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"Okay," we said. "That's probably payment for
our firewood, mother," I said, myself.
"That's it!" she said. Yes!
We made [them tortillas]. He came to take them.
He kept coming to take them. One day he came
carrying two turkeys. Probably Chamulans' turkeys!
Yes!
"Fix the turkeys for us to eat. We're hungry," he
said. "You eat half, we'll eat half," he said.
"Ah!" we said. As for my mother, she fixed a
whole turkey. He carried the whole potful off. It
went together with my pot. Ye—s!
He had said he would stay to eat the one. That's
what he had said. Yes!
"Won't you separate out your meal, then?" [he
asked].
"No," said [my mother].
"Oh, ma'am, why are you being like this?" he
asked. "I told you, One today, one tomorrow, I told
you," he said. "Never mind, then," he said. "Since
there are just three of us eating, you'll just have to
figure it out—we'll eat it. There will still be cold
[food]," he said. So then he took our pot to eat out
of. [The big pot] stayed. It was a little pot that went.
Six pieces [of turkey] went. Our own portion was
left, it seems. We ate. He left. He came to get their
tortillas. He would bring something—a chicken or a
rooster. He would come to get the food for his
tortillas. Our pay was half a bag of flour—half for
them. We lived on it, it seems.
"The trouble is, my firewood has run out. I
haven't any firewood left," my mother told him.
"We'll see if there's a way for the firewood to
come. There's a lot of firewood. Take it from the
paths! You're scared to get it from the fences," he
said. They just warmed themselves with the fences!
"Ah, but my neighbor will scold me! Don't you
see, it's my neighbor's fence," I said.
"Ah, what does it matter to you?" he said.
"No!" I said.
"Don't you see, we'll pay someone for it," my
mother told him.
"Ah!" he said. "But don't be scared to [steal]!" he
said. He had gotten this ma—ny broad beans in a
bag, green broad beans.
"He said, Cook the green broad beans to eat too, " I
told [my mother].
"Eh, but I don't know how to," said [my mother].
"Do you know how we should eat them, mother?"
I said, myself. "We'll shuck the pods and then we'll
boil them."
"What if they don't eat them that way? You see,
they only eat them fried," she said.
"Yes, of course!" I said myself.
I shucked the pods. Now they were we—11-
TONIK NIBAK 175
"Beno," xichiotikotik. "Ja7 xa nan stojol jsi7tik
7un Ie7e, me7," xkut i vo7one.
"Ja7 che7e!" xi. Ji7!
7Ava7i 7un, jpastikotik 7un, chtal yich' chtal yich'
batel 7un, tal jun k'ak'al cha7-kot tuluk' slikoj tal,
stuluk' nan jchamu7etik. Ji7!
"Chameltzan tuluk' jti7tik ta xive7otik," xi.
"7O71ol chati7 7o71ol ta jti7," xi.
"7A!" xkuttikotik. 7A ti jme7 7une smeltzan
skotlej ti tuluk'e, slik ech'el sp'inlej bat xchi7uk jp'in.
Jii7!
7A li 7ava7i 7un 7a li ti yaloj 7une yu7n la chkom
sti7 ti j-kot ti yaloj 7une. Ji7!
Va7i 7un, "Mi muk' xach'ak komel 7ave7el
che7e?"
"7I7i," xut.
"7Ay, sinyora, k'u no van yu7unot?" xi 7un. "7A li
nakalbe J-kot lavie j-kot 7ok'ob, xakut 7une," xi 7un.
"Yil xa yil," xi 7un. "Komo 7ox-vo7otikotik nox
chive7otikotik ja7 xa nox chanit ech'el li presa ta xi
jti7tikotike 7o to 7onox te sik," xi 7un. Ja7 xa 7a li
yich' xa ta ti jp'intikotik ti ve7 7o 7une, ja7 xa 7a li
7ikom 7un bik'it p'in xa bat 7un, bat xa vak-tuch'
7un, ja7 te kom jrasyontikotik ya7el vo7otikotik
7une, Iive7otikotik 7un, bat 7un, chtal yich' chtal
yich' i yot 7une, 7o j-kot kaxlan 7o j-kot kelem k'u
xich' tal 7un, chtal ta xich' 7o yocheb i yot 7une, ja7
jtojoltikotik ti 7o71ol tersyo li jarinae 7o71ol yu7un, ti
nive7otikotik 7o ya7el 7une.
Va7i 7un, "K'usi, laj jsi7 mu7yuk xa jsi7," xut i
jme7 7une.
"Ta jk'eltikotik mi 7oy 7oy k'u cha7al xtal li si7e,
7oy 7ep si7 tarn ta soral yu7un chaxi7ik mu xasa7ik i
moke," xi 7un. Naka mok tzk'atin 7un!
"7A pero ta x7ilin i jbesinoe mu xavil smok
jbesino," xkut.
"7A, k'u 7akwenta 7o?" xi.
"Mo7oj!" xkut.
"Mu xavil ta jtojbetikotik yajval," xut i jme7e.
"7Aa!" xi 7un. "Pero mu xaxi7 7o!" xi. Ssa7oj
ech'el xi ye—pal ta vorxae javas, yaxal javas.
"Lakano la 7ati7 noxtok yaxal javas."
"Je, pero mu jna7," xi.
"Mi xana7 k'u xi ta jti7tik, me7?" xkut i vo7on
7une. "Jcho7betik i spate 7i ja7 7o jlakantik."
"7A ti mi mu sna7ik sti7el yech 7une naka ch'ilbil
tzk'ux chavil 7une," xi 7un.
"Ji7 a7a!" xkut i vo7on 7une.
Va7i 7un, 7ijcho7be li spat 7une le—k xa chak,