Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/522

 1 74 yournal of American Folk-Lore.

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 ex- changed. 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 toma- hawk. 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,

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