Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/511

 Cheyenne Tales. 163

council broke up. The various animals and birds went to find hid- ing-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. Fi- nally 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-feath- ers ; 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

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