an old Maidu story about

MOUNTAIN-LION AND HIS CHILDREN

 

Mountain-Lion went off to hunt deer. Having put provisions of different sorts on his back, he started off, and, travelling for some time, he camped for the night. He slept, and in the morning, after having breakfasted, after having made ready his bow, he went hunting

 

He kept travelling about, and, after having shot a deer, carried it on his back to camp towards evening. Then, skinning it, he prepared and dried the meat; and when it was partially dry, after having packed it in a sack, in the morning he went off. And continuing on his way, he reached home.

 

His two children, who usually came out to meet him, were not there. He heard nothing. "What has happened!" he wondered. Then laying down the deer, after having sat down, he peeped into his winter-house.

 

Some one lay there on the ground, alongside of his wife. "I wonder where my two children have gone!" he thought. Again he peeped in, but did not see them. "I wonder where they have gone!" he thought.

 

He searched about for tracks. He followed the tracks along the trail. Then he turned back again towards the house, and returned thither. He set fire to it, he burned down the house.

 

While the two children were staying in the house, while they were playing, that man (Lizard) crawled in toward them. He sat down, and remained there sitting. "Your father, where has he gone?" he said.

 

They did not answer. They ran behind their mother, being afraid.

 

Then that old woman spoke. "He has gone to hunt deer," she said. "Ho!" said he, and, after having sat a while, went across, and sat down close beside her, remained sitting there.

 

"What are you doing?" she said. "What am I doing? I am going to marry you," he said. "What are you saying? I am already married," said she. Nevertheless I am going to marry you," he said.

 

Then he seized her. "Because of our having done thus, 'In olden times they wronged women, even though having children,' it is thus that mortal men, evil-speaking men, stealing women, shall say," he said.

 

"Women believing, this, even though married, shall take another husband," said he. So saying, he lay down alongside her, and the woman made no reply.

 

The two children stood still behind the fire. Then, taking hold of each other's hands, they crawled out. And when they had stood around for a while outside, they went off; and, having dug open an ant-hill, they crawled into it. Going off angry, they kept on downwards, and camped for the night. The sister was the younger, it is said; the boy, the older.

 

They had gone on ahead, it is said, when after them that old man (Mountain-Lion), returning home, coming back with game from the hunt, burned down the house.

 

Thereafter the old man searched, he followed their tracks. Far he could not track them. Where they had gone about playing, he followed the tracks. He went about crying, all day he cried. He sought their tracks, but he did not see them. He could not track them anywhere. So he went off northwestward, and, going as far as he could, he went around towards the south. He went across and around towards the east, and came on to the northwest, searching for tracks, it is said. He went all around the world, but did not see tracks.

 

He went farther. "To what country, to what country, have they gone, that I have not found their tracks?" he said. Then he went on, went to the place where the sun goes down, came around toward the south. Going farther, he came hither, went where the sun rises, went sorrowing greatly. "What country have they gone to, that I have not seen them?" he said.

 

He departed, crossed over to the east, and, travelling in a circle, went to the north. "To what country, I wonder, have they gone, that I have not seen them!" he said. Every day he travelled, crying, till he reached the place whence he had set out. Then, sitting down, he remained there. He wept.

 

After a while he spoke. "What countries I have travelled! I will go back," he said. So he went back, kept travelling, and after a while reached his own country, his house. Then, from where their tracks had started, he followed them; kept following, followed to where, having gone a little distance from the house, they had stopped.

 

He could not understand. What is to be done, I wonder!" he said. Then, after he had stood around for a while, having looked here and there, he scraped away the sand at the ant-hill. The opening continued on down, and he crawled into it. Near by was the place where (the children) had camped for the night, and from there again he saw the tracks. So then he camped for the night. In the morning, having gotten up, he went on.

 

Having gone a little ways, the children had camped. His sister having grown tired, the boy had carried her, and, having carried her a little ways, he made her get down. This was the way they had done: always again going a little farther on, they had camped.

