ka of anger and answered scorn
with scorn, mockery with mockery, and laughter with laughter.

"In his father's country, said Yaeethl, they gave the name of
Heenhadowa to mangy dogs and unclean women. Glad was the heart of
Yaeethl that the Thirst Spirit denied the relationship he had laid
as a snare, the denial would make his father proud. As for the
well, 'twas now known to the most stupid, even to men, that it was
but an empty hole in the ground, covered by the well-house to hide
the dryness thereof, and no deeper than Kaelt-tay, the Seagull,
scratches in the sand for nesting.

"Laughed Heenhadowa again, saying that belief or unbelief of Raven
or man lessened not his treasure by a drop.

"Then Yaeethl's words flared as firesparks. Hot words of evil
sounding names, vile as only the brain of Yaeethl could fashion,
taunts that bit and stung festeringly like the nettles of
Sech-ut,[4] names that would disgrace the family of a Siwash,
callings that would make even a squaw-man hang his head in shame.
Can I say more of the bitterness of the tongue of Yaeethl?

[4] _Devil's Club._

"Heenhadowa laughed.

"To battle Yaeethl challenged the Thirst Spirit: 'Come forth and
meet me, you fatherless son of a shameless mother, littering of a
slave's slave.

"'Come with me to the plain below and I will make of thy blood
another well, for another of thy family of dogs to guard.'

"Flatteries and arguments, insults and challenges fell into the
same echoless hole, bringing to Yaeethl only the laughter of
Heenhadowa and increase of thirst.

"Then was the heart of Yaeethl heavy within him, but not so heavy
as his face said, for it is not the way of the Raven to eat quickly
of discouragement, though he turned and left the well and its
guardian like a gambler who has lost his last blanket.

"Not far did he go. Only so far as to be hidden from the eyes of
Heenhadowa, where silence might mother the children of his brain.
And since the brain of the Raven is full of the seeds of cunning a
plan was quickly born.

"Back toward the well flew Yaeethl, but, since he who sees the tail
of a lone wolf imagines the whole pack, he alighted at a distance
where the eyes of Heenhadowa saw as one sees in a fog. A space the
size a man uses for his lodge he cleared of all bushes and weeds,
to the smallest blade of grass he cleared it of everything that
grew.

"When the space was as the palm of a man's hand the Raven spread
his wings until every