# Journal of American Folk-Lore/Volume 13/Issue 50/Cheyenne Tales

CHEYENNE TALES
The following tales were collected at the Cheyenne Agency in Oklahoma in 1899, on a journey undertaken for the American Museum of Natural History, the means for which were provided by the generosity of Mrs. Morris K. Jesup. They were all secured in English. Some were recorded from dictation, and others written out by the Indians. The versions thus obtained have been altered as little as possible even though uncouthness of style resulted at times. This roughness may seem unnecessary, especially as the tales were not even told in the narrator's native tongue. But the less of the original character remains, the greater the need for its preservation. It is always possible to clothe the nudity of a primitive tale in the drapery of modern paraphrase, should our conventionality see fit to demand it; but it is impossible ever to reconstruct the original frame, the living body, if at its first presentation we have only its encasings and swathings.
I.
When first created, the people gathered to see if they were to live or to die. If a stone floated in water, they were to live; if it sank, they were to die; but to a buffalo chip opposite conditions were attached. The stone was thrown in. For a moment it remained at the surface, and all the people rejoiced, thinking to live forever; then it sank. So the chip was thrown in, and for a moment it sank out of sight, and again they rejoiced; but then it rose and drifted away. The short time that the stone floated and the chip sank represents the shortness of man's life before lasting death.
II.
The buffalo formerly ate men. The magpie and the hawk were ​on the side of the people, for neither ate the other. These two flew away from a council that was being held between the animals and men, and brought it about that there was to be a race, the winners to eat the losers. The course was a long one, around a mountain. The swiftest of all the buffalo was a cow called Neika$^n$ sa$^n$niia$^n$meyox·sts (swift-head). She thought that she would win, and consented to race. On the other hand, the people were afraid, on account of the long distance. They were trying to get medicine to prevent them from becoming tired or winded. All the birds and animals painted for the race, and since that time they are colored. Even the water turtle put red paint around his eyes. The magpie painted himself white on head, shoulders, and tail. At last all were ready and stood in a row. Then they ran, all making some noise, in place of singing, to help them. All the small birds, the turtles, rabbits, coyotes, wolves, flies, ants, insects, and snakes were soon left behind. When they approached the mountain the buffalo-cow was ahead; then came the magpie, then the hawk, then the people; the rest were strung out. So thickly did the dust rise that nothing could be seen. All around the mountain the cow led, but the two birds knew that they could win, and merely kept up with her until they got near the starting-place, and then both went by her and won the race for man. When they arrived, they saw animals and birds all over the course, running themselves to death, and the ground and rocks turned red from the blood of these. Then the buffalo told their young to hide, as the people were going to hunt them, and told them to take some dried human flesh with them, for the last time. They did this, and stuck the meat in front of their chest, under the throat. Therefore the people do not eat that part, saying that it is human flesh. From the day of the race men began to hunt. But as hawks, magpies, nighthawks, crows, and buzzards were on their side in the race, they do not eat them, but use their feathers for ornament.
Another version says that when the coyote, who was on the side of the buffalo, came in, the magpie, who beat even the hawk, said to him: "We will not eat you, but we will use your skin."
III.
The animals and birds held a council, in order to have friendship and be as kind to each other as if they were brothers. This meeting was called the birds' council of friendship. The majority were willing to live in peace; but the birds of prey—the eagle, the hawk, the magpie, the crow—opposed the rest. The hawk said that war was the nobler thing, and then flew off to find his food among other birds. Then the eagle also spoke against friendship. So at last the ​council broke up. The various animals and birds went to find hiding-places, and since that day have been food for the birds of prey.
IV.
There was a large camp near a spring called old-woman's spring. The people were amusing themselves by games, and were playing the "buffalo-game" with rolling hoops. Two young men were standing by, watching. They were painted alike and dressed alike, and wore the same headdresses, and both wore buffalo-robes. Finally one of them told the people to call every one, and that all should watch him; that he would go into the spring, and bring back food that would be a great help to the people ever after. The other young man also said that he would bring them food. There was an entrance to the spring, formed by a great stone, and by this the two young men descended into the spring, both going at the same time. They found an old gray-headed woman sitting, and she showed them on one side fields of corn and on the other herds of buffalo. Then one of the young men brought back corn, and the other buffalo meat, and the people feasted on both. And that night the buffalo came out of the spring ; and there have been herds of them ever since, and corn has been grown too.
V.
A long time ago men had not yet learned to use the eagle for their war-ornaments. A man climbed a high mountain; there he lay for five days, crying, without food. Some powerful being, he hoped, would see him and come to him, and teach him something great, and so he would receive help and rest from his trouble. He was glad when a voice spoke to him. It said: "Try to be brave, no matter what comes, even as if to kill you. If you remember these words, you will bring great news to your people, and help them." After a time he heard voices, and seven eagles came down as if to take him. But he was brave, as he had been told. He continued to cry, and kept his eyes closed. Now the great eagles settled and surrounded him. And one said: "Look at me. I am powerful, and I have wonderful feathers. I am greater than all animals and birds in the world." This powerful eagle showed the man his wings and his tail, and he spread out his feathers. He told him how to make war headdresses and ornaments out of eagle-feathers; and he said that his people must use only eagle-feathers, and it would be a great help to them in war. At that time it was a hard thing to get eagle-feathers; but the seven eagles shook themselves, and their feathers fell out, and the man picked them up and took them home. On that day eagle-feathers were first seen; and the man made war-ornaments ​as he had been told. After this he became a great man, for others thought it wonderful to bring eagle-feathers and make war-ornaments. And he was leader of his people, and when they went to war, he wore war-ornaments.
VI.
A man had once gone out on the warpath. Finally he started home. But a blizzard came, he lost his way, and nearly perished. At last he was met by some one and taken into a tent. This was full of a large company, all of them dressed up, while their dancing apparel hung on every tent-pole. It was the fox company. They commenced to teach the man their dance. They showed him how to paint, and what to wear, and the songs to be sung. They had four young girls with them in their company. On the fourth morning, when he had learned all, the storm was over, and it had grown warm. The dance broke up, and some one was sent to guide him home. As the company scattered, he saw they were wolves and coyotes. A wolf guided the man, and he returned in safety. Then he instituted the fox-company, whose dance has continued to the present day.
VII.
The Sun and the Moon disputed as to their superiority. The Sun said that he was bright and light; that he ruled the day, and that no being was superior to him. The Moon in answer said to the Sun that he ruled the night, and was without a superior; that he looked after all things on earth, and that he kept all men and animals from danger. The Sun said: "It is I who light up all the world. If I should rest from my work, everything would be darkened; mankind could not do without me." Then the Moon replied: "I am great and powerful. I can take charge of both night and day, and guide all things in the world. It does not trouble me if you rest." Thus the Sun and the Moon spoke to each other; but both were great rulers. The day on which they disputed became almost as long as two days, so much did they say to each other. At the end the Moon said that there were a great many wonderful and powerful beings on his side. He meant the stars in the sky.
VIII.
The earth rests on a large beam or post. Far in the north there is a beaver, as white as snow, who is a great father of all mankind. Some day he will gnaw through the support at the bottom; we shall be helpless, and the earth will fall. This will happen when he be​comes angry. The post is already partly eaten through. For this reason one band of Cheyennes never eat beaver, or even touch the skin. If they do touch it, they become sick.
IXa.
