eft hand to his
brow, from the sweat thereon, which he rolled in his hands as before,
Kuterastan let drop from his right palm a small boy, Hadintin Skhin.

The four sat upon that still cloud for a time as if in reverie, the first
to break the silence being he who commenced the creation: "What shall we
do next? I do not like this cloud to live upon, but we are to rule and
must stay together. How dreary it is here! I wish we had some place to
go." And then he set to work again, creating Nacholecho, the Tarantula,
who was later to help in completing the earth, and Nokuse, the Big Dipper,
whose duty it would be to befriend and to guide. The creation of
Nilchidilhkizn, the Wind, Ndidilhkizn, the Lightning Maker, and the clouds
in the west to house Ndisagochan, Lightning Rumbler, whom he placed in
them at the same time, next occupied his attention. Then turning to
Stenatlihan, Kuterastan said, "Truly this is not a fit place in which to
live; let us make the earth." And so saying he at once began to sing, "I
am thinking of the earth, the earth, the earth; I am thinking of the
earth," which he repeated four times. As he ceased, Stenatlihan,
Chuganaai, and Hadintin Skhin each shook hands with him. Sweat from their
hands adhered to his. He at once began rubbing his palms, when suddenly
there slipped from between them a small brown body, no larger than a bean.
Kuterastan kicked it and it expanded; Stenatlihan then kicked it and its
size further increased; Chuganaai next gave it a severe blow with his foot
and it became larger still; a kick from Hadintin Skhin made it greater
yet. Nilchidilhkizn, the Wind, was told to go inside and blow outward in
all directions. This he did, greatly expanding the dimensions of that
body, now so wide that they could hardly see its edge. The Lightning was
next directed to exert his strength, so with a terrific flash and roar he
penetrated the body to its centre, spreading it still wider. Then
Tarantula was called on to assist, and accordingly he started off to the
east, spinning a strong black cord, on which he pulled with all his might;
another cord of blue was spun out to the south, a third of yellow to the
west, and a fourth of glistening white to the north. A mighty pull on each
of these stretched the surface of that dark brown body to almost
immeasurable size. Finally Kuterastan directed all to cover their eyes
with their hands, and when they opened them a moment later they beheld
Nigostu{~COMBI