The mother gave the boy dry red roots to eat, but she always fed the little girl fresh white roots; for herself she pounded seeds. The boy was jealous. One day, when his mother was digging roots, he said to his sister: “Let us go and play. I am lonesome here.” While they were playing, he kept saying to the little girl: “Our mother loves you better than she does me.” His sister said: “No, she doesn’t; but I am little.” The boy wouldn’t give up; he kept saying: “Our mother loves you better than she does me.” At last the girl said: “I don’t want to play any longer; I want to go back to the house.” “All right,” said the boy, “but we will stay where we can see mother.” When they got to the house, he told his sister to sit where she could look out, then he began to sing: “Nénûm, nénûm!” (Up, up!) After a while he asked: “What is our mother doing?” The girl said: “She is down by the pond digging roots and putting them in her basket.” Again the boy sang: “Nénûm, nénûm!” then he said: “Look again. What is our mother doing now?” “She is putting the basket on her back.” “Nénûm, nénûm!” sang the boy. “Look now.” “She is starting for home.” “Nénûm, nénûm! What is she doing now?” “Oh! the pond is coming up!” screamed the girl. “Mother’s feet are in the water! Rain is coming down just where she is!” “Nénûm, nénûm!” sang the boy. “What is she doing now?” “The water is up to her ankles.” “Nénûm, nénûm! Look again, sister.” “The water is up to her knees; she can’t walk!” “Nénûm, nénûm! Look now.” “Oh, the water is half-way to her body!” cried the little girl. “Nénûm, nénûm! Look out again, sister.” “The water is up to her arms.” “Nénûm, nénûm! Look now.” “Oh, it is up to her neck!” He kept singing. “The water is rising fast now; I can only see mother’s eyes!” cried the girl. “Nénûm, nénûm! How is it now?” “Our mother has gone down in the water; I can’t see her!” cried the little girl, and she fell on the ground and screamed. She cried all day, cried herself to sleep. The boy was singing and fixing his arrows. He was glad that his mother was dead. The next morning, while his sister was sleeping, the boy shot an arrow into her leg. When she cried, he said: “Get up! You are a young woman now. You must go and hire somebody to sing for you, so you can dance your maturity dance. You must dance five nights without sleeping.” He gave her rattles, and said: “When you get to a spring, stand there till Kówe comes for water. She will see you and take you home with her. When the five nights are over, you can come back here. I will stay on the mountains while you are gone.” The girl started; with each step she took she grew a little taller. When she got to the spring, she was a young woman. She was covered with red bark. She drank water from the spring, then stood in the low grass and waited.