Roland B. Dixon - Maidu Texts - Bat-Man lyrics

14. BAT-MAN. Bat-Man and his brothers lived close to each other in sweat-houses. There, among that crowd of people, he was the one man who was an exception, he was very bad-tempered. Bat-Man was the only cross person among the good men. Now, one of his brothers went off courting, and he did not return. And he (Bat-Man?) still remained with his brothers. They said, "Let us go deer-hunting, and, after spending the night out, come back!" And they all went off. "He is a fighter," they said. "He will come along behind us.--Go, ye people, and pay no attention to him," they said. So they all went off, while he remained behind at home. And they, arriving (at the camping-place), were sitting down, when he came. All remained sitting there. In the morning they went off hunting, and toward night they returned one after another. There were many of them (?) skinning and dividing the game. And they say that they gave none to that Bat-Man, but only to themselves. And after having divided (the game), they fixed it up in bundles for carrying, and returned, and arrived at the house. Meanwhile, after a time Bat-Man returned, coming after them. Then he spoke to his sister-in-law. "Make acorn-soup for me," he said. Then that woman replied, "Wait! (The acorns) are not yet leached;" whereupon, aiming an arrow down at her, he shot her. He k**ed that woman, k**ed her who was indeed his sister-in-law. When it became night, his brother went out crying. And Bat-Man, when his brother again cried, felt sorry for him. When his brother did not cease, he cried again to him, "Yō'mĕ tsul'tsul, yō'mĕ tsul'tsul, my younger brother!" he said. "You cry for one only out of all women, I will get for you a woman(?)." And next morning that man, that Bat-Man, went off. He kept travelling until he reached a place where many people lived. He walked about, looking at all the houses. In one house two very fine-looking women were living. After sitting by the door, he tossed in two arrows to the father of the two women. "I trade this to you for the women," he said. Then the old man replied, "Very well!--Ye two had better go. Ye must follow this man." Then they packed together their things in their pack-baskets, and they went off. They went, kept travelling, until they arrived. "Ye two go in there," said he (Bat-Man); and they, crossing over, crawled into Bat-Man's brother's house: for Bat, having k**ed the wife, went after these two women, and made them a recompense to his brother. Then he, after reaching his house, remained alone by himself in it. Meanwhile that evening people came running (to his house), and, having surrounded it, set fire to it. The house kept burning, until, when it was almost all burned, Bat-Man rushed out from a dark place. He said, "What is the trouble with you all?" Then he shot, and kept shooting until he k**ed all the crowd. Then he remained there. Meanwhile the (rest of) the crowd staid there, paying no attention to him. After a time, again a man said, "I am going deer-hunting." And one chief (said), "Do not tell him ye are going. He is a bad-tempered man. Do ye go without speaking to him. Let him remain alone!" said the chief. Then they went off, after having prepared their lunch. Here, at their camping-place, that Bat-Man was staying, having arrived there first, long before they arrived. In the morning they went off hunting. When it was nearly night, they returned, bringing deer. And again the next day they went hunting, and, returning with burdens towards dark, they skinned and divided the deer, and there were many (?). In the morning they prepared their loads, ready to go. Meanwhile (Bat-Man) spoke to them. ". . . sinew . . .," 1 he said. Then they replied, "What do you mean?" Meanwhile he said, ". . . sinew . . . ." Then one of them, untying his pack, gave him some sinew. "No," said Bat-Man, ". . . sinew . . . ."--"What do you mean?" said they. "What sort of sinew do you mean?" They showed him some leg-sinew, showed him some back-sinew. "No," said he, ". . . sinew . . . ." Then they showed him the liver. "Do you mean this?" said they. They showed him the heart. "Do you mean this?" they said. "No," said he, ". . . sinew . . . ." "Go ahead without bothering about him! He is one who will be cross that way," said one of the brothers. Then, when they had fixed up their loads again, they went off. Meanwhile Bat remained sitting on top of a rock. Meanwhile the antlers (of the deer) were hanging up in a small tree. The hunters went on until they arrived; and when it came night, they slept. In the morning they said, "That magically powerful man did not come back. Perhaps he is angry, and has run off somewhere. He is one who would do that way," said they. "Why do ye not go and see what is the matter?" said one. Then they went, and, continuing to travel, they arrived there. He was not there. When they had looked all about, (they saw) the deer-antlers lying opposite on the ground. One of them kicked these over. Then that Bat-Man jumped out from