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diff --git a/old/66596-0.txt b/old/66596-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e217d88..0000000 --- a/old/66596-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4424 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Punishment of the Stingy, by George Bird -Grinnell - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Punishment of the Stingy - and Other Indian Stories - -Author: George Bird Grinnell - -Illustrator: Edwin Willard Deming - -Release Date: October 25, 2021 [eBook #66596] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed Proofreading - Team at https://www.pgdp.net/ for Project Gutenberg (This file - was produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PUNISHMENT OF THE STINGY *** - - - - THE PUNISHMENT OF THE STINGY - AND OTHER INDIAN STORIES - - - by - GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL - - - Illustrated - - - New York and London - Harper & Brothers Publishers - 1901 - - - - - - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - The Stories and the Story-Tellers vii - The Bluejay Stories ix - The Punishment of the Stingy 3 - Bluejay, the Imitator 19 - Bluejay Visits the Ghosts 35 - The Girl Who Was the Ring 49 - The First Corn 65 - The Star Boy 75 - The Grizzly Bear’s Medicine 87 - The First Medicine Lodge 117 - Thunder Maker and Cold Maker 127 - The Blindness of Pi-waṕ-ōk 143 - Ragged Head 159 - Nothing Child 167 - Shield Quiver’s Wife 189 - The Beaver Stick 201 - Little Friend Coyote 219 - - - - - - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - “THEN THEY WENT SEAWARD” Frontispiece - “HE SAW A BALD-HEADED EAGLE” Facing p. 8 - “THE BIRD CAME DOWN” 10 - “FIVE TIMES HE CIRCLED AROUND THEM” 12 - “THERE WAS NO BOY THERE, ONLY A PILE OF BONES” 38 - “ONLY BONES LAY THERE” 40 - “ITS HEAD WAS SO HEAVY THAT IT THREW IT DOWN” 42 - THE STICK GAME 50 - SWINGING THE GIRL TO CALL THE BUFFALO 52 - COYOTE HOLDS A COUNCIL OF WAR 54 - “‘I CAN TELL WHICH STICK IS THE NEARER’” 58 - “SNORTED ‘WHOOF,’ AND BLEW RED DUST FROM HIS NOSTRILS” 92 - “THEY COULD NOT HURT HIM” 100 - THE CONFERENCE IN THE LODGE 106 - “SU-YE-SAI-PI CLUNG TO HIM” 226 - “‘OH, LITTLE WOLF,’ SHE CRIED” 230 - - - - - - - - - -THE STORIES AND THE STORY-TELLERS - - -The stories in this book deal with peoples of widely different -surroundings and habit—some with dwellers on the sea-shore, whose skies -are often obscured by rain and fog, who draw their living from the sea, -and are at home on the water; and others with inhabitants of the high -plains, where the air is pure and dry, and the summer sun is rarely -hidden by clouds. - -As the Indians have no written characters, memorable events are -retained only in the minds of the people, and are handed down by the -elders to their children, and by these again transmitted to their -children, so passing from generation to generation. Until recent years, -one of the sacred duties of certain elders of the tribes was the -handing down of these histories to their successors. As they repeated -them, they impressed upon the hearer the importance of remembering the -stories precisely as told, and of telling them again exactly as he had -received them, neither adding nor taking away anything. Thus early -taught his duty, each listener strove to perform it, and to impress on -those whom he in turn instructed a similar obligation. - -In transcribing stories such as these, care must be used to take down -just what the narrator says. The stories must be reproduced as they are -told; otherwise they lose that primitive flavor which is often one of -their chief charms. In their true form they are full of human nature, -full of unconscious suggestion as to how the primitive mind worked, and -full also of hints as to the customs and life of the people in the old -days. - -Seated by the flickering fire in Blackfoot skin-lodge, or in Pawnee -dirt-house, or in sea-shore dwelling on the northwest coast, I have -received these stories from the lips of aged historians, and have set -them down here as I have heard them. - - - - - - - - - -THE BLUEJAY STORIES - - -On the shores of the ocean which washes our northwest coast live many -tribes of a hardy, seafaring people. Their houses stand along the beach -just above high-water mark, and behind them the wooded mountains rise -sharply. The waters at their feet yield them the chief share of their -living. The salmon that each year come to the rivers to spawn, the -great shoals of little herrings that visit the beach, the halibut that -lie at the bottom far at sea, the seals, the sea-lions, the porpoises, -and the whales, all provide something towards the tribe’s support. Or, -if for a while all these fail, there are flat-fish on the shoals, clams -in the mud flats, and mussels clinging to the rocks. In the stories -told by this race of seafarers, the incidents have to do with the -common events of their lives, and the scenes are commonly laid on the -water or at the water’s edge. Thus they treat of the hunting of the -sea-lion, of the catching of the salmon, most often of the search for -food. - -Most of the stories to be related here are very old, and date from a -period when men and animals were far more closely related than they -seem to be to-day; when, as the tales clearly show, each could -understand the other’s language, and when friendly intercourse between -them was common. Although in recent years all the conditions of the -lives of these people have changed, stories such as these may still be -heard, if one can gain the confidence of the aged men and women who yet -retain this legendary lore. In somewhat different form, the Bluejay -Stories, in the original tongue, may be found in the Chinook Texts, -collected by that eminent ethnologist, Dr. Franz Boas, whose studies of -American tribes have yielded such important and valuable results. - - - - - - - - - -THE PUNISHMENT OF THE STINGY - -A BLUEJAY STORY - - -At Sea Side lived many people—a big village. Their houses were on the -bank, and, below, the wide beach sloped down to the salt water. Under -the bank the canoes rested on the beach above high-water mark. Beyond -was the sea. - -One day the Chief of the village died. He had one son, a big boy just -growing up to be a man. It was winter, and the people had hardly -anything to eat. They looked along the beach for food cast up by the -sea, but they could find nothing. They were hungry, and did not know -what they should do. Mussels and roots were their only food. - -One day a hunter said to the men: “Everybody get ready; let us go out -to sea. Perhaps there we may find something to eat; even if we kill -nothing, we can at least gather mussels.” - -So all the men got ready, and they started out to sea in two canoes. -After they had gone some distance they came to a small island, and saw -there some sea-lions, and the hunter speared one, and it jumped out to -the water and swam strongly, and then it died and floated on the water. -They dragged it up on the shore near by, and Bluejay said, “We will -boil it here.” So they made a fire there and singed it and cut it up -and boiled it. Then Bluejay said: “Let us eat it here. Let us eat all -of it, and not take any of it home with us.” So these people ate there. -The Raven wished to take home some of the meat to give to persons who -were hungry, and hid a piece in his mat and carried it to the canoe, -but Bluejay ran down and took the meat and threw it into the fire and -burned it. After they had eaten all they wanted, they made ready to go -home. They gathered mussels, large and small. In the evening they came -to the village, and Bluejay called out to his wife, “Stikuá, come and -get your mussels.” There was a noise of many feet as Stikuá and the -other women came running down to get their mussels, and carried them up -to the houses. - -The Raven took care of the Chief’s son. That night the boy said to him, -“To-morrow I want to go with you.” Bluejay said: “What are you going to -do? The waves will carry you away. You will be washed away. I was -almost washed away.” - -Early the next morning the men made ready to go hunting again. They -went down to the beach and got into the canoes, and the boy also went -down to the beach. He intended to go with them, and as they were -pushing off he tried to get into one of the canoes. Bluejay said to -him: “Go up to the houses. Go up to the houses.” The boy went, as he -had been told, but he felt very sorry, and then Bluejay said, “Quick, -let us leave him.” The people began to paddle. - -At length they reached the land where they had been the day before. It -was a rocky island. The hunter went ashore and speared a sea-lion. They -hauled it to the shore and pulled it up on land, and then pulled it up -away from the beach. Bluejay said, “We will eat it all here, or else -our Chief’s son will always be wanting to come with us.” So now they -singed the sea-lion, and cut it up and boiled it there. Then, when what -they were cooking was ready, they ate plenty. The Raven tried to save -one piece of the meat. He tied it in his hair, intending to hide it, -but Bluejay took it out and threw it into the fire and burned it. When -they started home they gathered mussels, and at evening they got home. -Before they landed, Bluejay called out loud, “Come, Stikuá, and get -your mussels.” There was a noise of feet running, and Stikuá and her -children came running to the beach with all the other women. Then they -carried the mussels up to the houses. Bluejay said to the men who had -been with him, “Do not tell the Chief’s son, any of you, for if you do -he will always go with us.” - -That night the boy said, “To-morrow I am going with you”; and Bluejay -said to him: “What are you going to do? You may drift away. You may be -overwhelmed by the waves.” The boy said, “I will go with you.” - -On the third morning they rose early and went to the beach, and the boy -also went to the beach, and took hold of the side of the canoe to get -in. Bluejay said: “What are you doing here? Go to the houses.” The boy -cried, but he went back. Then Bluejay said to the others, “Quick, -paddle; we will leave him behind.” Then the people paddled away. At -length they arrived at the rock of the sea-lions, and the hunter went -ashore. He speared a large sea-lion, and pretty soon it floated dead on -the water. They pulled it in to the shore and up on the beach, and then -they hauled it up above the beach and singed and cut it up and boiled -it there. When it was done they ate, and Bluejay said: “We will eat it -all. We will not tell any one, for fear that our Chief’s son should -want to come with us.” After all had eaten enough, a little meat was -still left. The Raven tried to hide a piece of it. He tied it to his -leg and put a bandage over it, and said that his leg was broken. -Bluejay burned all the meat that was left over. He said to the Raven, -“I want to see your leg.” He seized the Raven’s leg and untied it, and -found the piece of meat that the Raven had tied to it and burned it. -Towards evening they gathered mussels, and then they went home. - -When they were nearly at their home Bluejay called out, “Stikuá, your -mussels.” There was a noise of feet, and Stikuá and the women ran to -the beach. They carried the mussels up from the beach and ate mussels -all night. The boy said, “To-morrow, I think, I shall surely go along -with you.” Bluejay said to him: “What are you going to do? You will -drift away. I should have drifted away twice if I had not caught hold -of the canoe.” - -Early the next morning they made themselves ready, and the boy got up -and made himself ready. Then the people hauled their canoes down to the -water and got into them. The boy tried to get into a canoe too, but -Bluejay took hold of him and threw him into the water. He stood in the -water up to his waist. He took hold of the side of the canoe, but -Bluejay hit his hands to make him let go. For a long time he held on, -and cried and cried, but at last he let go and went up to the house. -Then Bluejay and the other people paddled away. After a while they -reached the rock where the sea-lions lived, and the hunter went ashore -and speared a sea-lion, and it jumped into the water and soon floated -there dead. Then they towed it to the beach and pulled it up and singed -it, and cut it up and boiled it. Bluejay said, “We will eat it here.” -They ate for a long time and ate half of it, and then they were -satisfied. They were so full that they went to sleep. After a while -Bluejay awoke and burned all the meat that was left. Towards evening -they gathered mussels and then started home. - -When they were near the shore, Bluejay called out to his wife, “Come -and get your mussels, Stikuá,” and they heard the noise of feet running -down to the shore. Then they carried up the mussels from the beach. -That night the boy said, “To-morrow I shall go with you”; and Bluejay -said to him: “What are you going to do? We may be thrown into the water -and you may drown.” - -Early the next morning the men made ready to start. The boy also got up -and made himself ready. Then Bluejay and the people hauled the canoes -down to the water and got into them. The boy tried to get into the -canoe, but Bluejay threw him into the water, and they pushed off. The -boy caught hold of the side of the canoe and held it. He stood there in -the water up to his armpits, and tried to get into the canoe, but -Bluejay hit his hands and made him let go. The boy cried and cried. -Bluejay and the people paddled away. - -After a little time the boy went up to the beach, feeling very sad, and -trying to think what he should do. At last he went into the house and -took his arrows and started walking along the shore. He walked around a -point, and saw a black eagle, and shot it. He skinned it and tried to -put the skin on his body, but it was too small. It did not reach down -as far as his knees. He took it off and left it there and went on. -After a while he saw another eagle, and he shot it, and it fell down. -Its head was partly white. He skinned it and put the skin on his body, -but it was too small. It reached down only a little below his knees. -Then he took it off and left it lying there, and went on a long way. At -last he saw a bald-headed eagle. He shot it, and it fell down. Then he -skinned it and put the skin on himself. Even this was too small, but it -nearly fitted him. Then he tried to fly. At first he could only fly -downward. He could not rise in the air. He tried again, and this time -he found that he could turn, so he kept on trying, and pretty soon he -could fly well. - -Now he flew towards the village, and when he had come near to this -point he smelled smoke, and in that smoke he smelled fat cooking. So -before he got to the village he turned and flew out to sea, following -the smell of the smoke. Pretty soon he came to the rock of the -sea-lions, and there he saw the men of his village. He alit on a tree -far off and watched them, looking down on them below. He saw that they -were cooking, and when the meat was done he saw them eating. When they -had nearly finished eating, he flew towards them, and he thought, “I -wish Bluejay would see me.” Bluejay did see the bird flying, and he -said, “Ha! a bird is coming to get food from us.” The boy flew around -them once, and then again. Five times he circled around them, all the -time coming lower. Bluejay took a piece of meat and threw it out, and -said to the bird, “I give you this to eat; take it.” The bird came -down, and, grasping the piece of meat, flew away. Then Bluejay said, -“Why, that bird has feet just like a person!” - -When Bluejay and the people had finished eating they went to sleep. -Again the Raven hid a piece of meat. Towards evening Bluejay awoke, and -then the people ate again, and afterwards Bluejay burned what they had -left. Then they gathered mussels and started to go home. When they were -close to the houses Bluejay called out, “Ah, Stikuá, get your mussels.” -All the women ran down to the beach with a noise of feet, and carried -up the mussels. - -When the boy got home he at once lay down. That evening the people -tried to wake him, but he did not rise. - -The next morning, as soon as it became day, early, they began to get -ready, and again they hauled their canoes into the water. The Chief’s -son still lay in bed. He did not try to go with them, and they started -off. After a while the sun rose. Then the boy got up. He called -together all the women and children and said to them: “Quick, wash -yourselves. Hurry; don’t be lazy.” They all washed themselves. Then he -said, “Quick, comb your hair.” They did so. - -Then he put down a plank on the ground and took a piece of meat from -under his blanket, and said to them, “All your husbands eat a great -deal of this meat every day.” He put two pieces of the meat side by -side on the plank. Then he cut off a piece of the meat and greased the -heads of all the women and the children. Then he pulled out of the -ground the wall planks of the houses and sharpened them. If a wall -plank was wide, he split it. He sharpened all of them. The Raven’s -house was the last house in the village. He did not pull down its -planks. He fastened the planks on the backs of the women, and said to -the women, “Now go to the beach and swim towards the sea, and as you -go, swim five times around that rock and then go out to sea. After this -you shall be killer whales. When you find sea-lions you shall always -kill them, but do not give any of them to stingy people. When you kill -a good whale you shall eat it, but do not give any of it to stingy -people. I shall take these children with me. They shall live on the sea -and be my relations.” Then he began to split sinews; he split a great -many of them. He threw down the sinews that he had split on the stones -where the people used to gather their mussels, and said to the mussels, -“After this when Bluejay and these others go to take up you mussels, -you shall always be tied fast to the rocks.” - -Now the women went down to the water’s edge and swam about, and began -slowly to jump out of the water. Five times they swam backward and -forward before the village; then they went seaward, swimming very fast. -They kept on to the island where Bluejay and his fellows were cooking -their food. Bluejay said to the men, “What is this that is coming?” The -men looked at the things that were coming, and saw the women often -jumping out of the water. Five times they swam around that rock, then -they went out to sea. After a while birds came flying after them -towards the sea—birds with red bills, just as if blood were on their -beaks. They kept following one another, many of them. Bluejay said: “Do -you see these birds, how they keep coming? Where do they come from?” -Then the Raven said, “How is it that you do not recognize these as your -children?” Five times the birds flew around the rock, just as the women -had gone around it, and then they flew away out to sea. - -When Bluejay and his people were eating the meat that they had killed, -that hunter said: “Quick, let us go home. I am afraid that we have seen -bad spirits. We never before saw anything like this at this rock.” Then -they gathered some mussels, and put in the canoes the meat that was -left and carried it with them. Just at evening they came to the -village, and Bluejay called out, “Ah, Stikuá, come and get your -mussels.” There was no noise of people running. Five times he called to -her, but no one came. It was all still. They went up on the beach, and -then they saw that no one was there, and that the walls of the houses -had disappeared. Then they began to cry, and Bluejay cried too. Some -one said to him, “Be quiet, Bluejay; if you had not been bad, our Chief -would not have done this to us.” - -Now they made only one house for all; all lived together. Only the -Raven, who had been kind-hearted, had a house to himself. He often went -along the beach looking for food, and was lucky, for sometimes he found -a sturgeon; or again he went along the beach looking for food and he -found a porpoise. Bluejay often went along the beach trying to find -food, but he was always unlucky, for he found nothing, and often, while -he was looking, suddenly it would begin to hail—big hailstones. Often -he went out to gather mussels and tried to break them off from the -rocks, but he could not do it. They were stuck fast to the stones. So -he gave up and went home. He cried a great deal. Often the Raven looked -for food along the beach and found a seal. The others had nothing to -eat except roots. - -Thus these men who had not brought food to their families had now lost -their women and children, their houses had been pulled down and taken -away, and they had nothing to eat. So their Chief punished them for -being stingy. - - - - - - - - - -BLUEJAY, THE IMITATOR - - -Bluejay and his elder sister Ioí, with her five children, lived -together in a house by the sea beach. Every morning they went out to -walk along the beach, to see what the tide had washed up during the -night that was good to eat. Sometimes they found fish, or a seal, and -sometimes a whale. Some days when they found nothing, they dug clams on -the flat, but some days they could get no clams, and so they were -hungry. Up and down the shore lived their neighbors. - -One day Bluejay said to his sister: “Let us go visiting; let us visit -the Magpie.” She said, “Let it be so. We will go.” - -Early next morning they put their canoe in the water and paddled away, -and when they came near the Magpie’s house they saw him sitting on the -roof. They landed, and went up to the house, and the Magpie came down -from the roof, and all went inside and sat down. Bluejay and his sister -sat there and looked all around, but they saw no food. After a little -while the Magpie swept his house, and while he was sweeping it out he -found one dry salmon egg. He put this in the feathers of his head. Then -he made a fire and heated some stones. He filled a basket-work kettle -with water, put the salmon egg in the water, then put the stones in the -water, one after another, and covered the kettle. Soon the water was -boiling, and when it had boiled a little while he took off the cover, -and the kettle was full of boiled salmon eggs. The Magpie put the -kettle before Bluejay and his sister, and said, “Eat, my friends; you -must be hungry.” They ate until they were satisfied, and still the -kettle was half full. - -After a time they started to return to their house, taking with them -the kettle with the food that was left. When they were about to start, -his sister said to Bluejay, “You go down first to the beach.” He said -to her, “No, you go down first.” So his sister went down first to the -beach to get the canoe ready. - -Bluejay said to the Magpie, “To-morrow come and visit us and get your -kettle and bring it back with you.” The Magpie said, “It is good; I -will go to visit you.” Then Bluejay and his sister went home. - -The next morning, early, Bluejay went up on the roof of his house and -sat there. After a time he called out to his sister, and said: “A canoe -is coming.” She answered: “It is coming, because you told him to come.” -Pretty soon, as they looked, they could see that it was the Magpie in -the canoe, and at length he landed and pulled his canoe up on the beach -and walked up to the house. Bluejay came down from the roof, and they -went in and sat down. - -Soon Bluejay got up and swept his house, and found one dry salmon egg, -which he put in his topknot. When he had finished sweeping his house, -he built a fire and heated some stones and filled a basket-work kettle -with water and put in it the salmon egg, and then the hot stones, and -covered the kettle. He did everything just as the Magpie had done it. -Soon the water boiled, and he took the cover off, but there was nothing -in the kettle but hot water. - -The Magpie said, “Bluejay can do only one thing.” He took the kettle -and threw the stones out of it. Then he heated more stones, put a dry -salmon egg in the water, put in the hot stones, and covered the kettle, -and soon the water began to boil. Presently he took the cover off the -kettle, and it was full of boiled salmon eggs. Then the Magpie went -down to the beach and put his canoe in the water and paddled away to -his home. - -After several nights Bluejay and his sister were hungry. Bluejay said: -“Let us go visiting. Let us go and visit the Duck.” “We will go -to-morrow,” said his sister. The next morning early they started and -paddled away towards the Duck’s house. After a while they came within -sight of the house, and then landed on the beach and went up to the -house. After they had sat a little while, the Duck said to her five -children, “Go and wash yourselves.” They went down to the beach and -went into the water and washed themselves. Then they dived, and when -each came to the top of the water it had a trout in its mouth. They put -these on a mat on the beach. Ten times they dived, and by that time -their mat was full of trout. They took them up to the house and made a -fire and roasted them, and when the fish were cooked they gave them to -Bluejay and his sister, and they ate part of them and were satisfied. -Pretty soon the visitors got ready to go, taking with them the food -that was left. Ioí said to her brother: “You go down first to the -beach, or else you will talk ever so much.” Bluejay answered her: “No, -you go down first.” So his sister went down first to get the canoe -ready, and when she had gone, Bluejay said to the Duck: “Come to my -house to-morrow and get your mat.” The Duck said: “To-morrow I will go -to visit you.” Then Bluejay and his sister paddled away, and soon came -to their house. - -Early next morning Bluejay got up and went up to the roof of the house. -After he had been sitting there for some time, he called out to his -sister: “A canoe is coming.” She said to him: “It comes because you -asked them to come.” Pretty soon the Duck, with her five children, -reached the beach, and after they had pulled the canoe out of the -water, they went up to the house. After they had sat a while, Bluejay -said to his sister’s children: “Go and wash yourselves.” - -The children went down to the beach and into the water and washed -themselves. They tried to dive, but no matter how hard they might try -their backs remained above the water. Ten times they tried to dive, and -their feathers were all wet and clinging to them, and they were almost -dead with cold. They came up to the house shivering, and not bringing -anything with them. - -The Duck said: “Bluejay can do only one thing.” Then she said to her -children: “Go and wash yourselves. We will give them something to eat.” -The Duck’s children went down to the beach and washed themselves. They -dived ten times, and then their mat was full of trout. They brought -them up to the house and threw them on the ground. Then the Ducks went -home. - -Some little time after this Bluejay and his sister were again hungry. -Bluejay said: “Let us go and visit Black Bear.” Early the next morning -they set out, and before noon they reached the Black Bear’s house and -went in and sat down. - -They looked around. No food was to be seen. Pretty soon the Bear built -a fire and began to heat stones. Bluejay was wondering what food would -be given them, and he said to his sister: “What will he give us to -eat?” - -When the stones were hot the Bear took his knife and cut the soles from -his feet, and cut a big piece of meat out of his thigh. Then he rubbed -his hands over the wounds, and