Myths and Legends of the Great Plains Part 26

"Ho, war chief, he is coming back to you," they said. Big Turtle went there. "Ho, warrior. Act very honestly. Tell me just how it is," said Big Turtle.

"Yes, O war chief, it is just so. I have been there without their finding me out at all," said he.

"Let us sit at the very boundary of their camp," said Big Turtle. He spoke of going. "Warriors, I will look around to see how things are, and how many persons there may be there," he said.

He came back. "Warriors, let us go in that direction. This far is a good place for sitting," he said. So they moved forward. Then he said, "O war chief Corn Crusher, go to the end lodge of the village before us, and sit on the outside."

Corn Crusher did so. A woman came out of the lodge. When she saw him, she said, "Oh! Heretofore have I desired mush. I have found for myself an excellent corn crusher." But when she pounded on the corn with it, she hurt her hand. Then she threw it out. "Bad Corn Crusher!" she said.

He came back to Big Turtle, who was near. "He whom you call 'Corn Crusher' has come back," he said, "having killed one right at the lodge."

Big Turtle said, "O war chief Comb, make an attempt. Sit in the door of the lodge where Corn Crusher sat."

Comb did so. He was very handsome. Then a woman came out of the lodge.

She found Comb. "Heretofore I have been without a comb. I have found a good comb for myself," she said. Very soon she combed her hair with it. Comb pulled out all the hair on one side by the roots.

She said, "A very bad comb, but I thought it was good." She threw him away at the door. Then he went back. He went back with the hair he had pulled out.

"He whom you call 'Comb,'" he said, "has come back, having s.n.a.t.c.hed all the hair from one at the lodge."

"Good!" said Turtle. "O war chief, when we reach home, we shall cause the women to dance."

Then Big Turtle said, "O war chief Awl, make an attempt. Go sit in the door of the lodge where war chief Comb sat."

Awl was very handsome. He was very good to look at. He sat in the door of the lodge. A woman pa.s.sing out, found him. "Oh! I have found a good awl for myself," she said. "Heretofore I have had no awl. It makes me thankful." She went back to the lodge with him. She spoke of sewing her moccasins with him. "I will sew my moccasins with it," she said.

She sewed them. She pierced her fingers with him. She missed in pus.h.i.+ng him, sending him with force. There was much blood from her fingers. She threw him away at the door. "The awl is indeed bad. I have indeed hurt myself. I have wounded myself badly." She threw him far out from the door, sending him homeward.

"He whom you have called 'Awl,' O war chief," he reported, returning to Big Turtle. "I stabbed one right at the lodge; I killed her." He returned with his spear very b.l.o.o.d.y.

"O war chief," said the others to Big Turtle. "Awl is coming back, telling his own name. He has killed one."

Big Turtle said, "Ho! O war chief. You make me thankful. Since it is you, I will blacken my face. The village shall be joyful. Ho! O Pestle, make an attempt. You will lie in the door of the lodge where Awl lay."

Now Pestle was very handsome. Then he arrived there. He lay where he was commanded to lie. A woman went out and found Pestle. "Oh! I have found a very good pestle for myself. I had no pestle heretofore," she said.

She took him back to the lodge. She took some corn. She filled the mortar and pounded the corn. She beat it fine. She thrust Pestle beyond, right on her knee. She missed the mark in pus.h.i.+ng, sending him with force, and so she struck him on her knee.

"_Oh!_ A very bad pestle," she said. She threw him outside, sending him homeward suddenly.

"You have been used to saying 'Pestle.' He is coming, having stabbed one right at the lodge. He has killed one," said Pestle, returning. He reached Big Turtle again. "O war chief, I have killed one."

"You make me thankful," said Big Turtle. "Ho! warrior Gray Squirrel, make an attempt."

"O war chief, how can I do anything?" said Gray Squirrel. Now the lodges were placed among the trees.

"You will pa.s.s along the trees above the smoke holes of the lodges. If they find you, they will shoot at you. Do your best. Do your best to evade the blows or arrows. If one goes aside, rush on him," said Big Turtle.

At length a boy found Gray Squirrel. "This moving one is a gray squirrel," he said. They went in a great uproar. They shot at him.

They even hit him with sticks. One boy stood aside. Gray Squirrel attacked him and bit him. They said, "Wonderful! Heretofore the gray squirrel has been very easy to approach, but we have failed. He has bitten us; we have done nothing to him," they said.

"He whom you used to call 'Gray Squirrel' is coming back, having killed one right among them," he called. He told it to Big Turtle.

"Ho! real warrior, act very honestly," said Big Turtle.

"O war chief, it is just so. I have killed one," said he.

"Ho! warrior, you make me thankful," said Big Turtle.

"Ho! warriors," said Big Turtle again. "I, even I, will make a trial.

I shall not come back for some time. Beware lest you go homeward.

Beware lest you leave me and go homeward."

He arrived there. Some ashes had been poured out. They were extinguished. At length Big Turtle pushed his way through. He went within. He sat within, with his eyes sticking out, looking around. A woman approached when it was morning. She stood very close to where Big Turtle sat.

"You will tread on my s.h.i.+eld," he said. The woman looked around. "From what place does he speak?" she thought; therefore she looked around.

Again he said to her, "You will tread on my s.h.i.+eld. Stand further away." And the woman found him.

"Oh!" she said.

"Stand still. I send you with a message," said Big Turtle. "Go home and say, 'Big Turtle says he has come to war. He says he has come desiring the chief's daughter, whose body has been placed on the bough of a tree.'"

The people came. All the people said, "Break in his skull suddenly."

He said, "How is it possible for you to break in my skull suddenly? If you let your weapons slip off suddenly from me each time, you will break your legs with the blows."

They said, "When the water is hot, it will be good to put him in it."

"Fie!" said Big Turtle. "When the water is hot and I scatter it with kicking, many of you will be scalded to death."

"He tells what is probably true," they said.

"And if it be so, it is good to burn him," said the people.

"For shame! If I scatter the fire by kicking, I will cause all the land to blaze. Beware lest many of your children, too, die from the fire," he said.

"He tells what is probably true," they said.

A child begged for water. "O mother, some water," it said. Big Turtle said, "_Oh!_" He tempted them with reference to water.

"Cause the child to ask for water," said one.

"What do you mean by that?" said others.

"When the child said, 'O mother, some water,' this one, Big Turtle, said '_Oh!_'" answered one.

"Wonderful!" they said. "He is fearing the sight of water." They took him to the water, holding him by the tail. Notwithstanding Big Turtle clung to the ground with his forelegs, they held his tail, and reached the water with him. They threw him forcibly right into the water. He walked the water for a while, crying a little, and pretended he did not know how to swim. He said, "_Wi! wi! wi!_"

"Wonderful! Throw him out into the middle of the stream," they said.

Again they sent him headlong. He was wandering around. At length he sank. They said, "He is dead," and went homeward. "You should have done that to him at first," said the people.