i6 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. V. 



ceded. Four times the water came up and he caused it to go back 

 by means of the turtle moccasin. After the third time he told the 

 people : "Go down and^gather mushrooms which are light. My power 

 is good only four times." So Crow, Magpie, and Blue-bird went and 

 gathered small mushrooms, and putting cobwebs around them, made a 

 lx>at or raft. When the water rose they all entered it. But he with 

 the turtle moccasins remained on the mountain peak, and Nih'a^ga*^, 

 knowing that he would not drown, remained with him. The water 

 remained high a very long time. The mushrooms began to become 

 soft, and the people called for help. The one with the turtle moccasins 

 knew that he had made the boat and that it was not in his power to 

 make it over. Therefore he sent the white-nosed duck down to see 

 whether the earth was far down, but the duck came up exhausted. 

 Then he took off his moccasin and it changed into a turtle and it dived 

 and finally came up with mud in each of its four arm pits. Then he 

 took the mud and sent the turtle down to bring up a short rib. When 

 it brought this, he sent it to bring up a bulrush. It brought this 

 also. Then he sprinkled the earth which the turtle had brought him 

 about the place where he was, and with the rib he pointed in the four 

 directions. As he pointed, the land spread out in those directions to 

 the ends of the earth.* Then he pointed above and made the vault of 

 the sky. Now the earth was bare. Then the one with the turtle moc- 

 casins made corn from the bulrush. After this Nih'a^ga'^ lived in the 

 sky and was called our father. 



Now there was doubt whether the people should all speak one 

 language or whether they should speak many, for they still spoke alike. 

 Then a council was held and it was decided that most of them should 

 change their languages from the original (Arapaho). And Nih'a^'ga" 

 gave the Arapaho the middle of the earth to live in, and all others were 

 to live around them. Since then there have been three lives (genera- 

 tions) ; " this is the fourth. At the end of the fourth, if the Arapaho 

 have all died, there will be another flood. But if any of them live, 

 it will be well with the world. Everything depends on them. 



Then the young bull and the horse were told to race. They said 

 to the bull : "If you win, you will be free." They told the horse : 

 "If you win, you will be used for carrying loads and for hunting the 

 bull." The horse won, and the bull turned aside when only half way. 

 Then it was done as they had said.' 



' The diving for the earth is found also in myth 3. 

 * A life or generation is said to be a hundred years. 



=■ This episode was obtained as a separate myth, in a text from informant A, as follows: The 

 young bull (waxagou) and the short-tailed horse (waoc) were to run a race. " If you win, you will be 



