The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-10-16

We get the most intimate and
the most unerring view OF them. ="
Once upon a time there was a great
chief. He was Of a very wicked nature
ard very jealous OF everybody. but
most so Of his lovely young wife. He
even kept her shut up In big box,
which he hung from the roof by cords
Of skins. This chief had a sister also,
who had two sons. but both the chill
dren and their mother feared this chief
for his cruel ways and hid as far away
as possible. One day, however, he
found them al and instantly killed
both the boys, saying he feared that
when they grew older they might steal
his wife away.
Then the sorrowful mother fed and
hid herself crying all day and night
for her pretty boys. In the evening.
as she was weeping, there appeared to
her e crane. She thought the crane
was e man. for so he seemed to her,
while he was really a wonderful magic
crane who could do strange things. The
crane asked her many questions about
her sad fortune and sympathized with
her very kindly Finally he told her TO
shore as clean and white as she could
ind and 70 swallow it. This she did
and after q little time she bore a child,
q son. who was the famous Yehl, about
whom many stories are told over the
nres IN winter nights.
YehIs mother hid him carefully, for
Uhe remembered his wicked uncle and
feared for HIS life. But in less than
tan days the baby had become a full
crown man. tall and fearless. Then his
nether was glad and gave him bow
end arroEs and taught him TO shoot
straight and true. Then she brought
him erenly TO the house Of the great
chief, who. Of course, pretended to be
rlsased, but that very moment plotted
90 destroy him
Re asked the boy 70 90 out with him
IA his bark canoe fishing and in the
deepest part Of the river tipped the
boat ever. But Yehl let himself sink
20 the bottom and walked ashore on
che sand Then his uncle took him into
the darkest. widest part Of the forest
and tying him up IN bark canoe left
him 70 starve. But again Yehl put
out his strong arms, broke the bonds,
picked up the canoe and ,trotted home
with Il.
Soon after this the great chief was
OBLIGED TO go hunting, as almost all
the food was gone. He left Yehl
cutie alone in the house ard the very
Hrst thing he did was to cut the skin
strings Of the box that was hanging
from the roof and let out his uncle's
pretty wife. AS she stepped out Of
the box two little birds few out from
under her arms and they at once
guessed that they would fly off 70 tell
the chief. Sure enough in few mo-
rnents he came rushing in, roaring
with rage and called out as loud as he
could, pointing TO the sea:
Let the tide come up"
Higher and higher rose the tide un-
I'll the house was covered, but Yehl
changed himself into a monstrous
crow and few UP to the sky, where
he hung on the edge of a cloud until
the floods had gone down again.
After this he called a great sea OF
ter to him and sent him TO the bot
tom Of the sea, telling him TO bring
back a quantity Of a certain kind of
fine sand. Out Of this sand he made
the world we live in now. When the
world was made il was as bare as the
sand of which Yehl made it. But he
took some seaweed, chewed It up very
fine and sDat it out and 1t grew and
became all the vegetation OF the
earth. Then Yehl made the animals
and last Of all he made men and
women
He made the first man out Of stone.
but he proved to be dull and heavy.
Also Yehl was afraid he might be-
come too powerful ard reign over him.
so he took a stick Of wood and this
time the men were light and active.
Some say that Yehl made his man
out of a leaf and the woman out of
the blossom of a wild strawberry, but
no one believes this now.
About that time all the fire was on
one little island far of in the sea.