Oct., 1903. Arapaho Traditions — Dorsey and Kroeber. 123 



my relatives return," said the dwarf. "All right, I shall wait patiently, 

 but excuse me for a short time," said the man, going out. 



This man went and cut a stick, which he sharpened at one end, 

 and went into the tipi with it. "Now, partner, what are these things 

 suspended to the tipi poles?" (around the wall of the tipi), said the 

 man. "Well, young man, those are hearts belonging to my relatives," 

 said the blind dwarf. ''Well, then, partner, can you tell whose heart 

 this is?" said the man, with his sharp stick pointing to one. "That 

 is my father's heart," said the dwarf. The moment he told it to the 

 man, the man punched it with the stick. 



The relatives of the dwarf were out after food. When they left 

 him, they cooked the head of a human being for him to eat. When 

 the hunter went in, this dwarf was sitting at the bowl, which had a 

 skull or head, well boiled, with a little soup in it. The dwarf was 

 relishing the soup. The father dropped dead as the visitor thrust the 

 stick into his heart, while they were still away from the tipi looking 

 for human food. It was a very hard blow to the family. 



After this man had struck the heart of the father, and so killed 

 him, he then asked the dwarf to whom the next heart belonged. The 

 dwarf said that it belonged to his mother. After the dwarf had spoken 

 the word, the man punched it 'with a sharp stick; the owner of it 

 dropped, being out and away from the tipi. This man asked the dwarf 

 who were the owners of the different hearts, and pierced them with 

 the sharp stick, until he came to the last one at the door. "Whose 

 heart is this, partner?" said the man. "Well, that is my own heart, 

 partner," said the dwarf. The man pierced it, and the dwarf gave up 

 suddenly and died. 



Thus, these small people who left their hearts at home to do the 

 mischief (killing and eating human flesh), were exterminated. They 

 were dwarfs, and their appearance cruel, and their speech or voice was 

 like that of children. 



These small people were cannibals. After they were searched for 

 and their camp-circle located, the people sent a prairie fire after them. 

 Quite a good many were exterminated, and those who escaped to the 

 sand-bar were safe, thus leaving a few of them. These people are with 

 the whites now ; or rather, their descendants are among them. — D. 



Told by Adopted. Cf. No. 64. Death from the pricking of hearts suspended in a cave is found 

 in two Wichita tales. 



