Latest / Blackfeet Tales of Glacier National Park / 013 - The Story Of The First Horses
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Section thirteen of Blackfeet Tales of Glacier National Park by
- 0:05Speaker 1: James Willard Schultz. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
- 0:10Speaker 1: Section thirteen the story of the first horses. In that
- 0:16Speaker 1: long ago time when the people had only their great
- 0:19Speaker 1: wolf like dogs for carrying their belongings, there were two
- 0:23Speaker 1: very poor orphans, a brother and sister in the camp.
- 0:27Speaker 1: The boy was very deaf, and because he seemed not
- 0:30Speaker 1: to understand what was shouted at him, he was believed
- 0:33Speaker 1: to be crazy, and not even the relatives of his
- 0:36Speaker 1: dead father and mother cared to have him in their lodges.
- 0:40Speaker 1: One would keep him for a time and tell him
- 0:42Speaker 1: to go, and then another relative would take him in
- 0:44Speaker 1: for a short time, and getting tired of him, send
- 0:47Speaker 1: him on to another lodge. And wherever he went, his
- 0:51Speaker 1: beautiful young sister went with him, often in good weather,
- 0:55Speaker 1: when camp was moved, the two would stay at the
- 0:58Speaker 1: old campground, living on castaway meat so long as it lasted,
- 1:03Speaker 1: and then they would overtake the camp and go into
- 1:05Speaker 1: the nearest lodge and at least be sure of a meal.
- 1:09Speaker 1: They were generally barefooted and always shabbily dressed. It was
- 1:13Speaker 1: a hard life that they led, and because he was
- 1:16Speaker 1: so deaf and believed to be crazy, the boy had
- 1:20Speaker 1: not even one playmate in all the camp, nor had
- 1:23Speaker 1: his sister, for she knew that it was her duty
- 1:26Speaker 1: to be always at his side. There came a time, however,
- 1:30Speaker 1: when a childless woman, wife of a great and rich chief,
- 1:33Speaker 1: wanted the girl to raise as her own daughter, and
- 1:37Speaker 1: after many days, the boy persuaded her to be adopted,
- 1:40Speaker 1: and he was left alone and more lonely than ever.
- 1:44Speaker 1: Not long after this separation, the camp moved one day,
- 1:48Speaker 1: and the boy long Arrow remained in the old campground
- 1:52Speaker 1: to live there as long as he could on the
- 1:54Speaker 1: leavings of the people. At last, he finished the last
- 1:58Speaker 1: scrap of thrown away over good meat and started to
- 2:01Speaker 1: overtake the camp. The day was hot, terribly hot, but
- 2:06Speaker 1: despite that, the boy traveled as fast as he could,
- 2:09Speaker 1: often running, and perspiration streamed from his body, and his
- 2:13Speaker 1: breath came short and fast in loud wheezes. Suddenly, while running,
- 2:18Speaker 1: he felt something give way with a snap in his
- 2:20Speaker 1: left ear, felt something moving out from it, and reaching
- 2:24Speaker 1: up he pulled from it a long, round, waxy object
- 2:28Speaker 1: that looked like a worm. He held it in his
- 2:31Speaker 1: hand and ran on, and noted that with the left
- 2:34Speaker 1: ear he could plainly hear his footsteps upon the trail.
- 2:38Speaker 1: A little later, something snapped in his right ear and
- 2:42Speaker 1: began to move out of it, and he took from
- 2:44Speaker 1: it another worm like substance, and keeping both in his hand,
- 2:48Speaker 1: ran on. He could now hear plainly with both ears,
- 2:52Speaker 1: and so happy was he that he felt almost as
- 2:55Speaker 1: though he could fly. But that was not all the
- 2:58Speaker 1: good that was to come to him. Day, early in
- 3:01Speaker 1: the morning, a hunter had left camp with his pack
- 3:04Speaker 1: dogs and had taken the back trail in search of buffalo,
- 3:08Speaker 1: and just before the boy appeared, he had killed one
- 3:11Speaker 1: and was butchering it when he saw the boy approaching him.
