They  were  cutting  brush.  Ten  men  cut  wood.  They  had  a
fire.  When  it  wras  evening  two  eels  swam  there.  One  eel  by
itself  was  swimming.  Three  were  swimming.  Five  were  swim
ming.  Ten  were  swimming.  One  swam  by  itself.  There  were


243  A  huge,  split  rock  on  Redemeyer's  ranch.  There  are  supposed  to  be
underground  means  of  communication  between  certain  ponds  and  the  ocean
which  these  mythical  animals  use.
236  University  of  California  Publications.    [ AM.  ARCH.  ETH.
none.  One  swam  by  itself  for  a  long  time.  Two  swam  there.
Ten  swam  there.  Twenty  swam  there.  When  a  milk-snake  swam
there  the  people  ran  off.  Two  persons  were  standing  in  the  water.
The  milk-snake  swam  there.  They  left.
' '  Go  home, ' '  they  said.
Before  it  was  morning  the  people  quit  fishing  because  they
were  afraid.
That  is  all.
XXXIII.— STEALING  OF  THE  BABY.244

Ten  women  were  soaking  buckeye  flour  at  the  creek.  A  man
was  tending  the  baby  in  the  house.  The  baby  cried.  Some  one
came  in  keeping  her  face  turned  away  and  said,  * '  Here,  give  the
baby  to  me. "  "  Take  it, ' '  he  said,  and  put  it  in  her  arms.
It  was  quite  dark  when  the  woman  came  home.  "  Where  is
the  baby  ?  Asleep  ? ' '  she  asked.
1  i  I  gave  it  to  you  long  ago. ' '

' '  You  did  not  give  it  to  me, ' '  she  said.
They  looked  for  it  a  long  time,  but  did  not  find  it.  They
heard  the  baby  crying  toward  the  west  in  the  darkness.  An  owl
kept  hooting.  They  followed  it  far  into  the  dark  night  toward
the  west.  They  finally  gave  it  up.
That  is  all.
XXXIV.— THE  MAN  EATER.
