Oct., 1903. Arapaho Traditions — Dorsey and Kroeber. 59 



meat ; it has been very easy," said Nih'a'^ga^, and carried the meat 

 home. — K. 



26. — Nih'a'^can and the Dancing Ducks.' 



Nih'a°<;a'* was going down stream. On the sand he met some ducks. 

 "Where are you going, Niha^ga"?" they said to him. "Oh, I am just 

 going anywhere," he told them. "Make a dance for us," they said to 

 him. "Well then, come on," he said, and took a drum. "I will stand in 

 the middle ; you dance around me ; but be careful that you do not open 

 your eyes, for whoever opens his eyes will die. Only after I tell you 

 to, may you open your eyes." Then he made them dance. Every 

 little while he sang a new song. He beat the drum continually. The 

 ducks were dancing about, forgetting all about him. Nih'a'^ga" took a 

 large stick and knocked down the first of the dancers. Then he struck 

 the next one, and hi this way he knocked them down as they passed. 

 But the one who was dancing at the end opened his eye just a little at 

 the outside. Nih'a'^ga" had killed many of them. Then this last dancer 

 saw him knocking them down — at once he flew up, crying: "Nih'a"(;a° 

 has deceived you ; he is destroying you !" Then all that were still left 

 alive flew off. But the rest Nih'a\a'^ had. He gathered his victims 

 and cut them open ; he sliced the meat and hung it on poles to dry. Two 

 of the ducks he cooked for himself. After he was through eating, he 

 made a bed for himself and immediately fell asleep. He did not wake 

 up until the day was far gone. As soon as he awoke he thought : 

 "Now, I will enjoy cooking some more for myself." But alas! he was 

 not to eat them, for, as he looked towards the place where he had hung 

 up his meat, he did not see even one piece. Then he was very angry 

 at having been robbed. He said : "Hei, whoever is the first person to 

 meet me, is the thief. Let him become blind who stole my meat from 

 me!" Then indeed he met a large bear. "Well, now, I will do you 

 an injury in your turn," Nih'a'^qa'^ thought, for the bear was blind. 

 "Well, where are you going?" Nih'a^^a" asked him. "Oh, I have no 

 place to go to. Pity me and help me," the bear said to him. "How did 

 you become blind?" asked Nih'a°ga°. "I put my head into a round hole 

 because I was hungry. Then suddenly a skunk came out against me 

 and squirted into my eyes. My eyes at once began to pain me and I lay 

 down iand rolled about, rubbing my face on the ground ; whenever I 

 opened my eyes they burned violently."* Nih'a"(;a'* said to him : "Well, 

 come with me ; I will take you to the right place. There is going to be 



• From a text obtained from informant C. 

 » Cf. No. 103. 