White-man was travelling, with nothing to eat. He came to a large lake, on which he saw numbers of birds. At the edge of the pond was a prairie-dog town; the inhabitants were sitting up, all of them fat. White-man was very hungry, and very anxious to catch some of these animals, but he knew he could not get to them. So he went off into a hollow, and thought out a plan. He got a stick, peeled off the bark, and painted it. He also painted a pretty buffalo horn that he found, and stuck it on the end of the stick. This he pretended was powerful against disease. He went back to the lake, and said: "Great danger and sickness are coming behind me, but whoever comes up to touch this stick will be safe." The birds believed this, and all asked to be allowed to touch the horn. He told them to follow him to an open place. Then he went to the prairie-dog village, and said the same that he said to the ducks, so their leader told all the prairie-dogs to follow him, with their whole families. White-man ordered them to shut their holes tight, on account of the danger. They worked hard and did this. Then they all followed him—prairie-dogs, ducks, geese, and other birds—while he led the way to an open plain, carrying his horn so that all could see it. Then he stuck the pole in the ground. In a circle around it he placed the prairie-dogs, around them the ducks, then the geese, and inside the cranes. Inside of all he put the white-nosed ducks. He told them to shut their eyes, as they would get red eyes if they looked. He would sing powerful songs, and dance among them, but they were not to look or move until he told them to. Then he commenced to sing. With a pole he knocked down and killed the dancers, meanwhile singing: "Your eyes will turn red, your backs will become twisted, your necks will be twisted, if you look." At the end was a white-nosed duck; as White-man came near him, he was trying to touch his neighbors, but could not. At last he opened his eyes and saw one of his friends being knocked down and others lying dead. He cried out, and the rest of the birds flew away. But since then that duck has had a red eye and crooked back and neck. The man went to the river, built a fire, and made sausages of his meat. Near him were two great willows; the wind ​waved them, they rubbed together, and made a noise. White-man spoke to them, telling them not to fight, for he was very hungry. Finally he climbed up. "My brothers must not fight." He held them apart, putting his hand between them; the wind stopped, and he was fast. The coyote smelled the meat and came. White-man told him he need not come around. He called him names and ridiculed his shape: he had a sharp nose, he was too slim. He told him to go about his own business; he said that he himself had climbed up in order to be cooler in the shade. The coyote came close; then he knew that White-man was fast. Then the man said to the coyote: "Brother, eat half, and I will eat half." While the coyote ate his meat, White-man reviled him, but he spoke kindly to the tree. The coyote looked at the fire, and there he saw a fine sausage, of fat and heart. He ate it. Then he covered it up again, and ran off, but as he was full he was soon tired and went to sleep. The wind rose, and the man was once more free. Very angry, he climbed down. He saw only the sausage. "It is good that he did not eat all," he said. He bit in the centre of it, and got his mouth full of ashes. This made him still angrier. He followed the coyote's tracks, and found him. "If I hit him with a club, I might spoil his flesh by bruising it," he thought. So he made a tent of weeds around and over the coyote, intending to burn him alive. He lit the brush. When the fire became high, the coyote jumped out. Again he followed his tracks and found him. Three times this same thing happened. The fourth time he determined that he would catch the coyote by the hind legs. He seized him thus, and tried to scare the coyote to death by shouting. He nearly succeeded. But the coyote defecated over his clothes, into his mouth, and into his eyes. White-man could see the coyote no longer, let him go, and the coyote ran off. But White-man vomited to death.
IXb.
A man was travelling up along a river, carrying a bag. He met some ducks, who asked him what he had in the sack. He said, songs. Then they begged him to sing for them. At first he declared that he had no time to stop, but at last he consented, and the ducks all gathered about him. He pretended to be lame and leaned on a stick. Then he sang, and the ducks danced, and he told them ​to keep their eyes closed until he stopped singing. He sang: tse mu$^n$makuyets (your eyes will be red); therefore they were afraid of getting sore eyes, and did not look at him. He took his stick and hit them with it. As they danced, one duck did not feel its neighbors any longer, and at last opened its eyes, and saw the man hitting away, and a pile of dead ducks. So he cried out to the rest to escape, and all that were left flew away. Then the man rejoiced. He went to the shade of some trees, made a fire, and spitted and roasted his ducks. He also made a sausage of them, and this he laid in the ashes. Then he sang and danced for joy. A hungry coyote heard him and smelled the meat, and drew near. Overhead two trees were rubbing together, and making noise. The man said to them: "Stop fighting! Don't disturb me, for I am going to have a good dinner." The screeching continued. He went to the foot of the trees and again told them to stop. Finally he climbed up. The wind rose, and again the trees screeched. The man put his hand between them to hold them apart. Suddenly the wind fell, and his wrist was held fast. The coyote came nearer, wondering. The man ordered him to go away, and tried to conceal his hand that was caught. The coyote at last understood the situation and took a duck. "Yes, you may take one duck; that one at the end there," said the man. As the coyote took a second, the man called to him, "You may take another." Thus it went on, until all the ducks were eaten. The wind began to come again, the trees rubbed together, and the man's wrist hurt so much that he no longer thought of the coyote. The coyote meanwhile found the sausage and ate it. Then he filled it with ashes, put it back, and went away. At last the wind rose, and the man became free. "This is bad," he thought, "but it is lucky that he did not find the sausage." He took it out, bit into it, and the ashes flew into his eyes. He stumbled about, until he fell into the river. Then he washed his eyes out. Now he was angry. He followed the coyote's trail, and found him asleep, with distended belly. He determined to eat both ducks and coyote, but he thought: "If I choke him, I may bruise his meat; if I hit him on the head I may bruise and spoil his meat." While he was deliberating, the coyote jumped up and ran away. Again he followed him and found him asleep. He made a great fire, having decided to seize the coyote by his ears and tail, throw him into the fire, and roast him whole. He seized him, but as he threw him, the coyote jumped forward through the flames, and ran off, singed but safe. The man could not see him through the flames and thought he was in the fire. He waited until it burnt down; then he looked for the coyote and could not find him.
X.
White-man was travelling. He caught some rabbits, made a fire, and cooked them. When he had had enough, but there was still much left, the coyote came limping along. He was hungry, and asked for something to eat. White-man refused to give him anything. The coyote said he was starving. Then White-man proposed to run him a race for the food. They started off, and the coyote suddenly lost his lameness. He ran far ahead of White-man, came in, and ate all the rabbits before the other came back. Then he went off. Now he felt sleepy from his good meal, and lay down. White-man followed his tracks, and found him. He thought: "If I hit his head, I will spoil it;" and so on of the different parts of his body. Finally he decided to roast him whole, as then no portion of him would be bruised. So he made a fire. The coyote, only feigning sleep, was ready to escape. He only waited to see what White-man would do. White-man seized him to put him on the fire. But suddenly the coyote was out of his hands, jumped over the fire at one bound, and was off.
XI.
There was a man that could send his eyes out of his head, on the limb of a tree, and call them back again, by saying naexansts hinnicistaniwââ (eyes hang upon a branch). White-man saw him doing this, and came to him crying; he wanted to learn this too. The man taught him, but warned him not to do it more than four times in one day. White-man went off along the river. When he came to the highest tree he could see, he sent his eyes to the top. Then he called them back. He thought he could do this as often as he wished, disregarding the warning. The fifth time his eyes remained fastened to the limb. All day he called, but the eyes began to swell and spoil, and flies gathered on them. White-man grew tired and lay down, facing his eyes, still calling for them, though they never came; and he cried. At night he was half asleep, when a mouse ran over him. He closed his lids that the mice would not see he was blind, and lay still, in order to catch one. At last one sat on his breast. He kept quiet to let it become used to him, and the mouse went on his face, trying to cut his hair for its nest. Then it licked his tears, but let its tail hang in his mouth. He closed it, and caught the mouse. He seized it tightly, and made it guide him, telling him of his misfortune. The mouse said it could see the eyes, and they had swelled to an enormous size. It offered to climb the tree and get them for him, but White-man would not let it ​go. It tried to wriggle free, but he held it fast. Then the mouse asked on what condition he would release it, and White-man said, only if it gave him one of its eyes. So it gave him one, and he could see again, and let the mouse go. But the small eye was far back in his socket, and he could not see very well with it. A buffalo was grazing near by, and as White-man stood near him crying, he looked on and wondered. White-man said: "Here is a buffalo, who has the power to help me in my trouble." So the buffalo asked him what he wanted. White-man told him he had lost his eye and needed one. The buffalo took out one of his and put it in White-man's head. Now White-man could see far again. But the eye did not fit the socket; most of it was outside. The other was far inside. Thus he remained.