- 3:14Speaker 1: This hunter heavy runner, was a chief and one of
- 3:18Speaker 1: the kindest men in the whole camp. He had long
- 3:21Speaker 1: thought to do something for this boy, and now when
- 3:24Speaker 1: he saw him coming, he said to himself, the time
- 3:27Speaker 1: has come. I shall do something for him. The boy
- 3:31Speaker 1: came to him and his kill, and he shouted to
- 3:34Speaker 1: him at the same time, making signs, sit down, my boy,
- 3:38Speaker 1: and rest. You are wet with sweat and covered with dust.
- 3:41Speaker 1: You must be very tired. Take this piece of tripe
- 3:45Speaker 1: and eat it. And now let me tell you something.
- 3:47Speaker 1: From this day you are to be my boy. I
- 3:50Speaker 1: adopt you. You shall have a place in my lodge,
- 3:53Speaker 1: good clothes, a good bed, Try to be good and
- 3:56Speaker 1: deserve it all. I am going to try to make
- 3:58Speaker 1: a man of you, Heavy Runner. Your kind words make
- 4:03Speaker 1: me want to cry, said the boy, his voice trembling,
- 4:06Speaker 1: tears dropping from his eyes. He swallowed painfully, brushed away
- 4:11Speaker 1: the tears, sat up straight, and went on, I shall
- 4:15Speaker 1: be glad to be your son. I will do all
- 4:18Speaker 1: that I can to deserve what you give me. And
- 4:21Speaker 1: now let me tell you something. As I was running
- 4:25Speaker 1: away back there on the trail and breathing hard, first
- 4:28Speaker 1: in one ear and then in the other, something broke
- 4:31Speaker 1: with a snapping sound, and out came these two worm
- 4:35Speaker 1: like things. And at once hearing came to me. I
- 4:39Speaker 1: believe that I could hear a mouse walking if he
- 4:41Speaker 1: were away out there beyond your kill. Now that is
- 4:47Speaker 1: good news and a good sign, Heavy Runner shouted. He
- 4:51Speaker 1: was not yet used to the fact that the boy
- 4:53Speaker 1: could hear. Then, remembering, he said, more gently, you take
- 4:57Speaker 1: a good rest while I finished butcher this animal and
- 5:01Speaker 1: packing the dogs and then we will each take what
- 5:04Speaker 1: meat we can carry and go home. Yes, boy, you
- 5:08Speaker 1: have a home now, and a good one. That evening,
- 5:11Speaker 1: when heavy Runner told his woman that he had adopted
- 5:14Speaker 1: long Arrow, she made a great outcry. How could you,
- 5:19Speaker 1: and without asking me, adopt that deaf, crazy boy, she asked,
- 5:25Speaker 1: And then she cried and said that she would not
- 5:27Speaker 1: have him for a son, and ran from the lodge.
- 5:30Speaker 1: People gathered around and pitied her, and said that she
- 5:34Speaker 1: was right, that the boy was crazy and deaf and worthless,
- 5:38Speaker 1: and would not mind, and as soon as he got
- 5:40Speaker 1: good clothes he would run off and again live at
- 5:42Speaker 1: old campgrounds. After a time, she went back to her lodge,
- 5:47Speaker 1: and as soon as she entered it, Heavy Runner said
- 5:49Speaker 1: to her, now at once, cease your crying and take
- 5:54Speaker 1: the anger from your heart. I have adopted this boy,
- 5:57Speaker 1: and he is my boy. He is no longer death,
- 6:01Speaker 1: He was never crazy. He is a good boy, and
- 6:04Speaker 1: I shall make a man a chief of him. See
- 6:07Speaker 1: that you treat him well, even if you cannot love him,
- 6:10Speaker 1: And believe this. If you do not treat him well,
- 6:14Speaker 1: you shall be the one to suffer. Tomorrow morning began
- 6:17Speaker 1: making some good moccasins, for him. I myself shall cut
- 6:22Speaker 1: out his clothes and he can sow them. So began
- 6:25Speaker 1: a new life for long Arrow. If the woman did
- 6:28Speaker 1: not love him, she at least treated him well. He
- 6:32Speaker 1: did everything that he could think of to please Heavy Runner.
- 6:36Speaker 1: He went hunting with him and brought home heavy loads
- 6:38Speaker 1: of the meat that he killed, and in every possible
- 6:41Speaker 1: way was of use to him. And yet he was
- 6:44Speaker 1: not satisfied. He kept saying to himself, I want to
- 6:48Speaker 1: do something great for this man, who is so good
- 6:51Speaker 1: to me. Time passed, the boy grew up to be
- 6:55Speaker 1: a fine young man, good of heart and of fine appearance,
- 6:59Speaker 1: and at last heavy runners woman loved him as though
- 7:02Speaker 1: he were her own son. But in one thing he
- 7:05Speaker 1: was very different from the other young men of the camp.
