[Contents]COLTZ AND WUSCHARACTERSColtzPorcupineWŏnElkWusFoxColtz started to travel. On his journey he came to a deep river; he followed it up, and then followed it down, but couldn’t find a crossing place. Then he sat down on the bank, and looking at the water, wondered what made it so deep. He sat there three days, then some of the Wŏn people came to the river to cross. One of them, an old man, traveled slower than the others. He waited, and when the rest had crossed, he said to Coltz: “Why do you sit there looking at the water? Why don’t you cross?”“I can’t,” said Coltz.“Why don’t you swim, as we do?”“The water is deep. I feel scared.”“Get on my back,” said Wŏn, “I will take you over.”“I am afraid that I would get washed off.”“Sit behind my head.”“You might turn your head around and drop me off.”“Creep into my ear.”“You might shake your head, and I would fall out.”“Take hold of my neck and hang on tight.”“I couldn’t hold on long enough; I should get tired and drop off. Then I would get drowned.”“I don’t want to leave you here looking at the water. It makes me feel sorry. You must come. Hurry, now, my people have left me; they are far off by this time. Creep into my mouth; I won’t chew you.”Coltz crept in, then went down and sat right by Wŏn’s heart.[273]When Wŏn got across the river, he felt sharp things sticking into his heart; he forgot that he had let Coltz creep into his mouth. The sharp things hurt worse and worse. He lay down on the ground and died.Coltz crept out of Wŏn’s mouth and went to hunt for a piece of sharp rock (obsidian) to cut up the body. As he hunted, he talked to himself, said: “I wish I could find something to skin Wŏn with. I’ve nothing to scrape my arrows on.” He said different things, so if any one heard him, they wouldn’t know what he was talking about.Wus was near by; he heard Coltz talking and he listened. He thought: “I wonder what that old man is saying.” He waited, heard Coltz say the same words again, then he said: “Hach! hach! hach!” and ran a little nearer. He heard the same words a third time, then he scratched his head and thought hard. “I believe that old man has killed an elk,” said he. Then he called out: “Hach! hach! hach!” ran right up in front of Coltz, and asked: “Old man, what did you say?”“I didn’t say anything; I’m hunting for a stone to sharpen my arrows with.”Coltz was terribly scared.“No,” said Wus, “you said you had nothing to skin Wŏn with. I’ll lend you my knife, if you will tell me where your elk is.”“I haven’t any elk. I was just talking to myself, and making believe I had one.”“You have killed an elk. Tell me where it is, and I’ll help you cut it up. You are an old man, but I am young; I will skin the elk for you.”“I haven’t any elk. How could I kill a big elk? I have no bow or arrows.”“You are wise,” said Wus. “You have power; you can do anything. You are a big man.”Coltz began to feel proud. At last he said: “Come and see what a big elk I have killed.”When Wus saw the elk, he said: “Now, Coltz, let’s play a game. We’ll run and try to jump over the elk. The one that[274]jumps best and farthest will have him.” Wus had made Coltz think he could do anything.“How far shall we jump?” asked Coltz.“Not far,” said Wus.Coltz said “Chi! Chi! Chi!” and ran. He jumped and fell on top of the elk. Wus tried; he hit the elk and fell back. (He was fooling Coltz.)Wus said: “We’ll try again; I’m sure you will beat.”“It is mine, anyhow,” said Coltz.Wus ran first, hit the elk, and fell back. Coltz landed on top of the elk.“You’ll beat,” said Wus.“What will you bet?” asked Coltz.“I’ll bet my knife; then the elk and knife will be yours, and you will have something to skin the elk with.”Coltz was glad. He wanted the knife. “This is the last time,” said Wus. “If neither of us get over, we will divide.”Wus ran hard this time, jumped, and went over. Coltz came down on the elk. “The elk is mine!” said Wus.“Let’s try again,” said Coltz. Wus jumped over six times, then he said: “I am through jumping. The elk is mine.”“Won’t you give me a piece?” asked Coltz. “Give me the heart.”“Go away,” said Wus. “If you make me mad, I’ll kill you. This is my elk. I want it all.”