XII.
There was a man whose leg was pointed, so that by running and jumping against trees he could stick in them. By saying naiwatoutawa, he brought himself back to the ground. On a hot day he would stick himself against a tree for greater shade and coolness. However, he could not do this trick more than four times. Once while he was doing this, Vihuk (White-man) came to him, crying, and said: "Brother, sharpen my leg!" The man replied: "That is not very hard. I can sharpen your leg." White-man stood on a large log, and the other, with an axe, sharpened his leg, telling him to hold still bravely. The pain caused the tears to come from his eyes. When the man had sharpened his leg, he told him to do the trick only four times a day, and to keep count in order not to exceed this number. White-man went down toward the river, singing. Near the bank was a large tree; toward this he ran, then jumped and stuck in it. Then he called himself back to the ground. Again he jumped, this time against another tree; but now he counted one, thinking in this way to get the better of the other man. The third time, he counted two. The fourth time, birds and animals stood by, and he was proud to show his ability, and jumped high, and pushed his leg in up to the knee. Then coyotes, wolves, and other animals came to see him; some of them asked how he came to know the trick, and begged him to teach it to them, so they could stick to trees at night. He was still prouder now, and for the fifth time he ran and jumped as high as he could, and half his thigh entered the tree. Then he counted four. Then he called to get to the ground again. But he stuck. He called out all day; he tried to send the animals to the man who had taught him. He was fast in the tree for many days, until he starved to death.
XIII.
It was spring, and the grass was green along the riverside, and all over the land. A buffalo bull was having a fine time eating the fresh grass, while a white man near by had a. hard time to make his living. Day after day he watched the bull and wished to be a buffalo. So one day he approached him and stood near him, and cried, thinking that if he were a buffalo he would enjoy himself all his life, and all winter he would have a good robe on him, and he would not have to pay for his clothing and food. The buffalo looked at him and said to him: "What can I do for you?" But the man continued to cry, and answered that he wanted to be a buffalo. The bull told him not to be afraid, and to stand at a little distance away. Then he charged at the man four times, and the man was not afraid of him, because he wished to become a buffalo. At the fourth charge the man turned into a buffalo, and then the bull taught him how to live. But at once the white man thought he could make money by teaching his friends to become buffalo. But a white man, whom he approached, ran away from him in fear.
In another version White-man is hunted after he has become a buffalo. He tries to tell the hunters that he is a man, but cannot, and is shot.
XIV.
Mátceit (Little-man) was a poor orphan boy. An old woman took care of him, and they lived at a large camp. It was winter, snow was on the ground, buffalo were scarce, and the people were nearly starved. One day Mátceit told his grandmother to make him a bow and arrows. These are ordinarily made by men, but she did the best she could, and made him a bow and arrows. Then he told her to make him a wheel used for the buffalo game. She cried, and asked him where he expected her to get the hide that was necessary. He told her to soak a parflêche bag, and when it was soft to cut a string from it, and then paint it. She did this. When the hoop was finished, he sat on the bed, and she at the door; he told her to roll the wheel, saying to him: "There is a buffalo calf." When she said this, he shot the wheel through the heart (the central interstice), and there sat a buffalo calf, swaying and dying. The old woman skinned it, cut and dried the meat, and stretched the skin. He told her to save the fat as salve for his sore eyes. Next morning he told his grandmother to roll the wheel again, and this time he shot a grown calf. She packed away the first meat, and hung up what they ​had just got. Next morning he shot a fat cow in the same way, and the old woman was still prouder of him. The meat she hid in a hole, the refuse she threw into a bush, where the snow covered it. Meanwhile the rest of the camp were starving, and cooking hides and saddles for food. On the fourth day the boy shot a very fat well-aged cow. All the meat of this his grandmother dried, and of the marrow she made sausage, and of the bones soup.
Their tent was apart, off on one side of the village. The principal chief had two daughters, of whom the youngest was very pretty. The boy was in love with her; but his belly was large, his legs short, his eyes sore and running; and every one called him Little-man. Now he told his grandmother to go to the principal chief, taking with her some fat in a piece of gut; and when going away, to drop it, as if by accident, so that it would be seen. If the chief asked her about it, she should say it was salve for his eyes. She did accordingly, and the starving chief and his family asked for some of the fat. She gave him all, saying that she had more; and the chief was pleased. She came home and told the boy what had happened. Next day he sent her to buy the youngest girl for him, taking a part of their meat to the principal chief. The chief asked her how she obtained the meat, and she said that the boy had the power to make game. So the chief gave his daughter, and a large tent was put up for Mátceit, and everything made ready for him to come at night.
Almost all the young men of the camp were in love with the chief's daughters, and even the younger girl was marriageable; but the boy was too young to marry. Her friends made fun of her, saying that her son went to sleep with her. She was also ashamed of the ugliness and sore eyes of her husband. At the same time White-man married the elder daughter, but he was given no tent, and slept in the same lodge as the boy. White-man told his wife to give the boy a separate vessel of water, as he did not want to use the same one with him. The boy heard this, and observed the ridicule of himself, and felt sorry. That night he became different: he was a young man, clean, with long dark hair, yellow skin, and bright eyes. Every one heard of his change and wondered. Now his sister-in-law tried to get him to drink of White-man's water, but he paid no attention to her. At night, when he coughed, bright shining colors came out of his mouth, and the two women saw it. White-man saw it too, and wondered. Next night, he went out to the cooking-place and got two brands. When he coughed, he hit the two sticks together, so that the sparks flew. But the boy and his wife continued to sleep. And in the morning it was found that White-man's blanket was burned, his wife's lip scarred, and himself burned on the cheek.
​Before daylight, the boy got up and went eastward. He gathered buffalo chips, and piled them on himself, so that they appeared as if they were a string of buffalo going south before the wind. Finally the sun rose, and he sent his wife to tell her father that there was a herd of buffalo. The chief cried out that his son-in-law had seen buffalo. The starving people prepared hastily. They went east, on a high hill, and then on the next hill, and there they saw a long line of buffalo. They headed them off, and killed every one. They butchered them, ate the raw meat, rejoiced, cried, and sang about what Little-man had done and the great help he had been to the tribe. The boy went by all the buffalo, pretending to take the best parts and put them in his shirt; but he only took hair. He went to his father-in-law, threw down the hair, and it turned to ribs, tongues, and all the best pieces. He went out again with his wife, and a red-bird flew up and sat on his wife's head, and occasionally on his, and sang, and fluttered about. All saw this and wondered, especially White-man. The next day the very same thing happened. The buffalo were killed, and from their hair the boy made hides, pieces of meat, or whatever he wished. White-man also got hair from the buffalo, in imitation of Métceit, and he and his wife went home without carrying any meat, but with a great mass of hair. He had caught a red-headed woodpecker, and tied it with a string to his wife's hair. But the woodpecker sat on her head and pecked at it. When they arrived home, he told his wife to order his mother-in-law to prepare the hides and the meat; but all the hair remained hair. The older sister was in love with her brother-in-law. One day he touched her on the skin of her shoulder, and his fingers, which were colored, left colored marks there. She was proud of this, and tore her dress open, to show the marks to every one, until her shoulder froze. That night the boy coughed again. Then White-man also coughed, and struck his brands. A spark fell into his eye, and one into his wife's, so that their eyes spoiled and turned white.
XV.