- 7:08Speaker 1: He made no close friends, and when not needed by
- 7:11Speaker 1: Heavy Runner, he wandered much by himself, accepting his sister,
- 7:16Speaker 1: whom he frequently took for long walks. He had little
- 7:19Speaker 1: to say to anyone, and so the people, all but
- 7:23Speaker 1: she and his foster parents, continued to believe him crazy.
- 7:28Speaker 1: One evening, he said to Heavy Runner, tell me what
- 7:31Speaker 1: must one do to become a chief? One must be
- 7:35Speaker 1: very brave, must be fearless when facing the enemy, and
- 7:39Speaker 1: of very kind heart, full of pity for the poor
- 7:42Speaker 1: and the old and the sick, and always anxious to
- 7:45Speaker 1: help them. The chief replied, well, I want to become
- 7:49Speaker 1: a chief. What is the first thing for me to do?
- 7:52Speaker 1: He asked. The first thing to do is to go
- 7:56Speaker 1: to some far and dangerous place and get your medicine.
- 8:00Speaker 1: That is something that will make you favored by the
- 8:03Speaker 1: gods and bring you good luck in battle and in
- 8:06Speaker 1: all matters of life. Heavy Runner told him that I
- 8:10Speaker 1: shall do, said the young man, but first, will you
- 8:14Speaker 1: not call in the chiefs and the medicine men and braves,
- 8:17Speaker 1: and let me hear from them where they went and
- 8:20Speaker 1: what they did to get their medicine. I shall then
- 8:23Speaker 1: have a better idea of what I am to do.
- 8:26Speaker 1: We will have our lodge full of them, heavy Runner said,
- 8:30Speaker 1: And the next morning he shouted out invitations for a smoke,
- 8:34Speaker 1: asking only the greater the tribe to come to it.
- 8:37Speaker 1: They came filling the lodge, and then, when the pipe
- 8:40Speaker 1: was going the round of the circle, he told why
- 8:43Speaker 1: he had invited them to the smoke, asked them to
- 8:46Speaker 1: give their experiences in their search for medicines. One after another,
- 8:51Speaker 1: they told their adventures, where they went, what they did,
- 8:55Speaker 1: what they saw, what narrow escapes from death they had.
- 8:59Speaker 1: And at last it came Spotted Bear's turn. But he
- 9:03Speaker 1: refused to give his experience. What he cried, tell that
- 9:08Speaker 1: crazy youth about my adventure. Why I wouldn't waste my
- 9:11Speaker 1: breath on him. But he is a poor boy. He
- 9:15Speaker 1: wants to know. You might tell it him in a
- 9:18Speaker 1: short way pleaded heavy runner. Well, I will tell it,
- 9:22Speaker 1: not for his benefit, for he is crazy and would
- 9:25Speaker 1: not understand. But I will tell it so that you
- 9:28Speaker 1: all may know what I did. This surly one answered,
- 9:32Speaker 1: from this very place, I traveled southward along the foot
- 9:35Speaker 1: of the mountains seven days and seven nights. I traveled,
- 9:39Speaker 1: stopping only now and then for a short rest, and
- 9:42Speaker 1: sleeping very little. And on the morning after the seventh night,
- 9:46Speaker 1: I arrived at the shore of a small lake. There
- 9:49Speaker 1: I met a stranger man who asked me what I sought,
- 9:53Speaker 1: and I told him that I was wandering in search
- 9:55Speaker 1: of a strong, a powerful medicine. Ah said he, in
- 10:00Speaker 1: such a matter, I cannot help you. Go on south
- 10:04Speaker 1: for three days and three nights, and you will find
- 10:07Speaker 1: a man who will give you what you seek. I
- 10:10Speaker 1: went on, stopping only for short rests and rarely sleeping.
