The Lake and the
Sky
BY GEORGE WHARTON JAMES (1915)
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There lying on the log at the edge of the
lake, lay a water-baby. It was asleep with its head resting on its arms and its
beautiful, sunshine-golden-hair was spread over it.
"Oh," said Little Brother, "I'll get that beautiful sun-shine-hair as a present
for my brother!" So he crept very softly down on the log, thinking to kill the
water-baby before it awoke. But he was not successful in this, for the creature
opened its eyes as he laid his hand on its hair, and a furious fight ensued.
Sometimes it seemed as though Little Brother would be killed, but finally he was
able to scalp the poor water-baby and get possession of the beautiful
sunshine-golden-hair.
Every one can see where this fight occurred. The red hill near Emerald Bay
stands as a memorial of the struggle, for its color is caused by the blood of
the slain water-baby.
Tucking his prize in his hunting shirt and hugging it close, Little Brother now
went on, murmuring to himself, "Oh, my brother like this, my brother like this
beautiful golden-sunshine-hair!"
But suddenly, as he was climbing upward, he noticed the water lapping at his
heels, and when he turned to see whence it came, he found that the big lake
behind him was rapidly rising, and even as he stood wondering, it arose above
his ankles.
Then he remembered what he had heard of revengeful water-babies, but frightened
though he was, he could not bear to throw away his prize. However, he knew he
must do something, so he plucked out a few hairs from the scalp and threw them
into the ascending waves. For a minute the water ceased to rise and he sped
onward, but before long he felt the water at his heels again, and knew that once
more he must gain a short respite by throwing out a few of the
golden-sunshine-hairs. And ever and again he had to do this until at last he
spied his brother ahead of him. "Ah, brother," he cried, drawing the scalp from
his blouse, "see what a beautiful present I have for you!"
But when his brother turned toward him he saw only the angry, rising waters, and
rushing forward he snatched the beautiful sunshine-golden-hair and cast it back
into the waters, crying, "How you dare meddle with water-babies? Don't you know
water surely come up and get you?"
And poor Little Brother felt very sad; but the danger he had been in seemed to
have endeared him once more to Hunter Brother and they stood arm-in-arm and
watched the waters recede.
But there were hollows in the land and when the waters went back they held the
water and so were formed that chain of lakes on the other side of Tallac and
Emerald Bay, the Velmas, Kalmia, Cascade, and others.
The rest of the story is confused and full of repetitions. The gist of it is
that Little Brother was ever getting into trouble from which Hunter Brother had
to rescue him, for which Little Brother was most grateful and would go off
seeking for a present to give to the Big Brother who was so kind to him.
Once he got a young bear cub. He thought it was a dog. He petted it and brought
it to his brother as a hunting-dog.
Finally, after Hunter Brother had made a first-class hunter of Little Brother so
that he could use his bow and arrows with great success, they went down toward
the Sacramento Valley hunting deer. They followed a fine buck over hill and dale
but could not get a good shot at him. At last worn out by running and suffering
greatly, the Little Brother lay down and died. When his brother found him, he
did not attempt to bring him to life again but buried him under a pile of rocks
and leaves.
THE "WILD-GRUB" HOLE AT GARDNERVILLE
Once upon a time there was an old Indian who lived over in Hope Valley with his
two grand-daughters. He was a mean old man. He made the girls work very hard all
day long. They had to gather wild grass seeds and acorns and grind them into
flour all the time. The old man caught plenty of fish and frogs which he took
off for his own eating, but he gave the girls none.
One day he came in with a woodchuck skin and told the girls to fill it with wild
wheat flour. He did not tell them what he wanted it for. When the skin was full
he left the campoodie without a word as to where he was going. But the bag
leaked and a little stream of flour trickled out and marked his path. He went
away off to a lake where he caught plenty of fish and frogs on which he feasted
until he could eat no more. Then he lay down by his fire and was soon fast
asleep.
Meanwhile in the campoodie the two girls were talking about the old man's
meanness. "He makes us work so hard and we never have any fish to eat. He keeps
it all himself," said the older girl.
