74 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. VIII. 



a little," he said. She stopped and asked: "Why do you want me 

 to stop?" "Yes," he said, "I came to you." "Who are you?" she 

 asked. "Yes," he said, "it is I." And hereupon she began to guess, 

 mentioning many names of young men in the village, and asked 

 whether he was that one or that one. Finally she said: "Are you not 

 living north of the village there?" "Yes," he answered. "So you 

 are that one," she said. "All right, I am willing that we should live 

 together." "That is what I came for," the young man said. "Ver}^ 

 well," the maiden replied, "I shall ask my mother, and if she is 

 willing, we shall live together. So you go home now and sleep." 



After he had left she went down and spoke to her parents, telling 

 them that the young man living north of the village at Achamali had 

 asked her to marry him. They said that they would be glad if he 

 would live with them and he was welcome. "If he has not spoken a 

 falsehood he will certainly come back again," they said. Whereupon 

 they retired for the night. 



When the young man arrived at his home, he was asked by his 

 grandmother what he had found out, "Yes," he said, "I have good 

 news; she is willing." Hereupon they too retired for the night. In 

 the morning the grandmother said to her grandson: "You have a big 

 field here. Some of your corn has certainly matured, so you prepare 

 some steamed sweet corn." "Very well," he said. So he gathered 

 some sweet corn-ears, heated his oven, and threw into it a good many 

 corn-ears. In the evening they were done. He took them out, took 

 off the husks, and strung the corn-ears on strings of yucca leaves, 

 preparing about ten bunches of corn ears. By this time the sun had 

 gone down. After a little while he wrapped up the corn-ears that he 

 had strung up, and proceeded to the village. 



The maiden was still grinding corn. He left the presents on the 

 ground in front of the house, on the plaza, and went up. " Have you 

 come?" the maiden said. "Yes," he replied. "Very well," she said, 

 "come in." Hereupon he went down, got his bundle, and brought 

 it in. A fire was burning at the fireplace. He took a seat by the side 

 of the fireplace. The maiden stopped her grinding and took a seat 

 on the opposite side. The young man had a mask on with three 

 nodules on top, from which small turkey feathers were suspended. 

 It was the Ball-Head (Tatciqto). He handed the maiden the sweet 

 corn-ears that he had brought, saying to her, "You take this and 

 eat it." She was happy and thanked him for it. "Thanks," she 

 said, "on your account I shall eat it." Hereupon she took part 

 of the corn down to her parents who were also glad, and ate of it 

 because they were new corn ears. 



