English Translation
5. The Killing of the Prairie Dogs
Lawrence Mithlo
Now Child of the Water spoke thus to his mother:
"Just one more remains. I shall also go over there where live the Prairie Dogs who kill with their eyes [and] who will not permit people to live."he said.
And he started off toward them.
The Prairie Dogs cannot kill one close [to them] with their eyes.
They only kill at a distance with their eyes. 2
[Child of the Water] lay hidden from him.
The Prairies Dog's home [was] in a plain.
For a moment he'd run into his hole, [then], running out again, he'd stand on the top of his house looking in all directions.
Weeping, [Child of the Water] sat facing him a long time.
Then a Gray Lizard came to him.
He spoke thus to him:
"Why do you sit there weeping?"he said to him.
Then:
"I weep because I've tried in vain [to catch] that one who kills with his eyes."he said to the Gray Lizard.
Then the Gray Lizard spoke thus to him:
"Well then, I'll help you."he said to him.
"When he comes out again and goes in again over there, you run as fast as you can before he comes out again.the Lizard said to him.
Then, as you throw yourself down on the ground, I'll fall flat on top of you."
Then [Child of the Water] did just exactly so.
And [the Prairie Dog] came out again.
Then [Child of the Water] was lying right there close to him.
Then [the Prairie Dog] went in again.
[Child of the Water] dashed in right behind him.
He was carrying [a bag of] salt.
He went among them in the hole.
They were seated around the fire.
"Here! Put your heads close to this and look at it."he said to them; as they put their heads close to the fire and looked at it, he threw the salt toward them into the fire.
[The salt] exploded toward them.
It scattered into their eyes.
Then, as they became blind, he knocked them down right away.
He killed them.
Then, when he had finished, he returned to his mother.
His mother was very happy over it.
"That is good!"she said as she danced around and around.
Ethnological Notes
Morris Opler
5.1
This same episode is also related with an owl as the monster. [See Mescalero text 8]
5.2
This was true of all the monsters who had the power of killing with their eyes. That was why Child of the Water was not killed by the eyes of the Eagle [see Chiricahua text 1.4] when the latter took him to his nest.