"Do not worry, because we are here and shall know what to say to our grandmother. Let us go! We shall go quickly to the comer of the house, go at once to where the things hang; we shall be looking at the garret of the house and paying attention to our food," they said to the rat.
And having arranged it thus, during the night after talking together, Hunahpú and Xbalanqué arrived at midday. When they arrived, they brought the rat with them, but they did not show it; one of them went directly into the house, and the other went to the corner and there let the rat climb up quickly.
Immediately they asked their grandmother for food. "Prepare our food,[161] we wish a chili-sauce,[162] grandmother," they said. And at once the food was prepared for them and a plate of broth was put before them.
But this was only to deceive their grandmother and their mother. And having dried up the water which was in the water jar, they said, "We are really dying of thirst; go and bring us a drink," they said to their grandmother.
"Good," she said and went. Then they began to eat, but they were not really hungry; it was only a trick. They saw then by means of their plate of chile[163] how the rat went rapidly toward the ball which was suspended from the roof of the house. On seeing this in their chile-sauce, they sent to the river a certain xan, an animal called xan which is like a mosquito, to puncture the side of their grandmother's water jar, and although she tried to stop the water which ran out, she could not close the hole made in the jar.
"What is the matter with our grandmother? Our mouths are dry, with thirst,[164] we are dying of thirst," they said to their mother and they sent her out,[165] Immediately the rat went to cut [the cord which held] the ball and it fell from the garret of the house together with the ring and the gloves and the leather pads. The boys seized them and ran quickly to hide them on the road which led to the ball-court.
After this they went to the river to join their grandmother and their mother, who were busily trying to stop the hole in the water jar. And arriving With their blowgun, they said when they came to the river: "What are you doing? We got tired [of waiting] and we came," they said.
"Look at the hole in my jar which I cannot stop, said the grandmother. Instantly they stopped it, and together they returned, the two walking before their grandmother.
And in this way the ball was found.
[161] Xa ch'y cutu ca ti, literally, "grind our food." The food of the Quiché Indians consisted principally of tortillas, i. e., cakes of corn, which were cooked and ground on the stone which they called caam, the metatl of Mexico.
[162] Cutum-ic, in Quiché; chilmulli, in Náhuatl, chile-sauce.
[163] Chupam cutum ic, within the chilmol. The liquid red sauce served as a mirror and reflected the rat's movements on the roof, without its appearing as though the boys were watching them.
[164] Oh hizabah chi ya.
[165] To fetch the water.
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