Zuni Fetiches

another in anguish. They fell down and covered their eyes with their bare hands and arms, for men were black then, like the caves they came from, and naked, save for a covering at the loins made of rushes, like yucca fiber, and sandals of the same. Their eyes, like the owl’s, were unused to the daylight.

Eastward, the two children began to lead them, toward the Home of the Sun-father.

Now, it happened that the two children saw that the earth must be dried and hardened, for wherever a foot touched the soil, water gathered—as may be seen even in the rocks today—and the monsters which rose from the deep devoured the children of men. Therefore, they consulted together and sought the advice of their creator, the Sun-father. By his directions, they placed their magic shield upon the wet earth. They drew four lines, a step apart, upon the soft sands. Then the older brother said to the younger, “Will you, or shall I, take the lead?”

“I will take the lead,” said the younger.

“Stand you upon the last line,” said the older.

And when they had laid the rainbow upon the magic shield, and across it the arrows of lightning, pointing toward all the quarters of the world, the younger brother took his station facing toward the right. The older brother took his station facing toward the left. When all was ready, both braced themselves to run. The older brother drew his arrow to the head, let fly, and struck the rainbow and the lightning arrows midway, where they crossed. Instantly, original: "thlu-tchu!"—the sound of a sudden flash—the arrows of lightning shot in every direction, fire rolled over the face of the earth, and the two gods followed the courses of their lightning arrows.

Now that the surface of the earth was hardened, even the animals of prey, powerful and like the fathers (gods) themselves, would have devoured the children of men; and the Two thought it was not well that they should all be permitted to live. “For,” said they, “the children of men and the children of the animals of prey will both multiply. The animals of prey are provided with talons and teeth; men are but poor, the finished beings of earth, therefore the weaker.”

Whenever they came across the path of one of these animals, whether he was a great mountain lion or but a mere mole, they struck him with the lightning fire which they carried in their magic shield. Thlu! and instantly he was shriveled and burnt into stone.

Then said they to the animals that they had thus changed to stone, “That you may not be evil to men, but that you may be a great good to them, have we changed you into rock everlasting. By the magic breath of prey, by the heart that shall endure forever within you, you shall be made to serve instead of to devour mankind.”

Thus was the surface of the earth hardened and scorched, and many of all kinds of beings changed to stone. Thus, too, it happens that we find, here and there throughout the world, their forms, sometimes large