at once they were healed. Then he cut -the flesh that he had taken from his feet and from his thigh into small -pieces and put it in the kettle, and put the hot stones in the kettle -and boiled it. When it was cooked he placed the kettle before them, and -said to them: “Eat, my friends; you must be hungry.” They ate, and -pretty soon they were satisfied. When they were ready to go home Ioí -said to her brother: “You go down first, or else you will be talking a -great deal.” Bluejay said: “No, you go down first.” His sister went, -and when she had gone Bluejay said to the Bear: “Come to-morrow and -visit us.” The Bear said he would do so; then Bluejay and his sister -went home to their house. - -Early the next morning Bluejay got up and made a fire, and went up on -the roof of his house. After a while, he called out to his sister: “A -canoe is coming,” and she answered: “It comes because you invited him.” -Pretty soon the Bear paddled up to the beach and landed, and came up to -the house, and they all sat down. Bluejay began to heat the stones in -the fire and to get ready for cooking. When the stones were hot he -sharpened his knife and began to cut his feet, but, oh, it hurt him -very much. It hurt him so much that he fainted away. They blew on him -until he recovered. - -The Bear said: “You can do only one thing, Bluejay.” The Bear took his -knife and slowly cut the soles off his feet. He cut a piece of flesh -out of his thigh. Then he rubbed his hands over the wounds and -immediately they were healed. Then he cut the flesh in small pieces and -boiled it. When he had finished cooking and it was done, he threw it -down before them, and went home to his house. Bluejay’s feet were sore. - -After a number of nights they were again hungry. Then Bluejay said to -his sister: “Let us go visiting again. To-morrow we will go and visit -the Beaver.” Early in the morning they started out, and before very -long they reached the Beaver’s house. The Beaver was on the roof of his -house. He came down, and they went in and sat down. After a little -while the Beaver went out and brought into the house a bundle of willow -twigs, which he put down before them. Then he took a dish and went out -and brought it back filled with mud. Bluejay and his sister could not -eat these things, and pretty soon they got ready to go home. As they -were about to start, his sister said to him: “You go down first to the -beach, or else you will talk a great deal.” The Bluejay said to his -sister: “No, you go down first.” So she went down first to the beach. -When she had gone Bluejay said: “Come to my house to-morrow to fetch -your dish,” and the Beaver answered: “I will come to-morrow.” - -Early next morning Bluejay got up and made a fire, and went up on the -roof of his house. After he had sat there for a while, he called out to -his sister: “A canoe is coming.” She answered: “It comes because you -asked it to come.” The Beaver landed and came up the beach and entered -the house, and they all sat down. Bluejay went out of the house, and -after he had been gone a little while he came back with a bunch of -willow twigs, and he put them before the Beaver, who began to eat them, -and soon ate them all up. Then Bluejay ran down to the beach and got -some mud, which he put before the Beaver. The Beaver ate it all and -went home. - -Not many days after this they were again hungry, and Bluejay said: “Let -us go visiting again. To-morrow let us go to visit the Seal.” Early the -next morning they started, and at length they came to the house of the -Seal. The Seal had five children. After they had been sitting a while -in her house, the Seal said to her children: “Go to the beach and lie -down there.” They went down to the edge of the water and lay there. -Then the Seal took a stick and went down there, too, and when she -reached her children she struck the youngest one on the head and it lay -there. She said to the others: “Dive down,” and they did so, and when -they came to the surface of the water there were five of them. Then she -dragged up to the house the one that she had killed and singed it, and -when she had finished singeing it she cut it up. She boiled it, and -when it was cooked she gave it to Bluejay and his sister. They ate, and -presently they were satisfied. When they were getting ready to go home -his sister said to her brother: “You go down first.” He answered: “No, -you go down first. You always want to stay where they give us food.” So -his sister went down to the beach. Then Bluejay said to the Seal: “Come -to-morrow and visit us, and fetch your kettle.” The Seal said: “I shall -come.” Then Bluejay and his sister went home to their house. - -Early next morning Bluejay got up and went on to the roof of his house. -After a while he called out to his sister: “A canoe is coming.” She -answered him: “It comes because you have asked them to come.” The canoe -came to the beach, and the Seal and her children landed and pulled the -canoe up on the beach, and then came up to the house. Pretty soon -Bluejay said to his sister’s children: “Go to the beach and lie down -there.” The children went and lay down at the edge of the water. -Bluejay took a stick and went down and struck the youngest one on the -head. Then he said to the other children: “Quick now, dive.” They -dived, but when they came up there were only four. Five times they -dived, but the one that Bluejay had struck remained dead. Then Ioí and -her children cried for the dead one. - -The Seal said: “Bluejay only knows how to do one thing.” She struck one -of her daughters on the head with a stick, and said to the others: -“Quick, dive.” They dived, and when they came up again all five of them -were there. Then she singed her daughter, and when she had finished -singeing her she cut her up and threw her down before Bluejay and his -sister, saying: “You may eat this.” Then they tied up and buried the -dead child, and the Seals went home. - -After a time these two were again hungry, and Blue jay said: “Let us go -and visit the Shadows.” His sister said: “We will go to-morrow.” Early -next morning they started, and at last they reached the home of the -Shadows and went up to the house. It was full of food, and on the beds -there were lying ornaments, clothing, coats, blankets of deer skin, of -mountain-goat wool, and of ground-hog skin. Blue jay said to his -sister: “Where are these people?” His sister answered: “They are here, -but you cannot see them.” - -Blue jay took up one of the large ear ornaments. “Look out! You are -pulling my ear, Bluejay!” cried a person. Bluejay was surprised, for he -saw no one, and he dropped the ear ornament. Then they heard many -people laughing. He took hold of a ground-hog blanket, and pulled at -it. “Let go of my ground-hog blanket, Bluejay,” said a person, but he -could see no one. He looked under the bed for the one who had spoken, -and again they heard people laughing. He took up a coat made of goat -wool, and somebody cried out, “Why do you lift my coat, Bluejay?” He -took hold of a nose ornament, and a person cried, “Let go of my nose -ornament, Bluejay.” Then a basket fell down from above. He lifted it up -and put it back. Then he began to look under the bed and all through -the house for persons, and again they heard many people laughing. His -sister said to him: “Stay here quietly. They are Shadows, and so you -cannot see them.” They ate some of the food. - -When it got dark Bluejay said, “We will sleep here.” So they slept -there during the night, but all through the night they had bad dreams, -for so the Shadows punished Bluejay, because he had teased them. Then -Bluejay and his sister went home, and his sister said, “Now we have -gone visiting enough.” - - - - - - - - - -BLUEJAY VISITS THE GHOSTS - - -In a certain village there lived Ioí and her younger brother, Bluejay. -One night the ghosts went out to buy a wife. They bought Ioí. The -presents they gave for her were not sent back; they were kept. So at -night she was married, and when day came Ioí was gone from her father’s -house. For a long time Bluejay did nothing; but at length he felt -lonely, and after a year had passed he said, “I am going to look for my -elder sister.” He started for the country of the ghosts, and on his way -he began to ask every one whom he saw, “Where does a person go when he -dies?” He asked all the trees, but they could not tell him. He asked -all the birds, but they could not tell him. At last he asked a Wedge, -and the Wedge said, “If you will pay me, I will carry you there.” He -paid, and the Wedge carried him to the country of the ghosts. - -They came to a large village, but no smoke rose from the houses; only -from the last house—a big one—they saw smoke rising. Bluejay went into -this house, and there he saw his elder sister. She said to him: “Ah, my -younger brother, where do you come from? Are you dead?” He answered, -“No, I am not dead; the Wedge brought me here on its back.” - -After a little Bluejay went out and walked through the village, and -began to open the doors of the houses and to look into them; and when -he looked into them he did not find people in any of the houses, but -only bones. Then he came back to where his elder sister was. On the bed -near where his sister was sitting lay a skull and some bones. He asked -her, “What are you going to do with that skull and those bones?” She -said to him, “That is my husband, your brother-in-law.” Bluejay did not -believe her; he said to himself: “Ioí is telling lies. She says a skull -and bones is my brother-in-law!” - -When it got dark people began to appear, and soon the house was full. -It was a large house, but there were many people in it. Bluejay said to -his elder sister, “Where have all these people come from?” She answered -him: “Do you think that they are people? They are ghosts. They are -ghosts.” Now these people always spoke in whispers, and Bluejay could -not hear what they said, and did not understand them. - -He stayed a long time with his elder sister. One day she said to him: -“Why do you not do as they do? Go fishing with them, with your -dip-net.” He said, “I will do so.” When it got dark he made ready to -go, and a boy also made ready. His sister said: “This is your -brother-in-law’s relation. You two had better go together. Do not speak -much to him. Keep silent.” - -They put their canoe in the water and started, and as they were -paddling down the river they saw ahead of them some people, also going -down the river in a canoe and singing. When they had almost overtaken -them Bluejay began to sing too, joining in their song, and at once the -people were silent. He looked back at the boy in the stern of the -canoe, but now there was no boy there, only a pile of bones. The noise -Bluejay made caused the boy to disappear, and only bones were left. -Now, as they floated down the stream, Bluejay sat silent, and was -wondering what all this meant, and pretty soon when he looked back at -the stern of the canoe the boy was sitting there again. Bluejay said to -him, speaking slowly and in a low voice, “Where is your fishing-fence?” -The boy answered, “It is beyond here, down the stream.” They went on -farther; then Bluejay said out loud and suddenly, “Where is your -fishing-fence?” Only bones were in the stern of the canoe. Again -Bluejay was silent, and when he next looked back the boy was again in -the canoe. Bluejay again spoke to him in low tones, and said, “Where is -your fishing-fence?” The boy answered, “Here.” - -Now they began to fish, Bluejay using the dip-net, while the boy held -the canoe. Soon Bluejay felt something in his net and raised it, but -only two dead branches were in it. He threw them out, and again put his -net into the water. Again he felt something in it and raised it, and it -was full of leaves. He threw them out, but a part of the leaves fell in -the canoe, and the boy gathered them up. Again he caught a branch and -threw it out into the water; again he caught some leaves and threw them -out, but a part of them fell in the canoe. The boy gathered them up. -Again he caught two branches—both large ones. He was pleased with these -branches, and said to himself, “I will take these back to Ioí; she can -use them to build her fire.” At length they turned back and went -homeward and reached the village. Bluejay was angry because he had -caught nothing. - -When they went up from the beach to the houses the boy was carrying a -mat full of trout. After the trout were roasted and the people were -eating them, the boy talked a great deal, saying: “He threw out of the -canoe all that he had caught. If he had not thrown it away, our canoe -would have been almost full.” His elder sister said to Bluejay, “Why -did you throw away what you had caught?” “I threw away what I caught -because they were branches,” said Bluejay. His sister said: “Do you -think they were branches? That is our food. When you caught leaves, -those were trout. When you caught branches, those were fall salmon.” -Bluejay did not believe this. He said to her: “I brought home to you -two branches. You can use them to make your fire.” His sister went to -the beach and found two fall salmon in the canoe. She took them up to -the house and went in, carrying them in her hand. Blue jay said to her, -“Where did you steal those fall salmon, Ioí?” She answered, “These are -what you caught.” Bluejay said to himself, “Ioí keeps telling lies to -me all the time.” - -When day came Bluejay went down to the water’s edge, to the beach. -There on the beach were the canoes of the ghosts. They were old and -full of holes, and partly grown over with moss. He went up to the house -and said to his sister, “How bad your husband’s canoes are, Ioí.” She -answered, “After this keep quiet, or the people will get tired of you.” -But he repeated, “The canoes of these people are full of holes.” She -said to him, angrily: “People? people? They are ghosts.” - -When it again grew dark Blue jay again made himself ready, and the boy -got ready, and they went fishing. Now Bluejay teased that boy. As they -were going along he shouted, and only bones were in the canoe. He did -this several times, but at last they reached the fishing-place, and -began to fish with the dip-net. Now Bluejay took into the canoe all the -branches that he caught, and all the leaves, and when the tide began to -fall their canoe was full, and they started homeward. Now he began to -tease the ghosts, and when they met one he shouted, and only bones were -in the canoe. At last they reached home, and he carried up to his -sister’s house part of what he had caught. She also carried up a -part—salmon of two kinds. - -The next morning when it became day he went through the village again, -and he found many bones in those houses. - -It got dark, and some one said, “A whale has been found.” His elder -sister gave him a knife, and said to him, “Quick, run! a whale has been -found.” Then Bluejay ran fast, and when he reached the beach he met -some of those people. He called out to them in a loud voice, asking -them, “Where is this whale?” Only bones lay where the people had stood. -He kicked the skulls out of the way and ran on a long distance, and met -some other people. Again he called out loudly to them; only bones lay -there. He did this several times. At last he came to a big log, thrown -up on the beach—a big log with thick bark—and many people were at work -peeling off that bark. Bluejay shouted. Only bones lay there. That bark -was full of pitch. Bluejay began to peel it off. He peeled off two -pieces and put them on his shoulder and went home. As he was going -along he said to himself, “I thought it was really a whale, but it is -only a fir-tree.” He kept on, and at last he reached the house. Outside -the door he threw down the bark and went in. He said to his elder -sister, “I thought it was really a whale, but you see it is only bark.” -His elder sister said to him: “It is whale, it is whale. Do you think -it is bark?” She went outside, and there two cuts of whale meat lay on -the ground. Ioí said, “It is a good whale; its blubber is very thick.” -Bluejay looked at it. Now he believed that a whale lay on the beach. He -turned back and met a person who was carrying bark on his back. Blue -jay shouted, and only bones lay there. He took the piece of bark and -put it on his shoulder and carried it home. In this way he treated all -these ghosts, and after a while he had a great deal of whale meat. - -Bluejay continued to live there. One day he went into a house in the -village and took a child’s skull and put it on the bones of a grown-up -person. He took the large skull and put it on the child’s bones. Thus -he did to all these people. When night came the child sat up, intending -to rise to its feet, but it fell over. Its head was so heavy that it -threw it down. The old man got up. His head was light. The next morning -when it became day he changed these heads back again. Sometimes he -changed the legs of the ghosts, so that he gave small legs to an old -man and large legs to a child. Sometimes he gave a man’s legs to a -woman, and a woman’s legs to a man. After a time the ghosts began to -dislike him. Ioí’s husband said to her: “These people dislike Bluejay -because he treats them in this way. It will be good for you to tell him -to go away to his home, for now people do not like him.” Ioí tried to -stop her younger brother, but he would not listen to her. Now again -when it became day Bluejay arose early. Ioí had in her arms a skull. -Bluejay threw it away, saying, “Why does she hold that skull in her -arms?” She said to him, “Ah! you have broken your brother-in-law’s -neck.” It became night, and his brother-in-law was sick. His relations -tried to cure him, and pretty soon the brother-in-law got well. - -Now Bluejay started to go to his home. But as he was going home he got -caught in a fire, and was burned and died. Then he started back for the -country of the ghosts. When he came to the river he called out to his -elder sister, and she said, “Ah, my brother is dead.” - -She put her canoe into the water and went across the river to fetch -him. When she reached him he said to her, “Your canoe is pretty, Ioí.” -She said to him, “You used to say that canoe was grown over with moss.” -Bluejay thought: “Ioí is always telling lies to me. The other canoes -had holes and were moss-covered.” She said to him, “You are dead now; -that makes the difference.” Bluejay thought, “Ioí keeps telling lies to -me.” - -Soon she carried him to the other side of the river, and he saw the -people. They were playing games—dice and the ring game—and dancing—tum, -tum, tum, tum—and singing. Bluejay wanted to go to these singers. He -tried to sing and to call out loud, but they laughed at him. Then he -went into his brother-in-law’s house. There sat a chief, a good-looking -man; it was Ioí’s husband. Ioí said, “And you broke his neck.” Bluejay -thought, “Ioí keeps telling me lies.” - -“Where did these canoes come from? They are pretty.” Ioí answered, “And -you said they were moss-grown.” Bluejay thought: “Ioí is always telling -lies. The others were full of holes, and were partly overgrown with -moss.” “You are dead now,” said his sister; “that makes the -difference.” - -Then Bluejay gave it up and became quiet. - - - - - - - - - -THE GIRL WHO WAS THE RING [1] - - -By the bank of a river stood a lodge, in which lived four brothers and -their sister. The boys made arrows. To the branch of a tree in front of -the lodge they had hung a rawhide strap, such as women use for carrying -wood, so as to make a swing for the girl. - -Whenever their meat was all gone and they began to get hungry, the girl -used to send her brothers into the timber to cut dogwood shoots to make -arrows. When the arrows were ready, she would get into the swing and -the boys would swing her. As the swing moved, they would see dust -rising all around the horizon, and would know that the Buffalo were -coming. Then all four boys would take their bows and arrows, and stand -about the swing so as to protect the girl and not let the Buffalo come -near her. When the Buffalo had come close, the boys would kill them in -a circle all about the swing. They would quickly carry the girl into -the lodge, and would kill so many Buffalo that the rest would be -frightened and run away. So they would have plenty to eat, and the -dried meat would be piled high in the lodge. - -One day the boys went out to get wood for arrows, and left the girl in -the lodge alone. While they were away a Coyote came to the lodge and -talked to the girl. He said to her: “Granddaughter, I am very poor, and -I am very hungry. I have no meat in my lodge, and my children also are -hungry. I told my relations that I was coming to ask you for food, and -they have been laughing at me. They said, ‘Your granddaughter will not -give you anything to eat.’” - -The girl answered him: “Grandfather, here is plenty of meat. This house -is full of it. Take what you want. Take the fattest pieces. Take it to -your children. Let them eat.” - -The Coyote began to cry. He said: “Yes, my relations laughed at me when -I said I was going to visit you and ask you for something to eat. They -said you would not give me anything. I do not want any dried meat—I -want some fresh meat to take to my children. Have pity on me, and let -me put you in the swing, so as to bring the Buffalo. I do not want to -swing you hard so as to bring the Buffalo in great herds. I want to -swing you only a little so as to bring a few Buffalo. I have a quiver -full of arrows to keep the Buffalo off.” - -The girl said: “No, grandfather, I cannot do this. My brothers are -away. Without them we can do nothing.” - -Then the Coyote slapped his breast and said: “Look at me. Am I not a -man and strong? I can run around you fast, after you are in the swing, -and I can keep the Buffalo off. I can shoot clear through a Buffalo. I -have plenty of arrows, and I need only use a single one for each -Buffalo. Come on, I want to swing you just a little, so that but few -Buffalo will come.” So he coaxed the girl, but still she refused. - -After he had begged her for a long time, she agreed to let him swing -her a little, and got in the swing. He began to swing her, at first -gently, but all at once he pushed her very hard, and kept doing this -until she swung high. She screamed and cried, and tried to get off the -swing, but it was now too late. All around—from all sides—the Buffalo -were coming in great crowds. The Coyote had made ready his arrows, and -was running around the girl, trying to kill the Buffalo and keep them -off, but they crowded upon him—so many that he could do nothing—and at -last he got frightened and ran into the lodge. The Buffalo were now -just all over the ground about the lodge, and suddenly one of the young -Bulls, the leader of a big band, as he passed under the swing, threw up -his head, and the girl disappeared, but the Coyote, peeping out of the -lodge door, saw on the horn of this Bull a ring, and then he knew that -this ring was the girl. Then the Bull ran away fast, and all the -Buffalo ran after him. - -When the Buffalo had gone, the Coyote came out of the lodge and saw -that the girl was not there. He did not know what to do. He was -frightened. Pretty soon he heard the girl’s brothers coming. They had -seen the dust, and knew that some one was swinging their sister, and -that the Buffalo had come. They hurried back, running fast, and when -they reached the lodge they found the Coyote just dragging himself out -of a mud-hole. He crawled out, crying, and pretended that the Buffalo -had run over him and trampled him. His bow and arrows were in the mud. -He told the brothers his story and said that he had tried hard to save -the girl, but that he had not known that so many Buffalo would come. He -said he had thought that the girl must be swung high, so that the -Buffalo could see her from a long way off. - -The brothers felt very sorry that their sister was lost. They -counselled together to see what they should do, trying to decide what -would be the best plan to get her back again. While they were talking -about this, the Coyote, with all the mud upon him, stood before them -and said: “Brothers, do not feel sorry because your sister is lost. I -will get her back again. Live on just as you always do. Do not think -about this. Do not let it trouble you. I will get her back again.” -After he had spoken thus, he said, “Now I am going to start off on the -war-path,” and he left them and went away. - -He journeyed on alone considering what he should do, and at length, as -he was travelling along over the prairie, he met a Badger, who said to -him, “Brother, where are you going?” The Coyote said: “I am going on -the war-path against my enemies. Will you join my party?” The Badger -said, “Yes, I will join you.” They went on. After they had gone a long -way, they saw a Swift Hawk sitting on the limb of a tree by a ravine. -He asked them where they were going, and they told him, and asked him -if he would go with them. He said he would go. After a time they met a -Kit Fox, and asked him to join them, and he did so. Then they met a -Jack Rabbit, who said he would go with them. They went on, and at -length they met a Blackbird, and asked him to join them. He said: “Let -it be so. I will go.” - -Soon after they had all got together they stopped and sat down, and the -Coyote told them how the girl had been lost, and said that he intended -to try to get her back. Then they talked, and the Coyote told them the -plan that he—the leader—had made. The others listened, and said that -they would do whatever he told them to do. They were all glad to help -to recover the girl. - -Then they all stood up and made ready to start, and the Coyote said to -the Blackbird, “Friend, you stay here until the time comes.” So the -Blackbird remained there where they had been talking, and the others -went on. After they had gone some distance farther, the Coyote told the -Hawk to stop and wait there. He did so. The others went on a long way, -and then the Coyote said to the Rabbit, “You stay here.” The others -went on, and at the next stopping-place he left the Kit Fox; and at the -next—last of all—he left the Badger. Then the Coyote went on alone and -travelled a long way, and at length he came to the Buffalo camp. He -went out to the place where the young Bulls used to play the stick -game, and lay down there. It was early in the morning. - -After a time some of the young Bulls came out, and began to roll the -ring and to throw their sticks at it. The Coyote now pretended to be -very sick. His hair was all covered with mud, and his tongue hung out -of his mouth, and he staggered about and fell down and then got up -again, and seemed to feel badly. Sometimes he would get over near to -where the ring was being rolled, and then the young Bulls would call -out: “Here, hold on! Get away there! Don’t get in the way.” - -After a little while the Coyote pretended that he felt better, and he -got up and went over to where the young Bulls were sitting, looking on -at the game, and sat down with them, and watched the play with the -others. Every now and then two of the young Bulls would begin to -dispute over the game, each saying that his stick was the nearer to the -ring, and sometimes they would wrangle for a long time. Once, while -they were doing this, the Coyote went up to them and said: “Here! You -men need not quarrel about this. Let me look. I know all about this -game. I can tell which stick is the nearer.” The Bulls stopped talking -and looked at