Story 17—
Siuuhu's Revenge:
Apaches
While they stayed there [by the ocean], they told one of their medicine men to look over this way and find out the shape of the land and mountains. The medicine man sang:
I am now sitting down
And ahead of me
Is the land that looks like day
And in that are our enemies
That looks like babies.
I am now standing up
And in front of me
I saw the mountains dark
And among them our enemies
Looked like women
And I have found out what I have found out.
When his work was done, they told a second medicine man to look and see if he could see anything. He sat and looked and saw an Apache in a certain place. He could see them plainly leading a dog. He sang:
Coyote is running
It seems to be him
Waving his tail.
When the Coyote heard this, he was all excited and started running around. Then the medicine man sang:
It is the Coyote's road
It seems to be true
Waving his tail.
The Coyote was ready to kill, but he couldn't do anything because the songs were about the dog and not him. So two of their [emergents'] young boys came over here [to the present Pima country] and killed the Apaches. Then they were going to get everyone to start, and they sang two more songs:
I am coming out
And I am going
And the sound of my moving
Is terrible (frightening).
I am now jumping out
And running
And the sound of my running
Is frightening.
After he saw the people start out, one of the medicine men made some kind of plume, out of some kind of feathers, which meant that whoever wore it would die. Song:
I am a medicine man
And sadly my understanding.
My nephews are wearing the plumes.
I have an understanding
And my nephews are sadly wearing
Hats of peacocks' tails.