Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/535

 Cheyenne Tales. 187

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. 1

XXVI.

A man named Black Hawk had married Medicine-woman, and had a child called Stone-walker. Medicine-woman was very hand- some 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 num- ber 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 1 Cf. Dorsey, op. cit. p. 147.

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