The Cochiti Indians always went to Pecos (Ya’atsi) for turquoise. Inside of the mine there were pillars of turquoise which they were
not allowed to break. A party of men went to the mine and they started to break these pillars. When they were breaking them, they heard a voice, "You know you may not break this pillar. You are just allowed to take stone from the sides of the mine." When they continued breaking them the roof fell in on them. They were imprisoned. They cried out and called as loudly as they could asking whoever was going by to bring a pair of muskrat shoes (sic).
The people began to dig. When at last they uncovered them, they had all been transformed into snakes.
196:3 Informant 1. See also text translation, p. 254.