There was a great camp, facing toward the sun (east). In the tent farthest on the right there lived a young girl. One morning she was missing. Every sunrise a girl was missing from the camp. An old man went around, inquiring who was gone. The village became frightened, and suddenly moved that very morning. They were so hasty that they left an old woman, forgetting her in their panic. When she was left behind, she looked for food and water for herself, but she had none and could find none. She went down to the river and drank. Looking up the river she saw something ​rolling or floating down, shining like looking-glass. She sat on the bank, watching; it came close, then dived under in deep water. A boy about eight years old came out of the river. He was rough and needy-looking, and his eyes were sore. "Grandmother," he said, "why are you sitting here?" She told him why the village had moved and how she had been left behind. He said he would follow the tracks which led to where the girls had been taken. She tried to dissuade him, but he was determined. Going back to the camp, they went to the sleeping-places of the lost girls, and he found a mouse trail. He said he was about to set out. The old woman asked him to provide for her, as else she might starve. He told her to make a round tent of willows at the edge of the river Then he asked for a large knife, but the old woman said she had none. He went over the camp-site, looking, and succeeded in finding a hide-scraper. Then he told the old woman to make him bow and arrows, and she did so. Then he told her to say to him: "Two yearling heifers are near you." He shot into the ground, and there was a heifer-buffalo bleeding to death from her mouth. So the old woman butchered and dressed it. The boy told her to await his return, and set out. He followed the trail until it went under water; he dived in, and came out on the other side of the river. He found a plain path now, and it continued to grow plainer, until it was a hard, level road. He walked fast, making a terrible noise, as if something big was rolling along. A man came to meet the person making this noise. This man it was who had taken the girls, and the path was his trail; he had a large iron sword. He said "If I had known you were only a little boy, I should not have come out; but I thought some one great was coming to rescue the girls. I can knock you down with my fist." The boy answered that he could knock him down. The man said: "You cannot be as strong as this large tree," and he hit a tree once with his sword, and it fell over. The boy reached into his pocket and took out a square book, and asked the man if he had so powerful a book. By looking into it one could see all the various kinds of animals, and plants too, all living, and moving. So the man proposed that they should be great friends. The boy agreed, and then he exchanged his book for the sword; but he insisted on having the sword handed to him first. Then they went toward the man's tent. He was two-faced; and he walked ahead. The boy wanted to strike him with the sword, but whenever he raised it, the man said, "Don't hit me with the sword." But when the man looked sideways, the boy cut him in two across the middle. Then he took back his book and threw away the sword. He went on, and again he met a person, like the preceding, and also with a sword. The same happened, except that this man, to show his ​power, did not cut down a tree, but cut the earth in two, splitting it like ice. Again the boy showed his book, and again they exchanged. He killed this man in the same way, and took back his book and left the sword. Then he came near a tent, standing alone. One of the girls came out to get water. He went to meet her. He turned into a young man, bright in appearance, with quilled leggings and robe, and a quiver made of panther skin, and otter fur around his hair. When he met the girl, she was frightened, for she did not know that he had killed the two persons. She told him to run away, for many men who were on the warpath were killed and plundered here. She said that in the tent there were an old man and an old woman, and that she brought water for them whenever they were thirsty. If a leaf or stick floated on the water, they threw it in her face. The young man said to the girl: "I will go with you and fight for you. Put a bunch of weeds into the bucket. If they say anything, throw the water in the old woman's face, and run out to me." She did so, and the old man pursued her with a large tomahawk. The boy had a large cedar whistle. This he blew, and all the people of his tribe came out. The old man knocked them down, but the boy continued whistling, and more and more people came, until they killed the old man. Then the old woman came out with a tomahawk, and she was killed in the same way. Then the boy made a sweat-tent, and put in it the skulls of all that had been killed here previously. The girl heated rocks, and every time water was poured on them, the skulls moved; the last (fourth) time the people came out alive. They were of many different tribes. The young man told them to find their property and return each to his people. Then he started with the girl, turning into a rough boy again. He took his book and opened it; and there was a house, with food, tables as the white people have them, and two chairs. After eating, he closed the book, and the house was gone. Finally he came to the place at which he had emerged from the river, and there he lived in a house of sod. He saw three persons coming up the river. They were the girl's parents, and her brother White-man. White-man ran ahead, looking for the girl; then he went back, telling his parents that he had found his sister, but that an ugly boy was her husband. They all came in. They did not like their son-in-law, he was so ugly. White-man went fishing with his brother-in-law, in deep water. When a fish caught on his bait, he got the boy to take his line, and then shoved him in. The boy walked along in the river. He came to where a great camp stood, facing east. Here he got out of the water, and went into an old woman's tent. With her lived an orphan boy, of his own age, who was much surprised to see him. The boy was hungry, but they could give him nothing to eat, ​and he slept. The orphan boy asked him if he had any news; then he told him of his own rescue of the girl as he would tell the exploit of another person. Then the orphan told him that every morning a beautiful red eagle flew along, almost touching the tent-poles. Whoever killed the eagle was to marry the prettiest girl in the village. Both determined to try, as they might have good luck. The girl offered was the younger daughter of the same man that had lost the other girl; he wanted the eagle to hang at his tent-door, to show that he was a great chief. In the morning the eagle came; all shot at him but missed. The boys told their grandmother to open the tepee top, as they were going to try to shoot. They shot, and the eagle fell right into the tent. All ran in to find out who had done it, and the old man came with his daughter; but when he saw the two orphan boys, he took the eagle and kept the girl. But the boy kept a small bunch of the eagle's feathers. There were two fish in the river, one of silver, one of gold; when they turned in the water, their reflection shone so brightly that they could not be seen. The old man offered his daughter to whoever should catch one of the fish. The young men all fished, but the fish only looked at the bait. The boys used a sinew without a hook, but with a large chunk of meat. The golden fish passed by all the baits and bit theirs. The boy told his companion to hide it if they caught it, as the man might take it away from them. They caught it, and there was a great light in the prairie, so that every one ran to see who had caught the fish. The orphan told that his friend had caught it. The old man came, but he said he did not want so ugly a son-in-law. He took the fish, but the boy kept a piece of skin from it. As all came and stood by, the girl he had rescued was there, and she noticed her husband. At night she ran off to his tent again. When she had thus disappeared again, the chief, her father, told the men to make search for her. White-man knew that this boy was the same one that he had pushed into the water, and suspected where she was. At night he peeped into the tent and saw her, and reported to his father. Then his father caused an old man to announce that all men were to come to urinate and defecate over the boy's tent. This was done. White-man climbed up on the tent-poles, and dropped excrement down on his brother-in-law.
The boy told his friend that next morning the women who went out to dig prairie-turnips would be murdered. So it happened. The camp prepared to go to war. The boy told his wife to get a horse from his father-in-law so that he could fight. When the chief saw his daughter, he made her stop, and stand off, and tell her purpose. Then he told her "Take that white one;" but it was a pig. When they went to battle, they crossed a creek. Here the pig stuck in ​the mud. The boy tried all day, apparently, to get it out, while the others fought. But somehow he got a good white horse. He, too, now became a bright young man with a war-bonnet, otterskin, and eagle tail-feathers on his spear, while his clothes were all beaded. He rode right among the enemy, killed seven with his spear, and drove the rest away. Then he ran back and got on his pig. When the people returned, they saw him still there, ridiculed him, and threw mud at him. They tried to find out who had ridden into the battle; but they could not. That night the boy made the same prediction to his friend as before. Everything happened as on the preceding day, except that he was given a black and white pig, and rode a black and white painted horse in the fight. The third time he had a black horse. Now it was agreed that the horse of this unknown should be cut on the buttock, so that he might be recognized. The fourth day the boy rode a bay painted horse. White-man rode the same kind of horse as the boy, and when the fight was over, he rode down to the creek and cut his horse, and wounded himself a little. So they thought that it was White-man, and he married the girl, though she was his own sister. Next morning the boy came into camp, handsome, finely dressed, with feathers on his spear, otterskin, and so on. All saw him coming and ran up. He got off and led his horse, for it was quite lame. The people spread blankets to carry him, but he walked. His wife ran out to meet him and took his arms from him. The people cleaned the place they had soiled. So they found that White-man was an impostor. Four men seized him by the hands and legs, to throw him into deep water. He was strong and resisted, but at last they dragged him to the bank and threw him in. They could see the fish eating him, until only bones were left. Then the chief wanted his daughter and his son-in-law to leave the old woman's dirty place and to live with him, and even prepared a tepee for him. But they refused. The boy took out his book, and they had a house. But the boy felt bad about his treatment. That night he blew his whistle, and white men came out, and at daylight they killed the whole tribe. (This shows that the whites have more power than the Indians.)