him, and then said: “Yes, let him look. Let us hear what -he says.” Then the Coyote went up to the ring and looked, and said, -pointing: “That stick is nearest. That man has won.” The Bulls looked -at each other, and nodded their heads and said: “He knows. He is -right.” The next time they had a dispute, he decided it again, and all -were satisfied. - -At length two of the young Bulls had a very fierce dispute, and almost -came to fighting over it. The Coyote came up and looked, and said: -“This is very close. I must look carefully, but I cannot see well if -you are all crowding around me in this way. I must have room. You would -all better go over to that hill, and sit down there and wait for me to -decide.” The Bulls all went over to the hill and sat down, and then the -Coyote began to look. First he would go to one stick and look -carefully, and then he would go to the other and look. The sticks were -about the same distance from the ring, and for a long time it seemed -that he could not make up his mind which was the nearer. He went -backward and forward, looking at the sticks, and stooping down and -putting his hands on his knees and squinting, and at last, when once -his face was close to the ground, he suddenly snatched up the ring in -his mouth, and started, running as hard as he could, for the place -where he had left the Badger. - -As soon as he had started, all the Bulls on the hill saw what he was -doing—that he was taking the ring away from them—and they started after -him. They did not want to lose the ring, for it was very useful to -them, and they played with it all the time. When the Buffalo in the -camp saw that the young Bulls had started, they all followed, so that -soon all the Buffalo were rushing after the Coyote. He ran fast, and -for a long time he kept ahead of the Buffalo, but they followed, a -great mass of Buffalo crowding and pushing, running as hard as they -could run. At last the Coyote was beginning to get tired, and was -running more slowly, and the Buffalo were beginning to catch up to him, -but he was getting near to where the Badger was. After a time the -Buffalo were getting nearer to the Coyote. He was very tired, and it -seemed to him as if he could not run any farther. If he did not soon -get to where he had left the Badger, the Buffalo would run over him and -trample him to death, and get back the ring. At length, when they were -close behind him, he ran over the top of a little hill, and down in the -valley below saw the Badger sitting at the mouth of his hole. The -Coyote raced down the hill as fast as he could, and when he got to the -hole he gave the ring to the Badger, and just as the herd of Buffalo -got to the place, they both dived down into the hole. - -The Buffalo crowded about the Badger’s hole, and began to paw the -ground, to dig it up so as to get the Coyote and the ring, but the -Badger had dug a hole a long way under the ground, and while the -Buffalo were digging he ran along through this hole and came out far -off, and ran as hard as he could towards the brothers’ lodge. Before he -had gone very far, some of the Buffalo on the outside of the herd saw -him, and called out to the others: “There he is! There he goes!” Then -all the Buffalo started again and ran after the Badger. When they had -come pretty close to him, he would stop running and dig another hole, -and while the Buffalo were crowding around the hole, trying to dig him -out, he would dig along under the ground, until he had got far beyond -them, and would then come to the top of the ground, and run as fast as -he could towards the lodge. Then the Buffalo would see him and follow -him. - -In this way he went a long distance, but at length he got tired and -felt that he could not run or dig much farther. He was almost spent. At -last, when he dug out of the ground, he saw not far off the Kit Fox, -lying curled upon a rock, asleep in the sun. He called out: “Oh, my -brother, I am almost tired out! Help me!” The Kit Fox jumped up and ran -to him and took the ring in his mouth and started running, and the -Badger dug a deep hole, and stayed there. The little Fox ran fast, -gliding along like a bird; and the Buffalo, when they saw him running, -chased him and ran hard. - -The Kit Fox is a swift animal, and for a long time he kept ahead of the -Buffalo. When he was almost tired out, he came to where the Rabbit was, -and gave him the ring, and ran into a hole, and the Rabbit ran on. The -Buffalo followed the Rabbit, but he ran fast and kept ahead of them for -a long time. When they had almost caught him, he came to where the Hawk -was sitting. The Hawk took the ring in his claws and flew off with it, -and the Rabbit ran off to one side and hid in the long grass. The -Buffalo followed the Hawk, and ran after him. They seemed never to get -tired. The Hawk, after he had been flying a long time, began to feel -very weary. He would sail down low over the Buffalo’s backs, and was -only just able to keep above them. At last he got near to where the -Blackbird was. - -When the Blackbird heard the pounding of many hoofs and knew that the -Buffalo were coming, he flew up on a sunflower stalk and waited. When -the Buffalo came to the place where he was, he flew up over them to the -Hawk, and took the ring on his neck, and flew along over the Buffalo. -The ring was heavy for so small a bird, and he would alight on the -backs of the Buffalo and fly from one to another. The Buffalo would -toss their heads and try to hit him with their horns, but he kept -flying from one to another, and the Buffalo behind were always pushing -forward to get near the ring, and they pushed the other Buffalo ahead -of them. Pretty soon the herd passed over a hill and were rushing down -to the place on the river where the brothers’ lodge stood. - -Ever since their sister had been lost, the brothers had been making -arrows, and now they had piles of them stacked up about the lodge. When -they saw the Buffalo coming they got their bows and took their arrows -in their hands, and shot and shot until they had killed many, many -Buffalo, and the rest were frightened and ran away. - -The Blackbird had flown into the lodge with the ring, and after the -brothers had finished killing, they went into the lodge. And there, -sitting by the fire and smiling at them as they came in, they saw their -sister. - - - - - - - - - -THE FIRST CORN - - -A long time ago there lived in the Pawnee village a young man who was a -great gambler. Every day he played at sticks, and he was almost always -unlucky. Sometimes he would lose everything that he had, and would even -lose things belonging to his father. His father had often scolded him -about gambling, and had told him that he ought to stop it. There were -two things that he never staked; these two things were his shield and -his lance. - -One day he played sticks for a long time, and when he got through he -had lost everything that he had except these two things. When he went -home at night to his father’s lodge he told his relations what he had -done, and his father said to him: “My son, for a long time you have -been doing this, and I have many times spoken to you about it. Now I -have done. I cannot have you here any longer. You cannot live here in -my lodge or in this village. You must go away.” - -The young man thought about it for a little while, and then he said: -“Well, I will go. It does not make much difference where I am.” So he -took his shield and his spear and went out of the lodge and started to -go away from the village. When he got outside of the village and had -gone some distance, he heard behind him a loud rushing sound like a -strong wind—the sound kept getting nearer and louder—and all at once it -was above him, and then the sound stopped, and something spoke to him -and said: “Well, I am here. I have come to find you. I have been sent, -and am here on purpose to get you and take you with me.” The voice that -spoke to him was the Wind. - -The Wind took the young man up and carried him away towards the west. -They travelled many days, and passed over broad prairies and then -across high mountains and then over high, wide plains and over other -mountains until they came to the end of the world, where the sky bends -down and touches the ground. The last thing the young man saw was the -gate through the edge of the sky. A great buffalo bull stands in this -gateway and blocks it up. He had to move to one side to let the Wind -and the young man pass through. - -Every year one hair drops from the hide of this bull. When all have -fallen the end of the world will come. - -After they had passed through this gate they went on, and it seemed as -if they were passing over a big water. There was nothing to be seen -except the sky and the water. At last they came to a land. Here were -many people—great crowds of them. The Wind told the young man, “These -are all waiters on the Father.” They went on, and at last came to the -Father’s lodge and went in. When they had sat down the Father spoke to -the young man and said to him: “My son, I have known you for a long -time and have watched you. I wanted to see you, and that is why I gave -you bad luck at the sticks, and why I sent my Wind to bring you here. -Your people are very hungry now because they can find no buffalo, but I -am going to give you something on which you can live, even when the -buffalo fail.” Then he gave him three little sacks. The first contained -squash seed; the second beans, red and white, and the third corn, -white, red, blue, and yellow. - -The Father said: “Tie these sacks to your shield, and do not lose them. -When you get back to your people give each one some of the seeds and -tell him to put them in the ground; then they will make more. These -things are good to eat, but the first year do not let the people eat -them; let them put the yield away, and the next year again put it in -the ground. After that they can eat a part of what grows, but they must -always save some for seed. So the people will always have something to -eat with their buffalo meat, and something to depend on if the buffalo -fail.” The Father gave him also a buffalo robe, and said to him: “When -you go back, the next day after you have got there, call all the people -together in your lodge, and give them what is in this robe, and tell -them all these things. Now you can go back to your people.” - -The Wind took the young man back. They travelled a long time, and at -last they came to the Pawnee village. The Wind put the young man down, -and he went into his father’s lodge and said, “Father, I am here”; but -his father did not believe him, and said, “It is not you.” He had been -gone so long that they had thought him dead. Then he said to his -mother, “Mother, I am here,” and his mother knew him and was glad that -he had returned. - -At this time the people had no buffalo. They had scouted far and near -and could find none anywhere, and they were all very hungry. The little -children cried with hunger. The next day after he got back, the young -man sent out an old man to go through the camp and call all the people -to come to his father’s lodge. When they were there, he opened his robe -and spread it out, and it was covered with pieces of fat buffalo meat -piled high. The young man gave to each person all he could carry, but -while he was handing out the pieces, his father was trying to pull off -the robe the hind-quarters of the buffalo and hide them. He was afraid -that the young man might give away all the meat, and he wanted to save -this for their own lodge. But the young man said: “Father, do not take -this away. Do not touch anything. There is enough.” - -After he had given them the meat he showed them the sacks of seed and -told them what they were for, and explained to them that they must not -eat any the first year, but that they must always save some to plant, -and the people listened. Then he said to them: “I hear that you have no -buffalo. Come out to-morrow and I will show you where to go for -buffalo.” The people wondered where this could be, for they had -travelled far in all directions looking for buffalo. The next day they -went out as he had told them, and the young man sent two boys to the -top of a high hill close to camp, and told them to let him know what -they saw from it. When the boys got to the top of the hill, they saw -down below them in the hollow a big band of buffalo. - -When the people learned that the buffalo were there, they all took -their arrows and ran out and chased the buffalo and made a big killing, -so that there was plenty in the camp and they made much dried meat. -Four days after this he again sent out the boys, and they found -buffalo. Now that they had plenty of meat they stayed in one place, and -when spring came the young man put the seed in the ground. When the -people first saw these strange plants growing they wondered at them, -for they were new and different from anything that they had ever seen -growing on the prairie. They liked the color of the young stalks, and -the way they tasselled out, and the way the ears formed. They found -that besides being pretty to look at they were good to eat, for when -the young man had gathered the crop he gave the people a little to -taste, so that they might know that the words that he had spoken were -true. The rest he kept for seed. Next season he gave all the people -seed to plant, and after that they always had these things. - -Later, this young man became one of the head men and taught the people -many things. He told them that always when they killed buffalo they -must bring the fattest and offer them to the Father. He taught them -about the sacred bundles, and told them that they must put an ear of -corn on the bundles and must keep a piece of fat in the bundles along -with the corn, and that both must be kept out of sight. In the fall -they should take the ear of corn out of the bundle and rub the piece of -fat over it. [2] Thus they would have good crops and plenty of food. - -All these things the people did, and it was a help to them in their -living. - - - - - - - - - -THE STAR BOY - - -One hot night in summer two girls climbed up on an arbor in front of an -earth lodge to sleep where it was cool. As they lay there before they -went to sleep, they were talking about the different stars that they -saw in the sky above them, saying how pretty they were. One of the -girls saw a bright star, and pointed to it and said: “I like that one -best of all. I choose it for mine.” After a little while the girls went -to sleep. - -When this girl that had chosen the star awoke, she was in a strange -country, and saw strange people about her. She cried, and wanted to go -back to her home, but the man in whose lodge she was told her that he -was the star she had said she liked, and that, as she had chosen him, -he had taken her for his wife. Finally, she got over feeling badly and -was content to stay with him. - -Every day when the evening came he would get ready for his journey. He -would comb his hair and paint his face red, and then start out to -travel. When it was morning he would be back again. - -About three years after this the girl had a baby boy. One day after -this she went out to dig roots. Her husband had told her not to dig too -deep in the ground, and for a long time she was careful, but one day -she dug too deep and dug through that ground. There before her was a -hole, through which she could look down and see this world below her. -She could see a camp, and near it a party of men playing the stick -game. They were very small and looked like ants. She looked at them and -looked at them for a long time, and then suddenly she felt that she -wanted to go back to where she had come from, and wanted again to see -her people—the Pawnees. - -After she had thought about this for a long time, she went home and -asked her husband to bring her a lot of sinews. He brought them to her, -and from the sinews she began to make a rope. It took her a long time -to make the rope, and in making it she used all the sinews that she -had. After she had finished it, she waited until her man had gone out -on his journey, and then put her child on her back and went to the -hole, carrying the rope of sinew. She took with her also a long stake, -and drove it into the ground near the hole. To this stake she tied the -rope, and then let it down through the hole. It seemed to her that it -did not reach the ground, but she thought that perhaps it reached -almost down to it, and she made up her mind that she would try to -descend. - -All around the hole she dug the earth away so as to make it large -enough for her body to pass through. Then she put her child on her -back, and let herself slide down by the rope. For a long time she went -down, and at last she came to the end of the rope, but it did not -nearly reach the ground. That was far below her. She clung to the rope, -crying, for she was afraid to let go and no one came to help her, for -there was no one near to hear. It was a long way to the camp. - -After a time the woman’s husband came back to their lodge and found -that his wife was gone. He looked for her everywhere, but could see -nothing of her. At last he found the hole that she had dug, and when he -looked down through it he saw her there hanging to the rope. Then he -was angry. He looked about on the ground for a stone just the size of -the hole, and dropped it through, and it fell on the woman’s head and -killed her, but by his power the Star Man took care of the little child -so that when it fell to the ground it was not hurt. - -When the woman fell the boy crawled out from under her. He stayed there -by his mother three days. Every now and then he would start to go off -somewhere, and would go a little way, and then would come back to his -mother and try to rouse her; but she was dead. The fourth day he -started to go off a long way, and as he was going along he came to a -patch of corn and squashes, and he walked among the corn and pulled -some ears and ate them. - -Near by this field was a poor little lodge, in which lived an old woman -and her little grandson. One day the little boy went into the corn -patch and saw there the footprints of a little child. He went back home -and told his grandmother about it. They did not know whether the tracks -had been made by a girl or a boy. They looked for the child everywhere, -but could not find it. - -At last the old woman told her grandson to take out a flesher and a hoe -and leave them in the field. “If it is a girl,” the old woman said, -“she will take them.” The little boy did as she had said, and left the -things there, but when the strange child came he did not take them. -They could see his tracks where he had walked straight by them. Then -the old woman said: “My son, take your bow and arrows and put them -there. If it is a boy he will take them.” He did so. - -When the little boy next went back to the corn patch after leaving the -bow and arrows, they were gone. Then the little boy went into the corn -and hid himself and waited. He stayed hidden there until the little -Star Boy came back; then he walked up to him. He said: “Come, let us go -to where my grandmother lives. We can play there together with our bows -and arrows.” The boys went to the lodge and went in and ate together. -Then they went out and played with their bows and arrows. - -They lived thus for a long time. When they had grown so that they could -go a long way from home, they would sometimes stay away too long, and -the old woman would get frightened about them and would scold them when -they came back. - -One day she said to the boys: “My sons, you must never go over there to -that place where the timber grows thick. Never go there. That is where -your fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, and brothers were killed by a -grizzly bear. It is dangerous to go there.” - -Not long after that the little Star Boy said, “Let us go out and kill -little birds.” They went out, and when they had got some distance from -the lodge he said, “Brother, let us go over to that place where -grandmother told us not to go.” The other boy said: “It is good. We -will go.” They went over there, and when they had gone into the thick -timber, suddenly they saw a bear. It seemed very angry and roared and -growled. The Star Boy laughed at it, and walked up to it and tapped it -on the head with his bow. His father was using his power so that the -bear could not hurt him. The boy took the bear home with him to the -lodge, and called to his grandmother to come out and said, -“Grandmother, here is a bear; you can have him to pack wood and water -for you.” The old woman was scared. The boy killed the bear with his -little arrows. - -One day after that the old woman said to the boys: “Now, boys, do not -go to that thick-timbered place over there. That is where some of your -brothers and relations disappeared. Do not go there.” Soon after this, -one day when they were out hunting little birds and had got away from -the lodge, the Star Boy said, “Brother, let us go over to that place -where grandmother told us not to go. Let us see what is there.” They -went, and as they were going along through the timber they saw a -panther. The panther growled and looked very fierce, but the boy walked -up to it and shot his little arrow at it and killed it. His father was -helping him. The boys skinned it and took it home and stuffed it with -grass and stood it up in the lodge. Their grandmother was away. When -she came back they told her to go into the lodge; they said, “We have -something nice for you in there.” She went into the lodge, and when she -saw the panther she was frightened almost to death, and the boys -laughed. The boys said to the old woman, “Grandmother, we have done -this so that we could put this skin outside the lodge to scare away -other animals so that they will not come near us.” - -The grandmother said: “Boys, boys, you must not do as you have been -doing. You must not go so far away, and you must not go into danger. -Right up there on the hill is a den of snakes. I do not want you to go -there. You must not go near that place.” Soon after this the Star Boy -said to his playmate: “Brother, let us go over to that hill where the -snakes live. Let us each take a piece of rock and we will kill them.” -They went, and when they got to the place he said: “Sit down. Put your -rock on the ground and sit down on it. I know what the snakes are going -to do, but our father will take care of us.” - -The snakes came out of the den—great lots of them—and came towards the -boys. All at once the boys saw a cloud rising and coming towards them, -and pretty soon it began to rain where the snakes were, and the water -got so deep that the snakes were swimming, but where the boys were it -did not rain. On them the sun was shining warm and bright. Then the sun -got hotter and hotter, and at last it was so hot it made the water boil -and killed all the snakes. - -The boys went home, and the old woman’s grandson told her what had -happened—just how it all was. Then she said to him: “Grandson, I -believe there is power in this little boy. Now we will go back to our -people.” They had left their people because they were poor and had no -horses, and the others in the camp did not take care of them. She said, -“We will go back and try to find out where this boy came from, and -whether he is a relative of any of our people there.” Before they -started the grandmother asked the Star Boy where he came from. He told -her that he did not know; that he had come from above, but he -remembered that his mother had told him that they did not belong up -there, but down below, and that she had been taken up by a star. He -said that she had come down with him on her back, but had been killed -by a stone dropped from above, which had hit her on the head but did -not kill him. - -Then the old woman remembered that once a girl had disappeared one -night from the camp when she was sleeping on an arbor, and that this -girl was the daughter of a chief. - -They left their lodge and went back to their people. When they reached -the camp, they had a lodge of their own and all lived together. His -relations, when they found out who the Star Boy was, wanted him to come -and live with them, but for a long time he would not do so. When he did -go, he took the old woman and her grandson with him. - -When he grew up he began to go on the war-path, and he had good luck -and struck many of his enemies. At length he married the daughter of a -chief, and the grandson married another daughter. - - - - - - - - - -THE GRIZZLY BEAR’S MEDICINE - - -A long time ago there lived in a camp of Pawnees a certain poor boy. -His father had only one pony. Once he had been a leading man in the -tribe, but now he seemed to be unlucky. When he went on the war-path he -brought back nothing, and when he fought he did nothing, and the people -did not now look up to him. - -There was a chief’s son who loved the poor boy, and these two went -together all the time. They were like brothers; they used to hunt -together and go courting together, and when they were travelling, the -poor boy often rode one of the ponies of the chief’s son, and the -latter used to go to the poor boy’s lodge and sleep there with him. - -Once the camp went off to hunt buffalo, and the poor boy and the -chief’s son rode together all the time. After the people had made camp -at a certain place, the chiefs decided to stop here for four days, -because the buffalo were close by, and they could kill plenty and dry -the meat here. North of the camp was a hill on which grew many -cedar-trees, and during the day the poor boy had overheard people -saying that many Indians had been killed on that hill, among those -trees. They said that no one ought to go there, for it was a dangerous -place. - -That night the chief’s son went over to his friend’s lodge to sleep -there, but before they went to bed he left the lodge for a time, and -while he was gone the poor boy, as he sat there waiting, began to think -about himself and how unhappy he was. He remembered how poor he and his -father were, and how everybody looked down on them and despised them, -and it did not seem to him that things would ever be any better for -them than they were now. For a long time he sat there thinking about -all these things, and the more he thought of them the worse they -seemed, and at last he felt that he was no longer glad to live, and he -made up his mind to go up into those cedars. - -He went out of the lodge and started to go up towards the trees. It was -bright moonlight, so that he could see well. Just before he reached the -edge of the timber he crossed a ravine, and saw there many skeletons of -people who had been killed. The ground was white with these bones. He -went on into the cedars, and came to a ravine leading up the hill and -followed it. As he went on he saw before him a trail and followed it, -and when he came to the head of the ravine there was a big hole in the -bank, and the trail led to it. He stopped for a moment when he came to -this hole, but then he went in, and when he had entered he saw there, -sitting by the fire, a big she-bear and some little cubs. - -As the boy stood there looking at her, the she-bear said to him: “I am -sorry that you have come here. My husband is the one who kills persons -and brings them here for the children and me to eat. You had better go -back to your people quickly, or he will eat you up. He has gone -hunting, but he will soon be back again. If he finds you here he will -kill you.” - -The poor boy said: “Well, I came here on purpose to be killed, and I -give myself up to you. I shall be glad to be eaten by you. I am here -ready to be killed. I am yours. Take me.” - -The she-bear said: “Oh, I wish I could do something to save you, but I -cannot. He is one of those bad bears—a grizzly—medicine. I can do -nothing for you, but I will try. As soon as you hear any noise -outside—any one coming—pick up that cub, the littlest one, and hold it -in your arms. When he comes in he will tell you to put it down, but do -not do so. Hold it tight; he loves that one best of all.” - -All at once the boy heard outside the cave the noise of a bear snorting -and grunting. The she-bear said, “Pick up the cub, quick; he is -coming.” The boy caught up the little bear, and held it tight to his -breast. All at once the noise came to the mouth of the den and stopped. -It was the Bear. The boy could hear him talking. He said: “Here! -somebody has been about my house. I smell human beings. Yes, he even -came in. Where is he? Let me see him, so that I may jump upon him and -kill him.” When he came in he saw the boy, and seemed very angry. He -stood up on his hind feet and threw up his hands, and then came down -again and struck his paws on the ground, and then rose up and snorted -“whoof,” and blew out red dust from his nostrils, and then came down -and jumped about, and sometimes sprang towards the boy, as though he -were going to seize him. He was very terrible, and the boy was very -much afraid. - -The Bear called out to the boy in a loud voice: “How dare you take up -my child and hold it? Let it go, or I will tear you to pieces and eat -you.” But the boy still held the cub. No matter what the Bear said or -what he did, the boy held fast to the cub. - -When the Bear saw that the boy would not let the cub go, he became -quiet, and no longer seemed angry. He said: “Boy, you are my son. Put -down your brother, for now he is your brother. He shall go with you, he -shall be your companion, and shall be with you always as your guide and -helper. He has told me your story, and how you are poor, unhappy, and -now he has kept you from being eaten up. I have taken pity on you, and -we will send you back to your people, where you may do some good among -them. My son, I am at the head of all these animal lodges, down at -Pahŭk′ and at Pahūr′ and everywhere else. I am at the head; there is no -animal living that is stronger than I; none that I cannot kill. If a -man shoots at me, I make the arrow to fall from my skin without hurting -me. Look up around my lodge. See these arrows, these guns, these -leggings, these beads, and the medicine that men have brought, thinking -to kill me; but I have killed them, and have taken these things, and -keep them here. - -“I knew that your people were coming to this place to hunt. I drove the -buffalo over, so that the people should stop here and hunt and kill -meat, in order that you might come to my lodge. I know all your -feelings. I know that you are sorry for your poor father, my brother, -and I wished you to come here, so that I might make you my son and give -my power to you, so that you may become a great man among your people. -I know that they are now killing buffalo, and that they will be camped -here for four days. - -“Now, my son, set your brother free. All the power that I have I give -to you. I shall kill my son, your little brother there, and give you -his skin to keep and to carry away with you, so that he may be your -companion and may be with you always. Your brother, your friend at the -camp, is looking for you, mourning for you, for he thinks you dead, but -to-morrow night you shall see him, and shall tell him to rejoice for -you and not to mourn. You shall tell him where you have been.” - -The little bear that he was holding said to the boy: “It is all right -now, brother; put me down. My father means what he says. I am glad that -I am going to be with you, my brother.” The boy put him down. - -Then the Bear said to his wife: “Get up. Take that gun.” The she-bear -took the gun, and they walked around the fireplace in a circle, and -sang, and the boy looked on. The Bear took the gun and told the boy to -look at them, and to watch carefully everything that they did. After a -little he stopped, and shot his wife, and she fell down dead. Then he -put down the gun, and went to the she-bear and put his mouth on the -wound, and breathed on it and snorted “whoof,” and sucked in his breath -and took the bullet out, and went around the lodge, singing and making -motions, and then he took hold of the she-bear and lifted her to her -feet, and supported her, and pushed her around, and helped her, and at -last she walked, and was well. Then he called the boy to him and said, -“Now I will do the same thing to you.” And he did the same thing to the -boy, and brought him to life in the same way. Then he said, “That is -one power I give you to-night.” - -Then he gave the gun to the boy and went to the other side of the -lodge, and sat up, and said, “Now I will open my mouth, and you shoot -me right in the mouth.” He opened his mouth, and the boy shot him, and -he fell over. After a moment he got up on his feet and slapped his paws -on his chest several times, and the bullet came out of his mouth, and -he walked around the fireplace two or three times, and made motions and -grunted, and then he was well. Then he took the boy in his arms, and -hugged him and kissed him and breathed on him, and said: “Now I give -you my power. Go over there and I will shoot you as you shot me. Do -just as I did.” The boy went over there, and the Bear shot him, and the -boy did just as the Bear had done, and made himself well. - -The Bear then put an arrow in the gun and shot it at the boy, and when -the smoke cleared away the boy found the arrow fast in his throat, the -feather end sticking out. The Bear took it out and made him well, and -gave him also this power. Then the Bear told him to load the gun with a -ball and to shoot it at him, and he did so, and shot the Bear, but the -lead was made flat and dropped to the ground. The bullet did not go -into the Bear. - -The Bear now told the boy to take the bow and arrow and to shoot at him -with all his strength. The boy did this, but the arrow did not go -through the Bear, but the spike rolled up and the shaft was split. The -Bear said: “Now you see, my son, that the gun and the bow, the bullet -and the arrow, cannot harm me. You shall have the same power. When you -go into battle you shall not carry a gun nor arrows, for they are not -mine, but you shall take this paint, and put it all over your body, -then put this feather on your head, and take this club, which is part -of my jawbone. All these things have my power and medicine. When you -are carrying these things your enemy cannot hurt you, even if you run -right on to him; but with one stroke of this club you shall kill your -enemy.” - -The next morning the Bear took the boy out on the prairie and showed -him the different roots and leaves of medicines, and told him how to -use them; how he should eat some medicine and then he could cure the -wounded by just breathing on the wound. - -That night the Bear said to him: “Hereafter you shall have the same -feelings as the bear. When you get angry, you will have a grunt like a -bear; and if you get too fierce, tushes like a bear’s will stick out of -your mouth, so that the people will know that you are very angry. You -shall have my power, and you can go into any of the lodges of the -animals, of which I am the chief.” And he told him how to get into -these lodges. - -That day they stayed in the Bear’s lodge, and the Bear took the claw -off from his little finger and gave it and a little bundle of medicine -to the boy. He said, “Take this claw and this bundle of medicine and -put them on a string and wear them on your neck always, the claw -hanging in front.” He taught him how to make plums grow on trees, and -how to make ground-cherries come out of his mouth. - -That night he sent the boy back to the camp. He said: “Tell your father -and mother not to mourn for you, for you will return in two days more. -I have driven plenty of buffalo to this place, and the people will kill -them and dry the meat. Now go to the camp and get a pipe and some -tobacco, and bring them here.” - -The boy went back to the camp. When he went into the lodge his father -and mother were glad to see him. He told them not to be anxious about -him, and not to say anything about his having been away. Then he went -out and found his brother, the chief’s son, asleep. He said to him: -“Wake up, brother. I want you to get some tobacco and a pipe from your -father. Tell no one that it is for me. Bring it here. I want to smoke -with you. I am going away again, but you must stay in camp. I shall -return in a few days.” The chief’s son got the things and gave them to -the boy. He wanted to go with him, but the poor boy would not let him. - -That same night the boy went back to the Bear’s den, carrying with him -the pipe and tobacco. After he went into the lodge he filled his pipe -and lighted it, and he and the Bear smoked together. The Bear said to -him: “After you have gone home, whenever you smoke, always point your -pipe towards my den and ask me to smoke with you. After lighting your -pipe, point it first to Atíus Tiráwat, and then blow a few whiffs to -me. Then I shall know that you still remember me. All my power comes -from Atíus. He made me. There will be an end to my days as there is to -those of every mortal. So long as I live I shall protect you; when I -die of old age, you shall die too.” - -After this he said, “Now bring my youngest boy here.” The boy brought -the little cub, and the Bear said, “Now kill him.” The boy hesitated to -do this. He did not want to kill the little bear, but it said to him: -“Go on, my brother, kill me. After this I am going to be a spirit, and -always to be with you.” Then the boy killed him, and skinned him, and -tanned his hide. After it was tanned he put some red medicine paint on -the hide. When this was done the Bear told him to put his paint, his -feather, and his war-club in this hide, and to wrap them up and make a -bundle of them. Then he said: “Now, my son, go to your people, and when -you get home hang your bundle up at the back of the lodge, and let the -people know nothing of all this. Keep it secret. Wherever you go, or -wherever you are, I shall be with you.” - -The boy went home to the camp, and told his mother to hang up his -bundle, as the Bear had said. Next morning he was in camp and all the -people saw him. They were surprised, for they had thought that he had -been killed. By this time the Pawnees had all the buffalo they wanted, -and the next day they started back to their village. - -After they had reached their home, the boy told the chief’s son that he -wanted him to go off with him on the war-path. His brother said: “It is -good. I will go.” The poor boy took his bundle, and they started. After -travelling many days they came to a camp of the enemy. They went into -the village in the daytime, and took many horses and started away with -them, riding hard. Soon the enemy pursued them, and at length they -could see them coming, and it seemed as if they must soon overtake -them. Then the poor boy got off his horse and stopped, telling his -brother to go on, driving the horses. - -The boy had painted himself red over his whole body. He held his -war-club in his hand, and had his feather tied on his head and the -little bear-skin on his back. The enemy soon came up and tried to kill -him, but they could not. He would run after one and kill him, and all -the others would shoot at him with their arrows, but they could not -hurt him, and at last they left him and went back, and he went on and -overtook the chief’s son. Then his brother saw that he had great power. -After this they travelled on slowly, and at last reached the village. -His brother told the people that this man was powerful, that they had -taken the horses in broad daylight, and the young man had stayed behind -on foot and fought the enemy off, while he drove on the horses. - -A few days after they reached home, a war-party of the enemy attacked -the village. All the Pawnees went out to fight them, but the poor boy -stayed behind in the lodge. He took down his bundle, filled the pipe, -and pointed it first to Atíus, and then towards the Bear’s lodge, and -smoked. Then he took the paint and mixed it with grease, and rubbed it -all over his body except his face: that he painted black. Then he put -the feather on his head and the little bear-robe on his back, and took -his war-club in his hand and started out. The Bear had told him that in -going into battle he must never start towards the east, but must attack -going towards the west. So he went around, and came on the battle-field -from one side. - -As he came up he saw that his people were having a hard time, and were -being driven back. There was one of the enemy who seemed to be the -bravest of all. The poor boy rushed at this man and killed him with his -club, and then ran back to his own line. When his people looked at him, -and saw that it was really the poor boy who had just done so brave a -deed, they knew that what the chief’s son had said was true. When he -started again to rush towards the enemy’s line, all the Pawnees -followed him. He ran among the enemy, and with his club killed one here -and one there, and the enemy became afraid and ran, and the Pawnees -followed and killed many of them. That night they returned to the -village, rejoicing over the victory. Everybody was praising the young -man. Old men were calling his name, young women were singing about him, -and old women dancing before him. People no longer made fun of his -father or mother, or of him. Now they looked upon him as a great and -powerful person. - -The Bear had told him that when he wanted his name changed he must call -himself Ku ruks la war´ uks ti, Medicine Bear. - -That night the Bear came to the boy in his sleep and spoke to him. He -said: “My son, to-morrow the chief of the tribe is going to ask you to -take his daughter for your wife, but you must not do this yet. I wish -you to wait until you have done certain things. If you take a wife -before that time, your power will go from you.” - -The next day the chief came to Medicine Bear and asked him to marry his -daughter, and told him the people wanted him to be their head chief. He -refused. - -Some time after this all the different tribes that had been attacked by -them joined forces and came down together to fight the Pawnees. All the -people went out to meet them, but he stayed in his lodge and painted -himself, and put his feather in his head and the bear-claw on his neck -and his bear-skin on his back, and smoked as he always did, and took -his club and went out. When he came to the battle, the Pawnees were -having a hard time, because the enemy were so many. Medicine Bear -charged, and killed a man, and then came back, and the second time he -charged, the people charged all together, following him, and they -killed many and drove the enemy off, and those who had the fastest -horses were the only ones who got away. The Pawnees went home to the -village. Everybody rejoiced, and there were many scalp-dances. Now the -poor boy was more highly thought of than ever. Even the chiefs bowed -their heads when they saw him. They could not equal him. This time he -called himself Ku ruks ti carish, Angry Bear. - -After the excitement had quieted down, one day the head chief said: -“Medicine Bear, in all this tribe there is no chief who is equal to -you. Sit down by my daughter. Take her for your wife, and take my place -as chief. I and my wife will go out of this lodge, and it shall be -yours. You shall be the chief of the tribe. Whatever you say we will -abide by.” The poor boy said: “My father, I will think about this. By -morning I will let you know.” In the night, before he slept, he filled -the pipe and smoked as the Bear had told him to do, and then he went to -bed. In dreams the Bear said to him: “My son, you have done what I -wished you to do. Now the power will remain with you as long as you -shall live. Now you can marry, if you will.” - -But the boy was not yet ready to do this. The girl was very pretty, and -he liked her, but he felt that before he married there were still some -things that he must do. He called his brother and said to him, “Go, -kill the fattest of the buffalo; bring it to me, and I will take a long -journey with you.” - -His brother went hunting and killed a buffalo, and brought the meat -home, and they dried it and made a bundle of it. Medicine Bear told his -brother to carry this bundle and a rawhide rope and a little hatchet, -and they started on a journey towards the Missouri River. One day -towards evening they reached the river, and they found themselves on -top of a steep-cut bluff. The river ran at its foot. The poor boy cut a -cottonwood pole and drove it into the ground, and tied the rope to it, -and then tied the other end of the rope about his brother’s body. Then -he sharpened a stick and gave it to his brother and said: “Now take the -bundle of meat, and I will let you down over the bank. You must put the -meat on a ledge of the cliff, and when the birds come you must feed -them. Give a piece to the first one that comes, and then take your -sharp stick and get another piece, and so feed all the birds. They are -the ones that have power, and they can take pity on you.” So he let the -chief’s son down. - -The first bird that came was a buzzard, then an eagle, then hawks and -owls, all kinds of birds that kill their prey. He fed them all. While -he was doing this, the poor boy was above lying on top of the bank. -Late in the afternoon, just as the sun was going down, he saw, far up -the river, what looked like a flock of geese coming. They came nearer -and nearer, and at last passed out of sight under the bank. Afterwards, -when he looked down on the river, he could see in the water red light -as if it were all on fire, and as he lay on the bank he could hear down -below him the sound of drumming and singing just as plain as could be, -and all the time the chief’s son was hanging there in front of the -bank, and the poor boy would call down to him to cry and ask the -animals to take pity on him. When Medicine Bear had done this, he -started back and went home, leaving the chief’s son hanging there. - -The chief’s son stayed there all the night and all the next day, and -for three days and nights, and on the night of the fourth day he fell -asleep. When he awoke he was in a lodge. It was under the Missouri -River. When he looked about him he saw that those in the lodge were all -animals. There was the beaver, there was the otter, two buffalo, the -antelope, hawks, owls, ermines, bears, frogs, woodpeckers, catfish—all -kinds of animals. On each side of the lodge was a little pool, and in -each pool sat a goose, and every time they sang, the geese would shake -their wings on the water, and it sounded just like drumming. The chief -of the animals spoke to him, saying: “My son, at this time we can do -nothing for you. We must first send our messenger up to the Bear’s -lodge to ask him what we may do for you.” While he was saying this the -Bear’s servant entered the lodge and said: “My father, it is all right. -Our father the Bear told me to say to you that his son has sent this -young man to you, and you must exert all your power for him.” - -Now the animals began to make ready to use their power to help the -chief’s son. First the Beaver talked to the young man, to tell him of -his powers and his ways, so that he might perform wonderful acts. How -he should take the branch of a tree and strike a man with its point and -it would go through him, and then how to draw it out and to make the -man well again. He gave him the power to do this. He taught him how to -take a stick two feet long and swallow it, and then take it out again -from his throat, and gave him this power. - -The Otter gave him the power, if his enemies ever attacked him, to -break their arrows with his teeth and shoot back the shaft without a -spike, and if he hit an enemy with the shaft, it would kill him. “The -poison from your mouth will kill him,” he said. - -The Ground-dog said: “My son, here is my little one. I give him to you. -Take him, and if you have an enemy among the doctors in your tribe, -take this little one down to the water early in the morning and dip his -nose in the water, and when you take it out it will have a piece of -liver in its mouth. The man who has tried to kill you will be found -dead.” - -The Owl said: “My son, I give you power to see in the night. When you -go on the war-path and want to take horses, the night will be like -daytime for you.” - -The Hawk said: “My son, I give you power to run swiftly, and I give you -my war-club, which is my wing. You shall strike your enemy with it only -once, and the blow shall kill him. Take also this little black rope; -you shall use it when you go on the war-path to catch horses. Take also -this scalp which you see hanging down from my claw. You shall be a -great man for scalping.” - -Each of the other animals gave him all his kinds of power. - -For two days and two nights they taught him the different kinds of -power, and for two days and two nights they taught him the different -kinds of roots and herbs for healing the sick. They said to him: “You -shall be the great doctor of your people. Every now and then you must -bring us tobacco, so that we can smoke.” They further told him that at -this time they could teach him only a little, but that afterwards, one -at a time, they would meet him out on the prairie, and would teach him -more. At last they said: “Now it is time for you to go. Your friend has -come, and is waiting for you out on the prairie.” - -The Buffalo now stood up and said: “My son, I want to be with you -always. I give you my robe. Wear it wherever you go, that the people -may know that you come from this place.” All the animals said, “We want -to be with you too.” Each one of the birds took off a feather and put -it on the robe, and each animal put one of its claws on it, and some -put medicine on it. In one of the holes the Beaver tied a little -sweet-grass, and others did the same. By the time they were through, -the robe was all covered with feathers and claws and smelled sweet. The -animals had put their medicine on it so that it smelled sweet. Then the -animals said, “Go, my son, to your people, and bring us something to -smoke, so that we may be satisfied.” - -Presently the chief’s son found himself upon the bluff, facing his -brother. His brother grasped him in his arms and said: “Oh, my brother, -you smell nice. What a fine robe you have on! Look at all these -feathers.” They hugged each other. Then they went home together. The -chief’s son had a bundle that the animals had given him. - -Soon after this the Pawnees had a big doctors’ dance. These boys went -into the doctors’ lodge and said: “Doctors, you are the head doctors, -but we have come to-night to visit you. We want to do a few things -ourselves.” The doctors all said “Lau-a.” The young men took seats -close to the door, which is the most important place in this dance. All -the doctors were surprised, and said “Uh!” - -The Bear boy got up first and began shooting at the chief’s son, just -as he had done with the Bear, and all the doctors thought he was -powerful, shooting at this young man and curing him. When he got -through, it was the other boy’s turn. He would take a long sharp stick -and thrust it through his brother, and then heal him again, and then -take a knife and stab him, and then cure him. He did some powerful -things, more so than his brother had done. After the doctors had seen -all these things they all said, “Let us have these two for our head -doctors.” But the poor boy said: “Not so. This one who is sitting by me -has more power than I have. He ought to be the head doctor, for I am a -warrior, and can never stay in the camp to doctor people. My brother -has gone into the animals’ lodge, and they have given him more power -than I possess.” So the chief’s son was chosen to be the head doctor. - -When the doctors’ dance was over, the two brothers at once started to -go to the animals’ lodge, carrying with them tobacco and a pipe. When -they got there, the chief’s son told his brother to wait on the bank, -that he was going down to take the tobacco and the pipe to his fathers. -He jumped off the steep bank into the river, down into the door of the -lodge, and went in. When they saw him all the animals slapped their -mouths and called out. They were glad to see him. After smoking with -them, he went back to his friend. After that the chief’s son would go -off by himself and would meet the animals on the hills. They would tell -him about different roots, and how to doctor this disease and that. He -would come back with some roots and herbs and put them away. - -Finally the head chief sent for the Bear man and said to him: “My son, -I offered you my lodge, my daughter, and the whole tribe. Now take all -this. Let me go out of this lodge and look for another one, and you -stay here with my daughter.” The young man said: “What of my brother? -Send for the other chief. Let him give his daughter, his lodge, his -people, to him, and this day we will accept your gifts to us. My -brother will after this be the head doctor of this tribe.” The other -chief, when asked to do this, agreed, and it was so done. - -The Bear man went often on the war-path, but his brother stayed at -home, and fought against the enemy only when they attacked the village. -He took charge of the doctors’ lodge. The Bear man after this had some -children, and when they had grown up he told his son the secrets of his -power. He was now beginning to grow old, and his son went on the -war-path, while he stayed at home. - -One night he had a dream about his father the Bear. The Bear said to -him: “My son, I made you great and powerful among your people. The -hairs of my body are falling, and soon I shall die. Then you too will -die. Tell your son all the secret powers that I gave you. He shall keep -the same power that you have had.” - -Soon after this the old Bear must have died, for the man died. Before -he died he said to his brother: “Do not mourn for me, for I shall -always be near you. Take care of your people. Cure them when they are -sick, and always be their chief.” - -When the enemy came and attacked the people and wounded any, the -chief’s son was always there and always cured them. He was a great -doctor. At last he also died, but his son had the same kind of power. -But these two sons never had so great powers as their fathers. - - - - - - - - - -THE FIRST MEDICINE LODGE - - -A great many winters ago the Piegans were camped near a small creek. -Their lodges were arranged in a circle, enclosing a large open space. -This was long before they had horses. They used dogs to pack with. - -The head chief had a daughter. She was good and beautiful. Many young -men had asked to marry her, but she had refused them all. One day she -went to the stream for water. There she met a boy, well known through -the camp, because of a great scar on his cheek, which made him very -ugly. From this the people called him Scarface. He was very poor. His -mother and father were dead, and he lived with his grandmother. His -clothes were old and torn, and he wore about him part of a worn buffalo -robe. Yet, though his clothes were poor and his face was ugly, his -heart was good, and the cruel taunts of his people often made him very -sad. - -When Scarface met the beautiful girl, he asked her if she would marry -him. She looked at him in scorn and said: “Do you think I would marry -such an ugly person as you? When you remove that great scar from your -face, come and ask me.” Then she left him. He sat for a long time -thinking over the cruel words the girl had spoken. His heart was sad. -At last he went slowly to his grandmother’s lodge. - -When he entered he said: “Grandmother, make me some moccasins and put -some dried buffalo meat in a sack for me. I am going away and may be -gone a long time.” She gave him the things he asked for, and he left -the lodge and started to go to a butte not far from the camp. - -When he reached the top of the butte, he threw himself upon the ground -and wept and prayed to the Sun to have pity on him and remove the scar. -At last he stood up and made a bed of the stones which he found on the -side of the butte. Then he lay down to sleep. While he slept a voice -said to him: “My son, rise, and go to the butte to the right of you. -There you will find your father.” He did as the voice had said. - -When he reached the place, he threw himself on the ground and wept as -before, and prayed the Sun to help him. He made a bed of stones like -the one he had lain on before, and while he slept another voice said: -“My son, your journey is not yet ended. Rise and go to that butte still -farther to the right. There you will find one who will direct you on -your way.” Again he obeyed the voice. - -When he reached this butte he made his bed as before, and slept, but no -voice spoke to him. In the morning he awoke. As he sat on the ground, -he was wondering what he should do next. Again a voice spoke, saying, -“My friend, shut your eyes.” He did so, and in a short time the strange -voice said, “Open your eyes and look about you.” - -When he opened his eyes, he was far up in the blue sky, in another -world. It was all a wide prairie. There were no mountains, no trees. -There were only rivers, with a few bushes upon their banks. He could -now see the person who had spoken to him. He was a young man about his -own age, but he was very handsome. He wore a shirt, leggings, and robe -of some strange animal’s fur, and his moccasins were embroidered in -strange and beautiful colors and patterns. The young man said to -Scarface: “My name is Sun Dog. The Sun is my father and the Moon my -mother. Yonder is my father’s lodge. Let us go to it. My father is not -now there. At night he will enter.” - -They reached the lodge. Very large it was and very beautiful. Many -unknown animals were painted on it, and behind it, hanging from a -tripod, were the war clothes of the Sun, made of the skins of strange -animals, and trimmed with fine feathers. Scarface was ashamed to enter -this beautiful lodge, for his clothes were poor and his moccasins were -worn with travel; but Sun Dog said to him, “Enter, my new friend, and -fear nothing.” - -They entered. All about were seats covered with white robes, and -everything was strange. The Moon was there. Sun Dog approached her and -said: “Mother, I have brought a young man to our lodge who is very -poor. I beg you to have pity on him and help him in his trouble.” The -Moon spoke kindly to Scarface, and gave him something to eat. - -When it was time for the Sun to come home, Sun Dog hid Scarface and -covered him up with robes. When the Sun came to the door, he stopped -and said, “There is a person here.” “Yes, father,” said Sun Dog, “a -good young man, who is in trouble, has come to see you.” The Sun said, -“Bring him to me.” Sun Dog removed the robes and brought Scarface -before the Sun. The Sun looked at Scarface a short time, and turning to -the Moon, bade her make Scarface as handsome as their own son, and give -him some nice clothes to wear. The Moon made some medicine and rubbed -it over Scarface. In a short time he was changed into a very handsome -young man. The Moon took Sun Dog and Scarface before the Sun and said, -“O Sun, tell me which is Sun Dog.” The Sun looked at the two boys for a -moment, and then pointed to Sun Dog, and said, “This is our son.” Again -the Moon rubbed the medicine on Scarface, until she was sure that the -two young men looked alike, and again she took them before the Sun and -said, “O Sun, tell me now which is our son.” He looked at them a long -time, and, pointing to Scarface, said, “This must be our son.” - -In the morning before leaving the lodge, the Sun called the young men -to him and said, “My children, do not go near that lodge by the river, -for in it live four large white birds with long bills with which they -pluck out people’s hearts. I have had four other sons, but they have -all been killed by these birds.” Then he left them. - -The two young men went out hunting. They went on and on, when suddenly -Sun Dog cried out, “This is the place where my brothers were killed! -See! there are the birds coming one after another towards us. Let us -make haste to get away.” He ran away, but Scarface waited until the -birds came near him. As they came up, he struck each on the head with a -club which he carried, and killed them. After some time Sun Dog -returned, and the young men took the birds home to the lodge. - -The Moon was very happy when she saw that the destroyers of her sons -were dead. When the Sun returned in the evening, Sun Dog said, “Father, -my friend killed the bad birds to-day,” and he showed them to him. The -Sun called Scarface to him and dressed him in clothes made of white -buffalo skins and painted his face and said: “It is now time, my son, -for you to return to your people, for they need your help. They are -beneath us, and not far from here. Sun Dog will take you and will tell -you what I wish you to do.” After shaking hands with the Sun and Moon, -the two young men started on their journey. - -After they had gone some distance, they stopped. Sun Dog said: “Soon we -will have to part, but first I must tell you what the Sun has commanded -you to do. If there are any sick or dying among your people, in order -to make them well you must build the Medicine Lodge. First you must get -one hundred buffalo tongues. Select four pure women of your tribe to -help. Let one woman make the medicine, another cut thin and dry the -tongues, and the other two boil the tongues. Go into the tall brush and -clear a place for the Medicine Lodge. When everything is ready, call -the people together to take part in the dance. Let each take a piece of -the tongue, and let all say together, ‘Great Sun, let us eat together, -and grant to us that our people may recover.’ If the women you select -to make the medicine and to cut and boil the tongue are pure women, the -sick and the dying among your people will recover; if not, they will -die. - -“Now, my brother,” continued Sun Dog, “you have heard the commands of -the Sun. You will soon find yourself on the butte you came from. We -must now part.” They shook hands. Sun Dog said, “Shut your eyes.” -Scarface shut his eyes, and when he opened them he found himself -sitting at the foot of the butte from which he came. The circular camp -lay before him. - -He went to his grandmother’s lodge, but no one recognized in the -handsome young man the one who had left them so poor and ugly. All -gathered about him to listen to his wonderful story. He told them of -the commands of the Sun, and a short time after made the Medicine Lodge -as the Sun had commanded. This was the first Medicine Lodge. - -Scarface became a great chief and all listened to his wise words. The -beautiful girl came to him and said, “You are very handsome now, and a -great chief, and I will marry you.” But he sent her away. He married -good women and lived a long time. When he died Sun Dog took him back to -the Sun, where he lives forever. - - - - - - - - - -THUNDER MAKER AND COLD MAKER - - -In ancient times, before horses had come from the south and been taught -to bear burdens, the people did not move camp often, but remained in -one place so long as sufficient game could be found to furnish food. -They shrank from taking down their lodges and travelling over the -prairie to fresh hunting-grounds, for their dogs could not pack -everything, and they themselves were forced to carry heavy loads on -their backs. One season they had hunted on a little stream in the -foot-hills since early spring. The summer passed, the leaves began to -fall, and with the approach of winter the great herds of buffalo slowly -grazed out on the plains, and finally disappeared to the eastward. -Hardy and warmly furred as they were they feared the deep snow and the -cold of the mountain country. - -When the last of the buffalo had gone, a great hunter named Low Wolf -thought that it was also time for him to move. He said to the chiefs: -“Come, now, the buffalo have gone; they are our food; let us too move -away from the mountains and follow them.” - -But the chiefs said they would not break camp for a while. “Snow will -not fall for one or two moons,” they said, “and there are still plenty -of elk, deer, moose, and other small game close by. Do not be -impatient. Let us wait.” - -Low Wolf would not listen to them. “No,” he said, “I am not a hunter of -small game. The buffalo are my living, and to-morrow I shall follow -them, even if I go alone.” - -The people thought that he was joking; but the next morning they -learned that he meant what he said, for when they arose they saw that -already his lodge had been taken down, and his wife and daughter were -busy packing the dogs and lashing the travois on them. - -“Hold on,” said the chiefs, coming up; “why all this hurry? It is not -safe for you to go alone. It is not right for you to take your wife and -daughter out on the lonely plains. Think of all the dangers. Wait until -we are ready to move.” - -“What the Low Wolf has said cannot be unsaid,” he replied. “I told you -that to-day I should start after the buffalo, and now I am going.” - -For several days the little family travelled eastward along the valley -of the evergrowing stream, but found no buffalo. Then they turned -northeast, and after four nights on the wide prairie saw before them -another valley. Buffalo were all around them now, and Low Wolf said -that if they could find plenty of timber and water he would be content -to stay in this place until spring. There was a large river flowing -through the valley, and along its banks grew groves of large -cotton-woods and willows. At the edge of one of these groves the dogs -were unpacked and the lodge put up where it was protected from the -wind. That night, as the little family sat about the fire eating fat -buffalo ribs, Low Wolf said: “Ah, how foolish were the people not to -come with me; here we have a fine sheltered camp, plenty of wood, and -on all sides the buffalo darken the prairie. Besides, down here it is -still summer weather, while up there where they are it is already -freezing at night.” - -The days passed happily. Every morning Low Wolf went out to hunt, and -his wife and daughter dried the meat that he brought in, tanned soft -robes for sleeping and for covering, and cut great piles of fire-wood -against the cold of approaching winter. - -One evening, Plover Call, the daughter, went out to gather the night’s -wood, and while she was lashing a pile of it to carry in she happened -to look up, and saw standing near a man wearing his robe hair side out. -He was facing the river, his back towards her, but she supposed it was -her father, although it seemed strange that he should follow her out -into the timber, as there were no signs of any enemy about. - -“What are you doing there?” she asked. “Come, I have gathered my wood; -let us go home.” - -The man turned towards her and lowered his robe from his face, and she -saw that he was a stranger—a handsome young man, with light-colored -hair and a white face. Strangely enough she was not afraid of him, for -he had a kind face, and his blue eyes looked pleasant. - -“Ah,” he said, as he slowly drew near where she stood, “I have come -from a far land. I have left my people, for something told me to go in -search of a wife. When I saw you I knew that you were the one I was -meant to find. Let us live together.” - -Plover Call forgot her wood as she looked at him. “Come with me to our -lodge,” she said at last, “and I will find out if it may be as you -ask.” When they came to it she told him to stand outside for a little. - -“Father, mother,” she said, as she entered the doorway, “I have found a -young man out in the woods who wishes to marry me; are you willing that -he should?” - -“Is he strong and active?” asked Low Wolf. - -“Is he well clothed and good-looking?” the mother inquired. - -“Oh,” said the girl, “he is everything you ask, and more; he is even -strange-looking, for he has a white face, and his hair is the color of -last year’s prairie grass.” - -“Well,” said Low Wolf, “it matters not about his looks, so long as he -is an active man; yet it is strange that he is so different from us. -Tell him to come in.” - -Plover Call went to the doorway and beckoned to the young man, and when -he had entered, her father and mother motioned him to a seat, and soon -began to talk to him, asking many questions. The young man replied -readily to all of them, so after he had considered for a time, Low Wolf -concluded to give him his daughter. The next day she and her mother -began to make a new lodge, and as soon as it was finished, put up and -stored with robes and clothing, food and other things, the two were -married. - -“I am glad that you came,” the father said to the young man, “and glad -to give you my good daughter. We will not be so lonely now, and if the -enemy should come there will be two of us to fight them.” - -The fourth day after the young couple were married and had moved into -the new lodge, the stranger arose early, and after a hurried meal told -Plover Call that he intended to go hunting. His wife was pleased, and -said that he must bring in a deer, for she wished to tan the skin and -make him some moccasins. - -He picked up his bow-case and quiver, slung it on his back and started, -and shortly after he left the lodge, low, continuous rumbling of -thunder was heard, beginning quite near the lodges, and finally dying -away in the distance. Plover Call and her parents came out of their -lodges, looked around, and were surprised to see that there was not a -cloud in the sky; and again it was the wrong time of year for thunder. -Moreover, the young man was not to be seen in any direction, although -he had gone but a moment before. It was all very strange. - -Evening came; the sun had gone down, and the shadow of night covered -the valley, when again thunder was heard, this time far away at first, -and then coming nearer. Then presently Plover Call heard something -heavy fall by the doorway, and her husband entering, said: “Well, I got -the deer for you. There it lies just outside.” - -The young woman was uneasy; she went over and consulted her father. - -“Surely mysterious things are happening about here,” said Low Wolf, -“and I suspect your husband is not what he seems to be. Anyhow, it is -well to be on the safe side; do not eat any of the deer he brought in.” - -The young woman went back to her lodge, cut some meat from the deer, -and cooked it for her husband. While he was eating she skinned the -animal, cut it into quarters, and hung it out on a near-by bush. After -the evening meal was over her father came in, and the two men talked -for a long time about hunting and war, and her husband told interesting -stories about his people. Listening to him, both Plover Call and her -father were ashamed of their fears, and resolved to make amends by -treating the young man as kindly as they knew how. - -The next day the wind changed to the north, and there came a light fall -of snow; no hunting was done. The following morning Plover Call’s -husband again started out with his bow and arrows, and, as before, as -soon as he left it thundered for a long time. The fears of the little -family were again aroused, and when at night the young man returned -after a long rumbling of thunder, they were all frightened, and feared -that something dreadful was about to happen. The hunter had brought in -another deer and told how he had killed it, and where he had been -hunting. - -“Why,” said Low Wolf, “I was out there, too, this morning; it is -strange I did not see you. I should have seen your tracks anyhow.” - -They learned the next day that he made no tracks. When he started out -they watched him; he took four steps from the lodge door, and then -suddenly vanished, the thunder beginning again and rumbling away into -the distance. As he disappeared, a strange-looking bird was seen flying -the way the thunder was muttering. Then they knew that this person was -really the thunder bird, and their hearts were filled with a great -fear. - -Four times the strange husband went hunting, always disappearing at the -lodge door in his mysterious way, always accompanied by thunder, going -and coming, never leaving any footprints beyond the lodge. Yet when at -home he was just like any other young man, light-hearted, sociable, and -kind to his wife. The morning after his fourth hunt he said that he -must go and visit his people. - -“It is a very long distance that I must travel,” he said to them, “and -I may be away many moons; but do not worry, for I shall return as soon -as I can.” With that he left the lodge, and peering through the folds -of the doorway, they saw him vanish as before, and as the thunder -rolled, saw the bird flying out across the valley, over the rim of the -plain towards the south. - -The moons came, grew, and went, but Plover Call’s husband did not -return. She was glad of it, and so were her parents, for they all -feared his terrible, mysterious ways. - -One evening the young woman was again chopping wood by the river, and, -again looking up, she saw a man standing near her, wearing his robe -hair side out. Again she thought it was her father, but when she -addressed him he turned around, and she saw it was a stranger. At first -she was sure it was her husband, but as he lowered his robe she saw -that he was dark-faced and black-haired like herself. “Who are you?” -she asked. “Why are you here?” - -“I am of your race,” he said, “but from a far-away tribe. I am seeking -a wife; will you marry me?” - -Plover Call would not answer his question, but told him to go with her -to her parents’ lodge. Low Wolf decided that she might marry the -stranger at once. “The other one,” he said, “that Thunder Maker, has -been gone a long time, and I am sure he will never return. We need -another drawer of the bow in case of attack, so put up your lodge again -and try to live happily.” - -Although he had appeared rather strangely, and, like the Thunder Maker, -had said he came from a far country, there was nothing that seemed -either odd or mysterious about Plover Call’s new husband. He hunted -with her father, prayed to Nápi, the creator, as she did, and in no -respect was different from any young Blackfoot she knew. He was very -kind and gentle, and the girl soon loved him with all her heart. They -lived together very happily. One day, as he sat in the lodge making -some arrows, the distant rumbling of thunder was heard. - -“Go!” his wife cried. “Leave here at once; the man I told you of is -returning.” - -“I will not leave this lodge,” said he, calmly, “for the Thunder -person, nor any one else.” - -“But you must,” she replied; “he will be angry; and oh, I fear him. -Listen! he is coming nearer. Hurry away before it is too late.” - -“Ah,” said her husband, “you do not love me, or you would not ask -this.” - -“It is because I do love you that I want to have you go.” - -“Say no more,” he replied; “now that I know you love me, I shall surely -stay. I do not fear him.” - -Suddenly the curtain of the doorway was thrown back and the Thunder -Maker bounded into the lodge. He was very angry. Streams of lightning -flashed continuously from his eyes. Sheets of ill-smelling smoke, -mingled with blue flame, rolled in waves from his body. Plover Call -shut her eyes, nearly fainting at the dreadful sight, and her heart -stood still from fear. - -“What are you doing here?” he cried to the man calmly scraping his -arrows. “What are you doing here in my lodge? Go at once, or I will -kill you where you sit.” - -“Do you go yourself,” the other replied, “or it will be the worse for -you. This is my house, and this woman whom you deserted is my wife.” - -Thunder Maker sprang into the air in fury, and more fearfully than ever -the lightning flashed from his eyes. Raising his hand to strike, he -stepped suddenly towards his enemy, but the man as quickly held up some -soft, white, downy eagle feathers, and blew them from his hand, and a -terrible cold, biting wind filled the lodge. Thunder Maker fell back. -The wind increased, and the lodge shook as if it would be blown away. -Fine, sharp, stinging frost-flakes hissed in through the doorway and -from under the edges of the lodge skins. Colder and colder it grew; -and, trembling, quivering, his lips blue, his teeth chattering, Thunder -Maker staggered to a bed and fell upon it. - -“You have beaten me; your power is greater than mine,” he cried. “Oh, -Cold Maker, have pity!” - -For Plover Call’s new husband was Cold Maker, he who brings the fierce -storms, the biting wind, and drifting, whirling snow from out the -north. And now, as he saw his enemy gasping, shaking, and begging for -mercy, as he lay on the bed, he laughed. “Will you promise never to -return; never to trouble us again?” he asked. “I will go, I will go,” -groaned the other. “You promise? Then go, and be sure you keep your -word.” - -The cold wind and the hazy frost ceased as suddenly as they had come. -Thunder Maker staggered to his feet. He reeled out of the lodge. -Lightning no longer flashed from his eyes. The blue flame and stifling -smoke no longer rolled from his person. He looked very poor and sick as -he disappeared. - -Now that Plover Call knew who her new husband really was, she was not -at all afraid of him, although he was one of the deathless ones, who, -for the time, had taken the form of man. They continued to live happily -together, and when summer came he went with her and her parents, and -joined the great camp of the Blackfeet. - -Often Cold Maker said to her people that he could not remain with them -always, but he never told them when he should go away. “After I have -gone,” he said once, “I will try to warn you of the approach of a cold -storm. When you see a raven flying about in the winter, and crying its -loud notes, look out, for the cold storm will be near.” - -After many years Plover Call died of old age, and Cold Maker mourned. -“He will leave us now,” the people said. They were right. One day he -disappeared and was seen no more. But his words were not forgotten. -Since that time they have named the raven after him. Even to this day -the raven comes to give warning of an approaching storm. - - - - - - - - - -THE BLINDNESS OF PI-WAṔ-ŌK - - -Pi-waṕ-ōk, Flint-knife, was a Blood warrior; he was brave and -ambitious, seldom passing a day idly in his lodge. If not away on the -war-path against some distant tribe, he was sure to be out hunting. The -burning heats of summer, the cold, and the piercing snow-drifting winds -of winter did not keep him back, if he thought game was to be found. -There were always many buffalo hides and many skins of elk, deer, and -antelope stacked up about his lodge, and within were thick warm robe -beds, and piles of soft buckskins, tanned by his wife Í-kai-si, the -Squirrel. None knew better than the poor, the blind, and the crippled, -that the parfleches piled up behind the beds, and filling the space -near the doorway, contained stores of fat dried meat, rich pemmican, -marrow fat, dried berries and roots, to a share of which they were -always welcome. The couple had no children, and they said that unless a -crowd of guests feasted and smoked in their lodge of an evening, they -felt lonesome. So for many years they lived, happy and prosperous, and -then a great trouble came on them. - -One day Pi-waṕ-ōk returned from a hunt and complained that his eyes -hurt him. “They feel as if some one had thrown sand in them,” he said. -“When I try to see something far away, they fill with tears and -everything becomes indistinct.” - -“Oh, that is nothing,” Í-kai-si said to him, “the hard wind which you -have been out in all day has made them a little sore. I’ll stew some of -those leaves my old grandmother used to say were good for the eyes, and -after you have bathed them once or twice, no doubt you will see clearly -again.” - -The lotion was used for a day or two, but the inflammation increased. A -great doctor was called in; he looked carefully at the red lids and the -thin, ever-spreading film covering the eyes, and prescribed a steam -bath, into which he threw certain herbs. It did no good, and a great -medicine man was sent for. He came with ceremony, dressed in a -bear-skin robe, carrying a bag of mysterious medicines, and shaking his -rattles as he entered the lodge. Seating himself by the patient, he -asked many questions as he examined the swollen eyes. At last he -inquired if Pi-waṕ-ōk had experienced unpleasant dreams of late. - -“Yes,” the sick man replied, “the night before this affliction came -upon me, I had a terrible dream; you remember that I killed two Crow -warriors this spring when we had the battle with them at the Yellow -River. Well, I was fighting it all over again in my sleep. I had -stabbed and taken the scalp of one Crow, and was turning to struggle -with the other, when the dead one sprang up, all bleeding and -sightless, the loose skin of the forehead hanging over his eyes, and -with a loud cry struck me with the war-club still hanging from his -wrist. Then I woke, frightened and trembling from the awful sight.” - -“Ah!” said the medicine man, after thinking a little. “That explains it -all; the ghost of some enemy you have killed is near here, and is -blinding you in some mysterious way. Well, let me get to work; perhaps -I can drive him away.” - -He opened the medicine bag and took from it a long pipe stem painted -red and black, to which was tied a small buckskin sack, ornamented with -the feathers of certain small birds, and curious claws and teeth. No -one but he knew what was inside the little sack; it was his secret -helper. “Hai-yu,” he cried to it, entreatingly. “Hai-yu, you certain -thing of the earth. Help me now; help me to drive away the ghosts from -this sufferer’s eyes. As you long ago told me in my dreams to do, -favored one of the Sun, that I will now do. Intercede for us all here -to-day; ask the Sun to have pity on us all; to grant us long life, good -health, and sufficient food.” - -Such was his prayer. He knelt beside Pi-waṕ-ōk, and began an ancient -medicine song, shaking his rattles and motioning the unseen spirit to -depart. At times he picked up the long stem and blew through it on the -inflamed eyes, calling out at the end of every breath: “Whooh! Ghost, -retire.” - -“How do you feel?” he asked, when about to leave, after many songs and -prayers, and blowings through the stem. - -“Oh,” Pi-waṕ-ōk replied, “I can’t say that I see any plainer, but I -think my eyes are not so painful.” - -“Ah!” the medicine man said, “that is but natural; you cannot recover -at once; when we have driven the