“Give me a little piece of the fat,” begged Coltz.Wus drove him away, but he came back. Wus jumped on him, took a stone and pounded him till he thought he was dead. Then he divided the meat, said: “This is for my mother; this is for my children; this is for myself.”Coltz began to move. Wus jumped on him and pounded him till he was dead. He made a great pack of some of the meat, and when he was ready to put it on his back, he took off his cap (it was full of holes, like a little round sieve), put it down by the elk, and said: “My cap, if Coltz moves, shout for me.” He put the load on his back and started.Coltz moved a little. Cap called out: “He’s alive! He’s alive!” Wus went back, pounded Coltz, smashed him all up.[275]Then he said: “My cap, shout if Coltz moves!” He put the pack on and started again.Cap called: “He’s moving! He’s alive!” Wus dropped his pack, ran back, and smashed Coltz up again. But he hadn’t gone far when Cap called: “He’s alive!”Wus was mad. He said: “I wonder what kind of old man that is. Why can’t he die?” He pounded him a long time, broke him all up, then he threw the pieces away. “He is dead now!” thought Wus, and he ran off as fast as he could, got beyond the mountain. Coltz came to life, but he didn’t move for a long time: he was watching Cap.At last he said: “I’ll kill you, old Cap.” He sprang at it, and before Cap could shout, he tore it to pieces, and said: “I never heard a cap talk before. This kind of person has no mind. You’ll never talk again, you’ll never be alive again!”When Wus got home, he fed his children. They were glad to eat meat; they were almost starved. Then he said to his mother: “You must get up early in the morning and help me pack all the meat home. We will dry it. There will be lots to eat.”When Cap was dead, Coltz carried to the top of a high tree, all the meat Wus had left; he built a fire, and began cooking.When Wus and his mother and children came, the meat was gone. Wus tracked Coltz to the tree; he called him “brother,” and teased him to give him some of the meat. At last he said: “Brother, drop us down just a little piece. We are hungry.”“Stand in a row and shut your eyes,” said Coltz. “I’ll throw you a piece.” When they were in a row, he threw down the backbone of the elk and killed Wus and his children and his mother.Then Coltz said to Wus: “As long as this world stands, you will live by stealing.” Wus’ spirit answered: “Hereafter you will not be a person. You will never have an easy time again; you will live on grass and not kill game.”[276]
[Contents]COLTZ AND WUSCHARACTERSColtzPorcupineWŏnElkWusFoxColtz started to travel. On his journey he came to a deep river; he followed it up, and then followed it down, but couldn’t find a crossing place. Then he sat down on the bank, and looking at the water, wondered what made it so deep. He sat there three days, then some of the Wŏn people came to the river to cross. One of them, an old man, traveled slower than the others. He waited, and when the rest had crossed, he said to Coltz: “Why do you sit there looking at the water? Why don’t you cross?”“I can’t,” said Coltz.“Why don’t you swim, as we do?”“The water is deep. I feel scared.”“Get on my back,” said Wŏn, “I will take you over.”“I am afraid that I would get washed off.”“Sit behind my head.”“You might turn your head around and drop me off.”“Creep into my ear.”“You might shake your head, and I would fall out.”“Take hold of my neck and hang on tight.”“I couldn’t hold on long enough; I should get tired and drop off. Then I would get drowned.”“I don’t want to leave you here looking at the water. It makes me feel sorry. You must come. Hurry, now, my people have left me; they are far off by this time. Creep into my mouth; I won’t chew you.”Coltz crept in, then went down and sat right by Wŏn’s heart.[273]When Wŏn got across the river, he felt sharp things sticking into his heart; he forgot that he had let Coltz creep into his mouth. The sharp things hurt worse and worse. He lay down on the ground and died.Coltz crept out of Wŏn’s mouth and went to hunt for a piece of sharp rock (obsidian) to cut up the body. As he hunted, he talked to himself, said: “I wish I could find something to skin Wŏn with. I’ve nothing to scrape my arrows on.” He said different things, so if any one heard him, they wouldn’t know what he was talking about.Wus was near by; he heard Coltz talking and he listened. He thought: “I wonder what that old man is saying.” He waited, heard Coltz say the same words again, then he said: “Hach! hach! hach!” and ran a little nearer. He heard the same words a third time, then he scratched his head and thought hard. “I believe that old man has killed an elk,” said he. Then he called out: “Hach! hach! hach!” ran right up in front of Coltz, and asked: “Old man, what did you say?”