‘Udak’ez da’ dune hoonyan chawhes’en, bu’at yula’ut’en ho khuna. Nts’oh hunai i’ih te ‘uk’aza hoonyan yutl’aidutih, k’aza latoh buzek be nainulhtsulh, dune hoonyan duyun ho ‘ant’e.
Once a long time ago, there was an old man who was blind. He had a wife who helped him to stay alive. Whenever she sighted game, she would hand him his arrow to moisten the stone point with his saliva – for this old man was possessed of magic powers.
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Nts’e khunai usyen whuz yuba wheinitsih ‘ink’ez hoonyan ‘en k’aza yututsoh yilh’i. ‘Ilhoh dzin whudzih dube nelhuk’o ghuhuni’az, “K’aza nyuzek be bulatoh naownilhtsul,” ni bu’at, ‘ink’ez ‘et nduja.
Then pointing the arrow in the direction of the game, she would let him release it himself, which he usually did with good effort. One day, they came upon a very fat caribou. “Moisten the arrowhead with your saliva, ” said the woman to her husband, which he did.
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“Gwa, ‘ilhuz sich’i la ‘ant’e”, ni dune hoonyan. Chawhes’en ‘et whudzih dalhti nayoolhtelh, yuk’unanuta whe nilhdza wheneja, ‘ink’ez bu’at yuk’una chaidit’il.
“But I think i have killed it”. insisted the old man. Yet as he was blind, he could not get the game, and while searching for it, he strayed a long distance from his wife who now abandoned him.
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Buki whu’iz wheinya ‘et ‘awet whudzih yawheindunint’az. Yaidat’as ‘ink’ez yulht’es cha ‘uyulh’en ‘ink’ez yuyi. ndai chayiyil ‘i ts’ut’onyaz yaidat’as ‘ink’ez dughidile, wugi ka.
As soon as the old man was out of sight, she set to cutting up the animal. At the same time, she fried large slices of meat which she ate. What she did not eat on the spot she cut into thin pieces and hung out to dry.
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Dune hoonyan ‘et dinch’anesja ‘ink’ez utso, ‘ants’i nts’oh hoh tunuya, ‘et bunk’ut taba whuninya. Dadzi utso yuduzts’ai yuts’un ladinbi, et ‘ahoolhyiz ndut’en, ndan dintoh yahulhtukhubudits’ih te.
Meanwhile the old man was bewailing his fate. In the course of his aimless wanderings, he had reached the shore of a lake. A loon hearing his cries swam towards him, as he always did when he heard someone talking in the forest.
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“Dainja ho ‘udini,” dadzi ‘utni, dune hoonyan yoodulhkut. Dune hoonyan ‘en ‘utni, “Telhu’en, su’at ‘un soodezno, chaoozes’en ‘et huwa”. “Soo whunilh’en nanyutelhtsilh”, ni dadzi. ” ‘Anih, diz soots’un inyalh ‘ink’ez ‘unilts’ul ‘ink’ez njan soots’uz toh nul’ai.
“What ails you?” he asked the man. Poor wretch that I am, my wife has left me and i am blind’, answered the man. “I will cure you”, said the loon. “Come over to me and hide your eyes in the down at the back of my neck’.
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Dune hoonyan ‘et yuk’une’ust’en,’ink’ez dadzi bulh te hunul lhoh. Bunk’ut nyan whuz tahana hunel lhoh. “Soo whunilh’en nasindli?’ ni dadzi. “Nye dzulh nilh’en, doonih dadzi. Dune hoonyan ‘utni, “Dostl’iyaz za whunulh’en, ‘a ijut le’ hoont’oh”.
The old man did as he was told, and both the loon and her plunged into the water. Then they reappeared on the surface, they found themselves at the opposite end of the lake. “Now can you?” quivered the loon. “Look at Yonder Mountain,” he added. The old man answered, “I can see a little, as if through a mist’.
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“Doochah ‘odutneh”, ni dadzi. Doochah dadzi, hoonyan bulh tehunul lhoh, nts’e so ‘udechoo tehunul lhoh ‘et za tahana hunellhoh. “K’an do soo whunilh’en?” ni dadzi. “A, soo whunus’en”, ni dune hoonyan, ‘et tahanadeja.
“Repeat the operation”, said the loon. Again, the loon dived with him, emerging this time at the original point of departure. “Now can you see?’ asked the loon. ” “I now see very well’, replied the old man wading ashore.
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Dune yuchanalya k’e dube hoont’i netsinidunla lhuyul ‘i dadzi yughaininla ‘ink’ez ‘uyoo cha yuts’un wheyalhde. ‘Et huwa dadzi buts’ilchun nalhuyul, ‘ink’ez lhuyul but’a bughut dunindzai.
Then to show his gratitude to his benefactor he presented him with his own dentalium shell necklace, and taking some more dentalium shells from his quiver, he threw them at him.
