When the old woman came back, the daughter said: “We won’t be persons any longer. In later times people will kill and eat us.” The old woman said: “It is better so.” They wandered off to the mountains, and from that time only a male bear and female bear live together, and they never have more than two children. GÄK AND THE KAIUTOIS BROTHERS CHARACTERS Gäk Crow Kaiutois Wolf Kaltsik Spider Kéwe Eel Pakol Deer Skóŭks Woodtick Tcûskai Weasel Tciwididik Road Runner Tskel Mink The eldest of the five Kaiutois brothers was a great man. The brothers were all good hunters; they had plenty to eat and to wear. Gäk lived near them, and when they went to hunt, he followed to find the game that ran off and died. One day the brothers asked Gäk to go with them to visit Tskel and Tcûskai. They made deerskin moccasins to wear on the journey and told Gäk to make himself a pair out of antelope skin. They wanted to start before daylight. Gäk woke early and called the brothers. They said: “We are up already,” but they were not. Gäk said: “That isn’t true; nobody in the world can beat me in getting up.” The brothers told Gäk to walk behind them. They traveled all day, then camped. That night Gäk’s medicine, slikwis (the fire-drill), woke him, and said: “Swallow me!” The youngest of the Kaiutois brothers thought: “How can Gäk swallow his fire-drill?” That minute the drill stuck in Gäk’s throat and choked him. The eldest brother said: “Whoever thought this must unthink it, then Gäk will unchoke. If he dies, people will say we killed him. Who thought about his swallowing his slikwis?” The youngest brother said: “I thought: ‘He can’t swallow such a long stick,’ but I don’t know how to unthink it, or how to talk the slikwis out of his throat.” For a minute Kaiutois held his head in his hands—Gäk was almost dead—then he said to Gäk: “Since that is your medicine, it must come out of your throat.” The drill came out right away. Gäk’s mother knew that he was choking, for the little fire-drill, that he had hung up in the smoke hole at home, fell. The next day they got to Tskel’s house. Tskel was glad to see them; he told Tcûskai not to play tricks with the Kaiutois brothers or Gäk, for they were his kin. Tskel and Tcûskai got deer meat for their visitors and Skóŭks, Tskel’s wife, cooked it. Tcûskai watched the men. Gäk was ashamed of his moccasins; he took down Tcûskai’s quiver and his own, and said: “Let’s go and hunt.” Tcûskai wouldn’t go; he looked at Gäk’s feet, and began to bother him. Gäk tried to hide his feet, then Tcûskai asked one of the five brothers: “Why don’t that old fellow sit still?” Gäk got mad and wanted to go home. The eldest Kaiutois told him not to feel badly, but to stay; for those men were his kin.