Kûlta was willing now, but the ten sisters wouldn’t let the Weketas woman pass them. She crept along on the edge of the canoe, and each sister pinched her as she passed; they made her arms and legs bleed. Gáukos wiped the blood off, rubbed her with deer tallow, and gave her a nice blanket. Then he put her in his bosom and started off toward the east. As he left, he said to Kûlta: “You will see me every month; I shall live always and will always travel on the sky.” To this day Gáukos travels and he always will travel. People can see Weketas, for Gáukos still carries her in his bosom. Sometimes they can see Weketas’ children lying near her. When Súbbas comes, and Gáukos is still in the west, he gets eaten up by the big-mouthed people, but Weketas always brings him to life and will do so just as long as he carries her in his bosom. TCOITCAK AND HIS PACK CHARACTERS Tcoitcak A Bird (English name unknown) Tcûskai Weasel Tskel Mink Once Tcoitcak was going along near the house where two brothers, Tcûskai and Tskel, lived. He was carrying a big pack on his back. Tcûskai liked to stay outside the house looking around. Tskel scolded him for not staying at home, so when he went away he always left his tail hanging down inside the smoke hole and left his voice with his tail. He said: “If Tskel calls me, you must answer: ‘I am here’!” When Tcûskai saw the man coming with a big pack, he went to meet him. “What are you packing?” asked he. Tcoitcak didn’t answer. “Let me see what you have in your pack,” said Tcûskai. The man kept walking along, but didn’t speak. Tcûskai followed him and teased him to tell what he was carrying. “Sit down and rest,” said Tcûskai. “That pack is too heavy to keep on your back all the time.” At last Tcoitcak got angry; he pulled the pack off his back and put it on the ground. In that big bundle Tcoitcak had lots and lots of little bundles. Tcûskai untied the big bundle, snatched one of the little bundles and opened it. Out came Darkness, and that minute it spread all over the world. It was black everywhere. Tcûskai couldn’t see, but he snatched a second bundle and pulled it open. A crowd of stars came out. In the big pack there were bundles of all kinds. Twilight was in one bundle, Daybreak in another. Each big star that has a name was tied up in a separate bundle,—Morning Star in one, Evening Star in another. Whatever time there is of day or night was in Tcoitcak’s pack. Clouds, Rain, Snow, everything was there. Tcûskai was lost in the darkness. He ran around everywhere, but couldn’t find his way home. Tskel knew what Tcûskai had done, and that he couldn’t find his way home. He let him run around for a long time, then he pointed his flint knife toward the east, and cut a hole in the darkness to let light in. It is because Tcûskai was running around so long in the dark that nights are so long and dark in winter time. WITSDUK CHARACTERS