8o Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. V. 



were not his own by marriage. (Such is the feeling with the step- 

 father or stepmother for children.) 



One day this woman told of the mystery to the people, or rather, 

 informed the camp that her former husband had climbed the peak 

 for young- eagles, and the peak had increased its height, thus making 

 it impossible for him to descend. The people were in sympathy with 

 the man, and they soon moved the whole camp to search for him. 

 The people finally got to the place mentioned, but were not able to 

 find him. 



Somebody got to the foot of this high peak and saw beaiis lying 

 on the ground, and wondered what they indicated. (They were the 

 tears of this miss-ing man. When this man saw no help from above 

 or below, he wept for days and nights. He did this because he was 

 starving, and besides, he thought of his family.) 



The people then got the geese to look for the man. They flew 

 up the peak and found the man in 'a struggling condition, very poor. 

 The geese questioned him about his trouble. "Who brought you 

 here ? What was the matter with you ?" said the geese. 'T was climb- 

 ing this peak after young eagles, and Nih'a"ga° came along and com- 

 manded this peak to increase its height, as I climbed the stairway. I 

 did not know the danger, until I looked down and got dizzy and saw 

 things very small in appearance. I saw no way to get down and 

 therefore I have stayed here ever since," said the man. So these geese 

 told him to get ready (giving him strength again), and to lay his body 

 across their backs and. hold fast. These geese then flew up and then 

 gradually descended and landed him safely. (This descent of the man 

 upon the backs of these geese corresponds to that of the little bird 

 used in the sun-dance, which is on the forked stick, and which is called 

 the cradled bird, or packed bird.) 



The people got various kinds of birds to. go up to the top of this 

 lofty peak to find the man, but all failed, until the geese took the 

 task and accomplished it, for they never get tired. 



After this man was brought down by the geese, he was fed regu- 

 larly, and soon became fat. After he had left his family, his children 

 were fe:d on tendons of beef, and consequently got poor in flesh. 

 Nih'a^ga'^ had ordered his wife to give the children but very little food, 

 so that they might some day starve to death. 



This man who had returned to the people, started oflf in search 

 of his wife, to the other camp, and finally came to Nih'a"ga"'s tipi. 

 Nih^a'^ga*^ was out when this man went in the tipi. The children were 

 very glad to see him, but he felt so sorry because they were poor in 



