Oct., 1903. Arapaho Traditions — Dorsey and Kroeber. 115 



to give him His whistle and paint, and he combed himself with a por- 

 cupine tail. "Mix this paint with water and stir it," he said to his 

 wife. She continued to look at him questioningly, not knowing his in- 

 tentions. Then he undressed and began to paint himself. Soon he said 

 to his wife : "Paint me here where I cannot reach myself. We have 

 nothing to eat and must do something for our visitor." Then he went 

 out and climbed the tree and stood on a large projecting limb ; he 

 sang the same song that the other man had sung, and whistled and 

 made the same motions as he. But the fourth time he became afraid 

 and was about to draw back from the jump, when he slipped and 

 dropped. He fell on his legs and belly and broke his bones. He said : 

 "My friend, I must have made some mistake. Previously I have suc- 

 ceeded in doing this. This time I must have forgotten something." 

 The other man touched and felt him all over the body and thus cured 

 him. Nih'a'^ga'^ continued to make explanations, saying that he must 

 have made a mistake. The other man only said: "I am sorry that 

 you hurt yourself." Then he combed and painted and ornamented 

 himself. All of them went out to the tree again. The ice 

 was so thick that it had not broken when Nih'a^Qa"^ fell on it. The 

 other man sang in the tree, motioned four times, and jumped down. 

 The ice cracked and opened and he disappeared. He was away a long 

 time. Meanwhile Nih'a°ga°'s wife began to abuse him : "You fool ! 

 You tried to do what you did not have the power to do. You are un- 

 able to do this !" There was a cracking noise, the ice opened, and the 

 man came out with two large fish, which he dragged over the ice to 

 where ]Srih'a"(;a° was : "Here, my friend, take these fish. 1 am 

 ashamed and am going home," he said, and went away. — K. 



59. — Medicine-Man Kingfisher dives through the Ice. 



There was once a man (medicine-man), who- had camped alone 

 with his wife. One day a friend came to visit them. "Come in !" said 

 the medicine-man to the visitor. So his friend went in and took his 

 seat at the back of the tipi. "My friend, you have come to us at the 

 wrong time, for we have no food to give you," said the medicine-man. 

 Then, turning to his wife, he said : "Old woman, our friend is here ; 

 we must get him something to eat. Go over to the lake and see if there 

 is a leaning tree." ' 



So she went over to the lake, which was covered with thick ice, 

 and found in its center a leaning tree. The wife returned and told 

 her husband that there was a leaning tree standing in the center of the 

 lake. The medicine-man then painted his body with charcoal, took his 