XVI.
There was a great medicine-man, who was powerful and did injury, but who had a good daughter. He lived near a geyser, in an earth-lodge. Several young men lived with him, and went out hunting for him. He had great quantities of dried buffalo meat hanging all around his lodge. When meat was scarce in a village near by, he sent his young men to summon the people to him, and then he gave a feast to the various companies. Then this great man told the companies to dress, and dance before him. When the dance was almost over, he announced that he would pick out a young man to be his son-in-law. So he selected a young man, but after the marriage he sent the village away again. He was malicious, and did not treat his son-in-law rightly. Every night he had a fire, and slept close by his son-in-law and daughter. When they moved, he raised his head, and said: "Don't stir! Sleep!" When they talked, or even whispered, he made them be quiet, and ordered them to sleep. Even when they were outside, and spoke against him, he was so powerful that he knew it. The first morning he sent his son-in-law out to cut arrows. He told him that if he brought no smooth, straight sticks, he need not come back. The young man wandere through the woods, but he found only rough sticks, and he was discouraged, and tired, and cried. A person called to him, and asked him why he wept. The young man related his trouble, and the person told him to cut bulrushes of the right length. So he got as many bulrushes as he could carry, and they turned to smooth sticks. Then he went on up a mountain, and cried again. The birds heard him, and asked him why he cried. He said that he could not get the eagle-feathers that his father-in-law wanted for feathering the arrows. So the eagle shook himself, and feathers flew out, and he got as many as he could use. Then he returned, carrying the sticks and feathers. His father-in-law had four men who could make bows and arrows, and they began to make the arrows for him. Then he sent his son-in-law to get plums for the arrow-makers. It was nearly winter, and there was no fruit of any sort left, but he told him to get fresh plums, and bring none that were rotten or dried. He knew this was impossible. The young man took a bag, and went out, crying. Again a person asked him why he wept. The young man said it was because he was to get plums for the arrow-makers of his father-in-law. The person told him to go to a plum-bush, and that ​the tree would shake itself, and only fresh plums would fall from it. All this happened. When the great medicine-man saw his son-in-law returning well loaded, he was pleased and went to meet him. So they made the arrows, and ate the plums. Next morning the great man wanted to play at throwing arrows at a hoop with his son-in-law. They played near the geyser, and the medicine-man pushed his son-in-law into it. Only his bones came out again.
Three times the great man had selected a son-in-law, and all this had happened. His daughter did not like his acts; but even when she went far off to tell her husband of his danger, the great man could hear by the wind or the earth what she said. The fourth time he got a very fine young man for son-in-law. He sent him out to drive a buffalo of good age immediately in front of his house, so that he could shoot him with his new arrows. The son-in-law went far off, crying. Seven buffalo were about him, and one asked him what he wanted. The young man told him, but they said they were powerless against this great man, and told him to go farther south. He went on, and met four buffalo, who asked him what he wished. But they also were powerless, and sent him farther south. He went on and came to two buffalo. With them the same happened. As he again went on southward, he was so discouraged that he walked with his head down, and when he met a single buffalo, did not stop even when the bull asked him what he wished. Finally he turned around, and told his story. He was hopeless, for the great man could not be cut or burnt or wounded in any way. "He is like this rock," he said, and pointed to a large black stone. Then the buffalo said: "I will try on this whether I can do anything to him." He went off east, and charged against the stone, but did not injure it. He charged from the south, from the west, from the north—all vainly. The fifth time he went toward the northeast, and this time he broke a piece out of the rock. Then he told the young man to drive him toward his father-in-law's house. They arrived there, both seeming completely tired out; the buffalo pretended to be trying to escape, while the young man headed him off. At last, after a long chase, he drove him near his father-in-law's door. The medicine-man came out with his new arrows, and shot at the bull. When the arrows neared the buffalo, they turned to reeds again, and did not injure him; but to the medicine-man they appeared to enter the bull, and disappear in him. The bull staggered and seemed nearly dead, and the man approached him. The bull staggered farther and farther away from the house, leading the medicine-man with him, so that he might not escape. Then he turned, charged, and tossed him. As the man fell, he tossed him again and again, so that he never touched the ground. Thus he tossed him until he was completely bruised ​and unable to move. Then they put him in his lodge, covered him with brush and wood, and lit it. The flames burnt higher and higher, but they only heard the medicine-man inside the fire cursing and threatening them with death when he should come out. Then suddenly there were poppings, and explosions, and beads, diamonds, and precious stones flew out of the fire. They were afraid to touch these, for fear the man might then come to life again, and put them back into the fire. But the whites to whom some of them flew kept them, and thus became richer.
XVII.
Far away there was a large camp-circle. Food was very scarce, and some persons had starved. One day one of the old men went about inquiring whether the people wanted to travel to a large lake, where ducks and game abounded. They moved camp, packing their goods on dogs. Two young men were sent ahead, but they returned with the news that they had found no game whatever. The children were all crying for food, and the misery was extreme. The people selected two strong young men able to travel four days without food, and told them that they must find something for the whole tribe, and bring back good news. The young men set out and travelled steadily for two days, until they were worn out and slept from the middle of the night until the morning star rose. Then they went on northward again. Finally they came near a large river, and beyond it they saw a blue mountain. The river was slow, smooth, wide, and sandy on both sides, but beyond it rose bluffs, and close behind these the mountain. The two scouts put their clothes on their heads, and entered the river. In the centre, one of them got fast. He shouted that some powerful thing under water was taking him; and he asked his friend to tell his parents not to weep too much for him. The other man crossed in safety. Then his friend called to him to come back and touch him as a farewell. So the other went back into the river, and touched him. Then he went out again, and cried all day, wandering about. A person came to the top of the bank above the river, and asked him why he cried, and whether he could do anything for him. The young man replied that a powerful animal was holding fast his friend in the river, and pointed to him. The person who had come was powerful; he wore a wolfskin, painted red, on his back; it was tied around his neck and waist, so that he looked like a wolf; and he carried a large knife. He dived into the river, and the water moved and waved, and finally an immense snake with black horns came up, and he cut its throat. The man who had been held fast was already cold and stiff in his legs, but the two others dragged him off, and floated him ashore, and laid him in the sun. The ​rescuer told the other young man: "Go to the mountain, to its stone door, and tell your grandmother that I have killed the animal that I have been after so long." The young man ran to the foot of the mountain, stood before a flat stone door, and called as he had been told, telling the woman to bring a rope with her. The old woman was glad that the animal had at last been killed. The young man ran back, and was told by the man to help him butcher the snake; then they would carry his friend to his house. They dragged the snake on shore by its horns, and cut it in two, and then into many smaller pieces. They made many trips to the mountain, carrying the meat. Inside, the mountain was like the interior of a tepee, with tent-poles, beds, and so on. Then the young man carried his friend to the mountain, taking him on his back, and holding his hands. The woman made a sweat-house, and he was put into it. The woman told him to try to move. The second time they poured water on the hot rocks he moved a little, the third time more, and after the fourth time he was perfectly well. Then they went into the mountain, and the man told his daughter to cook food,—corn and buffalo meat. This was the first time the young men had seen the daughter, who was very handsome. They ate all the food given them, and were well satisfied. Then the woman asked them why they had come. They told her that they were looking for game for their starving people. The woman said: "It is well, you will have something for your tribe." Then she asked them what kin they would be to the girl; whether they would be her brothers. While they conferred, she said that they could marry her. The other young man proposed to the one that had been fast that he should marry her; and the latter agreed. They were then all very grateful to each other, and the young man married the girl. The woman told her daughter to take the two young men to the herd of buffalo, and the girl showed them large herds of buffalo, and on the other side wide fields of corn. Then the woman told them to cross the river in the same place as before, and not to look backwards, and to rest four times on their way home. So they travelled for four days. Then an old man cried through the village that they were coming. All their relatives and many others came forward; but when they saw that there were three persons, they held somewhat aloof. They entered a tent, and the new husband told an old man to cry to the people to come to shake hands with his wife and embrace her. This was done, and then the young man said that he brought good news, and that that same night his wife's herd would come from the mountain. At night long strings of buffalo came, and the people heard them on all sides. Early in the morning they saw the buffalo, as far as they could look. It was announced that the dogs were not to ​disturb the game. Then the hunt commenced. The buffalo ran when pursued, but always came back. As many were killed as could be used, and there was abundance of meat. The chiefs gathered, and resolved that they were thankful to the girl for her kindness, and every family was to bring her a present, the best that they had; and they asked her to take the presents to her parents. So all gave to her, and she started back to her parents with her husband and his friend. When they arrived at the mountain, the man stood there, calling to his wife to come out, for their son-in-law had returned. She embraced the two young men from joy and gratitude. When they returned, the tribe was still hunting successfully, and they were again given presents to bring to the girl's parents. When they brought presents a second time, the man was still more grateful, and asked his daughter to take a few ears of corn to the tribe. But she, thinking that they had enough with the buffalo, was silent. When her parents asked her why she did not answer, she told them the reason. So they returned, after her parents had warned her not to feel sorry for any buffalo killed in her sight. Soon after, the children drove a young calf toward the village, and the boys shot at it, and it died in front of her tent. As she came out, she said to herself that she pitied the calf. But as she said it, the herd ran back toward the mountain, and nothing could be seen but dust. A crier went about, saying that presents must again be sent to the old man in the mountain. After prayer and with blessings, the two young men and the girl started once more. After four days they arrived. At once the old man told his daughter that she ought to have been careful. But he would not let them return to the tribe. The parents of the young men and their relatives felt lonely at the long absence, and went out alone to cry. But the young men never returned.
