March, 1905. The Traditions of the Hopi — Voth. 227 



Free rendering: 



At the Badger burrow the Badger 

 Old man heard that the Tusan 

 Homihtsi believed himself to be a 

 Doctor and hence fasted four days. 



The Mouse doctor sang this in order to let the Badger know that he 

 had at once detected the fraud. Being through with the singing, he 

 told the Badger that nothing was the matter with him; as soon as he 

 would eat something he would get well. 



While they were singing they had kept slowly going around the 

 bed of the sick doctor and when they were through with their singing 

 they had reached the ladder. The leader, after having given the Badger 

 his opinion as mentioned above, at once ascended the ladder, being 

 followed by all the others. The Badger was very angry by this time, 

 and grabbing the stick which he had hidden under his bed, he began 

 to strike at some of the Mice, but as he had fasted so long, and the 

 Mice jumped around in the kiva and up the ladder very fast, he failed 

 to hit any of them. He tried to follow them, but failed to catch and 

 kill any of them for the same reason. But some of the younger Mice 

 could not keep up with the older ones while they were running to 

 their home, being chased by the Badger, so they scattered out, and 

 not being able to find their way home, they dug holes for themselves, 

 and that is the reason why these mice, "H6mihtsi," are now living 

 all over the country. The Badger is the cause of this scattering of 

 these Mice. 



But these new settlers had nothing to eat, so they went to hunt 

 food, and wherever they came upon some seed or plant they would 

 appropriate them, and to this day, wherever the Hopi plant some- 

 thing, these Mice will come and eat it. If that Old Man Badger had 

 not scattered them at that time they would not be all over the country 

 now, but would still be living at the one place west of the village, where 

 they had their home at that time. But, on the other hand, if any 

 Hopi works in his field or travels anywhere, or is away from" his village 

 for any purpose, and if he becomes sick, or gets hurt, these Mice in an 

 unseen secret way take care of him so that he does not die; but 

 they do not come to the village to take care of any sick. 



