A chief was living with his two children in the middle of a long town. People were always visiting him, and he kept tallow stored away for strangers. By and by a big canoe came to him, and [the peoples'] things were taken up. [The children's] grandmother had charge of the tallow. She always had things stored away for strangers. Then she would give these to her grandchildren. Afterward the old woman would say, "The old shaggy dog took it away from me." After that he invited the foreign people up. He ordered the tallow in the big box to be brought for them. Now there was nothing inside of the big box. The foreign people, however, were all seated. It was thought that his children had done it. They had invited them for the food that was all eaten up. This is why people say even now,
Next morning [their mother] said, "I wonder where they have gone." She said to them, "Get up now." Then the long dishes moved [as she pulled at the covers]. It was the dishes they had put in their places. They, however, had dug a hole underneath and were gone. Then their mother came out from behind the screens. No one knew For this reason they went far up into the woods. They wandered along, aimlessly crying. The younger sister wanted her elder sister to go back to the place from which they had started, but she did not want her mother to see her down there. After they had gone a long distance they saw a small mouse running across a log. The mouse went into a little hill. Then her younger sister said, "Grandmother mouse, people have seen you." So said her younger sister. "Put me quickly across this log," said the little mouse. "My grandmother says 'Call them into the house.'" On account of that it had run out.
Mountain Dweller's mother was at home. Nothing could be seen inside of this house, there was so much fat. They were told they could not get into Mountain Dweller's house. That is why they went there. After they had been seated for some time they were given something to eat. By and by the hunter brought in a load of food. He asked his mother, "What are those people that have come to you doing?" "They came to marry you because it was said that they could not." So Mountain Dweller married both of them.
Meanwhile her son was away. When he arrived he was carrying a big mountain sheep. Then he asked for his mother. "She did to us just as you said. We threw it over upon her. We pulled her outside." He said to them, "What you have done to her is well. My mother would not let a person who lived with me last long." After that he collected sides of mountain sheep, inside fat, and tallow. When they were going along with him he seemed to be changed suddenly. Mountain Dweller began to shine from within. By and by they sighted their father's town. The town was long. In the evening they came in front of the house. He had the small baskets on his thumb. Then they wished that their little brother might run out to them. They called him to them. The people had already 280:a For another version, see story 65. 283:a The story is very much condensed here. The mouse's "grandmother" had sent it to invite them in. The mouse asks to be put over the log because the entrance to her grandmother's house was on the other side. "On account of that she had run out" refers to the mouse's first appearance. 283:b An unusual word for "dog" occurs here. 284:a An unusual word for "dog" occurs here.