- 10:14Speaker 1: I traveled south for three days and three nights from
- 10:17Speaker 1: that place, and in the morning after the third night,
- 10:21Speaker 1: arrived at a long, wide lake running way back in
- 10:24Speaker 1: the mountains. I looked at it, looked at the mountains,
- 10:28Speaker 1: turning this way that way, and when I turned a
- 10:31Speaker 1: last time, lo there in front of me stood a man,
- 10:35Speaker 1: fierce of face, dressed in beautiful, strange clothing, wrapped in
- 10:40Speaker 1: a robe such as I had never seen before, and
- 10:43Speaker 1: carrying a spear with a big flint point. What do
- 10:48Speaker 1: you hear? He asked? Are you not afraid to come
- 10:50Speaker 1: to this the home of us gods of the deep waters.
- 10:54Speaker 1: I answered that I was not afraid, that I feared
- 10:57Speaker 1: neither gods, nor men, nor any annas animal of the earth,
- 11:01Speaker 1: the sky, or the deep waters. And at that he
- 11:04Speaker 1: cried out, you are brave. The brave shall be rewarded.
- 11:08Speaker 1: Come with me. I went with him to his lodge.
- 11:12Speaker 1: I am promised to secrecy. I dare not tell you
- 11:15Speaker 1: where it is. He took me in and fed me
- 11:18Speaker 1: and gave me this robe that I am wearing. This
- 11:21Speaker 1: medicine robe and taught me the prayers and ceremony that
- 11:24Speaker 1: goes with it. I asked him what kind of robe
- 11:27Speaker 1: it was, and he answered that it was the skin
- 11:30Speaker 1: of an elk dog, an animal as large as an elk,
- 11:33Speaker 1: and like the dog, useful for carrying burdens. The gods,
- 11:38Speaker 1: he said, roded them guided them wherever they wanted to go. Said, I,
- 11:43Speaker 1: may I have one of those elk dogs to ride home. No,
- 11:48Speaker 1: they are only for the gods to use, he answered,
- 11:51Speaker 1: and told me to go. I came home. I have
- 11:54Speaker 1: the robe here. It is proof of all that I
- 11:57Speaker 1: have told you. Ah, And this this crazy youth would
- 12:01Speaker 1: know where I went what I did. It is to
- 12:04Speaker 1: laugh to think of his going there. The pipe went
- 12:07Speaker 1: a last round, and then the chiefs and medicine men
- 12:10Speaker 1: and braves went home. As soon as they were gone,
- 12:14Speaker 1: long Arrow said to heavy Runner, my chief, you know
- 12:17Speaker 1: that I am not crazy. I feel that I must
- 12:20Speaker 1: go on adventure, and I want to go where spotted
- 12:23Speaker 1: Bear went and prove to him that I can go
- 12:26Speaker 1: as far and face as many dangers as he did.
- 12:29Speaker 1: Will you let me go and keep secret from every
- 12:32Speaker 1: one whither I have gone? And for what purpose? What
- 12:36Speaker 1: you propose is just what I want you to do.
- 12:39Speaker 1: Heavy Runner answered, you shall start tomorrow, taking with you
- 12:43Speaker 1: all the moccasins and other things you will need, and
- 12:46Speaker 1: your foster mother, and I will tell no one anything
- 12:49Speaker 1: about you. At break of day the next morning, while
- 12:53Speaker 1: all the people of the great camp still slept, long
- 12:56Speaker 1: Arrow started on his journey of discovery. Straight south. He
- 13:00Speaker 1: went by day and by night, resting and sleeping at
- 13:03Speaker 1: long intervals, and then only for a very short time.
- 13:07Speaker 1: On the third day, he arrived at the small lake
- 13:09Speaker 1: that spotted Bear had mentioned, and there met the man
- 13:12Speaker 1: of that place, even as he had done. What seek you?
- 13:17Speaker 1: The man asked, knowledge, medicine, the way to become a chief?
- 13:22Speaker 1: Long Arrow answered, I cannot help you. Go on south
- 13:27Speaker 1: for seven days and seven nights, and you will come
- 13:30Speaker 1: to a great lake, and there you will meet a
- 13:32Speaker 1: man who can help you, if he cares to do so.
- 13:35Speaker 1: It may be that he will not even show himself
- 13:37Speaker 1: to you, but anyhow it is worth your while to
- 13:40Speaker 1: go there and try to meet him. Long Arrow went
- 13:44Speaker 1: on for seven days and seven nights, resting and sleeping
- 13:48Speaker 1: less than ever, eating nothing except now and then a
- 13:52Speaker 1: piece of dry meat, not so large as his hand.
