e
plain, and began dancing and singing songs of praise for their
deliverance.

THIRTEENTH EVENING

THE WARS OF WA-KEE-YAN AND UNK-TAY-HEE

THIRTEENTH EVENING

"Were you not frightened last night, grandfather?" exclaims Waola, the
boldest of the boys, before the little circle has fairly settled into
quiet. "Thunder in the Moon of Sore Eyes is not heard so often! My
little sister cried bitterly, and Uncle says that it is an omen of
misfortune."

"So it would have seemed to me once, my grandson," replies the old sage,
with his pleasant smile. "But I am an old man, and I have heard the
Thunder-Bird speak even more loudly, both in season and out of season,
yet no evil came of it to our people. Truly I think that the Great
Mystery has set bounds to the terrors of these his warriors, so that we
need not tremble before them as in the old days, when their laws were
not fully known.

"There is a very old story concerning these matters, which I will tell
you to-night."

THE WARS OF WA-KEE-YAN AND UNK-TAY-HEE

Wa-kee-yan is the Great Bird of storm and tempest, who was appointed in
the beginning of things to keep the earth and also the upper air pure
and clean. Although there is sometimes death and destruction in his
path, yet he is a servant of the Great Mystery and his work is good.

Yet he rules only one half the year. The other half is ruled by
Wa-zee-yah, the Spirit of Cold, and he too purifies the air and the
water.

When Wa-zee-yah, the North Wind, the Cold-Maker, comes, the animals put
on thicker robes and some even change their color to be like the white
blanket that he lays over the earth. Then the waters are imprisoned for
a season, and all things sleep and rest.

Then comes He-yo-kah, the South-Wind, also called the Fool-Wind, he who
is the herald of the Thunder-Bird and causes all the trees and the
plains to put on their garments of green.

For ages there had been war between the Thunder-Bird, the ruler of the
upper air, and the Water Monster, or Unk-tay-hee, the ruler of the deep.
Whenever a black cloud appeared in the sky and cast its threatening
shadow upon the water, all the fishes knew it for a warning to descend
to the floor of their watery abode, the deep, dark realm, away from the
power of his arrows.

Even the sea birds must seek their sheltered coves and hiding-places,
pull tight their downy blankets and be still, for now Wa-kee-yan would
sweep sea and air with his mighty win