96 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. V. 



by sun down. These mothers cautioned him, and he promised 

 to be home soon. So they fixed him up in his best clothes, gave him his 

 lance and he started off toward a cut in the mountain. When he 

 reached the cut, he came to a cottonwood tree and noticed an eagle 

 nest with young ones. He decided to get some more eagle feathers ; 

 so he stopped, undressed himself, and laid his clothing in a pile, and 

 began ascending the tree. When he was within reach of the birds 

 Nih'a^qa'' came along and saw Red-Stick-Man up in the tree, his clothes 

 lying on the ground. "Well, I wi^h this tree would stretch upward and 

 that the bottom of it would become very smooth," said Niha'^ca". So 

 the tree stretched its height and made it impossible for this young man 

 to descend. Night came on, and Red-Stick-Man was still missing. In 

 tlie morning the mothers concluded that something had happened to 

 him on the way. 



"Now Bear and Panther, I want you to be successful, and look 

 for our son," said the youngest sister. Niha'^ga'^ put on Red-Stick- 

 Man's clothes and went to the camp and introduced himself in the dis- 

 guise as Red-Stick-Man. .When he reached the camp he walked in, 

 singing a merry song, holding the lance. When the people heard the 

 music 'they informed one another ' that Red-Stick-Man had arrived, 

 and said that everybody ought to get out and welcome him, since they 

 had heard of his presence. 



Bear and Panther started on a trail and Panther finally came to a 

 standing tree and stopped, looked up and wagged his tail. When these 

 mothers got to the tree they saw their son up in the tree almost naked, 

 trying to come down. "Now, Bear and Panther, be strong and cun- 

 ning, and go up and bring down our boy in safety," said they. So these 

 animals climbed the tree without any difficulty and brought the boy 

 down safely. The boy held fast to the neck of these animals as they 

 went down the tree, climbing backwards. The mothers took the son 

 back to the cave and new clothing was furnished, and once again he was 

 a beautiful young man. — D. 



Told by Black-Horse. Cf. 44. For the incident of the buffalo falling dead from a glance, cf. 

 Boas, Journ. Am. Folk-Lore, Vol. IX, p. 258. 



46. — Nih'a^ca^ and Panther-Young^Man.' 



Nih'a°<;a'' lived with his wife and children. He asked his wife : 

 "Are there any young men who come to the tent courting?" She told 

 him: "Yes, there is one. His name is Panther-young-man (baxa"- 

 ka** anaxaa)." Nih'a^ga'' dressed himself as a woman, and went out for 



■ Informants J. 