- 13:55Speaker 1: Early in the morning after the seventh night, exhausted hardly
- 14:00Speaker 1: to drag one foot after the other, he came to
- 14:03Speaker 1: the great Lake, and, some distance back from its shore,
- 14:06Speaker 1: fell down on the grass and fell into a sound sleep.
- 14:10Speaker 1: It was late afternoon when he awoke, and opening his eyes,
- 14:14Speaker 1: he was surprised to see a boy standing beside him.
- 14:18Speaker 1: He was a beautiful child, by far, the most perfect
- 14:21Speaker 1: of form and feature that long Arrow had ever seen,
- 14:26Speaker 1: so beautiful that it did not seem possible he could
- 14:29Speaker 1: be of this earth, a child of the people of
- 14:32Speaker 1: this earth, said the boy to him, I have been
- 14:35Speaker 1: waiting here a long time for you to awake. My
- 14:39Speaker 1: father invites you to his home. I shall be glad
- 14:43Speaker 1: to visit him. Long Arrow answered, and sprang up, put
- 14:46Speaker 1: on his weapons, and was ready. The boy led him
- 14:50Speaker 1: straight to the shore of the lake, and there cried out,
- 14:53Speaker 1: do not be afraid. Follow me, and, having said that,
- 14:57Speaker 1: changed into a snipe, entered the wor water and disappeared.
- 15:03Speaker 1: Long Arrow was afraid, terribly afraid of the deep, dark
- 15:07Speaker 1: water and the mystery of a place where a child
- 15:10Speaker 1: could suddenly become a snipe. But he said to himself,
- 15:13Speaker 1: if I fail in my search for a medicine, it
- 15:16Speaker 1: shall be through no fault of mine. And he entered
- 15:19Speaker 1: the water lo It did not wet him, did not
- 15:24Speaker 1: touch him. It parted before him, and he went on
- 15:28Speaker 1: down the sloping sandy bottom of the lake, and soon
- 15:31Speaker 1: saw close ahead a large, fine lodge, on which were
- 15:35Speaker 1: painted in red and black the figures of two strange animals.
- 15:40Speaker 1: The boy arrived at the doorway of the lodge, changed
- 15:43Speaker 1: suddenly from a snipe back to his natural self, and
- 15:46Speaker 1: cried out, follow me here, you will be welcome, and
- 15:51Speaker 1: went in. Long Arrow followed him, found himself facing a
- 15:55Speaker 1: fine looking man at the back of the lodge. He
- 15:58Speaker 1: was sitting cross legged on his couch and wore a
- 16:01Speaker 1: beautiful black robe which entirely covered his legs and feet.
- 16:05Speaker 1: You are welcome here, my son, be seated, said the man,
- 16:09Speaker 1: and told his wife to prepare food for his guest.
- 16:13Speaker 1: Long Arrow looked about him. On all sides. The lodge
- 16:17Speaker 1: was hung with beautiful shields, wore clothes, weapons, handsomely painted
- 16:22Speaker 1: and fringed, pouches of sacred medicines, and a porcupine quill
- 16:26Speaker 1: embroidered belt of such brilliant colors that it shamed the rainbow.
- 16:32Speaker 1: The woman of the lodge soon set food before long Arrow,
- 16:36Speaker 1: and having long fasted, he ate largely. The man then
- 16:40Speaker 1: filled and lighted a pipe, passed it to his guest,
- 16:44Speaker 1: and said, I knew that you were coming, and I
- 16:46Speaker 1: wondered if you would have the courage to follow my
- 16:49Speaker 1: son from the shore of this lake down here to
- 16:52Speaker 1: my lodge. Not long ago a man of your people
- 16:55Speaker 1: came here, but he was afraid he would not follow
- 16:59Speaker 1: my son, and there he made a great mistake. I
- 17:03Speaker 1: was going to give him the most valuable present ever
- 17:06Speaker 1: given by gods to men. As it was, I went
- 17:09Speaker 1: out to him, where he sat far back from the shore,
- 17:12Speaker 1: and gave him the tanned hide of an elk dog,
- 17:15Speaker 1: and sent him home. He was not worthy of a
- 17:18Speaker 1: better present. But you are different. I shall give you
- 17:22Speaker 1: something of great value. Remain here with us a few days.
