One day he said to his old people: “I am going courting.” And they observed that he made up a bundle of various precious things for women’s dress and ornamentation—necklaces, snow-white buckskin moccasins and leggings, and embroidered skirts and mantles—and, taking his bundle on his shoulders, he started off for the Village of the Yellow Rocks.
When he reached the village he knew the home of the maiden by the beauty of the house. Among other houses it was alone of its kind. Attached to the ladder was the crosspiece carved as it is in these days, but depending from it was a fringe of black hair (not scalp-locks) with which they still ornament certain houses when they have sacred ceremonies; and among this fringe were hung hollow stalactites from a sacred cave on the Colorado Chiquito, which sounded, when the wind blew them together, like little bells. This fringe was full of them, so that when a stranger came to this important chief-priest’s house he no sooner touched the ladder-rung at the foot than the bells tinkled, and they knew someone was coming.
As he placed his foot on the lowermost rung of the ladder, chi‑la‑li sang the bells at the top.
Said the people within: “Someone is coming.”
Step after step he went up, and still the bells made music at the top, and as he stepped over on the roof, thud, thud, his footsteps sounded as he walked along; and when he reached the door, those within said: “Thou comest?” And he replied: “I come. Draw me in”; by which expression he meant that he had brought with him a present to the family. Whenever a man has a bundle to hand down, it is the place of the woman to take it; and that is called “drawing a man in,” though she only takes his bundle and he follows. In this case he said “Draw me in,” and the maiden came to the top of the ladder and took the bundle and dropped it on the floor. They knew by the appearance of the bundle what the object of the visit was.
The old man was sitting by the fireplace—it was nighttime—and as the stranger entered, said, “Thou hast come?”
The young man answered: “Yes.”
Said the old man: “It is not customary for a stranger to visit the house of a stranger without saying something of what may be in his thoughts.”
“It is quite true,” said the youth; “I come thinking of this maiden, your daughter. It has occurred to me that I might happily and without fear rest my thoughts and hopes on her; therefore I come.”
The daughter brought forth food for the young man and bade him eat. He reached forth his hand and partook of the food. She sat down and took a mouthful or two, whereby they knew she was favorably disposed. She was favorably disposed to all appearance, but not in reality. When he had finished eating, she said: “As you like, my father. You are my father.” She answered to her own thoughts: “Yes, you have often reproached me for not treating with more gentleness those who come courting me.”
Finally said the father: “I give ye my blessing and sacred speech, my children. I will adopt thee as my child.”8
“My children,” said the father, after a while, when he had smoked a little, “the stranger, now a son, has come a long distance and must be weary.”
So the maiden led him to an upper chamber, and said: “Rest here; you are not yet my husband. I would try you in the morning. Get up early, when the deer are most plentiful, and go forth and slay me a fine one, and then indeed shall we rest our hopes and thoughts on each other for life.”
“It is well,” said the youth; and he retired to sleep, and in the morning arose early. The maiden gave into his hands the food for the day; he caught up his bows and arrows and went forth into the forests and mountains, seeking for the deer. He found a superb track and followed it until it suddenly disappeared, and though he worked hard and followed it over and over again, he could find nothing. While the young man was out hunting and following the tracks for nothing, the young girl went out, so as to be quite sure that none of her deer should get out; and what did she do? She went into the river and followed it against the current, through the water beyond the village and where the marked rocks stand, up the canyon to the place where her deer were gathered. They were all there, peaceful and contented. But there were no tracks of the girl; no one could follow where she went.
The young man hunted and hunted, and at nighttime, all tired out and hungry, took his way back to the home of the maiden. She was there.
“Ha!” said she, “what good fortune today?”
And the young man with his face dragged down and his eyes not bright, answered: “I found no game today.”
“Well,” said the girl, “it is too bad; but under the circumstances we cannot rest our thoughts and hopes on each other for life.”
“No, I suppose not,” said the young man.
“Here is your bundle,” said the girl. She raised it very carefully and handed it to him. He took it over his shoulder, and after all his weary work went on his way home.
The very next day a young man named Hálona, when he heard of this, said: “Ha! ha! What a fool he was! He didn’t take her enough presents; he didn’t please her. I am said to be a very pleasant fellow” (he was a very conceited young man); “I will take her a bundle that will make things all right.”
So he put into a bundle everything that a woman could reasonably want—for he was a wealthy young man, and his bundle was very heavy—put on
