31a. The Goat people.
(Lower Uta' mqt.)
(cont.He staid many more months with the Goat people, and one of his wives bore him a child. While the child was yet an infant, it wished to see its grandparents, the hunter's parents, so the hunter told the people that he was going to take his child home. Accordingly he went to visit the people, taking his Goat wife and child and his two-year-old brother-in-law (Komu's)1 along with him. Before he started he had hunted and killed mane goats : so he took two gloves full of fat, and two full of goat's meat, along with him.
He had been away for over a year and a half; his wives and relatives had mourned him as dead, and had cut their hair. He repaired to his parents' house first, and saw his younger sister outside gathering fir-boughs. As she was breaking one off the tree, he seized her hand. As she did not see any one, she thought it might be Raven: so she said, "Raven, don't fool me ! Then her brother said, "Don't you see me, I am your brother come back again." But she could not see him, because he was invisible, but when he made himself visible, she recognized him. Then he appeared to his wives and his mother in the same manner, and, eventually, after he had made himself visible, they recognized him. He told them all to clean the house and spread fresh branches on the floor. When the house was ready, the party entered and took their seats.
Now they feasted for several days, and the hunter distributed the contents of the four gloves among the people. Each day they made a large basketful of soup of black and white moss. This was a special delicacy for the guests, as it was goat's food.
One day Komu's had his belly swelled to a large size after gorging himself with moss soup. Then the young men asked him to come and play ball. They were all active and light, and played almost naked; while Komu's had a large belly, and was heavy after his big dinner: so when he attempted to catch the ball, they would jump on him, knock him over, and break wind in his face. After a time, however, Komu's's stomach became smaller, and he began to feel lighter: so he seized the ball and ran with it to the Goats' house in the cliff, where he hid it.
All the young men gave chase, and might have overtaken Komu's before he reached the cliff; but he caused a cold wind to blow on them, and they, being naked, were all frozen to death. The Goat people Nvere angry at Komu's and told him to go back. He returned, jumped over each of the young men's bodies, and they all came to life again; and, as each one revived, he broke wind in his face, thus revenging himself for a similar insult inflicted on himself.
Some time afterwards Komu's went home with his sister; but the hunter
staid among his people, and his child also.1. Komu's is the ordinary name for n two-year-old mountain-goat. It is sometimes called koia'l instead of komu's.