- 17:26Speaker 1: My son shall show you my band of elk dogs.
- 17:29Speaker 1: You shall hunt and kill meat for us, and when
- 17:33Speaker 1: you go, then you shall have a great present. The
- 17:38Speaker 1: boy went out with long Arrow and showed him the
- 17:40Speaker 1: elk dogs. They came running from the timber out upon
- 17:44Speaker 1: the open prairie at the foot of the lake, and
- 17:47Speaker 1: were a wonderful sight. They were far larger than an
- 17:50Speaker 1: elk of shining black color, had tails of long hair,
- 17:54Speaker 1: and there was long hair all along the top of
- 17:57Speaker 1: their necks and hanging down their foreheads from between their
- 18:01Speaker 1: restless ears. They were of all sizes, from suckling young
- 18:05Speaker 1: to old males and females, and all were very fat
- 18:09Speaker 1: and playful, even the oldest of them. Young man of
- 18:13Speaker 1: the earth, said the boy. If you are wise and watchful,
- 18:17Speaker 1: these animals and my father's black robe and his many
- 18:20Speaker 1: colored belt may be your present. The three go together.
- 18:25Speaker 1: You have noticed that my father always keeps his feet
- 18:27Speaker 1: covered with the black robe, that when he rises and
- 18:30Speaker 1: goes out of the lodge, he is very careful to
- 18:33Speaker 1: keep the robe lowered around him, like a dragging woman's dress,
- 18:37Speaker 1: so that his feet cannot be seen. Well, you have
- 18:41Speaker 1: but to see those feet, and anything that you ask
- 18:44Speaker 1: for will be yours. I shall do my best to
- 18:48Speaker 1: see those feet, said long Arrow. Several days passed. The
- 18:52Speaker 1: old people of the lodge were very kind to long Arrow,
- 18:56Speaker 1: and he in turn did his best to please them,
- 18:59Speaker 1: hunting most all the time and bringing in much meat,
- 19:03Speaker 1: and what time he was not hunting, he would sit
- 19:06Speaker 1: close to the herd of beautiful elk dogs and watch
- 19:09Speaker 1: them feed and play. When in the lodge, he watched
- 19:13Speaker 1: closely for a sight of the old man's feet, but
- 19:16Speaker 1: he ever kept them closely covered. At last one evening,
- 19:21Speaker 1: the old man started to go out of the lodge,
- 19:24Speaker 1: keeping his robe well down upon the ground about him.
- 19:27Speaker 1: But as he stepped over the low front of the doorway,
- 19:30Speaker 1: his right knee raised the robe, and long arrow saw
- 19:34Speaker 1: his left foot, and lo, it was not a human foot.
- 19:39Speaker 1: It was the hoof, the round, hard hoof of an
- 19:42Speaker 1: elk dog. He gave a cry of surprise at the sight,
- 19:46Speaker 1: and the old man, realizing what had happened, exclaimed, hai Yo,
- 19:52Speaker 1: how careless of me. Well, it cannot be helped. It
- 19:56Speaker 1: must have been fated that he should see it. He
- 19:59Speaker 1: went on now, and upon returning, took no pains to
- 20:02Speaker 1: conceal his feet. Both of them and the ankles were
- 20:05Speaker 1: those of the elk dog. Well you have seen my feet,
- 20:09Speaker 1: so you can now tell me what I shall give you,
- 20:12Speaker 1: said the old man, as he's resumed his seat. Now,
- 20:15Speaker 1: don't hesitate, speak right out, ask for the three things,
- 20:19Speaker 1: whispered the boy, and long Arrow, taking courage, answered, give
- 20:24Speaker 1: me three things, your black robe, your many colored belt,
- 20:28Speaker 1: and your elk dogs. Ah, you ask a great deal,
- 20:33Speaker 1: the old man cried. But because you are brave and
- 20:37Speaker 1: good hearted and not lazy, you shall have the robe
- 20:40Speaker 1: and the belt, and a part of my band of
- 20:42Speaker 1: elk dogs. The robe and the belt are the elk
- 20:46Speaker 1: dog medicine. Without them, you can never catch and use
- 20:49Speaker 1: the animals. There are many prayers and songs and a
- 20:53Speaker 1: long ceremony that go with them, and I have to
- 20:55Speaker 1: teach it all to you. When you have thoroughly learned them,
- 20:59Speaker 1: then you shall go home with your presence. Long Arrow
- 21:03Speaker 1: was many evenings learning them all, but at last he
- 21:06Speaker 1: could repeat every one of them perfectly, and dance the
- 21:09Speaker 1: dances as well as the old man himself. And finally
- 21:13Speaker 1: the latter told him one evening, you have done well.
