Ocj., 1903. Arapaho Traditions— Dorsey and Kroeber. 247 



107. — The Red Speckled Horse. 



There was a camp-circle near the river. Just at the outskirts of 

 the camp a man and wife camped. He did this because he had quite 

 a herd of ponies. His wife would go out after the stock in the evening 

 and have this red-speckled horse staked out with some of the best 

 horses. The husband was very fond of this horse and very seldom 

 used him, and therefore it got very fat and pretty. In the mornings this 

 wife went out and turned out this red-speckled horse with the rest. 

 Some of the horses would get out at a short distance, and the wife 

 would go out to round them up. For a long time the wife attended 

 to the stock, while her husband attended to other duties, etc. 



When the wife drove the herd out to a good range, the red- 

 speckled horse got fascinated with her. In a short time she was in love 

 with the horse, and every time she drove the herd out the red-speckled 

 horse would have intercourse with her. The wife was somewhat back- 

 ward in attending to the stock, since she had experience with the 

 horse. 



One morning the husband said to his wife, still asleep : "Say, old 

 woman, I do wish you would get up now and turn the stock loose. It 

 is quite late in the day now. Then after breakfast I want you to drive 

 them beyond that timber by the river. I saw the grass to be in fine 

 condition the other day. Round up the herd carefully and drive them 

 before anybody sees the range." So this wife went out and turned the 

 stock loose. They were going off to a little ravine and grazed. The 

 wife then prepared for the breakfast. "Be sure and drive them 

 beyond the timber, do you hear ?" said the husband. After eating their 

 breakfast, she went out and caught the gentlest mare. She mounted 

 it and drove the whole herd to the range. The wife returned and at- 

 tended to something at home during the day, until toward evening. 



"Say, dear wife, you see that it is quite late in the day. I want you 

 to go and bring the herd for the night. Don't leave a single one, please," 

 said the husband. So she went out to the herd and drove them close to 

 their tipi. 



While they were both trying to catch the red-speckled horse, it 

 would neigh like a stallion about her. "Oh, pshaw ! I wish you would 

 behave," said the woman. After catching the red-speckled horse she 

 staked him out by the tipi, also caught the prettiest ones and staked 

 them near the tipi. 



The next morning, before breakfast, the husband told his wife to 

 get up again and turn the stcck loose, which she did. "Now, dear 



