52 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. V. 



said : "^a°9a"ka"tcei," and suddenly he was blind. He put his fingers 

 to his eyes and felt only the sockets. "This is fine fun," he said ; and 

 then, calling the word again, he got his eyes back, being suddenly able 

 to see. Then he was even more pleased. He did the trick four times. 

 Then he wished to continue playing. "Let me try it again," he said. 

 "I have done it four times, and the eyes will surely come back this 

 time." So he said : "(Ja"9a"ka"tcei," and his eyes flew up into the tree. 

 Then he said: "^a^ga^ka'^tcei" again, but his eyes did not come back. 

 He continued to call "(Ja'^ga"ka"tcei" all day until he was hoarse, and 

 was able to say "^a^ga'^ka^tcei" only at intervals. Meanwhile his eyes 

 had already begun to dry and shrivel. The man who had taught him 

 heard him calling, and passing by, said tO' him: "So' you have lost 

 your eyes. Well, you will not get them back; from me." And he went 

 on. Nih'a^ga'^ said, whenever he heard any noise: "My brother, is 

 that you? I think I used to know you. What is your name?" At 

 last a mole came to him and said: "My brother, what do you wish?" 

 Nih'a'^ga'^ said to him : "Lend me your eyes." And the mole gave 

 them to him. He put the tiny eyes into his sockets and could then just 

 barely see his own eyes on the tree. He, climbed up, got his eyes and 

 put the^n in place again. But the small eyes of the mole he threw 

 away, saying: "I care nothing about your eyes — get them for your- 

 self." And he went his way. That is why the mole is blind.^ — K. 



i8. — Nih'a'^ca'^ and the Magic Arrows. 



A man was sliding down the bank, near the river, against a row of 

 arrows, which were standing on end, the sharp points pointing upward. 

 Before he would get to the arrows they would part and let him pass 

 through. The man who would slide through the arrows many times 

 without being hurt was Beaver. 



While Beaver was doing the act, Nih'a'^ga" came along and 

 saw him sliding- through the row of arrows. Nih'a'^ga" was charmed 

 by the trick, and went to Beaver, weeping for mercy. 'Have mercy on 

 me, please, and give me the right to do the same way !" said Nih'a'^ga", 

 weeping, and at the same time wiping the tears away. "What do you 

 want, Nih^a"<;a"?" said Beaver. "Well, since I like your ways, I came 

 over, weeping, to be given mercy, in order that I rnight accomplish the 

 same feat," said Nih'a^Qa*". - "All right, Nih'a^ga'', you shall have the 



' a common incident in North American mythology. Cf. Russell, Explor. Far North, 215 

 (Cree); Matthews, Mem. Am. Folk Lore Soc, V, go (Navaho); Stevenson, Ann. Rep. Bur. Ethn., 

 XI, 153 (Sia); Journ. Am. Folk Lore, Xlll, 168 (Cheyenne); Grinnell, Blackfoot Lodge Tales, 153; 

 Boas, Ind. Sag. v. d. Nord Pacif. Kiiste, 7 (Shushwap); Gushing, Zuiii Folk Tales, 262. It is also 

 found among the Gros Ventre. 



