Atondido Stories
of wonderful melody, just as he had heard in his dream of the
night before. He knew now that this was the bird of the sweet
song of which the old woman in the forest had spoken. Then, as
he listened, he heard the sound of a waterfall rippling not far
away. He searched for it, but he could not find it. And Fox said,
"You must seek it; you must not despair; it will not come to you
unless you search." So he searched again, and soon he thought
he heard a voice speaking beneath his feet. "Release us," it called,
"set us free and your wife and your people shall be saved." He
seized a sharp stick and dug rapidly into the earth where he had
heard the voice. He worked eagerly and quickly, and he had not
dug far when the spring gushed forth and boiled upwards carry-
ing to the world its healing power. And the young man knew
that at last he had found the cure for his ills. He plunged into the
spring and bathed himself in the water, and all his weariness left
him and he was strong again.
Then the young man moulded from the soft earth a large pot.
He baked it in the fire until it was quite hard. "Now," said the
Fox spirit, "I will leave you. Your kindness has been rewarded.
You will need me no more, for you have found the Healing Wa-
ters." And he disappeared as mysteriously as he had come. The
young man filled his clay pot with the sparkling water and has-
tened back to his home, running through the forest with the
speed of the wind, because of his renewed strength.
When he reached his native village, the people met him with
sad faces, for the plague was still raging and they told him that
his young wife was about to pass to the Land of the Shadows.
But he hurried to his home, and he forced some of the Healing
Waters between his wife's parched lips, and bathed her hands
and her brow until she fell into a deep slumber. He watched by
her side until she awoke, and when sleep left her she was well
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