You have heard the Thunder, for he is everywhere. He roars in the
mountains, and far out on the prairie is heard his crashing. He
strikes the high rocks, and they fall to pieces; a tree, and it is
broken in slivers; the people, and they die. He is bad. He does not
like the high cliff, the standing tree, or living man. He likes to
strike and crush them to the ground. Of all things he is the most
powerful. He cannot be resisted. But I have not told you the worst
thing about him. Sometimes he takes away women.
Long ago, almost in the beginning, a man and his wife were sitting
in their lodge when Thunder came and struck them. The man was not
killed. At first he lay as if dead, but after a time he lived again,
and, standing up, looked about him. He did not see his wife.
"Oh," he thought, "she has gone to get wood or water," and he sat
down again. But when night came he went out of the lodge and asked
the people about her. No one had seen her. He looked all through the
camp, but could not find her. Then he knew that the Thunder had
taken her away, and he went out on the hills and mourned. All night
he sat there, trying to think what he might do to get back his wife.
When morning came he rose and wandered away, and whenever he met any
of the animals he asked if they could tell him where the Thunder
lived. The animals laughed, and most of them would not answer.
The Wolf said to him, "Do you think that we would look for the home
of the only one we fear? He is our only danger. From all other
enemies we can run away, but from him no one can run. He strikes and
there we lie. Turn back; go home. Do not look for the place of that
dreadful one."
The man kept on and travelled a long distance. At last, after many
days, he came to a lodge--a strange lodge, for it was made of
stone. Just like any other lodge it looked, only it was made of
stone. This was the home of the Raven chief. The man entered.
"Welcome, friend," said the chief of the Ravens; "sit down there,"
and he pointed to a place. Soon food was placed before the poor man.
When he had finished eating, the Raven chief asked, "Why have you
come here?"
"Thunder has stolen my wife," the man answered. "I am looking for
his dwelling-place that I may find her."
"Are you brave enough to enter the lodge of that dreadful person?"
asked the Raven. "He lives near here. His lodge is of stone like
this one, and hanging in it are eyes--the eyes of those he has
killed or taken away. He has taken out their eyes and hung them in
his lodge. Now, then! Dare you enter there?"
"No," answered the man, "I am afraid. Who could look at such
dreadful things and live?"
"No man can," said the Raven; "there is only one old Thunder fears;
there is but one he cannot kill. It is we. It is the Ravens. Now I
will give you some medicine, and he shall not harm you. You shall
enter there and try to find among those eyes your wife's, and if you
find them tell the Thunder why you came and make him give them to
you. Here, now, is a raven's wing. Point this at him and he will be
afraid and start back; but if that should fail, take this arrow. Its
shaft is made of elk horn. Take this, I say, and shoot it through
the lodge."
"Why make a fool of me?" the poor man asked. "My heart is sad. I am
crying." He covered his head with his robe and wept.
"Oh," said the Raven, "you do not believe me. Come outside, come
outside, and I will make you believe."
When they stood outside the Raven asked, "Is the home of your people
far?"
"A great distance," said the man.
"Can you tell how many days you have travelled?"
"No," he replied, "my heart was sad; I did not count the days.
Since I left, the berries have grown and ripened."
"Can you see your camp from here?" asked the Raven.
The man did not answer. Then the Raven rubbed some medicine on his
eyes and said, "Look!" The man looked and saw the camp. It was near.
He saw the people; he saw the smoke rising from the lodges; he saw
the painting on some of the lodges.
"Now you will believe," said the Raven. "Take, then, the arrow and
the wing, and go and get your wife." The man took these things and
went to the Thunder's lodge. He entered and sat down by the doorway.
The Thunder sat at the back of the lodge and looked at him with
awful eyes. The man looked above and saw hanging there many pairs of
eyes. Among them were those of his wife.
"Why have you come?" said the Thunder in a dreadful voice.
"I seek my wife," said the man, "whom you have stolen. There hang
her eyes."
"No man may enter my lodge and live," said the Thunder, and he rose
to strike him. Then the man pointed the raven wing at the Thunder,
and he fell back on his bed and shivered; but soon he recovered and
rose again, and then the man fitted the elk-horn arrow to his bow
and shot it through the lodge of stone. Right through that stone it
pierced a hole and let the sunlight in.
"Wait," said the Thunder; "stop. You are the stronger, you have the
greater medicine. You shall have your wife. Take down her eyes."
The man cut the string that held the eyes, and his wife stood beside
him.
"Now," said the Thunder, "you know me. I have great power. In summer
I live here; but when winter comes I go far south. I go south with
the birds. Here is my pipe. It has strong power. Take it and keep
it. After this, when first I come in the spring you shall fill this
pipe and light it, and you shall smoke it and pray to me; you and
the people. I bring the rain which makes the berries large and ripe.
I bring the rain which makes all things grow, and for this you
shall pray to me; you and all the people."
Thus the people got their first medicine pipe. It was long ago.