a long way into the sand and cover up the
passage behind them, as they go along. They all stay in their winter
homes until Mayrah blows the winter away. Mayrah first blows up a
thunderstorm. When the iguanas hear the thunder, they know the spring
is not far off, so they begin making a passage to go out again, but
they do not leave their winter home until the Curreequinquin, or
butcher birds sing all day almost without ceasing "Goore, goore, goore,
goore." Then they know that Mayrah has really blown the winter away,
for the birds are beginning to pair and build their nests. So they open
their eyes and come out on the green earth again. And when the black
fellows hear the curreequinquins singing "Goore, goore," they know that
they can go out and find iguanas again, and find them fatter than when
they went away with the coming of winter. Then, too, will they find
piggiebillahs hurrying along to get away from their young ones, which
they have buried in the sand and left to shift for themselves, for no
longer can they carry them, as the spines of the young ones begin to
prick them in their pouch. So they leave them and hurry away, that they
may not hear their cry. They know they shall meet them again later on,
when they are grown big. Then as Mayrah softly blows, the flowers one
by one open, and the bees come out again to gather honey. Every bird
wears his gayest plumage and sings his sweetest song to attract a mate,
and in pairs they go to build their nests. And still Mayrah softly
blows until the land is one of plenty; then Yhi the sun chases her back
whence she came, and the flowers droop and the birds sing only in the
early morning. For Yhi rules in the land until the storms are over and
have cooled him, and winter takes his place to be blown away again by
Mayrah the loved of all, and the bringer of plenty.

30. WAYARNBEH THE TURTLE

Oolah, the lizard, was out getting yams on a Mirrieh flat. She had
three of her children with her. Suddenly she thought she heard some one
moving behind the big Mirrieh bushes. She listened. All of a sudden out
jumped Wayambeh from behind a bush and seized Oolah, telling her not to
make a noise and he would not hurt her, but that he meant to take her
off to his camp to be his wife. He would take her three children too
and look after them. Resistance was useless, for Oolah had only her yam
stick, while Wayambeh had his spears and boondees. Wayambeh took the
woman and her children t