44 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. V. 



others. So I shall go very slowly until I get close enough to shoot 

 the cow," said he. 



When he was near this buffalo cow the animal looked up and 

 turned around to him: "Stop, and listen to me, Man! I have watched 

 your movements every day, so of your wife, and have found out that 

 you are both good in your hearts, and mean to live up to the require- 

 ments of husband and wife. I took pity on both of you ^nd your chil- 

 dren. You will now go back to your tipi and begin cutting arrow 

 sticks (dogwood) and make one hundred arrows, and let your wife 

 be getting forks, poles and all the wood she can get over to the tipi. 

 Be obedient to my order, for I have come to reveal things which you 

 shall observe hereafter," said Buffalo Cow. This man stood amazed, 

 but put full confidence in the animal. He knew that something or an 

 animal would come to him, either in person or through a dream, so 

 when Buffalo Cow spoke to him in this language he obeyed. 



Without further searching for game he started toward home, feel- 

 ing encouraged. On arriving there he found his family contented. His 

 wife had returned. He saw rabbits skinned and hanging on poles, 'and 

 berries lying on small hides to dry. The children were playing, and 

 eating berries. Their pony was getting fat and seemed to be wild. 

 "We were very lucky this morning, we killed quite a number of rabbits, 

 and got home sooner than usual," said she. After the man had eaten 

 his meal he told his wife to cut the forks, poles and gather the wood, 

 every time she should go out for a walk. He didn't tell her that he 

 met a buffalo cow and calf, but kept it to himself. The family spent, 

 the day pleasantly, and after sunset retired for a good rest. 



In the morning this man took his knife and started to the woods 

 to cut the arrow sticks, and his good wife went to the woods in a differ- 

 ent direction for the poles, forks and wood for the fire, which she se- 

 cured every day. Her husband returned home with one hundred sticks. 

 He at once began peeling them and put them out in the sun to dry. 

 After he had them peeled, he cut them at the proper length. He set 

 himself to work day after day, sometimes continuing until late in the 

 night straightening the sticks. After preparing them he took hawk 

 and eagle feathers and feathered them. Also he took all the sinew 

 from his wife and left very little for her. He was making the arrows 

 day after day. Sometimes he would make ten arrows in a day and at 

 other times more than that number. His wife was still on the go to the 

 woods and elsewhere, killing rabbits, gathering wild berries, cutting the 

 forks and poles and gathering some firewood. She placed the firewood 

 all around the shelter tipi four or five feet away from it. Their tipi 