“I didn’t say anything; I’m hunting for a stone to sharpen my arrows with.”Coltz was terribly scared.“No,” said Wus, “you said you had nothing to skin Wŏn with. I’ll lend you my knife, if you will tell me where your elk is.”“I haven’t any elk. I was just talking to myself, and making believe I had one.”“You have killed an elk. Tell me where it is, and I’ll help you cut it up. You are an old man, but I am young; I will skin the elk for you.”“I haven’t any elk. How could I kill a big elk? I have no bow or arrows.”“You are wise,” said Wus. “You have power; you can do anything. You are a big man.”Coltz began to feel proud. At last he said: “Come and see what a big elk I have killed.”When Wus saw the elk, he said: “Now, Coltz, let’s play a game. We’ll run and try to jump over the elk. The one that[274]jumps best and farthest will have him.” Wus had made Coltz think he could do anything.“How far shall we jump?” asked Coltz.“Not far,” said Wus.Coltz said “Chi! Chi! Chi!” and ran. He jumped and fell on top of the elk. Wus tried; he hit the elk and fell back. (He was fooling Coltz.)Wus said: “We’ll try again; I’m sure you will beat.”“It is mine, anyhow,” said Coltz.Wus ran first, hit the elk, and fell back. Coltz landed on top of the elk.“You’ll beat,” said Wus.“What will you bet?” asked Coltz.“I’ll bet my knife; then the elk and knife will be yours, and you will have something to skin the elk with.”Coltz was glad. He wanted the knife. “This is the last time,” said Wus. “If neither of us get over, we will divide.”Wus ran hard this time, jumped, and went over. Coltz came down on the elk. “The elk is mine!” said Wus.“Let’s try again,” said Coltz. Wus jumped over six times, then he said: “I am through jumping. The elk is mine.”“Won’t you give me a piece?” asked Coltz. “Give me the heart.”“Go away,” said Wus. “If you make me mad, I’ll kill you. This is my elk. I want it all.”“Give me a little piece of the fat,” begged Coltz.Wus drove him away, but he came back. Wus jumped on him, took a stone and pounded him till he thought he was dead. Then he divided the meat, said: “This is for my mother; this is for my children; this is for myself.”Coltz began to move. Wus jumped on him and pounded him till he was dead. He made a great pack of some of the meat, and when he was ready to put it on his back, he took off his cap (it was full of holes, like a little round sieve), put it down by the elk, and said: “My cap, if Coltz moves, shout for me.” He put the load on his back and started.Coltz moved a little. Cap called out: “He’s alive! He’s alive!” Wus went back, pounded Coltz, smashed him all up.[275]Then he said: “My cap, shout if Coltz moves!” He put the pack on and started again.Cap called: “He’s moving! He’s alive!” Wus dropped his pack, ran back, and smashed Coltz up again. But he hadn’t gone far when Cap called: “He’s alive!”Wus was mad. He said: “I wonder what kind of old man that is. Why can’t he die?” He pounded him a long time, broke him all up, then he threw the pieces away. “He is dead now!” thought Wus, and he ran off as fast as he could, got beyond the mountain. Coltz came to life, but he didn’t move for a long time: he was watching Cap.At last he said: “I’ll kill you, old Cap.” He sprang at it, and before Cap could shout, he tore it to pieces, and said: “I never heard a cap talk before. This kind of person has no mind. You’ll never talk again, you’ll never be alive again!”When Wus got home, he fed his children. They were glad to eat meat; they were almost starved. Then he said to his mother: “You must get up early in the morning and help me pack all the meat home. We will dry it. There will be lots to eat.”When Cap was dead, Coltz carried to the top of a high tree, all the meat Wus had left; he built a fire, and began cooking.When Wus and his mother and children came, the meat was gone. Wus tracked Coltz to the tree; he called him “brother,” and teased him to give him some of the meat. At last he said: “Brother, drop us down just a little piece. We are hungry.”“Stand in a row and shut your eyes,” said Coltz. “I’ll throw you a piece.” When they were in a row, he threw down the backbone of the elk and killed Wus and his children and his mother.Then Coltz said to Wus: “As long as this world stands, you will live by stealing.” Wus’ spirit answered: “Hereafter you will not be a person. You will never have an easy time again; you will live on grass and not kill game.”[276]
COLTZ AND WUS