XVIII.
A chief had a fine-looking daughter, who had a great many admirers. At night she was visited by a young man, but did not know who he was. She worried about this, and determined to discover him. She put red paint near her bed. At night he crawled on her bed, wearing a white robe. She put her hand into the paint and then on his back. The next day she told her father to call all the young men to a dance in front of his tent. They all came, and the whole village turned out to see them. She watched all that came, looking for the mark she had made. As she turned, she saw one of her father's dogs, with the mark on his back. This disheartened her, so that she went straight into her tent. This broke up the dance. The next day she went into the woods near the camp, with the dog on a string, and hit him. He finally broke loose. She was very ​unhappy. Several months later she bore seven pups. She told her mother to kill them, but her mother was kind toward them, and made a little shelter for them. They began to grow, and at night the old dog sometimes came to them. After a time, the woman began to take interest in them, and sometimes played with them. When they were big enough to run, the old dog came and took them away. When the woman went to see them in the morning, they were gone. She saw the large dog's tracks, and several little ones, and followed them a distance. She was sad, and cried. She came back to her mother, and said: "Mother, make me seven pairs of moccasins. I am going to follow the little ones, searching for them." Her mother made seven pairs of moccasins, and she started out, tracking them all the way. Finally, in the distance, she saw a tent. The youngest one came to her, and said: "Mother, father wants you to go back. We are going home; you cannot come." She said: "No. Wherever you go, I go." She took the little one, and carried him to the tent. She entered, and saw a young man, who, however, took no notice of her. He gave her a little meat and drink, which did not grow less however much she ate. She tied the little pup to her belt with a string. Next morning, she was left alone, and the tent was gone. She followed and again came to them. Four times this happened in the same way; but the fourth time the tracks stopped. She looked up, and there she saw seven pups (Manootóxtcioo); they were stars (the Pleiades).
XIX.
Seven men were on the warpath. As they went along, they found a young woman who lived alone, in a solitary tent. These seven men were brothers. They remained with her and called her sister. They hunted and killed much game. The girl made seven buffalo robes for her seven brothers. She embroidered them all with porcupine quills; and she embroidered moccasins also. She worked very much for her brothers, and they were very kind to her and loved her very much. Six of the brothers used to go out hunting, and the youngest, who was only a boy, always stayed with his sister. When his brothers returned with game, he always ran to meet them and welcome them. Once the brothers went hunting again. The boy was outside, a little way from the tent where his ​sister was. He had a bow and arrows, and was hunting birds. He aimed at a red-bird, and shot it through the breast. The bird flew away, carrying with it his arrow. The boy ran after, to get both the bird and his arrow. Thus he pursued, always thinking he was going to catch the bird, until he had gone far from the tent. Then a powerful buffalo came to the tent and took the girl to be his wife, and made her go along with him, for she was afraid of his power. He took her westward, where there were many buffalo. The brothers returned, bringing game, but they did not see the boy coming to meet them. So they knew at once that something had happened. At the same time the boy came back, and told his brothers what had happened: how he had run after a red-bird which he had shot, and which flew away with his best arrow. The brothers looked all about the tent until they found their sister's tracks, and saw that she had been taken away when she was alone. So they went in the direction in which she had gone. The boy shot off one of his arrows toward the west. When they got to where it fell, there was a large village. The boy went to it, and found an old woman living in a tent by herself. He asked her if she had heard any news. She told him that she had heard that a powerful buffalo had passed that day, taking a fine girl with him to the westward. The boy returned to his brothers and told them what the old woman had said to him. Thus they passed through four villages, always learning the same, until they found where their sister was. They saw a large tepee, in which she was with the powerful buffalo; but all about the tent were buffalo. They stopped and considered what it was best to do. The boy was powerful too. He turned himself into a ground-rat, and dug a hole to where the tent stood. In a short time he dug to where his sister sat alone and sad. Then the boy received her in his hole and took her back to his brothers, who kissed her. Then they returned. As soon as they arrived at their home, they made an iron fence or wall. This inclosure surrounded them fourfold. Then the boy shot an arrow far up toward the sky, and there stood an iron tree in the middle of the inclosure. The sister climbed up first, and then, one after another, all the brothers. Then the whole herd of buffalo came, and surrounded the iron fence, intending to get back the powerful buffalo's wife. They tried to batter down the fence, but they broke their horns. At last they succeeded in breaking it down. Then the great bull tried to overthrow the tree. But now the boy at last succeeded in killing him. These seven men then were raised to the sky, and are said to be a group of seven stars (the Pleiades).
XX.
Nearly every night a child disappeared from a camp. A young man wondered who stole the babies. One dark night he said to himself: "I will watch to-night. I will watch every tent where the people are sleeping. If any one takes a child to-night, I may hear it cry out." So he watched the whole village, and looked outside. He found that the thief was Two-Faces, who had one face in front and one at the back of his head, so that he could look on both sides of him. The. young man found him fast asleep. Near him were many dead babies that he had stolen. Most of them had their ears cut off, and Two-Faces had a long string of ears on a line, for he lived on human ears. The young man ran to the river and looked for shells. He gathered a great number of shells, which looked almost like human ears, and strung them, and bloodied them. Then he cut a piece of meat, and shaped it like an ear. When Two-Faces awoke, he saw a person sitting near him eating an ear. It was this young man eating the meat. Two-Faces asked him where he learned to eat ears. The man said to him: "I live on ears. I always steal children and cut off their ears. The only thing that I am afraid of is that if I eat salt, it will kill me." Then Two-Faces said: "I should at once die if any one beat a gourd (?) and fat was thrown in the fire." When night came, they both went to the camp. The young man then told Two-Faces to wait for him; he would go ahead. Then he went to his friends and told them to prepare: he was bringing Two-Faces, who had stolen all the children. He directed that a gourd be beaten and fat meat thrown at the fire. So at last they succeeded in killing Two-Faces. Then he was burned.
XXI.
