emselves into sheep! Hasche{~COMBINING BREVE~}lti, in the lead,
ran up to him and dropped his _balil_--a rectangular, four-piece, folding
wand--over him, as he sat, and uttered a peculiar cry. Behind him came
Zahadolzha, Haschebaad, and Ganaskidi; all were masked.

[Illustration: _Tonenili, Tobadzischi{~COMBINING BREVE~}ni, Naye{~COMBINING BREVE~}nezgani_ - Navaho]

_Tonenili, Tobadzischi{~COMBINING BREVE~}ni, Naye{~COMBINING BREVE~}nezgani_ - Navaho

_From Copyright Photograph 1904 by E.S. Curtis_

These three gods appear in the order shown when seen in the rites of the
Navaho Night Chant.

"Whence came you?" Bilh Ahati{~COMBINING BREVE~}ni asked them.

"From Kinni{~COMBINING BREVE~}nikai," Hasche{~COMBINING BREVE~}lti answered.

"Whither are you going?"

"To Tse{~COMBINING BREVE~}gyii, to hold another _hatal_ four days from now. You had better
come along."

"No, I couldn't travel so far in four days."

But after a little parleying Bilh Ahati{~COMBINING BREVE~}ni assented. He was told to
disrobe, and doing so Ganaskidi breathed upon him, and his raiment became
the same as that of the gods. Then all took four steps eastward, changing
into mountain sheep, and bounded away along the canon's rim.

The hunters in hiding became restless as The Dreamer did not return, so
ventured out where they could view the trail on which he was last seen. No
one was in sight. One went to the rock where Bilh Ahati{~COMBINING BREVE~}ni first hid near
the sheep and followed his tracks from hiding place to hiding place until
the fourth one was reached, and there he found his brother's old clothes
with his bow and arrows upon them. There he traced four human footsteps to
the east that merged into the trail of five mountain sheep. The eldest
brother cried in his remorse, for he saw that his brother was holy, and he
had always treated him with scorn.

The gods and Bilh Ahati{~COMBINING BREVE~}ni, transformed to mountain sheep, travelled very
far during their four days' journey, coming on the fourth day to a large
hogan. Inside were numerous Holy People, both gods and men. When Bilh
Ahati{~COMBINING BREVE~}ni entered with his four holy companions, a complaint at once arose
from those inside against an earthly odor, whereat Hasche{~COMBINING BREVE~}lti had their
charge taken out and washed with yucca-root suds.

Inside the hogan stood four large jewel posts upon which the gods hun