hole in the ground with a
cane so that people might go through to the other side. Others he sent
to Earth Doctor, but Earth Doctor told them they were too late. So they
sent the people to the top of a high mountain called Crooked Mountain.
South Doctor sang a magic song and traced his cane around the mountain,
but that held back the waters only for a short time. Four times he sang
and traced a line around the mountain, yet the flood rose again each
time. There was only one thing more to do.

He held his magic crystals in his left hand and sang a song. Then he
struck it with his cane. A thunder peal rang through the mountains. He
threw his staff into the water and it cracked with a loud noise.
Turning, he saw a dog near him. He said, "How high is the tide?" The dog
said, "It is very near the top." He looked at the people as he said it.
When they heard his voice they all turned to stone. They stood just as
they were, and they are there to this day in groups: some of the men
talking, some of the women cooking, and some crying.

But Earth Doctor escaped by enclosing himself in his reed staff, which
floated upon the water. Elder Brother rolled along in his olla until he
came near the mouth of the Colorado River. The olla is now called Black
Mountain. After the flood he came out and visited all parts of the land.

When he met Coyote and Earth Doctor, each claimed to have been the first
to appear after the flood, but at last they admitted Elder Brother was
the first, so he became ruler of the world.

The Birds and the Flood
Pima (Arizona)

Once upon a time, when all the earth was flooded, two birds were hanging
above the water. They were clinging to the sky with their beaks. The
larger bird was gray with a long tail and beak, but the smaller one was
the tiny bird that builds a nest shaped like an olla, with only a very
small opening at the top. The birds were tired and frightened. The
larger one cried and cried, but the little bird held on tight and said,
"Don't cry. I 'm littler than you are, but I 'm very brave."

Legend of the Flood
Ashochimi (Coast Indians, Cal.)

Long ago there was a great flood which destroyed all the people in the
world. Only Coyote was saved. When the waters subsided, the earth was
empty. Coyote thought about it a long time.

Then Coyote collected a great bundle of tail feathers from owls, hawks,
eagles, and buzzards. He journeyed over the whole earth and carefully
located the si