under the antlers. Then they, again making him carry it, went back. He had said (asked. for) antler, but they did not understand (hear) the name (?). And returning, they remained there. Now some one brought to them invitation-strings, 1 and went away. After a few days the invitation-string was ended (i. e., all knots untied). Then they went off to the feast. "Don't let that bad man hear about it! If he learns of it, he will follow us. Let him stay!" they said. "He is a bad man," they said. So they went off quietly. They kept going; and when they were nearly there, they sat down to rest. Looking back from where they sat, (they saw) that bad-tempered man coming. "Why didn't you tell me you were going?" he said. "We did not think you would go," said they. So they went on, and arrived at the place where the feast was. They crawled into a great house. Meanwhile Bat-Man crossed over to the house where his brother was staying; and when he got there, he crawled in. His brother was sitting there; and when he (Bat-Man) had crawled in, he sat down. Now, many of his sisters-in-law were there, many of them. One of them, having put black manzanita-berries on a platter-basket, set it down (before him). 'That kind of bear-excrement I will not eat," he said, and kicked it away. Then the women grew angry. There were many who scowled at him, standing around looking at him. Then he snapped them on the nose with his fingers, being angry at them for looking at him. Then they jumped at him to seize him, but he dodged. All of them jumped to seize him; but he dodged, kept dodging, and, having taken his arrows, he shot them. Meanwhile his brother, paying no attention, remained there. (Bat-Man) kept dodging and shooting; and after a while, continuing to do this, he shot all his arrows, he k**ed them all. Having crawled out, he went over (to where the feast was). Having arrived there, he remained. Now, all his (other) brothers were gambling, and did not look at him. All kept gambling until morning; and then toward evening, having finished gambling, they went off. Meanwhile that Bat-Man, going along, arrived at the last house (in the village), where two women lived making baskets. He gave to the old man (their father) arrows. And so, "I give you these in trade for the women," he said. I give you these for the two women," said he. Then (the old man) replied, "Very well! Ye two ought to be going." Then they gathered together their food-baskets they were weaving. All the people were afraid of him. They could do nothing to him, could not k** him, they say: for he was very strong (skilful?) in shooting arrows. So many people, (although) shooting, were unable to shoot him. So they feared him greatly. So, whatever he asked them for, they gave it, being unable to refuse. Then, the two women having prepared their loads, they all went off. They returned, and then he (Bat-Man) gave them to his brother. "You must remain here, marrying that man," said he. So they remained. Then again his brother lived opposite to him, with those two women. Now, another time (again) Bat-Man and Rain-Cloud ran a race, they say. They had a foot-race. They started off to run towards the sun's setting. They ran. Rain-Cloud drifted off to another mountain, Bat-Man flapped off to another (farther) mountain. Meanwhile Bat-Man flapped up to the Coast Range, and Rain-Cloud drifted on farther. Coyote saw them. "Well, well!" said he. "My cousin, you are racing. I, my cousin, am one who will not run behind any person with whom one is racing." So he started off to run. They went very fast. (Coyote) ran, looking upwards all the time. Meanwhile Rain-Cloud had drifted to a farther mountain, Bat-Man flapped up to another mountain. Meanwhile (Coyote) ran on, looking up all the time, and running very fast. And Coyote-Man tumbled over into a great canyon in the rocks, and they (Bat-Man and Rain-Cloud) ran on. Meanwhile Coyote-Man broke his neck there, and so he died. All the while they ran on. Rain-Cloud drifted off to another ridge, and Bat-Man flapped up to another mountain. They ran over all countries, ran to where the sun goes down. And from that place (?) they turned back again. They could not beat each other, they were alike (in speed). Bat-Man did not come behind by very much. So coming back, having returned, he remained there. Then he went off towards the south. And there lived Momipispistom-Man 1 fishing with a trap. He caught all kinds of game, they say. All kinds of people who went down the river, the Big-Meadows River, he caught. And thither (Bat-Man) went. And going along, having reached the great falls, he tried to catch the fish as they jumped. Every time he almost touched the water as he swooped. And just then he was caught in the trap. So Bat-Man died. When he was dead, Momipispistom-Man spoke. "You shall not be one who k**s mortal men," said he. "After flying around while it is night, you will stay in a hole in a tree when it is day. You shall be an animal," he said. "You shall not trouble the people. It shall be the end."