the
people down here trying to raise it, and this is why we came."
"Chanteen" (sun's rays), exclaimed the man, "I have the chanteen; I have
a crystal from which I can light the chanteen, and I have the rainbow;
with these three I can raise the sun." The people said, "Go ahead and
raise it." When he had elevated the sun a short distance it tipped a
little and burned vegetation and scorched the people, for it was still
too near. Then the people said to Atseatsine and Atseatsan, "Raise the
sun higher," and they continued to elevate it, and yet it continued to
burn everything. They were then called upon to "lift it higher still, as
high as possible," but after at certain height was reached their power
failed; it would go no farther.

The couple then made four poles, two of turquoise and two of white-shell
beads, and each was put under the sun, and with these poles the twelve
men at each of the cardinal points raised it. They could not get it high
enough to prevent the people and grass from burning. The people then
said, "Let us stretch the world;" so the twelve men at each point
expanded the world. The sun continued to rise as the world expanded, and
began to shine with less heat, but when it reached the meridian the heat
became great and the people suffered much. They crawled everywhere to
find shade. Then the voice of Darkness went four times around the world
telling the men at the cardinal points to go on expanding the world.
"I want all this trouble stopped," said Darkness; "the people are
suffering and all is burning; you must continue stretching." And the men
blew and stretched, and after a time they saw the sun rise beautifully,
and when the sun again reached the meridian it was only tropical. It was
then just right, and as far as the eye could reach the earth was
encircled first with the white dawn of day, then with the blue of early
morning, and all things were perfect. And Ahsonnutli commanded the
twelve men to go to the east, south, west, and north, to hold up the
heavens (Yiyanitsinni, the holders up of the heavens), which office they
are supposed to perform to this day.

HASJELTI AND HOSTJOGHON.

Hasjelti and Hostjoghon were the children of Ahsonnutli, the turquoise,
and Yolaikaiason (white-shell woman, wife of the sun). Ahsonnutli placed
an ear of white corn and Yolaikaiason an ear of yellow corn on the
mountain where the fogs meet. The corn conceived, the white corn giving
birth to Hasjelti and the yell