Some men were on the warpath. They were near a lake, and there they saw a large water-turtle coming toward the water. But they did not know that the turtle was a great powerful being of the lake. So they ran to the turtle, and—there were four of them in all—got on its back. The turtle carried them toward the lake. But they were fast to it, and at last in their distress cried out for help. The turtle still took them toward the water. The men now feared that they would never come back home and see their families and friends again. But a great help came to them at last. A great heaviness and darkness came upon them, and the thunder's rain fell, and then lightning struck the turtle's head. And finally they were saved.
XXII.
In a solitary tent lived a lone family,—a man, his wife, and two ​children. When the man went out hunting, he always painted his wife's face and body before he started in the morning. His wife went for water to a lake near by. She always went to the same place; and when she came to the lake, she took off her clothes, as if to bathe. Then a large snake rose out of the lake, after the woman had spoken to it and told it to appear. The snake asked her to come out to him, since her husband had gone away hunting. The woman did as the snake said. Every morning she went to the lake. Her husband brought back meat, and she and the children were glad. The man did not know what happened. He did not know that his wife went after water to the lake and met a large snake. But one day he asked her what made the paint come off her. She said that she took a bath. Next morning he started as if to hunt; but dug a hiding-place near the lake to see what his wife did. She came to the shore and called to the snake: "Come, I am waiting." Then he saw a big old snake rise from the water, and ask her if her husband had gone hunting. She answered: "Yes, I am coming." She took off her clothes and entered the lake, and the snake was soon around her. The man had watched them, and now, leaving his hiding place, he jumped on the snake, and with a large knife cut it in pieces and at last killed it. Then he caught his wife and killed her. He cut her up and took her meat home and gave it to his children. He cooked his wife, and the children unknowingly ate their mother. Then the man said to them: "Tell your mother when she comes home that I went to get more meat which I left hanging on a tree so that the wolves cannot reach it." And he went away. The younger child said: "Our mother is merely teasing us (by staying away)." But the older girl answered: "Do not say anything against our mother." Then their mother's head came rolling to them; and it said: "I am very sorry that my children have eaten me up." The two children ran away, but the head pursued them. At last they were worn out, but their mother's head still rolled after them. Then the older girl drew a line or mark on the ground and so deep a hole opened that the head could not cross. The younger girl was very hungry. She said to her sister: "Look at that deer." The older girl looked at the deer, and it fell down dead as if shot. So they ate of it. Then some one was kind to them and helped them, and they lived in a large lodge and had much food of various kinds to eat. Two large panthers and two large black bears guarded them against all wild animals and persons.
A camp of people was starving. Neither buffalo nor smaller game could be found. The people heard that the children had abundance of food of all kinds, and they all moved to them. When they arrived the children invited them, and the various companies came and ate ​with them. Finally they all went out again; only the children's father now stayed with them again. But they regretted what he had done to them. So they caused the lions to jump upon their father, and he was killed.
XXIII.
A certain "ghost" had a body like a man's, but he had two faces, one looking forward and one backward. He was immensely large, and could almost step over the greatest rivers when he came to them while walking. He was a great hunter, for he could catch and take hold of the game. He found a tent standing by itself, in which lived a man with his family, including a handsome daughter. The ghost fell very much in love with the girl, and determined to supply the family with meat. Every morning before daylight he brought game to the tent. The man did not know who was so kind to them. He dug a hiding-place, and entered it while it was still dark. Then he saw the ghost come, bringing game. But he was very much afraid now, and after the ghost had gone, he started off to hide with his family. The ghost followed them, and came to their tent. But the man would not give him his daughter. They decided to play "hand-game" (hiding-button) for her. So they played for five nights. But the man won, so that the ghost lost both the girl and his meat.
XXIV.
Among the people who lived generations ago there was a young man as handsome as might be. Almost all the girls and young women liked him very much, and always talked of him. Once, as night came on, there came a very beautiful girl. She had come from the sky, and was a bright star in the west. But the young man did not know this; and at night they both ran off together. He told his family that he was married, and they were glad to hear this. But she was a star just come from the sky to be a woman. So they married. Then the girl took him far off, and she told him that she was a bright western star. They both went to the sky, and the man also became a star. His name had been Beaver, and so a star in the western sky is still called Beaver.
XXV.
A man had two wives. One was called Corn-woman, and the other White-buffalo-woman. This second wife was really a buffalo, but the man was ignorant of this. He had two children by her. ​One day he grew angry at her, and she, too, became angry. She said nothing, but when her husband was away, she took her two children, and went toward the west, where the buffalo were. When the man came home, he found that they were gone. He was afraid of losing them, and prepared to follow them. He looked for their tracks, and then he found the path which they had taken toward the west. When he had gone part of the way, he found that his wife was a true buffalo, and knew that she had run off with his two children. So as he went, he cried, feeling sorry about his wife and children. He got to a large herd of buffalo, and he looked all among them. But he could not distinguish his wife and children; and he never found them again.
XXVI.
A man named Black Hawk had married Medicine-woman, and had a child called Stone-walker. Medicine-woman was very handsome to see, and as fine as the sun; and the child was pretty, too. Medicine-woman was a great help to her husband and very kind to him. She used to embroider all his robes and moccasins. But Black Hawk was desirous of another woman. He thought his wife would not know of this. But one day she discovered his love-affair. She became so angry that she ran off with her child. They went on a hill, and stayed there until they were turned to stone, just as they were sitting in grief. Black Hawk found out that, they had been turned to stone; and then he, too, wished to become stone. He cried at the place until he died. Many Cheyennes have passed the Woman and Child turned to stone. It is in the Rocky Mountains.
XXVII.
There was a handsome woman, called Rainbow-woman. A number of young men wanted to marry her. Every spring one or two tried to buy her. But she did not want to be married until later, when she could marry Young Eagle, a brave and handsome young man of whom she was very fond. But he was killed in war. When Rainbow-woman heard this, she was so grieved that she wanted to hang herself. She wanted to go where Young Eagle's soul had gone. She went to the river, looking for a place to hang herself. As she came near a cottonwood-tree, it suddenly called to her: "Come up quickly!" But she ran back home, and told her family that she was trying to hang herself, when she was so frightened by hearing a tree speak to her that she fled. She continued to fear that the tree would pursue her and take her as his wife. Finally she really became pregnant, though without having married (except in her imagination, as she feared the tree). One night a young tree ​grew out of her abdomen, and took root, and she grew fast to it, and became part of the tree. Therefore formerly cottonwoods were much worshipped. And women, after they learned this story, no longer hung themselves. This woman used to sing a great deal, and she was still heard singing up in the tree.
XXVIII.
A man went eagle-catching. He dug a hole, covered it with brush, and put a skinned buffalo calf on top. Then he hid in the hole. An eagle saw the calf, and flew down. As soon as he settled and began to eat, the man seized both his legs. But the eagle flew up with him to a very high mountain near by, from which he knew that the man could not climb to the ground. The man soon began to be very hungry, and he cried all day. He worshipped the sun, and prayed to it to help him to go down safely. At last the whirlwind carried him down. So he was saved by the sun.
XXIX.
Some men were travelling. As they came near a river, and entered the timber, they heard, some one singing. This was the song:—
The world is large and wide and long. A great many wolves have been in the world.
But I alone have been all over the world. To-day I am so old that at last my old age is over.
The men found an old gray wolf, so feeble that he was unable to move, and hungering. They fed him. When he was satisfied, the wolf said: "I will give you my life. You will live on this world your full lives. You will go all over the world, and have success in war. You will live free from danger and sickness, until your old age is passed." The wolf also told them to get up before sunrise, if they were to have his life. It is said that if a wolf or coyote sleeps until the sun, he dies at once.
XXX.
Some hunters found some young bears. They amused themselves with them, and cut their ears and tails. Then one of the cubs sang that his father and mother were away, while he was maltreated, and that they might know it. As soon as he sang, the old bears heard his voice. The mother stood up, and tried her might on a large tree, and broke it in two. The father said to himself: "I am great and powerful. Who has come to take away my child?" And he rolled a huge stone, and broke it in two. At once they both ran to their hole. This hole is called the Bears' Lodge, and is in Yellowstone Park. The bears arrived here, and saved their young. But ever since, bears are tailless.
