“Ah!” replied Scarface, “I seek the place where the Sun lives; I am sent to speak with him.”
“I have travelled far,” said the wolf. “I know all the prairies, the valleys, and the mountains, but I have never seen the Sun’s home. Wait. I know one who is very wise. Ask the bear. He may tell you.”
The next day the man travelled on again, stopping now and then to pick a few berries, and when night came he arrived at the bear’s lodge.
“Where is your home?” asked the bear. “Why are you travelling alone, my brother?”
“Help me! Pity me!” replied the young man, “because of her words I seek the Sun. I go to ask him for her.”
“I know not where he stops,” replied the bear. “I have travelled by many rivers, and I know the mountains, yet I have never seen his lodge. There is someone beyond, that striped-face, who is very smart. Go and ask him.”
The badger was in his hole. Stooping over, the young man shouted, “Oh, cunning striped-face! Oh, generous animal! I wish to speak with you.”
“What do you want?” said the badger, poking his head out of the hole.
“I want to find the Sun’s home,” replied Scarface. “I want to speak with him.”
“I do not know where he lives,” replied the badger. “I never travel very far. Over there in the timber is a wolverine. He is always travelling around, and is of much knowledge. Maybe he can tell you.”
Then Scarface went to the woods and looked all around for the wolverine, but could not find him. So he sat down to rest “Hai-yu! Hai-yu!” he cried. “Wolverine, take pity on me. My food is gone, my moccasins worn out. Now I must die.”
“What is it, my brother?” he heard, and looking around, he saw the animal sitting near.
“She whom I would marry,” said Scarface, “belongs to the Sun; I am trying to find where he lives, to ask him for her.”
“Ah!” said the wolverine. “I know where he lives. Wait; it is nearly night. Tomorrow I will show you the trail to the big water. He lives on the other side of it.”
Early in the morning, the wolverine showed him the trail, and Scarface followed it until he came to the water’s edge. He looked out over it, and his heart almost stopped. Never before had any one seen such a big water. The other side could not be seen, and there was no end to it. Scarface sat down on the shore. His food was all gone, his moccasins worn out. His heart was sick. “I cannot cross this big water,” he said. “I cannot return to the people. Here, by this water, I shall die.”
Not so. His Helpers were there. Two swans came swimming up to the shore. “Why have you come here?” they asked him. “What are you doing? It is very far to the place where your people live.”
“I am here,” replied Scarface, “to die. Far away, in my country, is a beautiful girl. I want to marry her, but she belongs to the Sun. So I started to find him and ask for her. I have travelled many days. My food is gone. I cannot go back. I cannot cross this big water, so I am going to die.”
“No,” said the swans, “it shall not be so. Across this water is the home of that Above Person. Get on our backs, and we will take you there.”
Scarface quickly arose. He felt strong again. He waded out into the water and lay down on the swans’ backs, and they started off. Very deep and black is that fearful water. Strange people live there, mighty animals which often seize and drown a person. The swans carried him safely, and took him to the other side. Here was a broad hard trail leading back from the water’s edge.
“Kyi,” said the swans. “You are now close to the Sun’s lodge. Follow that trail, and you will soon see it.”
Scarface started up the trail, and pretty soon he came to some beautiful things, lying in it. There was a war shirt, a shield, and a bow and arrows. He had never seen such pretty weapons; but he did not touch them. He walked carefully around them, and travelled on. A little way further on, he met a young man, the handsomest person he had ever seen. His hair was very long, and he wore clothing made of strange skins. His moccasins were sewn with bright colored feathers. The young man said to him, “Did you see some weapons lying on the trail?”
“Yes,” replied Scarface, “I saw them.”
“But did you not touch them?” asked the young man.
“No; I thought someone had left them there, so I did not take them.”
“You are not a thief,” said the young man. “What is your name?”
“Scarface.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the Sun.”
“My name,” said the young man, “is A-pi-su-ahts, Early Riser, the Morning Star. The Sun is my father; come, I will take you to our lodge. My father is not now at home, but he will come in at night.”
Soon they came to the lodge. It was very large and handsome; strange medicine animals were painted on it. Behind, on a tripod, were strange weapons and beautiful clothes—the Sun’s. Scarface was ashamed to go in, but Morning Star said, “Do not be afraid, my friend; we are glad you have come.”
They entered. One person was sitting there, Ko-ko-mik-e-is, the Moon, the Sun’s wife, Morning Star’s mother. She spoke to Scarface kindly, and gave him something to eat. “Why have you come so far from your people?” she asked.
Then Scarface told her about the beautiful girl he wanted to marry. “She belongs to the Sun,” he said. “I have come to ask him for her.”
When it was time for the Sun to come home, the Moon hid Scarface under a pile of robes. As soon as the Sun got to the doorway, he stopped, and said, “I smell a person.”
“Yes, Father,” said Morning Star, “a good young man has come to see you. I know he is good, for he found some of my things on the trail and did not touch them.”
Then Scarface came out from under the robes, and the Sun entered and sat down. “I am glad you have come to our lodge,” he said. “Stay with us as long as you think best. My son is lonesome sometimes; be his friend.”
The next day the Moon called Scarface out of the lodge, and said to him, “Go with Morning Star where you please, but never hunt near that big water; do not let him go there. It is the home of great birds which have long sharp bills; they kill people. I have had many sons, but these birds have killed them all. Morning Star is the only one left.”
So Scarface stayed there a long time and hunted with Morning Star. One day they came near the water, and saw the big birds.
“Come,” said Morning Star, “let us go and kill those birds.”
“No, no!” replied Scarface, “we must not go there. Those are very terrible birds; they will kill us.”
The End, Part Two