Oct., 1903. Arapaho Traditions — Dorsey and Kroeber. 129 



low), and a pair of moccasins; but you must keep on ?oing toward 

 the sunrise. Whether you can get there I am unable to say. The 

 distance is too far for any person. There have been attempts made 

 by people to reach them, but they have never returned. This is what 

 I have heard," said the grandmother. 



So Sleepy-Young-Man took the luncheon, asked for some sinew 

 to take along, and started off. When he had gone some distance, he 

 stopped and built a fire. Then he threw his sinew into the ashes, and 

 it contracted. The contraction of this sinew made the earth contract 

 (the designation was, made nearer). Now Sleepy-Young-Man went 

 on until he came to a big camp-circle along the river. Just outside 

 of the camp-circle there was a tipi in which there was an old woman 

 who had an old man for a husband, with whom she lived. The young 

 man went into this tipi of the old folks. "Well! Well! My dear 

 grandson. Sleepy- Young-Man, what brought you here ! Come and seat 

 yourself in the center. I am so glad to see you, but for you to travel 

 alone, since your folks think so much of you, is a question whether it 

 is right. Where are you going to, grandson?'' said the old woman. 

 "Well, grandmother, my father rebuked me so much about the cannibals 

 that I started out in search of them, and I have come to this camp-circle 

 for information. Will you please tell me in what direction these crea- 

 tures live, and how far it is from here? I am very anxious to get 

 there," said Sleepy- Young-Man. The old woman reached back of her 

 bed and procured some remnants of beef and some tallow, which she 

 gave to her grandson for a meal. "Well, grandson, the distance is 

 great, but it is toward the sunrise. A journey of that kind is very 

 tedious and dangerous. This is what we used to hear from others." 

 said the grandmother. 'Well, I don't care about the distance, so long 

 as I know the direction. I shall manage to get there.'' said Sleepy- 

 Young-Man. The old woman provided him with some more remnants 

 of beef and tallow for his luncheon while on the way, and so he asked 

 her for some sinew. The old woman gave him a good long piece. 



So he started off and got to a distance and stopped. He built a fire 

 and threw the sinew into the ashes (charcoal) and it contracted into 

 a sort of ball. (This contraction shortens the distance, makes the earth 

 smaller.) Sleepy- Young-Man continued traveling through the wilder- 

 ness day and night, until he came to another big camp-circle. He went 

 into a tipi to make inquiry and found a man and his wife. They were 

 both middle-aged people. ' Well ! Well ! My grandson, be seated I 

 Where have you come from, Sleepy- Young-Man ? How in the world 

 did you ever get away from your parents ? What are you looking for ? 