CHARACTERSColtzPorcupineWŏnElkWusFoxColtz started to travel. On his journey he came to a deep river; he followed it up, and then followed it down, but couldn’t find a crossing place. Then he sat down on the bank, and looking at the water, wondered what made it so deep. He sat there three days, then some of the Wŏn people came to the river to cross. One of them, an old man, traveled slower than the others. He waited, and when the rest had crossed, he said to Coltz: “Why do you sit there looking at the water? Why don’t you cross?”“I can’t,” said Coltz.“Why don’t you swim, as we do?”“The water is deep. I feel scared.”“Get on my back,” said Wŏn, “I will take you over.”“I am afraid that I would get washed off.”“Sit behind my head.”“You might turn your head around and drop me off.”“Creep into my ear.”“You might shake your head, and I would fall out.”“Take hold of my neck and hang on tight.”“I couldn’t hold on long enough; I should get tired and drop off. Then I would get drowned.”“I don’t want to leave you here looking at the water. It makes me feel sorry. You must come. Hurry, now, my people have left me; they are far off by this time. Creep into my mouth; I won’t chew you.”Coltz crept in, then went down and sat right by Wŏn’s heart.[273]When Wŏn got across the river, he felt sharp things sticking into his heart; he forgot that he had let Coltz creep into his mouth. The sharp things hurt worse and worse. He lay down on the ground and died.Coltz crept out of Wŏn’s mouth and went to hunt for a piece of sharp rock (obsidian) to cut up the body. As he hunted, he talked to himself, said: “I wish I could find something to skin Wŏn with. I’ve nothing to scrape my arrows on.” He said different things, so if any one heard him, they wouldn’t know what he was talking about.Wus was near by; he heard Coltz talking and he listened. He thought: “I wonder what that old man is saying.” He waited, heard Coltz say the same words again, then he said: “Hach! hach! hach!” and ran a little nearer. He heard the same words a third time, then he scratched his head and thought hard. “I believe that old man has killed an elk,” said he. Then he called out: “Hach! hach! hach!” ran right up in front of Coltz, and asked: “Old man, what did you say?”“I didn’t say anything; I’m hunting for a stone to sharpen my arrows with.”Coltz was terribly scared.“No,” said Wus, “you said you had nothing to skin Wŏn with. I’ll lend you my knife, if you will tell me where your elk is.”“I haven’t any elk. I was just talking to myself, and making believe I had one.”“You have killed an elk. Tell me where it is, and I’ll help you cut it up. You are an old man, but I am young; I will skin the elk for you.”“I haven’t any elk. How could I kill a big elk? I have no bow or arrows.”“You are wise,” said Wus. “You have power; you can do anything. You are a big man.”Coltz began to feel proud. At last he said: “Come and see what a big elk I have killed.”When Wus saw the elk, he said: “Now, Coltz, let’s play a game. We’ll run and try to jump over the elk. The one that[274]jumps best and farthest will have him.” Wus had made Coltz think he could do anything.“How far shall we jump?” asked Coltz.“Not far,” said Wus.Coltz said “Chi! Chi! Chi!” and ran. He jumped and fell on top of the elk. Wus tried; he hit the elk and fell back. (He was fooling Coltz.)Wus said: “We’ll try again; I’m sure you will beat.”“It is mine, anyhow,” said Coltz.Wus ran first, hit the elk, and fell back. Coltz landed on top of the elk.“You’ll beat,” said Wus.“What will you bet?” asked Coltz.“I’ll bet my knife; then the elk and knife will be yours, and you will have something to skin the elk with.”Coltz was glad. He wanted the knife. “This is the last time,” said Wus. “If neither of us get over, we will divide.”Wus ran hard this time, jumped, and went over. Coltz came down on the elk. “The elk is mine!” said Wus.“Let’s try again,” said Coltz. Wus jumped over six times, then he said: “I am through jumping. The elk is mine.”“Won’t you give me a piece?” asked Coltz. “Give me the heart.”“Go away,” said Wus. “If you make me mad, I’ll kill you. This is my elk. I want it all.”“Give me a little piece of the fat,” begged Coltz.Wus drove him away, but he came back. Wus jumped on him, took a stone and pounded him till he thought he was dead. Then he divided the meat, said: “This is for my mother; this is for my children; this is for myself.”Coltz began to move. Wus jumped on him and pounded him till he was dead. He made a great pack of some of the meat, and when he was ready to put it on his back, he took off his cap (it was full of holes, like a little round sieve), put it down by the elk, and said: “My cap, if Coltz moves, shout for me.” He put the load on his back and started.Coltz moved a little. Cap called out: “He’s alive! He’s alive!” Wus went back, pounded Coltz, smashed him all up.