ghost away for good, then it will -still take time for the eyes to become clear.” - -After some days it was found that the medicine man’s charms had failed. -One after another, the doctors and mystery men of the tribe were called -in. This was expensive. One demanded two horses, another a gun and -blanket, another three horses; another would not step inside the lodge -until he had been paid ten horses. One by one Pi-waṕ-ōk’s herd changed -hands; little by little the store of soft robes and food disappeared, -and the lodge became bare. But the afflicted one did not get well. For -a time he could see objects dimly, then they became mere shadows; then -the light went out entirely. Pi-waṕ-ōk was blind. - -It was hard for the man who had led such an active life to sit idly in -his lodge day after day. He visited but little from lodge to lodge, for -he did not like to ask any one to lead him about here and there. His -wife was kind, cheering him with her constant talk and making light of -their great misfortune. She worked hard to provide things as of old, by -tanning for a share the hides and skins brought in by hunters. The -people were all kind. They did not forget how generous the blind one -had been in his prosperous days, and they came daily to relieve his -poverty with gifts of meat, and even tongues and pemmican. Of an -evening the chiefs and warriors would assemble in his lodge as before, -to smoke and talk and cheer his spirits. Through all the pain, and the -darkness of constant night, Pi-waṕ-ōk kept up a good heart, though at -times, when he thought of the sunlight shimmering over the yellow -prairie and painting the tops of the distant mountains with wondrous -color, he was very sad to think that he was never again to behold it -all, never again to join in the chase, never again to experience the -fierce joy of battle. One thing that kept him up was the thought that -by some good chance he might, some day, be cured. He remembered the -stories of the ancient ones who had been made well by their brothers, -the animals of the plain and forest, of the air and the water, and he -thought that they might help him too, if only he had an opportunity to -meet them. - -The people were camping along the foothills of the mountains, and one -evening, after a long day’s travel, the lodges were pitched by a wooded -stream, and right under a high sandstone cliff which formed one side of -the valley. The next morning, while yet the people slept and even the -dogs were quiet, while not a stir of any kind broke the stillness of -the camp, Pi-waṕ-ōk, restlessly turning on his bed, heard the shrill -cry of a bald eagle (Ksiḱ-i-kinni, whitehead), now near, now far, as it -circled around and around above the valley. In his mind he saw the -great bird soar, now high, now low, with scarcely a movement of its -powerful wings, saw the flash of golden light on its body as it turned -to the rising sun. “Ah,” he thought, “if my sight were only as good as -that bird’s, how happy I should be! Far up in the air, it looks down -upon the world, and nothing escapes its eye, from the great brown -buffalo quietly grazing to the little ground squirrel hunting about its -hole for a root of grass.” - -Presently the camp awoke to another day of the chase, of toil, of -feasting, and of play. Í-kai-si arose, built a fire, and cooked the -morning meal. A friend dropped in to share it and tell of a recent -exciting bear hunt. Pi-waṕ-ōk scarcely heard him, for he was still -thinking of the great bird swinging so strong and free in the blue sky -above. All at once he realized that here, perhaps, was the opportunity -he had long sought; here, close by, was a “little brother,” as his -fathers called them, more keen-eyed than any other living thing. Surely -it knew how to keep the eyes bright and clear, how to cure them if they -became diseased. “Friend,” he said to his guest, “this morning, when -all was still, I heard a whitehead sounding its cry as it circled -around above us. Did you happen to see it?” - -“Yes,” the man replied, “it has a nest here, and just as I came in I -saw it carrying something to feed its young. Far up on the cliff by -which we are camped is a short pine-tree, growing out from the climbing -rock; there, in the branches, the bird has built its home.” - -“Friend,” Pi-waṕ-ōk cried; “it is as I thought: my chance has come. I -beg you to guide me to that place, for I believe the traveller of the -sky can cure me.” - -“Hai-yu,” the friend exclaimed, “you know not what you ask. With my -good eyes, and seeing plainly where to cling and step, it would be a -hard task to reach that height; for you it would be sure death to -attempt the climb.” - -“Even so,” the blind one replied, “yet must I try to do it. Death comes -in many ways. It stares us in the face at every turn. Wherever we go, -whatever we do, it lies in wait for us, like a panther for the deer by -a forest trail. I am not afraid; have pity and help me try to reach -that nest.” - -Í-kai-si cried, and begged him to think no more of such a dangerous -thing; the friend told how straight and high the cliff was, how -difficult to climb, but they talked in vain. He said that if no one -would help him, he would go alone, on until he fell and died. At -length, seeing that he was not to be turned from this which he had set -his mind upon, the friend consented to be his guide, and they started. - -It was but a few steps to the foot of the cliff, where the fallen rocks -made a sloping hill; they soon surmounted this, and then the climb -began. Sometimes they were side by side, the leader guiding the blind -one’s hands and feet, and again he was ahead, and reaching down would -pull Pi-waṕ-ōk up on a narrow shelf. All the people of the camp stood -watching them with wide-staring eyes, and as the two went on, higher -and higher, over places where it seemed there was no jutting rock to -offer foothold, they held their breath, fearing, expecting, that the -next step would be the climbers’ last. - -Pi-waṕ-ōk’s courage won. At last, tired and breathless, they came to -where the gnarled and stunted tree hung to the cliff’s face by its -giant roots. “Hai!” said the guide; “I never thought we would reach it; -here we are at last. And now, what next?” - -“Help me up into the nest.” - -“That I cannot do. There is no room for more than one. The limb would -break if both of us were on it.” - -“Then,” said Pi-waṕ-ōk, “I will go alone,” and he began to climb out on -the trunk, his friend telling him just where to reach for a hold on the -spreading branches. Then came the most dangerous feat of all, to climb -over the rim of the wide and loose-sticked nest; but that too was -accomplished, and the tired man lay down in its hollow beside the -scared and hissing fledglings. “Go,” he called out to his friend, “go -and leave me for a time here alone.” - -The young man climbed on up to the summit of the cliff, and walked away -to a distant point, where he waited until he should be called. - -Pi-waṕ-ōk lay motionless; the young birds ceased their frightened -cries, and all was still save for the breeze, which sung through the -tree-top with a mournful sound. If the limb on which the nest was built -gave way from his added weight, he knew that he would fall upon the -rocks far below, a crushed and shapeless mass. It was an uneasy and -frightful thought. - -And now from afar the parent bird espied him in the nest, and swooped -down with a terrible rushing roar, like far-off thunder. Down, down, -she came, swift as an arrow, to the very edge of the nest, and then -soared upward with a bound, the rushing air behind swaying the tree as -if a hurricane was passing. Again and again, four times in all, the -bird made a rushing dive at the helpless man, and each time he heard -its nearing cry he prayed, crying out that he had not come to harm its -young, but to ask its aid. And at last the whitehead seemed to -understand, for after the fourth fierce rush, it slowly sailed around -and settled on the edge of the nest. - -“Hai-yu,” Pi-waṕ-ōk cried, “be you male or female, father or mother of -these young birds, as you love them, pity me.” - -“I am their mother,” the bird replied, “and, since you have called upon -me in their name, say what is in your mind; I will help you if I can.” - -Then the blind one told of his affliction, and how through great danger -and sore distress of mind he had climbed the cliff, hoping the great -bird might cure him. - -“Alas,” said the whitehead when he had finished, “what you ask is -beyond my power; nor could my husband, who is away hunting, help you. -None of my kind could make you see again, for we have never had -occasion to treat the eyes. We live to great age, but our eyes remain -strong and clear to the very end.” - -Pi-waṕ-ōk wept. “Alas!” he cried, “how my hopes have fallen. This long -and dangerous climb, after all, brings no relief.” - -“Not so,” said the bird. “I cannot give you sight, but in other ways I -can do much for you. Here is a feather from my tail; take it, and keep -it carefully, and you shall live to old age. And since you are helpless -in your blindness, I will do more. I will teach you many wonderful -things, and will give you power to heal the sick. Then you will not sit -sad and idle in your lodge. The people will keep coming for you to go -here and there to heal them and to practise your mysterious rites, and -you will be so busy that you will forget your blindness.” - -Then the bird began, and through the long morning taught Pi-waṕ-ōk, -showing him the secret of many wonderful things, telling him how and -what to use for certain ailments. It took a long time to explain it -all, and just as the bird finished, the blind one fell asleep. - -After a little he awoke. “Put out your hand and feel,” the whitehead -said. He did so and found he was lying on grassy ground. - -“You are on the prairie at the top of the cliff,” the bird continued; -“your friend is sitting away over there on a point. Rise up and motion -him to come, for I must leave you now.” - -When the young man saw him beckoning, he came running with all his -might. “Ah!” he cried, as he came near, “you are cured.” - -“No,” Pi-waṕ-ōk replied. “I am still as blind as ever.” - -“Then how came you here? How could you climb that awful cliff and still -be blind?” - -“I do not know,” said Pi-waṕ-ōk. “I was asleep in the whitehead’s nest, -and when I awoke I was here.” - -The way home was easy, for they followed the rim of the valley to a -point beyond the cliff, and then descended a sloping hill. And when -they had arrived at camp the people came crowding around to hear all -that had happened. - -As the whitehead had said, Pi-waṕ-ōk became a great medicine man and -healer of the sick, and, through the secret power that the bird gave -him, he was able to do many strange things. He and his wife, Í-kai-si, -lived to a great age. He was the greatest healer the Bloods have ever -had. - - - - - - - - - -RAGGED HEAD - - -Many years ago there was a Nez Percé Indian whose name was Ragged Head. -He wore the long hair on the front of his head tied up in a bunch, and -the ends hanging over were ragged and of different lengths. This was -why they gave him this name. This man was a great warrior. He could not -be killed. When he was a young man his dream helper had come to him in -his sleep and had spoken to him, saying: - -“My son, you are a man who need not fear to go into battle, for neither -arrow nor bullet nor lance nor knife can hurt you. You may rush into -the very midst of the enemy, and they will all run away from you. Take -courage, therefore, take great courage.” Then his dream helper smoked -with him. - -But when the dream helper had spoken to him in his sleep, and had told -him that he need not be afraid of his enemies, and had smoked with him, -it had said further: - -“My son, some day you must die, and it may be that you will be killed -by your enemy, for there is one thing that can hurt you. Only one -thing, but of this you must be careful. If you should be shot with a -ramrod, it will pierce your flesh and you will die.” - -After Ragged Head had returned to the camp, he told this part of his -dream to no one, except to two of his close friends, for he did not -wish it to be known and talked about. None of these three men thought -much about it, nor felt afraid, for every one knows that people when -they are in battle and are trying to kill their enemies, do not shoot -ramrods at them, but bullets. - -When this man went to war he did not carry a gun, nor arrows, nor a -lance. His weapon was a great war-club, made from the butt of an elk -antler. With this he used to beat down his enemies. In the end of the -club he had put a lash, and he used it also as a riding quirt. - -Every summer Ragged Head used to cross the mountains from his country -to the plains, to hunt buffalo and to make war on the Piegans. When he -saw a party of his enemies, he would charge down upon them, shaking his -war-club and shouting out the war-cry; and when the Piegans saw who it -was that was coming they all tried to get out of his way, for they knew -that he could not be killed, and that they could not do anything to -hurt him. So he killed many of his enemies, and had great fame among -his own people and among those against whom he fought. He was a leader -of war-parties and always successful. Everybody was afraid of him, for -all people knew that he had strong spiritual power, and that he could -not be killed. - -It was early summer. The grass had started. The snow was melting on the -mountains. Already the streams were high. It was time to go to war. - -From their camp on the plains a party of Piegans set out on the -war-path to cross the mountains and take horses from their enemies on -the other side—Snakes, Flat Heads, or Nez Percés. On foot they made -their way along the lower hills, climbed up through the narrow pass, -and at length stood on the top of the mountain range, from which they -could look out over the lower country to the west. There, in the wide -gray plain before them, they could trace the winding courses of many -streams, and from some of them rose smokes which showed that people -were camped there, and they knew that these people were their enemies. - -While they were stopping here, overlooking the country, the leader of -the war-party said to his young men: - -“Now, here we will separate and go off in small parties to see what we -can discover, and after ten nights we will all meet again at the Round -Butte at the foot of this mountain, and return to our camp together.” - -So here the party divided, going off by twos and threes to try to find -the camps of their enemies. - -There were two young Piegans who went off together. The younger of the -two carried a bow and arrows, and the other had an old shot-gun the -barrels of which had been cut off short, so that he could carry it -under his robe without its being seen. The tube which had held the -ramrod in its place had been broken off, and there was no way to carry -the rod except in the barrel of the gun. When the boy was shooting, he -held the ramrod in his hand. - -After a few days’ travel these young men found a trail where people had -passed not long before, and following this trail, they saw a camp, and -hid themselves near by to wait for night and then to go to it and take -horses. This was the camp of the Nez Percés, and Ragged Head was its -chief. - -In the night, after it was dark and the camp had become quiet, the -young men crept down to the river, close to the lodges, to see what -they might do. The older boy said to his companion, “I will go first -into the camp and see how things are there, and perhaps take a horse or -two, and then I will come back here and tell you, and we can both go -back and take more horses if all goes well.” The other said, “It is -good; I will wait for you here.” - -The older boy crossed the stream and crept into the camp and looked -about. The people were sleeping; it was all quiet, and in front of the -lodges were tied many fine horses. He found two that he liked, and cut -the ropes that held them, and led them back across the stream to where -he had left his friend; but when he reached the place his friend was -not waiting there. So the young man led the horses into the brush and -tied them, and crossed the stream again for more. As he was wading -through the water, carrying his gun muzzle up so that the ramrod should -not fall out, and when he was near the other bank, he saw a man -standing there, and thought it was his friend. - -When he came close to him he said: “Why did you not wait for me on the -other side, as you said you would?” The person did not answer, but -stretched out his left hand and caught the boy by the hair, pulled him -forward, and raised a great club, as if to strike him. - -Then the young Piegan was frightened. He put up his left hand to ward -off the blow, and with his right he pushed the muzzle of his shot-gun -against the person’s body and pulled both triggers. The gun went off. -The man fell, and the young Piegan quickly ran away. - -At the sound of the shot all the Nez Percés rushed out of their lodges -and up and down the stream to learn what had happened. On the -river-bank they found Ragged Head dead. In his body was the splintered -ramrod. - - - - - - - - - -NOTHING CHILD - - -A long time ago there lived in the Blackfoot camp a young man who did -not like company. He preferred to be alone. He had a wife but no -children, and one young brother who lived with him. This was his only -close relation. This man had a tame bear, which he had caught when it -was a little cub. During the day he went hunting, and set traps and -snares for game, and at night, when he returned to the camp, he did not -go about visiting at the other lodges, but stayed at home by himself. - -One day he thought he would move away from the village and camp -alone—just his own lodge. They started, the man and his wife, and the -young brother and the bear. They went up towards the mountains, and -camped in the timber. The man hunted and killed plenty of game, and -they stayed there for a long time. While the older brother was hunting, -the younger one used to stay at home, making arrows and shooting with -them, and at length he became a very good shot. - -After a time the younger brother had grown big, and he was a handsome -boy, and the woman fell in love with him, but he took no notice of her. - -One day, while the young brother was sitting in the lodge making -arrows, and the woman was outside tanning a hide, she called to him and -said, “Oh, brother, come out and kill this pretty bird that is here,” -but the boy was busy smoothing his arrows, and paid no attention. -Pretty soon she asked him again, and then a third time, and when she -called him the fourth time he got up and went outside and killed the -bird and gave it to her, and then went into the lodge again and kept on -working at his arrows. He did not stop and talk with her. Pretty soon -the boy went off into the timber to try his arrows. The bear was lying -by the door of the lodge. - -The woman was angry at the boy because he took no notice of her, and -she made up her mind that she would be revenged on him. So while he was -gone she scratched and bruised her face and tore her hair. - -At night her husband came home, and when he looked at his wife he saw -that her face was scratched and swollen and her hair all pulled about. -He sent out his young brother to hang up the meat that he had brought -in, and the boy went leaving arrows lying by the fire to dry. While he -was gone the woman said to her husband, “Your brother has beaten me -because I asked him to shoot a pretty bird for me.” She showed her -husband the scratches and bruises she had made on herself, and said, -“See how he has used me.” - -When the man heard this he was angry, but he said nothing. When the boy -came back from hanging up the meat, he looked for his arrows but did -not see them. Then he asked, “Where have you put my arrows?” but no one -answered, and at length he saw the ends of them among the ashes, for -his brother had thrown them into the fire. When the boy saw that his -arrows had been burned he cried, and taking his robe and his bow and -what arrows he had left, he went out of the lodge. He made up his mind -that he could not live here with his brother any longer, and decided to -go away. The bear, which all this time had been lying by the door of -the lodge, listening, was angry at the lies the woman had told, and at -what her husband had done, and he got up and went out and followed the -boy. They travelled for a while and then slept, and the next day went -on again, going towards the mountains. - -For two days they travelled, and on the third day, as they were going -along, the boy saw sitting in a tree-top a bird that was white as snow, -and different from any bird that he had seen before. He took an arrow -from his quiver and shot the bird, and as it fell, it caught among the -branches and lodged there. He threw sticks at it, but could not knock -it down, so he made up his mind that he would climb the tree and get -the bird and his arrow. When he had tightened his belt and was just -about to climb the tree, the bear spoke to him and said: “You had -better not do this. If you go up there something bad may happen. It -will be better to let the things go.” But the boy was very anxious to -get that bird and his arrow, and would not listen to the bear’s words, -but began to climb the tree. - -He reached the branch where the arrow was, but when he stretched out -his hand to take it it moved up a little higher, just beyond his -fingers. So he climbed higher and again reached for the arrow, and -again it moved up a little higher. He kept climbing and climbing, with -the arrow always moving in front of him, until at last he climbed out -of sight. - -For the rest of the day the bear stood at the foot of the tree, looking -upward and whining and moaning for his friend, but he saw nothing of -him. About sundown all the boy’s clothing came tumbling down together, -but nothing was seen of the boy. The bear would not leave the tree. He -waited there, hoping to see what had become of the boy, but that was -the last of him. He saw him no more. - -After the boy and the bear had left the camp, the older brother kept -thinking of what had taken place. When they did not come back he felt -lonesome and sad, and began to fear that something would happen to his -young brother, and at last he made up his mind that he would start out -and learn what had become of him. He left his lodge and set out in the -direction the two had taken. He found their trail and followed it, and -after two days came to the tree and there saw the bear, standing on his -hind feet and resting his paws against the tree. The man asked the bear -what had become of the boy, but the bear would not reply to him. He -asked him the same question again, and a third and a fourth time, and -then the bear answered and said: “All this trouble has come upon us -through your fault, because you listened to the lies your woman told -you. Your brother has climbed this tree and has gone out of sight, and -now for three days I have stood here, waiting for him to come down. His -clothing has fallen down from up above, but he does not return.” They -waited by the tree longer, but the boy did not come down, and at length -the man said to the bear: “My brother is gone. He will never come back. -We had better go back to the camp where we can live.” The bear went -back with him. - -On their way the bear told the man how it really had been, and that it -was not the boy who had hurt the woman, but that she had done it -herself, and in this way had caused his brother to lose his life. Then -the man was angry, and when they came near to the lodge he took an -arrow from his quiver and shot his wife, and her shadow went to the -sand-hills. - -That night the man said to the bear, “Well, we are only two now, and -for myself, I have decided to stay here and starve to death, and as for -you, you had better leave me and go your way and make your living as -all bears do.” So the bear went away and did not return. - -One night while the man was lying asleep, he dreamed of the bear; and -the bear spoke to him and said: “My brother, listen to the words that I -speak to you, and do now what I tell you to. Go back to the old camp of -your people, to the cliff where they drive the buffalo, the piś kun, -and wait there. A camp of your people is moving towards that place. -They are very poor and have but little to eat. It may be that you can -help them. Be sure to do exactly as I tell you from this time on, and -in the days to come you will be unhappy no longer, but will have plenty -of everything and will have full life. Now I wish you to-morrow, when -you awake, to eat up your lodge and everything that is in it. This -seems to you like a hard thing, something that cannot be done, but, by -the power that I give you, you will be able to do it.” - -When the man awoke, in the morning, he thought for a long time over -what the bear had said to him in his sleep, and how it had said that in -the time to come he would be poor no longer, but would have full life, -and how it had said that it would give him that power, and he made up -his mind to do as the bear had told him. He tore down his lodge and -began to eat it, and found that this was not a hard thing to do. He ate -the lodge and the lining, his clothing, his wife’s things—everything -that he could find in the lodge, and then took his bow and arrows and -started to go to the cliff as the bear had told him to. - -Now since the bear had left, the man had had no food to eat, and on his -journey he found himself getting weak and growing smaller. When he -reached the cliff there was no camp there, so he waited, and all the -time he kept getting weaker, and smaller and smaller, until he was no -bigger than a year-old child. He thought now that he would surely die, -and hid himself under a bunch of rye grass. - -The next day the people moved in and camped at this place. An old woman -went out to get some grass for her bed, and while she was gathering it, -she heard a sound as if a little child were crying. She went in the -direction of the sound, and under a bunch of rye grass she found a -little child. She carried him into the camp and took good care of him. -When the chief of the camp heard of how she had found the child, he -said to the old woman, “Take good care of that child; he was put there -for some good purpose.” - -As time passed the child grew fatter and stronger, and the old woman -grew fond and proud of him. They called him Kiś tap i pokau (Nothing -Child.) - -Near this camp stood a tree, and every day an eagle came and alighted -in the tree. The chief had tried many times to kill this eagle, and so -had other men, but no one could kill it. When they found that no one -could kill it, they wanted it all the more. The chief had two very -pretty daughters, and at length he said that he would give his -daughters to any one who would kill this eagle. When this was called -out through the camp by the old crier, all the young men came out to -try to kill the eagle, but no one could do it. At last Nothing Child -said to the old woman, “Grandmother, make me some arrows so that I can -kill the eagle.” The old woman laughed when he asked her this, but she -was very fond of him, so she tied a string to a deer’s rib for a bow -and made him some little arrows, and he set out to kill the eagle. When -the young men who had been shooting at the eagle saw