Oct., 1903. Arapaho Traditions — Dorsey and Kroeber. 51 



return !" said Nih'a"9a°, but they did not return. "Let my eyes return !" 

 said he, but they were still up in the tree. "Let my eyes come down !'' 

 said he again, but still they were up in the tree, waving like small balls. 

 Again he cried out with a long, continuous cry, but his eyes still re- 

 mained in the tree. Then he called repeatedly, but without avail. So 

 he started off toward the river without any eyes, to get a drink. He 

 was feeling around as he went, and finally touched the willows and kept 

 agoing until he came to the bank of the river close to the timber, where 

 he heard animals running by him, — mice, rats and rabbits. "Say, 

 partner," said he to the mouse, "loan me your eyes !" So the mouse 

 loaned him his eyes ; but they proved too small and would not stay in 

 the sockets, and besides he could not see anything with them. So he 

 gave them back to the mouse and went from one animal to another, 

 borrowing their eyes, until at last he ran across the owl. "Say, 

 partner," said Nih'a^ga'^, "foan me your eyes !" The owl loaned him 

 his eyes, and from that time on, he has always had the yellow eyes. 

 But Nih'a°ga^'s eyes still hung to the tree-top and are now seen at all 

 seasons of the year on the bark and branches of the cottonwood. — D. 



Told by Found. Cf. No. 17. This wide-spread tale is found, in addition to tlie tribes 

 mentioned in the notes to No. 17, among the Pawnee, Arikara, and Osage. 



17. NlR'A^gA^ LOSES HIS EyES.' 



Nih'a^ga"^ was traveling again. He came to the thick timber along 

 a stream, and heard something crying repeatedly, "(^a"ga°ka"tcei." Hav- 

 ing listened, he went towards the noise to see what it was, and peeped 

 secretly. Then he saw a man before an elm tree, and noticed that his 

 eyes were on the tree. The man said : "Qa"9a°ka"tcei," and the eyes 

 flew back into his head. Again he said : "^a^ga^ka'^tcei," and the 

 eyes were on the tree. Thus he kept doing. Nih'a^ga^ wished this 

 power very much. He pretended to be crying, and, coming up to the 

 man, said to him : "I have heard that you are able to cause your eyes 

 to go out and come back, and I want to learn this from you." The 

 man said : "That is no medicine. It is only play." "Well, I want the 

 same play as you," said Nih'a^ga". At last he persuaded the man to 

 tell him. The man said: "Say ga^ga^ka^tcei." "Thanks," said 

 iNih''a"<;a'*, much pleased. "But do not do it too often," said the man. 

 ^'After you come to that hill over there you may do it as often as you 

 wish. But until you reach it you must do it only four times. Other- 

 wise you will have trouble." Then he loosened Nih'a^ga'^'s eyes for 

 him, and Nih'a'^ga" went on his way. Coming to an elm tree, Nih'a"ga° 



» From informant B. 



