Now a strange thing happened.The higher the young man climbed the higher the birds seemed to be, and when he looked down the earth below appeared no bigger than a star.Sill he tried to go back, but he could not, and though he could not see the birds any longer he felt as if something were dragging him up and up.
He thought that he had been climbing that tree for days, and perhaps he had, for suddenly a beautiful country, yellow with fields of maize, stretched before him, and he gladly left the top of the tree and entered it.He walked through the maize without knowing where he was going, when he heard a sound of knocking, and saw two old blind women crushing their food between two stones.He crept up to them on tiptoe, and when one old woman passed her dinner to the other he held out his hand and took it and ate if for himself.
'How slow you are kneading that cake,' cried the other old woman at last.
'Why, I have given you your dinner, and what more do you want?' replied the second.
'You didn't; at least I never got it,' said the other.
'I certainly thought you took it from me; but here is some more.' And again the young man stretched out his hand; and the two old women fell to quarrelling afresh.But when it happened for the third time the old women suspected some trick, and one of them exclaimed:
'I am sure there is a man here; tell me, are you not my grandson?'
'Yes,' answered the young man, who wished to please her, 'and in return for your good dinner I will see if I cannot restore your sight; for Iwas taught in the art of healing by the best medicine man in the tribe.' And with that he left them, and wandered about till he found the herb which he wanted.Then he hastened back to the old women, and begging them to boil him some water, he threw the herb in.As soon as the pot began to sing he took off the lid, and sprinkled the eyes of the women, and sight came back to them once more.
There was no night in that country, so, instead of going to bed very early, as he would have done in his own hut, the young man took another walk.A splashing noise near by drew him down to a valley through which ran a large river, and up a waterfall some salmon were leaping.
How their silver sides glistened in the light, and how he longed to catch some of the great fellows! But how could he do it? He had beheld no one except the old women, and it was not very likely that they would be able to help him.So with a sigh he turned away and went back to them, but, as he walked, a thought struck him.He pulled out one of his hairs which hung nearly to his waist, and it instantly became a strong line, nearly a mile in length.
'Weave me a net that I may catch some salmon,' said he.And they wove him the net he asked for, and for many weeks he watched by the river, only going back to the old women when he wanted a fish cooked.
At last, one day, when he was eating his dinner, the old woman who always spoke first, said to him:
'We have been very glad to see you, grandson, but now it is time that you went home.' And pushing aside a rock, he saw a deep hole, so deep that he could not see to the bottom.Then they dragged a basket out of the house, and tied a rope to it.'Get in, and wrap this blanket round your head,' said they; 'and, whatever happens, don't uncover it till you get to the bottom.' Then they bade him farewell, and he curled himself up in the basket.
Down, down, down he went; would he ever stop going? But when the basket did stop, the young man forgot what he had been told, and put his head out to see what was the matter.In an instant the basket moved, but, to his horror, instead of going down, he felt himself being drawn upwards, and shortly after he beheld the faces of the old women.
'You will never see your wife and son if you will not do as you are bid,' said they.'Now get in, and do not stir till you hear a crow calling.'
This time the young man was wiser, and though the basket often stopped, and strange creatures seemed to rest on him and to pluck at his blanket, he held it tight till he heard the crow calling.Then he flung off the blanket and sprang out, while the basket vanished in the sky.
He walked on quickly down the track that led to the hut, when, before him, he saw his wife with his little son on her back.
'Oh! there is father at last,' cried the boy; but the mother bade him cease from idle talking.
'But, mother, it is true; father is coming!' repeated the child.And, to satisfy him, the woman turned round and perceived her husband.
Oh, how glad they all were to be together again! And when the wind whistled through the forest, and the snow stood in great banks round the door, the father used to take the little boy on his knee and tell him how he caught salmon in the Land of the Sun.
[From the Journal of the Anthropological Institute.]
