28 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. V. 



there were people yet in the tribe who still had a prejudice against 

 Lime-Crazy. 



One day three young men, who were enjoying the company of 

 women at the river, being acquainted with Lime-Crazy, persuaded 

 him to go out for a hunt. They came to a big river, and told Lime- 

 Crazy that across the river, over among the rocks, there were some 

 eagle nests. "Let us put a boat across," said the party. So they made 

 a boat and crossed the big river in it. The.three young men had pre- 

 viously planned to run away from Lime-Crazy, return to the boat, and 

 cross the river. So when they had first crossed the river, they scat- 

 tered in search of eagles to get some feathers, but Lime-Crazy, having 

 taken a different direction from the three young men, became separ- 

 ated from them, whereupon the three young men having met at an ap- 

 pointed place, returned to the boat and recrossed the river, leaving 

 Lime-Crazy behind. But Lime-Crazy was well supplied with eagle 

 feathers and started to find his companions. Not being able to find 

 them in the timber, he returned to the river bank, only to find that he 

 had been deserted. 



After wandering about the timber and along the bank of the river, 

 he heard the voice of a swift-hawk talking to him, saying: "You may 

 go to 'the river, and our grandfather, the Father-of-Waters, will pack 

 you across. When you first get on him, tie a bunch of eagle feathers 

 on his head (horns) and tell him that you want to get across the river. 

 Then, after going a short distance, he will stop, when you will tie on 

 another bunch of feathers and pray to him, saying, Tn my respect and 

 reverence for you. Grandfather, 1 will tie this bunch of eagle feathers 

 on you, that I may be led across in safety.' Something will occur at the 

 middle of the river, so you are directed to blow a bone whistle and make 

 a sudden leap up in the air, after you have tied on the last bunch of 

 feathers." So the Father-of-Waters moved on and stopped at the 

 center of the river : "My Father, have mercy on me ! I will tie on you 

 my last bunch of eagle feathers, that I may arrive safely on the other 

 side." Then, tying them on, he blew his bone whistle and leaped 

 straight up in the river. When he went up the water followed him. 

 Lime-Crazy almost touched the sky and landed on a hill-top. The 

 waters which followed him finally receded so the man got back to the 

 camp-circle. — D. 



Told by Cleaver Warden. Lime-Crazy's or White-Painted-Fool's act of tying the eagle 

 feathers to the monster's horns, is paralleled by a similar act in one of the Sun Dance rites. 

 The efficacy of the eagle feathers came from the fact that Eagle's expressed desire, to be made use- 

 ful in everything, was accepted by the Creator (Flat-Pipe); cf. Origin Myth, Arapaho Sun Dance. 



