Feb., 1904. Traditions of the Osage — Dorsey. 45 



38. — The Lost Boy and his Horse. 



A boy once strayed away from a village while out shooting birds. 

 When it was about daylight he was in a big prairie, and could not find 

 the way home. He stayed in a hollow tree. When some wild horses 

 were there he would stay in the tree while they grazed around him. 



In the spring of the year the horses came again. There was a 

 stallion in the bunch. This Horse said to the boy : "I have seen you 

 here many times. I know that you got lost and are having a hard 

 time. I would like you to go with us right away." The boy said, 

 "My moccasins are worn out." The Horse said, "You do not have to 

 walk ; you can ride me." The boy got on the Horse and they went off. 



They came to some tall grass, and the boy stayed with the wild 

 horses for two years. The Horse said, "Boy, there is something going 

 to happen, right away ; so you stay here, and we will go and I will 

 come back to see you in two days." They went. The boy remained. 



After a while the boy heard a terrible noise. The Pawnee were 

 running after buffalo and killing them. The boy lay right still in the 

 same place until he heard some one talking. He did not move. There 

 were two girls that had killed a buffalo. They butchered it. Finally, 

 one of them said, "I am very thirsty," and added, "I am going for some 

 water to drink, where that tall grass is." There she went, and hunted 

 for water until she found the boy lying in the tall grass. 



She called her sister to come right away. Her sister went, and the 

 boy was lying in the grass. They asked him what he was doing. He 

 said, "Nothing but lying here." So the older girl said: "Well, go 

 home, with us. We have no brother. Stay with us." The boy got up 

 and followed them to where they were butchering the buffalo. 



When they were through they started for home, the boy riding be- 

 hind one of the girls. When they got home they told their father they 

 had found a boy and they wanted to keep him for their brother. The 

 chief said, "All right." The girls said they wanted to tell all the Paw- 

 nee to come and see him. 



The chief had a meeting and told them that his daughters had 

 found a boy and wanted to raise him and keep him for their brother. 

 All who saw the boy made a promise not to hurt him. The boy stayed 

 with them for a long time. 



One day the boy said, "Let us go water Horses and put them in 

 tall grass where they can get fat." So they went and watered them, 

 then took them quite a distance away and put them in some tall grass. 

 The boy told his sisters that he was going to a ridge; that he would 



