Colorado River (Colo.-Mexico); Grand Canyon (Ariz.); United States -- Discovery and exploration
The next day they came near to the home of the enemy, and the brothers,
in proper person, went out to reconnoiter. Seeing a woman gleaning
seeds, they drew near, and knew it was their mother, whom Stone Shirt
had stolen from Sikor', the Crane. They told her they were her sons,
but she denied it and said she had never had but one son; but the boys
related to her their history, with the origin of the two from one, and
she was convinced. She tried to dissuade them from making war upon Stone
Shirt, and told them that no arrow could possibly penetrate his armor,
and that he was a great warrior and had no other delight than in killing
his enemies, and that his daughters also were furnished with magical
bows and arrows, which they could shoot so fast that the arrows would
fill the air like a cloud, and that it was not necessary for them to
take aim, for their missiles went where they willed; they thought the
arrows to the hearts of their enemies; and thus the maidens could kill
the whole of the people before a common arrow could be shot by a common
person. But the boys told her what the spirit had said in the long dream
and that it had promised that Stone Shirt should be killed. They told
her to go down to the lake at dawn, so as not to be endangered by the
battle.
During the night the So'kus Wai'unats transformed themselves into mice
and proceeded to the home of Stone Shirt and found the magical bows and
arrows that belonged to the maidens, and with their sharp teeth they cut
the sinew on the backs of the bows and nibbled the bow strings, so that
they were worthless. Togo'av hid himself under a rock near by.
When dawn came into the sky, Tumpwinai'ro-gwinump, the Stone Shirt man,
arose and walked out of his tent, exulting powell-canyons-193.jpg
WOODEN PIVOT HINGES OF A ZUÑÍ DOOR.
THE RIO VIRGEN AND THE UINKARET MOUNTAINS. 311
in his strength and security, and sat down upon the rock under which
Togo'av was hiding; and he, seeing his opportunity, sank his fangs into
the flesh of the hero. Stone Shirt sprang high into the air and called
to his daughters that they were betrayed and that the enemy was near;
and they seized their magical bows and their quivers filled with magical
arrows and hurried to his defense. At the same time, all the nations
who were surrounding the camp rushed down to battle. But the beautiful
maidens, finding their weapons were destroyed, waved back their enemies,
as if they would parley; and standing for a few moments over the body
of their slain father, sang the death song and danced the death dance,
whirling in giddy circles about the dead hero and wailing with despair,
until they sank down and expired.
The conquerors buried the maidens by the shores of the lake; but
Tumpwinai'rogwinump was left to rot and his bones to bleach on the
sands, as he had left Sikor'.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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