the child coming -with the tiny bow, they laughed and made fun of him, but Nothing Child -fitted a little arrow on the string of his bow, and shot and killed the -eagle. Then all who were standing by were astonished, but they said, -“It must have been a chance shot.” The eagle was taken to the chief’s -lodge, and they told him it had been killed by the Nothing Child. So he -told his daughters to go and marry the found boy. - -But the young men were not satisfied with this decision. They said that -it was not fair, that the boy had made a chance shot, and they asked -the chief to try their skill in some other way. So the chief told the -young men that they might again try their luck for the young girls, and -that whoever killed a white wolf with a black tail should have his -daughters. All the men went out from the camp and built their wooden -traps, and Nothing Child also went out and made a wooden trap. The next -morning they all went out to visit their traps, and in almost all the -traps they found something—wolves, foxes, badgers, and other animals. -Some of the wolves were white all over, and some were white with gray -tails, but no one had a white wolf with a black tail. The Nothing -Child, with his grandmother, went out from the camp to his trap in a -different direction from the rest, and in their trap they found a white -wolf with a black tail. They took it into camp and to the chief’s -lodge, and when he saw it he said that this was the wolf he wanted. - -Now all the young men in the camp were jealous of the Nothing Child, -for it was certain that he would get the chief’s daughters for his -wives. So they went to the chief and asked him to try his people once -more, that they thought that the Nothing Child had not killed the wolf -fairly. So the chief now said: “Whoever will bring me a white fox with -a black-tipped tail shall have my daughters. This will be the last -trial, and after this no one need complain.” - -The young men set their traps all over the prairie, but Nothing Child -asked his grandmother to go with him, and he went to a place far from -all the others and there set his trap. The next morning the young men -all went out to look at their traps. Some had foxes and some had other -animals, but when Nothing Child went to his trap, he found in it a -white fox with a black-tipped tail, and when it was taken to the -chief’s lodge he said that this was the fox he meant, and he told his -daughters to get ready and go and marry the Nothing Child. The youngest -girl was willing to do what her father ordered, but the elder was not. - -They put on their finest clothing and left their father’s lodge and -started for Nothing Child’s home. As they walked along, the elder girl -said to her sister, “I am not going to marry this child, to be laughed -at by everybody.” The younger sister said, “I am going to do what my -father told me to. It is better to do so. Besides that, the Nothing -Child must be a very powerful person. See how many wonderful things he -has done.” The elder girl said, “Well, I am not going to his lodge. I -am going to marry Masto pau (Raven Arrow).” This was a young man who -had the power to turn himself into a raven whenever he wished. So the -elder girl went her way to Raven Arrow, but the younger kept on towards -Nothing Child’s lodge. - -When the girl came to the lodge and went in, the old woman told her to -sit down. Nothing Child was playing at the back of the lodge. The girl -said, “My father sent me to sit beside the person who killed the eagle, -the white wolf with the black tail, and the white fox with the -black-tipped tail.” Nothing Child said, “I am the person who did that, -but I do not want any woman to sit beside me.” The girl answered: “My -father sent me to sit beside you, and I shall stay here. I am not going -home any more.” When the boy saw that the girl was resolved to stay, he -said, “Very well, you shall be my wife.” So she stayed, and was -pleasant and nice with the boy and played with him, and he liked her. -She saw that he was very poor, but she seemed to take no notice of -that. - -At this time the camp was very short of food. The young men scouted far -and near over the prairie, but could find no buffalo. It was a hard -time; everybody was hungry. One day Nothing Child said to his wife: -“Now you stay here for a while. I am going away for a time. I am going -to try to find a band of buffalo and bring them into camp.” He made -ready for his journey and started. After he had travelled a long way he -came to a wet, marshy place near the mountains, where in summer many -buffalo had been. Here he gathered up buffalo chips, and made great -piles of them in a row, and when he had finished, he went back some -way, and then came running and shouting towards the piles of chips. -When he got close to them he stopped, and then went back again, and -again came running and shouting upon the chips, but nothing happened. -He repeated this a third and a fourth time, and the fourth time, when -he got near the piles, the chips turned into buffaloes and rushed off -over the prairie, and Nothing Child ran them towards the camp and drove -them over the cliff into the piś kun, so that once more the camp was -supplied with meat. - -The next day Nothing Child told his wife to go to her father’s lodge -for the day, and not to return until night. After the girl had gone he -spoke to his grandmother and said: “Grandmother, you have seen what -strange things I have done, and you can see that I have some power. -That power which I have was given to me by a bear that has helped me, -and because I have done just what he told me to I have been able to -accomplish the things that you have seen me do. I do not know the -secret of my power, but I know that I have it. Now, Grandmother, I want -you to do something for me. I want you to take a rope and tie me by the -feet to the lodge poles, so that I may hang head downward from the -poles. I am little, and you can easily hold me up.” The old woman did -as he had told her, and he hung there head downward. Pretty soon he -opened his mouth, and a little piece of cowskin stuck out. Nothing -Child took hold of this and began to pull on it, and more and more came -out, and at last he had pulled out the whole of his old lodge, and then -he pulled out the lining, and afterwards many of his old belongings. -When he had eaten all these things they had been old, but now they were -new and white, and finely ornamented. The lodge was painted, the -woman’s clothing was beautifully worked with porcupine quills; there -was a new full set of war clothing for himself—all very fine. - -After he had done this Nothing Child asked the old woman to untie him, -and when he was on his feet again it was seen that he was no longer a -child, but a full-grown man, very handsome. He told the old woman to -set up the new lodge, and she did so. When his wife returned she was -surprised to see all the new things. They looked strange to her. Also -her husband, who, when she last saw him, was a small boy and rather -ugly, was now a big, fine-looking man. The girl was pleased with the -change, and now they lived together for a long time very happily. - -After a time Raven Arrow became jealous of Nothing Child because of his -power, but Nothing Child did not notice this, and, because Raven Arrow -was poor, he asked him to come and live with him in his lodge. He did -so, and they lived together for some time, and now the elder daughter -of the chief was sorry that she had not done as her father had told her -to. - -One day, in the early summer, Nothing Child’s wife said to him, “Oh, -how much I would like some fresh berries to eat!” He said to her: “Do -you want some fresh berries? Well, now, go out and gather a lot of -sarvis berry branches and bring them to me here in the lodge.” The -woman did as he had told her, and brought in the bushes and threw them -down on the floor of the lodge. Then Nothing Child took a tanned -elk-skin and covered the bushes with it. In a short time he told his -wife to take the skin off the brush, and when she did so she was -astonished, for she found the twigs loaded with fine ripe berries, as -though they were growing. - -Now, when Raven Arrow’s wife saw this she felt that she too would like -some berries, and she asked her husband if he could do this. But he -said: “No. It is useless for me to try to do things that I know I -cannot do. I can change myself into a raven and can do many other -things, but I cannot make ripe berries grow in the spring, nor can I do -many other things that Nothing Child does.” - -After some time it happened that food again became scarce in the camp, -and the chief sent word to his son-in-law, asking him if he could not -again bring the buffalo into the camp, as he had done before. The -hunters had been out and had travelled far over the prairie, but they -could see nothing. Nothing Child sent word back that this was a hard -thing he was asked to do; he feared he could not do it, but he would -try. - -He made ready for his journey and started, travelling a long way -looking for the buffalo, but he found none. He then went to the marsh -where he had made buffalo before, and again made many little piles of -buffalo chips in rows, and again went back some distance and then came -charging down on the piles running and shouting. And the fourth time he -did this the piles of chips changed into real buffalo and started -running. And Nothing Child ran the herd over the cliff, as he had done -before, and again the camp was supplied with meat. In this herd was one -white buffalo. His wife met him at the cliff, and he told her that this -white buffalo was hers. That she must be careful of the skin when she -had taken it off. - -His wife told her husband that Raven Arrow had changed himself into a -raven, and had flown away to look for buffalo, saying that if he found -any he was going to drive them out of the country. This made Nothing -Child angry, but he said nothing and waited. One day, as he was sitting -by the fire, Raven Arrow, in the shape of a white raven, flew into the -lodge and lit on the ground by him. When Nothing Child saw him he -seized him and tied him by the feet to a lodge pole high up in the -smoke and kept him there until he was nearly dead from the smoke. At -last Nothing Child asked him if he would promise never again to drive -the buffalo away from the people. Raven Arrow promised that he would -never again do so, and Nothing Child untied him and let him down, when -he changed into a man again. Up to that time ravens had always been -white, but ever since the smoking that this raven got they have been -black. - -Nothing Child and his wife lived to full age and always had plenty of -everything. - - - - - - - - - -SHIELD QUIVER’S WIFE - - -There were two young men growing up in the Blackfoot camp. They were -both good warriors and were making great names for themselves. One was -lucky in taking horses. His name was Shield Quiver. The other was -fortunate in killing enemies when he went to war. He was called -Bearhead. When either of the two went to war, he always had a big party -to follow him. Bearhead was jealous of Shield Quiver, because he always -brought in horses. - -One time the Blackfeet were camped at the Bear Paw Mountains, when -Shield Quiver made up his mind that he would go off on the war-path. -When he said that he was going, a large party intended to go with him. - -Before he started the chief of the camp sent for him to come to his -lodge, saying that he wished to speak with him. When Shield Quiver had -come to the lodge the chief said: “Here, my young man, now that you are -going to war, take my daughter with you, for you are the man that ought -to have her. But you will have to be on your guard against Bearhead. He -wants my daughter, and for a long time has been trying to get her, but -I cannot let him have her. He has a bad disposition. He has had many -wives, but, after living with them for a short time, he has got angry -with them and killed them. I am afraid that if I give him my daughter -he might kill her.” - -Shield Quiver thought for a little while, and then said: “Very well; I -will go to war, and I will take your daughter with me, but if I go with -a woman I cannot let men go with me. I shall have to go alone.” - -The chief said: “I cannot say anything about that. You will do what you -think best. I cannot advise you.” - -So Shield Quiver took the chief’s daughter for his wife. He said to his -followers: “Now I am going to war, but you men cannot come with me. I -shall be gone two moons, and then I will come back. I am going alone.” - -He started with his young wife, and they went towards the Snake -Country. They travelled for a good many days, until they came to a -range of mountains and crossed it. Then they went on towards the head -waters of a stream that they could see a long way off. When they -reached this stream they found that the Snakes had been camped there, -and had moved away that day. The fires were still burning in the camp. - -When Shield Quiver found that the Snakes had only just moved from -there, he said to his wife: “Here, let us get back in the brush. These -people are not far from here. They may see us. We must hide ourselves.” -They went back into the brush and hid. - -While they were waiting in the brush a dark cloud came up in the west, -and it looked as if they were going to have a storm. Shield Quiver said -to his wife: “While we have to wait, I will fix up a little shelter of -brush here, so that we may keep dry; but to-night we will go to the -camp and take horses.” - -“Very well,” said his wife, “while you are fixing the place, I will go -around the point and into the old camp and will see if I can find -anything there that has been left behind.” For often something may be -forgotten and left in the camp. - -That day the Snakes had left this camp, and had moved over to another -creek. The head chief of the Snakes had but one son, a fine-looking -young man—the handsomest in all the Snake camp. That morning, before -they moved, he had painted himself and had dressed himself finely, and -after he had finished he handed his mother his sack of paints to pack. -While his mother was packing, she put down the paints in a little patch -of brush, near the lodge, and then went away and forgot them. - -When the young man came into camp that evening he said to his mother, -“Mother, where are my paints?” Then his mother remembered that she had -left them in the camp they had just come from. She said, “Oh, my son, I -forgot the sack, and left it in a little patch of brush just back of -where the lodge stood.” The young man caught up a horse and went back -to get it that same evening. - -When he rode into the old camp, and came to where the lodge had been, -he saw there on her knees a woman with an elk robe over her head, and -in her hands his paints, which she was looking at. When he rode up to -her, and when she looked up at him, he saw that she was very pretty, -and he liked her as soon as he looked at her; and she, when she saw -him, so handsome and finely dressed and painted, liked him. - -He made signs to her, saying, “Who are you, and what tribe do you -belong to?” She signed back to him that she was a Blackfoot. Then she -asked him, “Who and what are you?” He answered, “A Snake.” He asked her -by signs, “Where is the party that you are with?” She said, “There are -only two of us.” He said, “Come, get on my horse behind me here, and -let us go to my camp.” She answered: “No, there are some things that I -have here that I want to get. Then I will go with you.” Then she -thought a little and said: “The only other person here is my husband. -Why do you not kill him? I will help you.” The Snake said: “It is good. -I will do it.” The girl said to him: “I will go to him, and do you -creep through the brush, and as soon as I see you I will throw my robe -around him and hold him, and you can kill him with your lance.” - -She went back to the camping-place, and when she got there her husband -was stooping down hobbling the horses. The Snake was right behind her, -creeping through the brush. She walked up to her husband and threw -herself down over him, and kissed him while he was hobbling the horses. -He looked up at her and laughed. He thought she was only playing with -him. In a minute he heard the footsteps of some one coming, running, -and he said, “Look out! here comes somebody,” and he tried to throw her -off, but he could not. He raised himself up while she clung to him, and -the Snake made a pass at him with the lance, but he was afraid of -killing the woman, and he missed the man, and Shield Quiver caught hold -of the lance. He kept calling to his wife: “Let go of me. This man is -trying to kill me. He will kill us both. Let us try to save ourselves.” - -Shield Quiver and the Snake wrestled and tugged backward and forward to -see who should get the lance. They were both strong men, and at length -the shaft broke, and Shield Quiver held the piece on which was the -head. Then he jumped back and shook off his wife, and rushed at the -Snake and thrust the lance into his breast, and so killed him with his -own lance. - -Then he turned to his wife and said: “Now, woman, I have killed this -man that you have tried to help, and I would like to have you tell me -what is the reason that you acted as you did, and tried to help him to -kill me.” - -Then the woman explained her reasons, and said: “When I left you I went -into the camp and found this sack of paint, and while I was looking at -it he came up and asked me to go to his camp with him, and I liked him, -and thought that I would go with him. So we laid a plan to kill you -before we went to camp.” - -Shield Quiver said to her: “Now, woman, listen. Bearhead wanted you. He -has had a good many women, and he has killed all that he had. Through -pity I took you. I never expected to take a wife. I will not do -anything to you for what you have done to me, but will take good care -of you and will give you back to your father.” - -He scalped the Snake and took everything that he had. The woman was -crying hard. He asked her what she was crying about, and she answered: -“I am crying for my lover, who is dead.” He said: “Saddle up your -horse. We will go home.” - -They started, and after many days’ travel reached the Blackfoot camp. -It was in the night. The next morning Shield Quiver said to his wife: -“Put on your best clothing. I told you I was going to give you back to -your father, and I am going to take you there this morning. So get -ready to go.” - -The woman put on her best clothes, and painted herself up nicely, and -they started off to the old chief’s lodge. The old chief was glad to -see his son-in-law and his daughter back again. No one knew that Shield -Quiver had killed a Snake. He had not spoken of it to any one. After -they had sat down the young man reached down into his belt and drew out -the scalp and said: “Here, old man, here is all I have done on this -journey. I have taken no horses, but I have killed a Snake. I have -killed your daughter’s lover. It is only by the help and the power of -the Sun that you see me here to-day. Your daughter tried to kill me on -this trip, while I was fighting with this Snake Indian. I am afraid to -live with her, and have brought her back to you again. This is the best -I can do, to give you this scalp and your daughter back again.” When -Shield Quiver had said this he got up and walked out of the lodge, and -went back to his own home. The old man said nothing. - -The girl had two brothers, and both were sitting in the lodge while -Shield Quiver was speaking; and when they had heard the story told, and -had thought about it, they got up, and each took hold of one of the -girl’s arms, and they led her out of the lodge. Then they said to her: -“You cannot live here with us. You had better go and join your dead -Snake lover.” - -So they killed her there. - - - - - - - - - -THE BEAVER STICK - - -In ancient times, long before the people had found horses and used them -instead of dogs to bear burdens and drag lodge poles, there lived -Man-yan—New Robe—an orphan. - -New Robe’s parents had died when he was a little child, and he was -brought up by an old woman who also died before he grew up to be a man. -His parents, hopeful for his future, had given their son a good name, -but in all his life up to the time he was seventeen or eighteen years -old, he had never worn a new robe or any other new article of clothing. -The cast-off garments of the well-to-do were thought good enough for -him. He was always dirty and ragged, and his matted and tangled hair -hung low over his forehead, and almost hid his sore red eyes. Somewhere -he had picked up an old bow, but it had no strength; and even if it had -been strong and full of quick spring, the broken-pointed flint heads of -his arrows would not have pierced the flesh of any large animal. He had -an old flint knife, but its edge was so ragged and blunted that it -would scarcely cut a piece of boiled meat. - -Yet New Robe lived along contentedly enough, for he knew nothing better -than all this. He never thought that he was different from other young -men, until one day he chanced to overhear the conversation of some -young women. He was lying half asleep in a patch of willows when the -girls came along, and, stopping near him, sat down and kept on talking. - -“Well,” said one, “you have each told your choice, but you have not -spoken of the very handsomest and nicest of all the young men. Why have -you forgotten New Robe?” - -They all shrieked with laughter—she who had spoken most of all—and then -began to jest about him, and New Robe’s face grew hot as he heard the -many unkind things they said about his appearance and his poverty. One -of the girls, however, had a better heart. - -“It is wrong,” she said, “for us to talk in this way about the young -man. He cannot help being poor, and I am sorry for him. I must say, -though, that he might be cleaner and neater than he is. I wish I could -talk to him; I would like to tell him some things that would be for his -good.” - -“Why, you must be in love with him,” one of the girls exclaimed, -laughing. - -“Well,” replied the other, “I pity the poor young man, and, if my -father would allow me, I would marry him and make a man of him. All he -needs to change his ways is kindness and teaching.” - -In the evening New Robe met this girl, Mas-tah ki—Raven Woman—as she -was coming from the river with a skin of water. Already he had combed -out his hair and washed himself, and she stared at him in surprise. - -“Ah,” he said, stopping her in the path. “To-day I heard your kind -words, and have taken them to my heart. I am going away to try to earn -a name, to try to become a chief. Pray for me; ask the Sun to help me.” - -“I will pray for you every day,” said the girl. - -“And if I return such a man that no one need be ashamed of me,” he -asked, “will you be my wife?” - -“Yes, gladly,” she replied. “And now go; people are looking at us.” - -The next morning New Robe left the camp. He did not know where to go, -nor what he was going to do. Something seemed to tell him to push -forward, and that somehow, in some way, he would be fortunate. He had -but little food, only some tough, dried meat, and his weapons were poor -and of little use; yet he did not fear that he would starve, or suffer -any harm from the animals or from the enemy. - -It was late in the fall, and the nights were very cold. One evening, -after a long day’s tramp, he came to the edge of a broad beaver pond. -Tall, thick grass grew on the dam, and he pulled armfuls of this and -heaped it up, and then crawled under the pile to pass the night. It was -a warm, soft nest, and he was already almost asleep when some one -called his name. He lifted his head and looked out from under the -grass, and saw standing near by a handsome young man, very beautifully -dressed. - -“Come,” said the stranger, “this is a cold and cheerless place. My -father’s lodge is close by, and he asks you to be his guest.” - -New Robe arose and shook the grass from his robe. “It is strange,” he -said, “that I did not see your camp. Before I descended into the valley -from the prairie I looked carefully over it, up and down.” - -“It is very near here,” the stranger replied. “Come, let us go in. My -father waits for us, and the night is cold.” - -He started, and led the way out over the ice, which had frozen from the -shore for some distance out into the pond. New Robe followed, wondering -why they should take that course. Presently they reached the edge of -the ice; just beyond, a large beaver house rose above the water. - -“That is our home,” said the stranger. “Now, I am going to dive, and -you must follow me. Just shut your eyes, and do not be afraid.” - -With a great splash he disappeared in the water, and New Robe, after -hesitating a little and praying to the Sun for aid in this strange -adventure, closed his eyes and pitched headlong into the place where -his companion had disappeared. After swimming a few strokes, he felt -the pressure of the water suddenly give way, and, opening his eyes, -found that he was in a great circular lodge. From the doorway a pool of -water extended into the centre of it, and between its edge and the -walls were beds of soft and beautiful robes. On the one at the back sat -a kind-looking old man, who spoke pleasantly to him and bade him take a -seat by his side; and as New Robe stepped out of the pool he found that -he was perfectly dry—no part of his clothing or person had been wet by -the water he had passed through. Near the old man sat his wife, a -handsome old woman, and on other beds reclined their two sons, one of -whom had guided New Robe to the place. They all wore clothing of -beautiful material and fashion, but he now noticed that the skin of -each of these persons, wherever it could be seen—even their faces—was -covered with fine fur, that of the two sons being pure white. - -“You are welcome, my son,” said the old man—“welcome to the lodge of -the Beaver Chief. One of my sons saw you creeping into your nest of -grass, and I bade him invite you in. These nights are cold for one to -be without shelter.” - -“Yes,” added his wife, “and no doubt the poor young man is hungry; he -seems to be lean and pinched.” - -“Oh! Ai! To be sure,” said the old man; “of course he is hungry: just -give me a dish, and I will prepare some food for him.” - -New Robe looked in astonishment at what the Beaver Chief was doing. He -took a large buffalo chip and placed it in the dish, and began to break -it up into fine pieces, singing, as he did so, a strange song. The -hard, dry stuff turned into rich pemmican, and when the last bit of the -chip had been broken up the bowl was passed to him. His wonder -increased when he found that the food tasted as good as it looked. - -“Our only food,” said the old man, “is the bark of the trees; for, -after all, you know, we are actually beavers, although we have the -power to change our bodies into the form of any living thing. But there -are many secret and wonderful things that we have learned through much -prayer and through the search for different medicines. Stay with us for -a time, and perhaps you may learn something of them. Just look about -you and see how many we have gathered in our time.” - -Indeed, there were more than one could count. They hung on the walls -and from the roof, enclosed in beautiful pouches and sacks of strange -shape. New Robe wondered what they were, and wished he could open each -one and examine it. - -The