We hid in the rocks high above the village to watch the spectacle. The villagers seemed to be in good spirits. They were singing, dancing and drinking something out of leather pouches. We thought it must have been fermented grape juice. The more they drank the gayer they seemed to become. At the lower end of the village a pole was set up. It was carved in the image of the Trickster. Ropes were attached to its top. Revelers grasped these ropes and circled the pole, some in one direction, others in the opposite direction. When they collided they fell to the ground in a heap. Lively combat usually followed. At the other end of the village a band of turbaned and bearded interlopers entered the empty wigwams and emerged with stolen booty. But the main activity occurred in the center of the village. Two concentric rings of celebrants formed a barrier to The Run participants. Three people, one man and two women were stripped naked and turned loose in the arena. Teams of pursuers, three each, armed with switches, chased the principals around the ring. Despite our distance, and over the cheers of the crowd, we could hear the swishing, smacking, the owing and ouching. We were enjoying the fun. Then it happened! The earth gave a mighty shake. Boulders from around us were loosed from their places and sent tumbling down the hillside. The sounds were loud and frightening, as if the earth were growling in anger. We flattened ourselves to the ground and called out to the Great Spirit. The ground continued to shake. We held tight to tree roots. But the greatest drama was below. Suddenly a great crack appeared in the center of the village. It widened, shook, shuddered, then swallowed the entire village. All slid into the gigantic craw. At one moment there was a village full of people, at the next everything was gone. But this was not the end. From the top of what had been the village a huge wave of water rushed in and filled the great chasm. It sloshed up the sides of the hills and down again. Mighty waves grew and dashed against the shores. The water swashed from one end of the fissure to the other and from side to side. Eventually it settled and became serene. What was a village was now a lake. It had been an impressive spectacle.