XXXI.
Three animals went on the warpath: the turtle, the grasshopper, and the skunk. On the way the grasshopper, in trying to jump a river, stuck in the mud with his legs, and could not go on. The skunk and the turtle continued on their way, and finally came to a large camp. At night they entered the chief's tent, and cut his throat. Next morning the deed was discovered, and the people started in pursuit. The skunk had escaped; but the turtle had crawled under a bucket; and in this hiding-place he was found. He was taken to a council, and it was decided to burn him. A fire was lit, and he was seized. The turtle knew what awaited him if he were put in the fire. So he ran toward the fire himself, as fast as he could go. The people at once thought that he was anxious to enter the fire in order to explode, or do them some other harm; so they quickly stopped him. Then they poured a little water on him, and he pretended to faint and be near death. When they brought a bucket of water, he seemed to try to run away from it. The people accordingly thought that he was afraid of water because he could easily be killed with it, and they all went to see him drowned in a lake, rejoicing over the fate in store for him. A warrior took him into the lake. As the turtle pretended to be trying to keep away from the water by catching the bushes and clinging to them, the people all shouted, but he knew that he was about to be saved. The warrior dragged him into deep water, and then suddenly the turtle bit him hard, dived with him, and held him under the water until he was drowned. The people stood about, weeping and howling and looking at the lake. At last they got wooden buckets and pails made of buffalo-intestine; everybody, even children, was to carry water, until the lake was dry. At last they came to the body of the warrior; he was scalped. But the turtle had escaped with the scalp, and reaching home, found the skunk, who had brought the chief's scalp with him. So the animals celebrated a scalp-dance.
XXXII.
The coyote was very hungry and looking for food. He could catch no rabbit, nor any bird, and could find nothing to eat. At last he met a hard-shelled prairie turtle. The coyote knew that he was unable to kill the turtle outright, but he tried to find some way to get him for his food. So the coyote said to him: "I am a great friend of the turtle people; and the turtles used to call me by the name of Turtle Chief, because I am a friend to the life of all turtles." In this way the coyote tried as hard as he could to succeed in killing ​him. The turtle said that his name was Medicine Turtle. The coyote said, "Well, turtle, we have had a good meeting as friends, and we must remember our meeting." When they were about to leave each other, the coyote thought he could kill the turtle. So he went to kiss him, and as he kissed him, he tried to bite him. But the turtle bit him, and the coyote ran off.
XXXIII.
A hunter had killed a buffalo. A crow came flying to where he was butchering. When the man saw him, the crow said: "I am very hungry, and I have never eaten buffalo's eyes. I know very much about troubles of the eyes. Will you let me eat the buffalo's eyes, and as much meat as I wish?" The man said to the crow: "I will let you have all the meat you wish, and I will kill more buffalo for you, so that you can eat their eyes." The crow said: "I will go back after my family, and bring my wife and my young crows. And I will instruct you in my power concerning the eyes, so that you will have remedy if any one has trouble in his eyes." The man thought it would be good to learn this power, for his wife was blind on one eye, and the other was very weak. The crow came back with his family to where the man was cutting meat, and they ate. Then the crow and his wife proceeded to teach the man about the eyes. They told him to lie on his back, and close his eyes tight. Then both of them sat on his breast, and the crow began to sing. The medicine-song was: "I have great knowledge of troubles of the eyes." The man believed firmly in what the crow had said to him; but from the crow's teaching he at once lost both his eyes. He tried to go home, but was lost. At last he fell down a steep and deep place. He howled and cried out that he was in great trouble. So now there was only one eye in his family.
A. L. Kroeber.
* ↑ Published by permission of the Trustees of The American Museum of Natural History.
* ↑ Found also among the Arapaho. Cf. G. B. Grinnell, Blackfoot Lodge Tales, pp. 138, 272. See, also, W. Matthews, Navaho Legends, p. 77.
* ↑ Cf. Grinnell, op. cit. p. 140.
* ↑ Cf. J. O. Dorsey, ""The Ȼegiha Language," Contributions to North American Ethnology, vi. p. 328.
* ↑ Vihuk or Vih$^n$, White-man, is the Ojibwa Manabozho and the Blackfoot Nap (Old Man, "man -yellowish- white"). Among the Arapaho also he is called White-man. Here he appears only in his so-called "degraded" form: that of the trickster, corresponding to the Omaha Ictinike.
* ↑ Arapaho. Cf. S. R. Riggs, "Dakota Grammar, Texts, and Ethnography," Contributions to North American Ethnology, ix. p. no ; S. T. Rand, Legends of the Micmac, p. 263; C. G. Leland, Algonquin Legends of New England, p. 186; W. J. Hoffman, "The Menomoni Indians," Fourteenth Annual Rep. Bur. Ethnol. pp. 163, 263; Schoolcraft, Hiawatha, pp. 30, 34; L. M. Turner, " Ethnology of the Ungava District," Eleventh Ann. Rep. Bur. Ethnol. p. 327; J. O. Dorsey, op. cit. pp. 67, 579.
* ↑ Cf. G. B. Grinnell, op. cit. p. 155.
* ↑ Arapaho. Cf. G. B. Grinnell, op. cit. p. 153; M. C. Stevenson, "The Sia," Eleventh Ann. Rep. Bur. Ethnol. p. 153.
* ↑ Arapaho.
* ↑ Evidently a modernized or corrupted version of a tale about "White-man," and similar to that given by J. O. Dorsey, op. cit. p. 105. See, also, Dorsey, pp. 67, 73, and Schoolcraft, op. cit. p. 62.
* ↑ Cf. Dorsey, op. cit. p. 604.
* ↑ This curious tale is evidently not altogether of Indian origin. The portion relating to the war is identical with part of a European (Norse) folk-tale. Yet stories similar to this one are found among the Omaha (Dorsey, op. cit. pp. 114 seq.; see, also, p. 604), the Thompson Indians (J. Teit, Traditions of the Thompson River Indians, xxxiv.), and the Chilcotin (collected by Dr. L. Farrand). In all these tales a boy has a book, picture, or paper, that gives him magic power. He travels, does deeds, wins a wife, is deprived of her by treachery or deceit, but at last triumphs and regains his wife. All these tales agree in containing un-Indian elements. Yet they differ enormously in detailed incident. It is remarkable that what is apparently the same tale should assume such varying forms, and that while it always contains foreign elements, these are not the same in different tribes. It seems probable that we have not a case of adaptation and corruption of a European original, but a native story which for some reason has attracted European additions, perhaps because exceptionally European in spirit.
* ↑ Arapaho. An almost universal myth in western British America and among all Eskimo tribes. Cf. Boas, Indianische Sagen der Nord Pacifischen Küste Amerika's, pp. 25, 93, 114, 132, 263; Krause, Die Tlinkit Indianer, p. 269; Petitot, Traditions Indiennes du Canada Nord-Ouest, p. 314; Rink, Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo, p. 471; Boas, Journal of American Folk-Lore, ii. p. 124, and elsewhere in Eskimo collections; Chilcotin; J. Teit, op. cit. p. 62.
* ↑ Arapaho. Cf. Schoolcraft, op. cit. p. 274; Dorsey, op. cit. pp. 82, 224; Riggs, op. cit. p. 115.
* ↑ Two tales, the Snake-Lover, and the Abandoned Children, seem to be united here. The latter is also Arapaho. Cf. Leland, op. cit. p. 273; Rand, op. cit. p. 46; Schoolcraft, op. cit. p. 265; Teit, op. cit. xxxi.
* ↑ Cf. Dorsey, op. cit. p. 147.
* ↑ Cf. Leland, l. c. p. 56.
* ↑ Cf. Dorsey, op. cit. p. 271.