The next night, the young man came over [as expected]. The mother [of the bride] saw him, as he came into her house. They spoke to one another; and he said, "I have come for your daughter." The old woman replied, "Be it so!" He, therefore, went away with [the young woman]. When they had traveled but a short distance, he said, "Here! let us take the shorter way across the. forest yonder." And they went across (the forest], so that although they had traveled a long way, it did not seem long to her.
Upon reaching home, as he found his mother and three sisters all sitting there together, he brought the young woman in. And the young man and his bride then got married.
Now her husband went out hunting as if he were to bring back deer meat. And his bride kept on sitting there waiting for him. She was thinking that this was the abode of human beings. But, after a while, she was very much scared when [she found out that her husband was only a big snake. She had taken him for a young man, but there, in her lap he rested his head and said, "Louse me!" So she just looked on one side, and then she glanced at the other side. It was only a big snake whose head was in her lap. She cried out, and started up quickly.
The [husband's] mother [spoke to him] and said, "Why did you ever want to marry this woman if really you could not transform yourself [forever] into a human being?" The young woman, by this time, knew that, truly, lie was not a human being; and she was most frightened. The [husband's] mother scolded him still more bitterly. He [remained] only a snake however; and [the girl] thought, "He was only man-like, [the one] whom I have married."
The mother [took the young woman aside] and said, "Next time,
when he goes out hunting again again, indeed you had better run back home.
I have scolded him; but I shall not be able to prevent him from killing
you as he is one of us; and we are not human beings, but snakes."
[And she added,] This really happened because you did not want for so long
to get married. That is why he said, 'As it is, I shall be transfigured
into a human being and shall marry her.' This could not be so, however;
and he could not for ever retain the shape of a human being."
The young woman then took to flight and made for her home, because (the old woman] had said, "Be off! and go straight to the North, and run all the way as fast as you possibly can. It is a long way, but exert yourself to the utmost and run all the way home." Now she started out, running northwards with all her might.
When the (young man] came back (from the hunt], nowhere could he see his bride. Soon, finding out that she had run away he pursued her.
The girl was quite far already, for she had been running as fast as she could (all this time]. It so happened, however, that the water rose all around her, and it became so deep that she could no longer run along. Now, her husband, swimming with his head out of the water, was on the point of overtaking her.
Several men, however, could be seen standing [at a distance]. Their chief shouted [to the young woman] "This way! come and stand behind me. I shall defend you against him." But the Snake was getting still closer to her, while swimming with his head out of the water. The chief [spoke to his men] saying, "Shoot right there!" So it was done, and they killed the big Snake, the one who had been the young woman's husband. The air at once became dark with smoke, as her protectors were the Thunder [and his three sons, whose darts were lightning]. The old man took the young woman along with him. She knew nothing of the place whither she was being taken. This time, she got married to [one of] the Thunder's sons, and soon gave birth to a child.
She was constantly longing, however, to go down and visit her mother. As she had no idea of the way down to her mother's home, the Thunder, her husband, said, "I am willing to take you
down to your mother's home. But you will have to take the young one along with you, arid pledge yourself to take the utmost care of him, as he must always be good-natured. He should never strike anybody, for, if he does, he will surely kill outright, as he is of our family. And should this happen, I would at once take him away from you."
The chief [Thunder] had three young men with him, his own sons; and the young woman's mother had five sons.
Now the child grew in size. When he had reached his fourth year, he could go out and play with the other boys, and he was given a bow. As the other children [one day] came around, one of them got hold of his bow. The [Thunder-] child, at once, took it back and [with anger] drew it at the other boy; and a thunder peal resounded.
The Thunder [his father] looked for the woman; and the air was
filled with smoke. When the smoke had cleared off,
nowhere was the Thunder-child to be seen. His father, indeed,
had fulfilled his promise, for he had said to his wife, "I shall take him
away from you if he breaks the custom and kills anybody."
Nobody had been killed, however, when the child drew his bow, for he had not hit anyone.
Then the Thunder spoke again to the young woman and said,
"I have now taken him along with me, and whenever it rains while the sun
is shining, the people shall think and say that Tsi-ju'Q-Q, the Wyandot,
is making the rain."