October, 1903. Traditions of the Crows — Simms. 291 



be confined unseen by any one. The mother inquired of the daughter 

 who the father was, and the daughter said, "It is your husband, my 

 father, who is the father of the child." When the child (a boy) was 

 born, they threw the body into a buffalo wallow. Shortly afterwards, 

 seven buffalo bulls led by an old one, came up to the place to wallow. 

 When the leader heard the baby, he stopped. One of the bulls said, 

 "Why do you stop ; we want to go to the north, and it is a long way." 

 The leader replied, "There is a human being in that wallow and I am 

 thinking whether to give him our power and raise him or pass on our 

 way." One of the bulls, a rough one, said, "Let us raise him." The 

 leader agreed, then backed away a short distance and ran up to 

 the baby and tossed it in the air, and when it came down, it sat up. 

 Another bull ran to the baby and tossed it in the air, and when it came 

 down it was standing up. The third bull tossed the baby up, and it 

 lighted on both feet and walked. The fourth tossed the baby up and 

 it again came down landing on its feet and ran. "That is enough," 

 said the leader, so they placed the baby on the neck of one, amidst the 

 thickest of the hair, and covered the body with it and continued on 

 their journey to the north. In course of time, the buffalo taught the 

 boy considerable of the animal ways, such as hunting pastures, water, 

 etc. 



Of his own accord, he made a bow and several arrows. The 

 buffalo learned to love the boy devotedly and one day the seven bulls 

 had a council, and the leader said, "Our boy has arrived at a marriage- 

 able age, and let us ask him his wishes as to a wife." They asked 

 him, and he said, "I will marry one of my own people." So they pre- 

 pared him for the journey home to his people, and instructed him in 

 every way. They gave him a stuffed hawk and tied it to his scalp lock 

 near the head and then gave him a long bow and wearing apparel. 



As he was walking along, he overtook Old Man Coyote who said 

 to him, "Young man, where are you going?" "I am going back to 

 marry one of the chief's daughters," was the reply. "And I am going 

 to do the same thing, and will walk along with you," said Old Man 

 Coyote. 



There was a pit a little further on, which Old Man Coyote knew of, 

 into which he pushed his companion. Old Man Coyote said to him, 

 "If you will give me that long bow, I will pull you out." And after 

 the bow had been given him, Old Man Coyote said, "Now give me that 

 hawk and I will surely pull you out." The hawk was thrown out to 

 him, which Old Man Coyote took, then left the young man in the pit. 



Fortunately the pit was not far from the camp, so that an old wo- 



