Feb., 1904. Traditions of the Osage — Dorsey. 19 



across the ravine and had walked across on it. The Mountain-Lion 

 tried his luck, started across, and broke the stick in the middle, 

 fell into the ravine, and could not get out. 1 



16. — The Mountain-Lion and the Seven Sisters. 



Seven women were once living together on the bank of a creek. 

 They would all, in turn, go after water. First, the youngest went, 

 and on her way she saw by the path a dead turkey. She did not 

 pick it up. She went home and told her sister, and her sister said : 

 " The next time you go, you bring the turkey ; some Mountain-Lion 

 has killed it." The next morning the next older sister took her 

 turn to go after the water. She saw a dead deer on the trail. She 

 came back and told her sister, who said: "Bring it, and we will 

 eat it ; some Mountain-Lion has killed and hid it." The next older 

 sister saw a dead buffalo, and the oldest sister said, "Bring it, and 

 we will eat it." The next older sister saw a dead bear on the path. 

 They butchered it and roasted and ate it. When the next older 

 sister went after water she saw a big dead elk by the trail. They 

 butchered it and ate it. The next older sister found another dead 

 buffalo. They cooked it and made tallow. 



While they were butchering this buffalo they got excited, and 

 the oldest girl said, "Sisters, look out a little; it may be that a 

 Mountain-Lion has done all this," So they did look out, and they 

 saw a big Mountain-Lion coming down the creek. He had a big 

 deer on his back. The Mountain-Lion laid it down, and went off. 

 The youngest sister saw the Mountain-Lion. She said to her sis- 

 ter: "It is a Mountain-Lion; I saw him; he brought the deer and 

 went off." 



They were scared and were going to run away. As they started 

 off, each one had a little dog. The Mountain-Lion came again, with 

 another bear. He saw the deer he had brought the day before. He 

 said: "It makes me mad. They ought to have eaten this deer." 

 So he ate the deer himself. 



The Mountain-Lion started after the women. When he got to 

 the place where they had been staying there was nobody there, and 

 the Mountain-Lion said: "I was going to eat them. I will get 

 them, wherever they go." So he started after them. But they had 

 got a good way off. The oldest sister now gave out. She said: 

 "Sisters, I am tired out. I wish you would kill my little dog and 

 put tallow on it." The Mountain-Lion got to where the little dog 



' Compare Dorsey and Kroeber, Traditions of the Arapaho, No. 124. See No. 16. 



