THE FOUR BROTHERS
OR
INYANHOKSILA (STONE BOY)

Alone and apart from their tribe dwelt four orphan brothers. They
had erected a very comfortable hut, although the materials used
were only willows, hay, birch bark, and adobe mud. After the
completion of their hut, the oldest brother laid out the different
kinds of work to be done by the four of them. He and the second
and third brothers were to do all the hunting, and the youngest
brother was to do the house work, cook the meals, and keep plenty
of wood on hand at all times.

As his older brothers would leave for their hunting very early
every morning, and would not return till late at night, the little
fellow always found plenty of spare time to gather into little
piles fine dry wood for their winter use.

Thus the four brothers lived happily for a long time. One day
while out gathering and piling up wood, the boy heard a rustling in
the leaves and looking around he saw a young woman standing in the
cherry bushes, smiling at him.

"Who are you, and where did you come from?" asked the boy, in
surprise. "I am an orphan girl and have no relatives living. I
came from the village west of here. I learned from rabbit that
there were four orphan brothers living here all alone, and that the
youngest was keeping house for his older brothers, so I thought I