40 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX. 



after this fashion. They then told the great crowd that they were 

 going to enter the spring again, and that they would soon come out. 

 The crowd watched them as they approached the spring. The man 

 from the south side reached the spring, covered his head with his 

 buffalo robe, and entered. The other young man did the same thing. 

 They splashed the water as they went, and soon found themselves 

 in a large cave. Near the entrance sat an old woman cooking some 

 buffalo meat and corn in two separate earthen pots. The woman wel- 

 comed them thus: "Grandchildren, you have come. I have been ex- 

 pecting you, and am cooking for you. Come and sit down beside me." 

 They sat down, one on each side of her, and told her that their people 

 were hungry, and that they had come to her for their relief. The 

 woman gave them corn from one pot and meat from the other. They 

 ate, and were filled, and when they were through the pots were as 

 full as when they began. Then the old woman told the young men 

 to look toward the south. They looked, and they saw the land to the 

 south covered with buffalo. She then told them to look to the west. 

 They looked, and saw all manner of animals, large and small, and 

 there were ponies, but they knew nothing of ponies in those days, 

 for they never had seen any. She then told them to look toward the 

 north. They looked to the north, and saw everywhere growing 

 corn. Then said the old. woman to them, "All this that you have 

 seen shall in the future be yours for food. This night I cause the 

 buffalo to be restored to you. When you leave this place the buffalo 

 shall follow you, and you and your people shall see them coming 

 from this place before sunset. Take in your robes this uncooked corn. 

 Every spring-time plant it in low, moist ground, where it will grow. 

 After it matures you will feed upon it. Take also this meat and 

 corn which I have cooked, and when you have returned to your 

 people, ask them all to sit down in the following order, to eat outof 

 these two pots: first, all males, from the youngest to the oldest, with 

 the exception of one orphan boy; second, all females, from the oldest 

 to the youngest, with the exception of one orphan girl. When all 

 are through eating, the contents of the pots are to be eaten by the 

 orphan boy and the orphan girl." 



The two young men went out and obeyed the old woman. When 

 they passed out of the spring they saw that their entire bodies were 

 painted red, and the breath-feathers of their heads were painted 

 red instead of yellow. They went to their people, and they ate as 

 directed of the corn and the meat, and there was enough for all; 

 and the contents of the pots was not diminished until it came time 

 for the two orphan children, who ate all the food. Toward sunset. 