"I wonder where he's gone now?" said the younger one, going to the door-way and
looking out. Suddenly she noticed the little line of flour trailing off through
the woods. "Ah, now I'll find him!" And just calling to her sister that she
would be back soon, she darted off.
It was dark when she came back weeping. She threw herself on the ground outside
the campoodie and poured out her story. She had found the old man lying there
fast asleep, gorged with fish. The remnants of his feast lay all about him. She
had not dared to waken him or speak to him, but coming home, had made up her
mind to run away and not work for the mean old man any more.
To this the sister agreed, and at daybreak they were scurrying off through the
forest.
All day they traveled and when night came they were still in the wilds far from
any Indian camp.
Worn out, they lay down under a great pine and looked up at the stars.
"Oh," said the older girl, "see that fine Star-man up there! I'd like to marry
him!"
"Oh, no!" said the younger, "he belongs to me. I'd like to marry him!"
They lay there telling what each would do could she only marry the Star-man,
until they fell asleep. When they awoke in the morning, lo, they found
themselves up in the sky, and the elder girl had a baby already—a star-baby! At
first the girls were very good to the star-baby but it cried a great deal.
One day the younger girl was very cross and put it outside of the campoodie. The
poor baby cried all the more until the elder sister took pity on it, but when
she had fed it and it still cried, the younger sister became very angry and told
her sister to put that "brat" outside. The sister was tired too, so she put the
poor baby outside.
When the baby could not make them come to him, he got up and went to find his
grandfather, the Moon. He told him how mean his mother and aunt were to him. The
old Moon was very angry. He took the star-baby by the hand and went tramping
back through the sky to find the cruel mother and her sister.
Now, the girls had been getting rather tired of their sky-campoodie and they
longed for their home on the earth. They used to go to a hole in the sky and
look down on the earth, wishing they were there again. Indeed, at the time the
star-baby went off to find his grandfather, the Moon, they were at the hole in
the sky, amusing themselves by looking through and indulging in vain regrets
that they were no longer there.
"Oh, sister," suddenly said the elder, "there goes our old grandfather! Poor old
man! I wish we were with him! See, he's carrying big bags of wild wheat-flour
and acorns!"
Just then the old Moon came tramping up, and the whole sky trembled. The people
on earth said it was thundering. He grabbed the two girls by their hair and
shaking them till they were almost dead, he hurled them down through the hole.
Down, down, they went, straight down to where their old grandfather was walking
along, little suspecting what was coming. They both hit him and, coming as they
did with such force, they made a deep hole in the earth in which they were
almost buried.
That hole is over by Gardnerville. In that hole Indians can always find plenty
of wild-grub—wild-wheat, wild potato, wild acorn—plenty there. Snow very deep.
No difference. Always plenty wild grub there. I see that hole. I believe that
story!
THE ORIGIN OF THE DIFFERENT INDIAN TRIBES
Long, long ago, away over in Paiuti-land there were some young boys and girls
playing. They played all sorts of games, but they liked hand-ball best. And as
they played, they sang songs of gladness.
There was one old woman, their grandmother, who would not play with them. She
had a little baby, her youngest grandchild, whom she was trying to quiet, but
the little one cried and cried continuously.
By-and-by the old woman heard a noise outside. She was frightened and called to
the young folks. "Some one's coming! You better stop! Better hide! Maybe Evil
One, devil, coming!"
But the young folks paid no attention to her warning. They kept on playing
harder than ever. The old woman covered the baby with a big basket and hid her
own face in her shawl.
Then the Evil One
came in. All the young folks turned to see who was coming in and as soon as they
looked upon his face they fell dead.
Only the old woman
and the baby were left; for the Evil One did not see them.
When he was gone, the old woman snatched up the baby and hurried off down to the
river. As she was hurrying along she met an old man.
"Where are you going?" said he. Then the old woman saw that it was the
Evil One himself. She was afraid but she did not want him to know it.
She kept the baby covered in the basket and answered, "I'm going to the
river to get wild potatoes!"
"Where are all the girls?" asked the Evil One.