 

Seeing this, (Mountain-Lion) went on; seeing where they had camped, he went off; and, having gone a little farther, he camped. The two children, killing some birds, had eaten them there; in coming thus far, they had grown a little larger. Then they had gone on, kept travelling, going a little farther, and had camped again. And at that place, digging camas, they had eaten their supper. (Mountain-Lion) reached that place, and went on.

 

Then again, going a little ways, they had camped; and the old man, reaching there, camped for the night. They had shot ducks; they had gathered all kinds of roots, all kinds of food; then they had had supper. Reaching that spot, the old man saw all this, and camped there. And having, eaten all such sorts of food, he slept. In the morning, having breakfasted, he went on.

 

From there the old man, they say, kept travelling, eating food, and camped just where they had camped; then, continuing on his way, he went on. Having departed towards a distant country, they had camped, they had shot a young deer, they had made a bow. The bow was left behind, a little seed-beater was left behind. After using them, they had left them, and had gone on from there.

 

The old man reached that place and camped. Taking down the deer which hung there, he roasted it, roasted camas in the ashes, and ate supper. In the morning he arose, cooked some deer, roasted some camas, and breakfasted. Then he went off, kept travelling, and again came to where they had camped. A large deer was hanging there. A tray-basket was left behind, a root-digger was left behind, a large bow was left behind, well-made things had been left.

 

He arrived at this place; he ate supper, roasting deer, baking camas, taking it out of the fire, sifting it with the tray basket. Having prepared things well, he supped. In the morning, arising, he did just the same again,--roasting deer, baking camas, taking it out into the tray-basket, fixing it, sifting it. Then, when he had breakfasted, he went.

 

Having gone, it seemed as if he had nearly caught up with them. He kept travelling, and again reached the place where they had camped. They had shot a cinnamon-bear; skinning it, fixing the hide nicely, they had hung it up. At this place they left a little pack-basket, a tray-basket, a digging-stick they had abandoned.

 

He arrived at that place. "I have almost caught up," he thought. Then taking down the bear, roasting it, roasting it well, he supped. After he had slept, in the morning he arose and breakfasted. Then he went on, he went away. When they went off, the children left a hut behind. Putting it together with bark, fixing it, covering it over, they had camped. He arrived there. A burden-basket was left, a winnowing-tray was left, a quiver was hung up, deer was hung up, bear was hung up.

 

Having arrived, he built a fire; then taking down the deer, roasting it, he supped. Then he slept; and in the morning, having arisen, he roasted some deer and breakfasted. Then he went away, kept going until he reached where they had camped. When he had arrived, a black-bear hide was hanging there, a fisher-skin quiver was left; a burden-basket, a winnowing basket, were left. "I think I have almost caught up," he said. And, having finished eating his breakfast, he went on.

 

Now he had grown very old. Continuing on thus far, when he looked up, he saw there was a great winter-house. Keeping on his way, he arrived there, being very old. And arriving there, beside the winter-house, outside the house, he sat down. Then sitting there, he stretched himself out, and lay on his back.

 

They saw and spoke of the very old man, "Who has come?" they said. Then that woman who had a father came out. She recognized her father. "It is my father! My father has come!" she said. Then her brother came out, and, coming out, he looked repeatedly at him. But, being so old, he could hardly recognize him. So, going into the house, he brought out his bow, and shot him who lay there. His father died.

 

After a while he lifted him on his shoulder, and carried him to a spring, and laid him in it. Then in the morning, waking and rising as a young man, he came out. He came into the house. His daughter lived there, married, having children. His son also similarly was living there, having children. And the old man having come in, they gave him breakfast.

 

Then, having breakfasted, they talked together. "We, our mother being seized by some kind of mysterious person, became afraid and ran away. We came as far as this," they said. Then they remained in that country in the olden time.

 

 

Maidu Texts, by Roland B. Dixon; Publications of the American Ethnological Society, Volume IV; Late E. J. Brill Publishers and Printers, Leyden, [1912] and is now in the public domain.

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