[275]Then he said: “My cap, shout if Coltz moves!” He put the pack on and started again.Cap called: “He’s moving! He’s alive!” Wus dropped his pack, ran back, and smashed Coltz up again. But he hadn’t gone far when Cap called: “He’s alive!”Wus was mad. He said: “I wonder what kind of old man that is. Why can’t he die?” He pounded him a long time, broke him all up, then he threw the pieces away. “He is dead now!” thought Wus, and he ran off as fast as he could, got beyond the mountain. Coltz came to life, but he didn’t move for a long time: he was watching Cap.At last he said: “I’ll kill you, old Cap.” He sprang at it, and before Cap could shout, he tore it to pieces, and said: “I never heard a cap talk before. This kind of person has no mind. You’ll never talk again, you’ll never be alive again!”When Wus got home, he fed his children. They were glad to eat meat; they were almost starved. Then he said to his mother: “You must get up early in the morning and help me pack all the meat home. We will dry it. There will be lots to eat.”When Cap was dead, Coltz carried to the top of a high tree, all the meat Wus had left; he built a fire, and began cooking.When Wus and his mother and children came, the meat was gone. Wus tracked Coltz to the tree; he called him “brother,” and teased him to give him some of the meat. At last he said: “Brother, drop us down just a little piece. We are hungry.”“Stand in a row and shut your eyes,” said Coltz. “I’ll throw you a piece.” When they were in a row, he threw down the backbone of the elk and killed Wus and his children and his mother.Then Coltz said to Wus: “As long as this world stands, you will live by stealing.” Wus’ spirit answered: “Hereafter you will not be a person. You will never have an easy time again; you will live on grass and not kill game.”[276]
CHARACTERSColtzPorcupineWŏnElkWusFox
Coltz started to travel. On his journey he came to a deep river; he followed it up, and then followed it down, but couldn’t find a crossing place. Then he sat down on the bank, and looking at the water, wondered what made it so deep. He sat there three days, then some of the Wŏn people came to the river to cross. One of them, an old man, traveled slower than the others. He waited, and when the rest had crossed, he said to Coltz: “Why do you sit there looking at the water? Why don’t you cross?”
“I can’t,” said Coltz.
“Why don’t you swim, as we do?”
“The water is deep. I feel scared.”
“Get on my back,” said Wŏn, “I will take you over.”
“I am afraid that I would get washed off.”
“Sit behind my head.”
“You might turn your head around and drop me off.”
“Creep into my ear.”
“You might shake your head, and I would fall out.”
“Take hold of my neck and hang on tight.”
“I couldn’t hold on long enough; I should get tired and drop off. Then I would get drowned.”
“I don’t want to leave you here looking at the water. It makes me feel sorry. You must come. Hurry, now, my people have left me; they are far off by this time. Creep into my mouth; I won’t chew you.”
Coltz crept in, then went down and sat right by Wŏn’s heart.[273]
When Wŏn got across the river, he felt sharp things sticking into his heart; he forgot that he had let Coltz creep into his mouth. The sharp things hurt worse and worse. He lay down on the ground and died.
Coltz crept out of Wŏn’s mouth and went to hunt for a piece of sharp rock (obsidian) to cut up the body. As he hunted, he talked to himself, said: “I wish I could find something to skin Wŏn with. I’ve nothing to scrape my arrows on.” He said different things, so if any one heard him, they wouldn’t know what he was talking about.
Wus was near by; he heard Coltz talking and he listened. He thought: “I wonder what that old man is saying.” He waited, heard Coltz say the same words again, then he said: “Hach! hach! hach!” and ran a little nearer. He heard the same words a third time, then he scratched his head and thought hard. “I believe that old man has killed an elk,” said he. Then he called out: “Hach! hach! hach!” ran right up in front of Coltz, and asked: “Old man, what did you say?”
“I didn’t say anything; I’m hunting for a stone to sharpen my arrows with.”