- 21:17Speaker 1: I am glad that my elk dogs and my medicines
- 21:20Speaker 1: are to be in your hands. You may start for
- 21:23Speaker 1: home tomorrow. And now listen, take good heed of what
- 21:27Speaker 1: I am about to tell you. When you leave here
- 21:30Speaker 1: wearing the black robe and the belt, you are to
- 21:33Speaker 1: travel for three days and three nights, and never once
- 21:36Speaker 1: look back. When you rest, you are to face the north.
- 21:40Speaker 1: Be sure now that traveling or resting, you never once
- 21:44Speaker 1: look back. The elk dogs will not at first follow you,
- 21:48Speaker 1: but on the third day of your homeward journey you
- 21:51Speaker 1: will hear them coming behind you. Even then you must
- 21:54Speaker 1: not look back, but keep on walking. After a time
- 21:58Speaker 1: they will come on right beside you, and with a
- 22:01Speaker 1: rope that I shall give you, you shall catch one
- 22:04Speaker 1: of them and mount and ride it, and all the
- 22:06Speaker 1: others will follow you. They will always do that so
- 22:10Speaker 1: long as you have the black robe. Lose that and
- 22:13Speaker 1: you lose your animals. They will become wild, and you
- 22:16Speaker 1: will never be able to catch and train them. As
- 22:20Speaker 1: you say, so, shall I do, long Arrow answered, And
- 22:24Speaker 1: early the next morning the old man gave him the robe,
- 22:28Speaker 1: the belt, and a rope made from the head hair
- 22:30Speaker 1: of buffalo bulls, and he started for home, keeping ever
- 22:34Speaker 1: in mind and obeying carefully the old man's instructions. At
- 22:39Speaker 1: times he had his doubts of the old man. Perhaps
- 22:43Speaker 1: a big joke was being played upon him. The elk
- 22:46Speaker 1: dogs would not come on the third day, nor any
- 22:49Speaker 1: other day, but he would soon cast off such thoughts
- 22:52Speaker 1: and go on with renewed faith that all would be
- 22:55Speaker 1: well with him. And on the third day he heard
- 22:59Speaker 1: behind him the thunder of many hard hoofs upon the
- 23:03Speaker 1: hard plain, the occasional whinnying that he had learned to
- 23:06Speaker 1: love so well, and then an old female leading them
- 23:10Speaker 1: the elk dogs came close up beside him, and he
- 23:13Speaker 1: caught and mounted one of them and rode on. How
- 23:17Speaker 1: happy he was. He realized what this would mean for
- 23:20Speaker 1: himself and for the people. These elk dogs would rapidly
- 23:24Speaker 1: increase in number. There would soon be enough of them
- 23:27Speaker 1: for all the people, and then they would ride instead
- 23:30Speaker 1: of walk, and their lodges and all their belongings would
- 23:33Speaker 1: be carried by the animals. And now I can do
- 23:37Speaker 1: something for those who have been so good to me,
- 23:39Speaker 1: he said to himself, and rode on, singing the new
- 23:42Speaker 1: songs that he had learned. It was late in the
- 23:46Speaker 1: afternoon on the day that he approached the camp. All
- 23:49Speaker 1: the men had returned from the hunt. Every one was
- 23:52Speaker 1: outside the lodges, resting in the warm sunshine. The first
- 23:56Speaker 1: to discover him gave a shout of surprise and alarm.
- 24:00Speaker 1: All the people sprang up and stood gazing at the
- 24:03Speaker 1: strange sight. They asked one another what the strange big
- 24:07Speaker 1: black animals could be, and was it really a man
- 24:10Speaker 1: sitting astride one of them. It is some fierce god
- 24:14Speaker 1: bringing his fierce animals to destroy us, shouted Spotted Bear.