pool in the centre of the lodge was never still; the current coming -in from the door whirled slowly around and around. On its surface -floated a short piece of beaver cutting which seemed very old and quite -water-soaked; yet it did not sink, nor, like other pieces of wood, -finally float out on the current constantly entering and going out of -the doorway. Night and day it whirled slowly around the circumference -of the pool. Although there was no fire in the lodge, it was warm -enough, and not colder at night than in the daytime: thus little -covering was needed when its occupants went to bed. - -New Robe was awakened from his first night’s rest in the strange place -by the old man calling him to arise and eat. He had scarcely begun to -taste a fresh dish of the strangely made pemmican, when the water in -the pool began to heave and rise, and then again sank to its level as -one of the sons arose from its depths and stepped over to his couch, -not a drop of water clinging to him or his garments. “Our pond is -frozen over,” he said. “Not even an air-hole remains open.” - -“Hai!” the old man exclaimed. “Is it so? Well, winter has come, and,” -turning to New Robe, “now you cannot leave us until spring comes and -melts the ice. But do not be uneasy; we will treat you well, and try to -make your life here pleasant.” - -So New Robe spent the winter in the beaver’s lodge. The days came and -went, one after another, and easy contentment marked their flight. Most -of the waking hours were passed by the beavers in praying to their -medicines and in singing their sacred songs, and the young man, -listening, learned much of their secret wisdom. - -The months passed, and one morning the water in the whirling pool was -seen to be a little muddy. The next day, one of the sons reported that -in places the ice had melted. The old man and the two sons went out to -look about and inspect the dam, leaving New Robe and the old woman -inside. - -“Kyi,” she said, “summer is now come, and you will soon leave us. -Before you go the old man will make you a present; he will give you -your choice of all his medicines. Choose that stick whirling about -there in the pool, for it is the strongest of them all. He will try to -make you believe it is worthless, but insist on having it, and finally -he will give it to you.” - -Presently the others returned. “Well,” said the old man to New Robe, -“spring has really come, and I know that you wish to return to your -people. I am going to give you something to take back with you. Look -about you, my son. See all these beautiful medicines hanging on the -walls. Choose the one you fancy, and it is yours.” - -“Give me that,” said New Robe, pointing to the floating stick. - -“O-e-ai!” the old man exclaimed, in a surprised and pained tone. -“O-e-ai! What? That old stick? Surely, my son, you must be crazy. Look -about you; open your eyes and choose one of these beautiful medicines.” - -“Give me the stick,” New Robe repeated. - -“Come, come. Surely you do not know what you ask for. Now let me -explain to you,” and the old man began to point out the different -medicines and to tell what they were, explaining the wonderful and -mysterious power of each. “There, you see,” he concluded, “how -unreasonable was your choice. Now I have explained them all, tell me -which will you have?” - -New Robe considered; he wondered if the old woman had not been mistaken -in advising him to choose the old beaver cutting, but he caught her -eye, and, assured by her meaning glance, replied as before, “Give me -the stick.” - -Once more the old man tried with all his power to persuade him to make -a different choice, and the sweat rolled from his brow as he entreated -the young man to select something else, and once more New Robe said, “I -want the stick.” - -“O-e-ai!” cried the old man in despair. “Four times you have asked for -the old cutting, and when that sacred number is reached I cannot -refuse. Take the cutting, my son. It is the most valuable and powerful -of all my medicines. It is really a beaver which, at will, you can -change to the simple cutting as it appears to be.” - -New Robe was pleased, and when he learned how powerful the medicine was -that he had chosen he knew that he had not left the home of his people -in vain. He was now obliged to put off his departure, for he had to -learn the hundred songs and the many prayers that went with his gift. -But at last he knew them all by heart, and the old man gave him some -parting advice. - -“You must not look back,” he said, “when you leave us, not even once, -or the medicine will leave you and return to me. Also, you must always -carry it concealed beneath your shirt, hanging by the string I have -tied to it. Never let any one see it, or your power will be broken.” - -Then they all bade him good-bye, and he dived into the pool, and -presently rose to the surface of the pond. When he reached the shore he -knelt down in the grass and cried, cried long and bitterly, for he felt -very sad to leave the kind beavers. It was all he could do to keep from -looking back for one last glimpse of them. But after a time he rose and -walked on, out of the valley, up over the dry, wide plain. After a -little he came to a river, swollen and swift with the melted snows. He -placed a little cutting in the water, and it changed at once into a -large, pure white beaver. - -“Little brother,” said New Robe, “the stream is high and dangerous. Cut -me some logs so that I may make a raft on which to cross it safely.” - -At once the beaver began to fell some trees, and, as fast as he cut -them into lengths, New Robe bound them together. In a little while -there were enough to bear his weight, and he crossed to the other side -in safety. Then, lifting the beaver up, it changed into the stick -again, and, putting it safely in his bosom, he journeyed on. - -One morning he came in sight of the camp, and sat down on a neighboring -hill, prepared to do just as the old man had instructed him. - -Pretty soon two or three young men approached, looking with wonder at -the strange and beautiful robe he wore. When they had come near enough -to hear his voice—for he kept his face covered—he told them to stand -where they were, and asked them to go and tell the father of Raven -Woman that he was New Robe, returned from strange adventures, and with -a powerful medicine. “Ask him,” he said, “to have four sweat lodges -built for me, in a row from east to west, and when the stones are -heated to let me know.” - -The young men returned to the camp, and in a little while came back to -say that all was ready. New Robe told them to walk ahead and warn the -people to keep away from him, and, as they all stood in a big crowd on -each side of his path, he came to the first sweat lodge and entered it. -Sprinkling the water on the hot stones, he began the sacred songs that -the old man beaver had taught him, and, as he sang, some of the fur -with which his body had been gradually covered during the winter fell -to the ground. Soon he left this sweat lodge and went into the next -one, and the people crowded around the one he had left, looking with -wonder at the little heap of shed fur. So he went into the four sweat -lodges, one after the other. - -When he came out of the fourth sweat lodge, New Robe had shed the last -of his beaver fur, and was so changed that no one recognized him. He -was a beautiful, clear-eyed, long-haired young man. He went straight to -Raven Woman, who was standing near, and took her hand. They were both -so happy they could not speak. The girl’s father pointed to his lodge. -“It is yours,” he said, “and everything it contains. Go and live -happily, my children.” - -New Robe became a great chief. By the aid of his medicine he was able -not only to cure sickness, but he became a great warrior. No river or -lake could stop his way, and he was able to kill many of the enemy who -were encamped by the shores of any water, for, whenever he asked it of -his medicine, it took him safely down under the surface of the water, -wherever he wished to go. - - - - - - - - - -LITTLE FRIEND COYOTE - - -It was in the summer, when the Blackfoot and Piegan tribes were camped -together, that the Blackfoot Front Wolf first noticed Su-yé-sai-pi, a -Piegan girl, and liked her, and determined to make her his wife. She -was young and handsome and of good family, and her parents were -well-to-do, for her father was a leading warrior of his tribe. Front -Wolf was himself a noted warrior, and had grown rich from his forays on -the camps of the enemy, so when he asked for the young woman her -parents were pleased—pleased to give their daughter to such a strong -young man, and pleased to accept the thirty horses he sent them with -the request. - -In those days, in the long ago, such inter-tribal marriages were -common, for the two great camps often travelled together in quest of -the buffalo, sometimes for a whole winter and summer, and thus the -young people became acquainted with each other. Again they would be -separated by hundreds of miles of rolling plain. - -After their marriage the young couple continued to live in the Piegan -camp, for Front Wolf had many friends there of his own age, who begged -him to remain with them. They liked to go on raids under his leadership -better than with any one else. It seemed to his wife as if he were -always away on some expedition, so seldom was he at home, and as she -had learned to respect and love him, she was very lonely during these -long absences. One summer, only two or three days after his return from -a successful war-journey against the Crows, he said to his wife: “It is -a long time since I have seen my parents. Now I think it time for me to -visit them and give them some horses. If you have any little things you -wish to send them, hurry and make them ready, so that I may take them.” - -“I have some pretty moccasins for your father,” said Su-yé-sai-pi, “and -a fine buckskin dress for your mother; but I am not going to send them. -I want to go with you and present them myself. It seems as if you do -not care at all for me. Here you are just home from a long journey, and -yet you would start right out again, without thinking about me at all.” - -“No,” Front Wolf replied, “it is not that I do not love you; you may go -with me if you insist on it. I did not like to ask you to make the -trip, for the distance is great, and there is danger on the way.” - -Su-yé-sai-pi was happy. She began her preparations at once, and only -laughed at her parents when they urged her to remain with them, telling -her that the plains swarmed with war parties in search of scalps and -plunder, and that she would surely be killed. - -At this time the Piegans were hunting on the Lower Milk River, but the -morning that Front Wolf and his wife started away the whole camp moved -too, for the chiefs wished to pass the hot season along the foot-hills -of the great mountains. At the last moment five young Blackfeet, -visitors in the camp, decided that they too would return home, so they -set forth with the couple, and helped drive the little herd of horses -that Front Wolf intended to give his relatives. The northern tribe was -thought to be summering on the Red Deer River, and a course was roughly -taken for the place where it joins the Saskatchewan. This brought the -little party, after three or four days’ travel, to the Cypress Hills, -or, as they were named by the Indians, the Gap-in-the-Middle Hills. -They reached the southern slopes of the low buttes one morning, after -being without water all the preceding day, and prepared to camp and -rest at the edge of a little grove, close to which a large, clear -spring bubbled up from a pile of sunken bowlders. They did not know -that a large camp of Kutenais was just behind the hills where they -stopped, and that one of their hunters, seeing them coming, had hurried -home and spread the news. Su-yé-sai-pi had scarcely started a fire when -the warriors from the camp were seen to be approaching the little party -from all directions, completely hemming them in. Although these two -tribes, the Blackfeet and Kutenais, had once been very friendly to each -other, they were now at war. When the strangers approached, one of -them, the chief, who had learned Blackfoot in other days, called out, -“Don’t fire; we are friends; we will not harm you.” - -Front Wolf and his friends had drawn the covers from their guns, -prepared to fight and to sell their lives dearly, but when Front Wolf -heard this, and saw that the strangers made no motions to shoot, he -lowered his rifle and said: “They intend to make peace with us; I guess -they are tired of being at war with our people. Do not be afraid; they -will not harm us.” - -The chief came up first, and shook hands with Front Wolf and the rest, -saying: “I am glad to meet you. Our camp is near. Come over to my -lodge, and we will feast and smoke.” - -These were kind words. The little party of Blackfeet did not doubt that -they were sincere. They packed up again, mounted their horses, and rode -around the hill to the lodges. The chief invited them to stop with him, -and they rode towards the big lodge in the centre of the village, where -many people were gathered. There they dismounted, when suddenly their -arms were taken from them by the surrounding crowd, and they were -pushed into the big lodge. It was a very hot day, and all around the -skin lodge-covering had been raised to allow the cool breeze to pass -beneath it, so the prisoners could see all that was happening without. -Their little band of horses was quickly divided and led away; and then -the chief and all the men had a long talk. - -Presently the chief came inside and sat down in his accustomed place at -the back of the lodge. Following him four warriors entered, and seizing -the young Blackfoot who sat nearest the door, led him out some little -distance from the lodge, where one of them brained him with a war-club, -and then every one tried to get a piece of his scalp or to plunge a -knife into his body. In a moment his hands, feet, and head were -severed, and women were pushing and kicking and pounding the mutilated -parts here and there, singing as they did so the shrill song of -revenge. The Blackfeet looked on at this terrible butchery of their -friend with horror, but in stolid silence, all save Su-yé-sai-pi, who -gave a frightened cry when she saw the poor fellow struck down, and, -clasping her husband by the arm, buried her face in his breast. The -chief smiled, but did not speak. Presently another one of the young -Blackfeet was led out, and met the fate of the first one. One after -another, when his turn came, each arose and accompanied his captors -without struggle or cry, and met his death as a warrior should. - -At last all had been killed except Front Wolf and his wife, and -presently they came for him. Su-yé-sai-pi clung to him and cried and -begged, but her husband himself put her from him and went out, saying -to her a last kind word. “Do not cry,” he said. “Take courage. Take -courage.” As he neared the place of butchery he began to sing his -war-song, and the poor wife, looking on, saw him smile as the great -stone club descended, and he fell forward lifeless to the ground. The -woman now thought that her turn had come, but the executioners did not -return. She wished that they would not delay; she wished to have the -dreadful ordeal over with, so that her shadow might overtake her -husband’s as it travelled along on the road to the Sandhills—home of -the departed Blackfeet. All the Kutenais, even the women and children, -had now painted their faces black, and were dancing the scalp-dance, -carrying before them the scalps, stretched on long, forked willows. - -“Come,” said the chief to Su-yé-sai-pi, offering her the scalp from -Front Wolf’s head—“come, join us in this dance and be happy.” - -“You may kill me,” the woman replied, “but you cannot make me dance. I -beg you to kill me, so I may join my husband.” - -The Kutenai laughed. “You are too young to die yet,” he said; “and, -besides, we do not kill women. Before long we are going to make peace -with the Blackfeet and Piegans, and when that time comes we will give -you back to your people.” - -Of course it was a lie, for he had no thought of making peace, but -intended to keep the woman. - -Su-yé-sai-pi was very sad. If she sat in the lodge, the scalp-song rang -in her ears; if she stepped outside, the bodies of her husband and -friends greeted her eyes. She could do nothing but cry and wish for -death to take her. - -Several days passed, and the rejoicings of the camp still continued. -One afternoon an old widow woman called her into a poor little lodge -and said: “I have great pity for you, and will do what I can to help -you. I do not know what the chief has decided to do with you, but, -whatever it is, I would save you from it. Your only chance is to try to -get away from here in the night and seek your people. I will fill a -good big pouch with dried meat and pemmican, and some moccasins, and as -soon as it is dark I will place it behind my lodge. When the people are -all asleep, and the evening fire has died out, leave your bed as -quietly as you can, pick up the pouch, and hurry away in the direction -from which you came.” - -Su-yé-sai-pi burst out crying. No one had been kind to her before, and -kindness made her cry. She kissed her new friend, and when she could -speak she said that she would try to get away that night. It seemed as -if night would never come, and then as if the people would never stop -talking and feasting and go to bed. But at last everything was quiet in -the camp, and in the chief’s lodge the fire of small willows had died -down, and the deep breathing of the occupants showed that they were -asleep. The captive cautiously arose from her couch near the door and -stole outside. She stood and listened a moment, and then coughed once -or twice. No one moved inside; so, feeling sure that no one was -watching her, or had noticed her come out, she went to the widow’s -lodge, and found the pouch behind it, and quickly but noiselessly left -the camp. - -The sky was overcast, and presently heavy rain, with thunder and -lightning, came up, but she walked swiftly, steadily on, not knowing -nor caring whither, so long as it was away from her enemies. The shower -passed, and the moon came out, and then the poor woman heard shouts and -calls, and the rushing tread of horses; the whole camp was aroused, and -they were searching for her. She crouched in the shadow of a bowlder, -and heard horsemen go by on either side. Once two or three of them rode -by in plain sight. She remained there a long time, until everything was -still again, and then hurried on. In a little while she approached a -small lake, and saw three horses by its edge. - -“Here,” she said to herself, “would be a good chance if I only had a -rope. Perhaps they are hobbled; if so, the thongs will do for a -bridle.” She walked carefully nearer, when suddenly she saw three dim -figures on the ground and heard a loud snore. She almost fainted with -fright, knowing that these were some of her pursuers waiting for -daylight to resume their search. Quick as a flash she stooped among the -low brush, crawled slowly back, and then, rising, hurried away in -another direction. - -In a little while day began to break, and she found herself on a wide -plain south of the hills. In a little ravine near by there was an old -wolf den; she crawled down into it, feet foremost, first carefully -obliterating her footsteps in the soft, loose earth about it. There she -remained all day, eating none of her little store of food, for she was -so thirsty it choked her. Several times during the day she heard the -distant tramp of horses, but she did not look out, much as she wished -to see what was going on. - -When darkness came once more, she climbed out and started in search of -water, not knowing which way to look for it, or whether she would ever -find any. She travelled on, and on, and on, and, when daylight again -brightened the sky, found herself at the place where her husband lay. -Yes, there were the bodies of him and his friends, now shapeless and -terrible objects. And the Kutenais were gone. Fearing that she might -find her people, dreading the awful vengeance that would overtake them -if she did, they were no doubt already fleeing towards the pine-covered -slopes of the great mountains. Worn out from her long tramp, and nearly -crazed from thirst, the poor woman had barely strength to go on to the -spring, where she drank long of the cool water, and then fell asleep. - -The sun was hot, but Su-yé-sai-pi slept on. Well on in the afternoon -she was awakened by something nudging her side. “They have found me,” -she said to herself, shivering with terror, “and when I move a knife -will be thrust in my side.” She lay motionless a little while, and then -could bear the suspense no longer; slowly rising up and turning back -her robe, what should she find lying by her side but a coyote, looking -up into her face and wagging his tail! - -“Oh, little wolf!” she cried. “Oh, little brother! Have pity on me. You -know the wide plains; lead me to my people, for my husband is killed, -and I am lost.” - -The little animal kept wagging his tail, and when she arose and went -again to the spring, he followed her. She drank, and then ate a little -dried meat, not forgetting to give him some, which he hastily devoured. -She talked to him all the time, telling him what had happened, and what -she wished to do; and he seemed to understand, for when she started to -leave the spring he bounded on ahead, often stopping and looking back, -as much as to say, “Come on; this is the way.” - -They were passing through the broken hills, and the coyote, quite a -long way ahead, had climbed to the top of a low butte and looked -cautiously over it, when he turned, ran back part way, and then circled -off to the right. Su-yé-sai-pi was frightened, thinking he had sighted -the Kutenais, and she ran after him as fast as she could go. He led her -to the top of another hill, and then, looking away along the ridge, she -saw that he had led her around a band of grizzly bears, feeding and -playing on the steep slope. Then she knew for certain that he was to be -trusted, and she told him to keep a long way ahead, to look over the -country from every rise of ground, and to warn her if he saw anything -suspicious. This he did. He would wait for her at the top of a ridge, -where they would sit and rest awhile, and as soon as she was ready to -go on he would run to the top of the next rise before she had taken -fifty steps. If thirsty, she would tell him, and in a little while he -would always take her to some water. Sometimes it would be a small -trickling stream in a coulée; sometimes a soft, damp gravel-bed, where -she was obliged to scoop out a hole; sometimes it was a muddy -buffalo-wallow—and it was always strong with alkali—but it was the best -there was. - -In this way, after many days, they came to the Little (Milk) River. The -pouch had long been empty, and Su-yé-sai-pi was weak from hunger, and -her weary feet were swollen and blistered, for the last pair of -moccasins had been worn out. Here by the river were plenty of berries -and some roots that are often eaten—good to fill the belly, but not -strength-making food. Of them she ate all she could, and frequently -bathed her feet, and kept on up the valley; but every day she went more -slowly. The stops for rest were more frequent now, and the coyote -showed that he was beginning to feel uneasy. When he thought she had -sat still too long, he would whine and paw at her dress, and look away -up the stream, urging her to go on. He himself fared well on the -ground-squirrels and prairie-dogs he managed to catch, and often he -brought one to her; but she could not bring herself to eat it raw, and -she had no way of building a fire to roast it. - -One day, while the sun was hottest, the two stopped to rest in a thick -patch of brush. They were near the mountains now, and the valley was -wide, with low, sloping hills on either side. The woman had been -telling her companion—she talked to him now as she would have talked to -a person—that her feet were swollen so badly she could go no farther, -and then she fell asleep. She was awakened by the coyote jerking her -gown and whining, and she sat up and listened. Pretty soon she heard -people talking; they were some distance away, but the murmur of their -voices seemed familiar; they came nearer, and she heard one say, in her -own language, “Let’s cross the river here.” - -She hobbled out to the edge of the brush and called to them, and when -they rode up to where she stood, at first they did not know her, she -was so worn and thin. She told them her story, and pointed to the -coyote by her side, telling them how it had helped her, and begging -them not to kill it. They told her that the camp was only a little way -above on the river, and offered her a horse to ride, but she asked them -to go on and tell her mother to come after her with a travois, for she -felt too sore to ride. Presently her mother came, and her father, and a -great throng of the people, and when she saw them approaching she put -her arms around the coyote and kissed him. - -“You have saved my life,” she said; “and much as I grieve to, we must -part now, for, while I might prevent the people from harming you, I -could not stop the camp dogs from tearing you to pieces. But do not go -far away. Every time we move camp my father’s lodge shall be the last -to go; and when the rest and the dogs have all left, we will leave food -for you where our lodge stood. We will always do that.” - -The coyote seemed to understand. He licked her face and whined, and as -her mother and father approached he slowly moved away, looking back -many, many times. - -Su-yé-sai-pi cried—cried at parting with her faithful guide, and -because at sight of her mother all her trials and sufferings came back -to her mind. They placed her on the travois and drew her to camp, where -all the people came to sympathize with her, bringing something from -their store of choice food as presents. - -The coyote was not forgotten; food was always left at the camp site, as -she had promised, and often, as Su-yé-sai-pi and her people started on -after the others, they saw him standing on a near hill, watching them -out of sight. - - - - THE END - - - - - - - - - -NOTES - - -[1] Of all the games played by men among the Pawnee Indians, none was -so popular as the stick game. This was an athletic contest between -pairs of young men, and tested their fleetness, their eyesight, and -their skill in throwing the stick. The implements used were a ring six -inches in diameter, made of buffalo rawhide, and two elaborate and -highly ornamented slender sticks, one for each player. One of the two -contestants rolled the ring over a smooth prepared course, and when it -had been set in motion the players ran after it side by side, each one -trying to throw his stick through the ring. This was not often done, -but the players constantly hit the ring with their sticks and knocked -it down, so that it ceased to roll. The system of counting was by -points, and was somewhat complicated, but in general terms it may be -said that the player whose stick lay nearest the ring gained one or -more points. In this story, the Buffalo by their mysterious power -transformed the girl into a ring, which they used in playing the stick -game. - -[2] Cf. 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