Small-Pox, a Yukaghir tale

“Oh!” said Small-Pox, “human people are living on that side. You must carry me to those people.” — “And how shall I carry you to them? Here is a bladder of the ptarmigan. Creep into it. I will carry you concealed in the bladder.” She entered the bladder which he tied up with a, cord, and then hung it up before the fireplace to dry. The bladder was drying up more and more, and she was drying with it. Day and night she struggled within the bladder, but by no means could she pierce it and come out. After a while she became quite shrivelled up, — mere bones and dried skin; and even her voice was hardly audible.

“Oh, let me go!” pleaded Small-Pox in a hoarse whisper. “I promise I will never touch any man whatever of your house and kin.” — “And how will you recognize my house and kin?” — “Let the people of your house and kin wear small red tufts on their caps.” For this reason the Yukaghir people of our clan wear red tufts on their caps even at the present time.

Then the man opened the bladder and took out Small-Pox. She was so weak that she could not stand up, — a mere soul without a body. He put her on a board and sent it floating down the river. “Go wherever you choose! Land wherever you may!”

Told by Nicholas Vostriakoff, the head man of the Vostriakoff clan of the Russianized Yukaghir in the village Omolon, at the confluence of the Omolon and Kolyma rivers, summer of 1896.

Second version

There was a large Yukaghir village on the Indighirka River. In that village lived a powerful shaman. One time he beat the drum; then he went out of the house and said, “A great disease is coming towards us, the like of which we have never seen.” There was a crossway where three small trails converged into a single one which was very broad and straight. He went to the crossway and hid under the roots of a large tree. Lying there, he listened for those whose approach he had foreseen. Three sisters were coming along the road. They were riding red horses, their coats were as red as fire, and their hair was burning like lightning. The younger sisters were inquiring of the oldest one, “Where shall we go this time?” The eldest sister answered, “This time go on without me. Near by there is a large Yukaghir village. A powerful shaman lives there. I want to take him away.” — “Do not speak so loud!” answered the other sister, “somebody may overhear you.” — “Who should overhear me? Deep woods are all around us.” The shaman, however, was hidden under the roots of a tree, and heard all. He ran home, and said to his house people, “Get the meal ready. At mealtime she will come to the people eating food.” He had a magic iron box, sealed with a magic seal. He opened it and put it upon the table, close to himself. They ate, and during the meal a long red hair fell upon the table, at the left hand side of the shaman. All at once he caught the hair and put it into the box. He closed it and sealed it up with the magic seal. “Now make a big fire,” said he to the people. They made a big fire, and he put the box into it, and began to rake the fire. Soon the box was glowing red. Then a wail, like that of a human voice was heard from the box. “Oh, set me free! I cannot stand it.” — “Ah, you cannot!” said the shaman, and raked the fire. Thus, he roasted her for three days and three nights. On the fourth day there was a faint squeal like the voice of a red fox. “Oh, please let me go! I cannot stand it.” Then he asked the other people of the village, “What shall I do to her? Shall I really set her free? You are the shaman,” said the people, “do what you think best. We cannot tell.” — “All right,” said the shaman, “let me have a look at her.” He opened the box. A red girl was sitting within it, half dead with exhaustion, mere skin and bones, dryer than a withered leaf. “Now you may go,” said the shaman, “but be sure not to forget our treatment of you.” “I shall not forget. But I am very weary, I cannot walk. Give me some food and a drink of water.” So he kept her for three days, and gave her food and water. After that she grew a little stronger; so she went to the woods, found her own horse, and hurried off. When departing, she swore to herself that she would never go back to that awful place. So she came to the crossway. Her sisters had been waiting for her for two days. “Where have you been so long?” — “Oh, the Yukaghir shaman caught me and nearly murdered me. He put me into a box and burned me in the fire.” — “There you are! Did we not warn you not to be so loud in your boasting lest somebody should overhear you?” — “You did. And where have you been?” — “Oh, we have had some little fun. We slew the people of one village, and in another we left only one boy and one girl.” After that the sisters rode on.

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