Of
the elders of all their folk-kins the gods therefore called a council.