Coltz was terribly scared.
“No,” said Wus, “you said you had nothing to skin Wŏn with. I’ll lend you my knife, if you will tell me where your elk is.”
“I haven’t any elk. I was just talking to myself, and making believe I had one.”
“You have killed an elk. Tell me where it is, and I’ll help you cut it up. You are an old man, but I am young; I will skin the elk for you.”
“I haven’t any elk. How could I kill a big elk? I have no bow or arrows.”
“You are wise,” said Wus. “You have power; you can do anything. You are a big man.”
Coltz began to feel proud. At last he said: “Come and see what a big elk I have killed.”
When Wus saw the elk, he said: “Now, Coltz, let’s play a game. We’ll run and try to jump over the elk. The one that[274]jumps best and farthest will have him.” Wus had made Coltz think he could do anything.
“How far shall we jump?” asked Coltz.
“Not far,” said Wus.
Coltz said “Chi! Chi! Chi!” and ran. He jumped and fell on top of the elk. Wus tried; he hit the elk and fell back. (He was fooling Coltz.)
Wus said: “We’ll try again; I’m sure you will beat.”
“It is mine, anyhow,” said Coltz.
Wus ran first, hit the elk, and fell back. Coltz landed on top of the elk.
“You’ll beat,” said Wus.
“What will you bet?” asked Coltz.
“I’ll bet my knife; then the elk and knife will be yours, and you will have something to skin the elk with.”
Coltz was glad. He wanted the knife. “This is the last time,” said Wus. “If neither of us get over, we will divide.”
Wus ran hard this time, jumped, and went over. Coltz came down on the elk. “The elk is mine!” said Wus.
“Let’s try again,” said Coltz. Wus jumped over six times, then he said: “I am through jumping. The elk is mine.”
“Won’t you give me a piece?” asked Coltz. “Give me the heart.”
“Go away,” said Wus. “If you make me mad, I’ll kill you. This is my elk. I want it all.”
“Give me a little piece of the fat,” begged Coltz.
Wus drove him away, but he came back. Wus jumped on him, took a stone and pounded him till he thought he was dead. Then he divided the meat, said: “This is for my mother; this is for my children; this is for myself.”
Coltz began to move. Wus jumped on him and pounded him till he was dead. He made a great pack of some of the meat, and when he was ready to put it on his back, he took off his cap (it was full of holes, like a little round sieve), put it down by the elk, and said: “My cap, if Coltz moves, shout for me.” He put the load on his back and started.
Coltz moved a little. Cap called out: “He’s alive! He’s alive!” Wus went back, pounded Coltz, smashed him all up.[275]Then he said: “My cap, shout if Coltz moves!” He put the pack on and started again.
Cap called: “He’s moving! He’s alive!” Wus dropped his pack, ran back, and smashed Coltz up again. But he hadn’t gone far when Cap called: “He’s alive!”
Wus was mad. He said: “I wonder what kind of old man that is. Why can’t he die?” He pounded him a long time, broke him all up, then he threw the pieces away. “He is dead now!” thought Wus, and he ran off as fast as he could, got beyond the mountain. Coltz came to life, but he didn’t move for a long time: he was watching Cap.
At last he said: “I’ll kill you, old Cap.” He sprang at it, and before Cap could shout, he tore it to pieces, and said: “I never heard a cap talk before. This kind of person has no mind. You’ll never talk again, you’ll never be alive again!”
When Wus got home, he fed his children. They were glad to eat meat; they were almost starved. Then he said to his mother: “You must get up early in the morning and help me pack all the meat home. We will dry it. There will be lots to eat.”
When Cap was dead, Coltz carried to the top of a high tree, all the meat Wus had left; he built a fire, and began cooking.
When Wus and his mother and children came, the meat was gone. Wus tracked Coltz to the tree; he called him “brother,” and teased him to give him some of the meat. At last he said: “Brother, drop us down just a little piece. We are hungry.”
“Stand in a row and shut your eyes,” said Coltz. “I’ll throw you a piece.” When they were in a row, he threw down the backbone of the elk and killed Wus and his children and his mother.
Then Coltz said to Wus: “As long as this world stands, you will live by stealing.” Wus’ spirit answered: “Hereafter you will not be a person. You will never have an easy time again; you will live on grass and not kill game.”[276]