THE UNKTOMI , TWO WIDOWS,

AND THE RED PLUMS

There once lived, in a remote part of a great forest, two widowed

sisters, with their little babies. One day there came to their

tent a visitor who was called Unktomi (spider). He had found some

nice red plums during his wanderings in the forest, and he said to

himself, "I will keep these plums and fool the two widows with

them." After the widows had bidden him be seated, he presented

them with the plums.

On seeing them they exclaimed "hi nu, hi nu (an exclamation of

surprise), where did you get those fine plums?" Unktomi arose and

pointing to a crimson tipped cloud, said: "You see that red cloud?

Directly underneath it is a patch of plums. So large is the patch

and so red and beautiful are the plums that it is the reflection of

them on the cloud that you see."

"Oh, how we wish some one would take care of our babies, while we

go over there and pick some," said the sisters. "Why, I am not in

any particular hurry, so if you want to go I will take care of my

little nephews until you return." (Unktomi always claimed

relationship with everyone he met). "Well brother," said the older

widow, "take good care of them and we will be back as soon as

possible."

The two then took a sack in which to gather the plums, and started

off towards the cloud with the crimson lining. Scarcely had they

gone from Unktomi's sight when he took the babies out of their

swinging hammocks and cut off first one head and then the other.

He then took some old blankets and rolled them in the shape of a

baby body and laid one in each hammock. Then he took the heads and

put them in place in their different hammocks. The bodies he cut

up and threw into a large kettle. This he placed over a rousing

fire. Then he mixed Indian turnips and arikara squash with the

baby meat and soon had a kettle of soup. Just about the time the

soup was ready to serve the widows returned. They were tired and

hungry and not a plum had they. Unktomi, hearing the approach of

the two, hurriedly dished out the baby soup in two wooden dishes

and then seated himself near the door so that he could get out

easily. Upon the entrance of the widows, Unktomi exclaimed:

"Sisters, I had brought some meat with me and I cooked some turnips

and squash with it and made a pot of fine soup. The babies have

just fallen asleep, so don't waken them until you have

finished eating, for I know that you are nearly starved." The two

fell to at once and after they had somewhat appeased their

appetites, one of them arose and went over to see how her baby was

resting. Noting an unnatural color on her baby's face, she raised

him up only to have his head roll off from the bundle of blankets.

"'My son! my son!" she cried out. At once the other hastened to

her baby and grabbed it up, only to have the same thing happen. At

once they surmised who had done this, and caught up sticks from the

fire with which to beat Unktomi to death. He, expecting something

like this to happen, lost very little time in getting outside and

down into a hole at the roots of a large tree. The two widows not

being able to follow Unktomi down into the hole, had to give up

trying to get him out, and passed the rest of the day and night

crying for their beloved babies. In the meantime Unktomi had

gotten out by another opening, and fixing himself up in an entirely

different style, and painting his face in a manner that they would

not recognize him, he cautiously approached the weeping women and

inquired the cause of their tears.

Thus they answered him: "Unktomi came here and fooled us about some

plums, and while we were absent killed our babies and made soup out

of their bodies. Then he gave us the soup to eat, which we did,

and when we found out what he had done we tried to kill him, but he

crawled down into that hole and we could not get him out."

"I will get him out," said the mock stranger, and with that he

crawled down into the hole and scratched his own face all over to

make the widows believe he had been fighting with Unktomi. "I have

killed him, and that you may see him I have enlarged the hole so

you can crawl in and see for yourselves, also to take some revenge

on his dead body." The two foolish widows, believing him, crawled

into the hole, only to be blocked up by Unktomi, who at once

gathered great piles of wood and stuffing it into the hole, set it

on fire, and thus ended the last of the family who were foolish

enough to let Unktomi tempt them with a few red plums.