Oct., 1903. Arapaho Traditions — Dorsey and Kroeber. 63 



29. — NiH'A.NgA'' Penem trans Flumen mittit. 



Nih'a°9a'' went down to the edge of the river and came to a shal- 

 low place. He looked in the water and saw the shadow of the sky, 

 which he thought was from the bottom of the river. Looking across 

 the river he saw a beautiful woman lying on the sand-bar, naked, and 

 with a very fat body. Desirous of crossing to the other side, he began 

 searching up and down the river for a narrow place, but found none. 



While he was walking back and forth a little mouse ran by. 

 !Nih'a"<;a'^ said to him, '^Sodalis, transferesne hoc membrum virile trans 

 flumen ad illam mulierem." The little mouse did not mind him, but 

 kept running back and forth along the river bank. "Say, partner, take 

 this across the river, will you ?" said Nih'a^ga'^. The little mouse said, 

 "Why do I have to do that?" "Volo cum ea dormiente coire," said 

 Nih^a"ga". "You will be the only creature if you will just do this favor. 

 I know that your footsteps are silent." "It is too much for me!" said 

 the mouse. "Oh, no, partner ! You are big enough to swim across," 

 said Nih'a'^ga*'. So the little mouse started across the river and carried 

 it across. "Nunc, sodalis, id infra locum nigrum insere!" The little 

 mouse did as he was told. ''Nih'a'^Qa^ intrare non potuit." Then the 

 trial was repeated and again ended in failure. Again the trial was 

 repeated, quod conatum hunc eventum habuit ut membrum in ostream 

 intravit. Hac clausa, membrum excisum est et Nih'a^ga" sanguine 

 dando mortuus est. 



When you touch the water shells, they close. The shell looked 

 like a woman. Nih'a"ga'^'s act refers to the shameful way women are 

 treated both in the past and at the present time. If a young man 

 attempting to overcome a young woman is refused, and comes upon 

 her by night and is discovered, he is punished severely if the woman 

 be virtuous. It has been the custom that women discovering such an 

 offender should take him and strip Mm, bind him and paint the mem- 

 brum virile with filth of any sort. — D. 



Told by Found. Cf. No. 30. 



30. — Nih'a^ca^ Penem trans Flumen mittit.' 



Nih'a"ca". cum ad vicum venisset, virginem pulchram vidit et statim 

 amore inflammatus quo modo ad eam adfectet viam incertus erat. 

 Siquod animal viderat, dicebat "Adi, vetule ;" omnes autem abnuebant. 

 "Heu, quid agam nescio," clamavit Nih'a"(;a''. Cum postremo mus 



' From a text by informant A. 