- 24:19Speaker 1: The very man who had so contemptuously used Long Arrow,
- 24:23Speaker 1: who had not had the courage to follow the boy's
- 24:26Speaker 1: knight into the water again, he cried out, surely it
- 24:30Speaker 1: is an evil one coming to destroy us. And he fled,
- 24:34Speaker 1: and all the people fled with him and took to
- 24:36Speaker 1: the brush. Long Arrow rode into camp and dismounted at
- 24:40Speaker 1: heavy Runner's lodge, and all the elk dogs came up
- 24:44Speaker 1: and crowded around him, and the one of them that
- 24:47Speaker 1: he had been riding, Heavy Runner. Heavy Runner, he shouted,
- 24:52Speaker 1: be not afraid. I am only your son. Come back
- 24:55Speaker 1: to you. Heavy Runner heard the well known voice, and
- 24:59Speaker 1: was no longer afraid. He came hurrying from the brush,
- 25:02Speaker 1: all the people following him, and they all crowded around
- 25:06Speaker 1: Long Arrow and his strange animals, said the youth. Then,
- 25:10Speaker 1: only father and mother that I ever knew, I have
- 25:13Speaker 1: brought to you, excepting one female and one male, All
- 25:17Speaker 1: these strange and useful animals. As you see, they can
- 25:21Speaker 1: be ridden. You will no longer have to walk. Also,
- 25:25Speaker 1: they will carry for you everything that is yours. I
- 25:28Speaker 1: am glad that I can give them to you, both
- 25:31Speaker 1: of you, who have been so good to me. How
- 25:34Speaker 1: generous of you, Heavy Runner cried, but his wife could
- 25:38Speaker 1: say nothing. She embraced long Arrow and wept. Where did
- 25:43Speaker 1: you get the strange black ones? A chief asked, I
- 25:47Speaker 1: will tell you all about it this evening. I am
- 25:49Speaker 1: cautioned not to talk about the gods in the daytime.
- 25:53Speaker 1: Long Arrow answered, and after picketing the animal he had
- 25:57Speaker 1: ridden on good grass and driving the others out from camp,
- 26:01Speaker 1: he went into the lodge and rested. That evening all
- 26:06Speaker 1: the chiefs and warriors came into the lodge, Spottedbare with them,
- 26:10Speaker 1: and he told all about his strange adventures of his
- 26:14Speaker 1: life with the underwater people, and how the old man
- 26:17Speaker 1: had given him the elk dogs and the black robe
- 26:20Speaker 1: and the belt that he wore, And of course he
- 26:23Speaker 1: told about Spotted Bear's cowardice in failing to follow the
- 26:26Speaker 1: boys Knipe into the water, and he fled from the lodge,
- 26:30Speaker 1: and his chieftainship dropped from him as he fled. Ever
- 26:34Speaker 1: afterwards he was no more than a woman in that
- 26:37Speaker 1: great camp. Never again was he allowed to sit with
- 26:40Speaker 1: the chiefs and warriors. And when long Arrow had finished
- 26:44Speaker 1: telling them all about his wonderful adventures, the chief cried out,
- 26:48Speaker 1: we will move camp to that lake of the underwater people.
- 26:52Speaker 1: They will have more elk dogs. We will ask for them,
- 26:55Speaker 1: give anything to obtain possession of such valuable animals. They
- 27:00Speaker 1: moved south to the lake, but search as they would,
- 27:03Speaker 1: could find no elk dogs. Nor did the boys knipe,
- 27:07Speaker 1: nor any of the underwater people appear. Although the medicine
- 27:10Speaker 1: men made sacrifice to them and prayed them to show themselves.
- 27:15Speaker 1: They did discover, however, that above this lake was another,
- 27:19Speaker 1: and a longer one, hemmed in by still higher mountains,
- 27:23Speaker 1: And so they named the two the inside Lakes, and
- 27:26Speaker 1: that is the name they bear to this day. August twelve.
- 27:33Speaker 1: Last night we all gathered in stabs by Mistake Lodge,
- 27:36Speaker 1: And while the pipe was filled and refilled, and passed
- 27:39Speaker 1: from hand to hand on many rounds, we had more
- 27:43Speaker 1: tails strange and weird of the people of the ancient days.
- 27:48Speaker 1: One that our host told especially interested me, And here
- 27:52Speaker 1: it is literally translated for your perusal. It was the story,
- 27:57Speaker 1: he said, of one horn, Shame of crows. End of
- 28:03Speaker 1: section thirteen.