258 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. V. 



109. — The Man who sharpened his Foot.' 



Two young men were traveling to reach a camp. As night over- 

 took them they came to a pair of brush huts. One of them said, 'Let 

 us each use one." The other said, "^No, it is not best to do that." Then 

 the one said, "We shall be crowded if we sleep together, but we can 

 have all the room we want alone. The shelters must have been put up 

 one for each of us." The fourth time the one who wanted to sleep alone 

 persuaded the other, so that each went into one hut. Then the one who 

 wanted to sleep alone said, "Let us have a kicking match." The other 

 said, "No, we had better go to sleep, for we have to start very early in 

 the morning to reach the camp." He heard his companion strike some- 

 thing and then say again : "Let us have a kicking match." "No^ 

 my friend," the other answered, "it is getting late; go to sleep." Then 

 he went out from his shelter slowly and quietly and peeped into the 

 other shelter. His friend was sharpening his leg with an axe. Instead 

 of going back into his own shelter he cut off the leg (hiot) from his 

 buffalo robe and told it: "If he says: 'Let us have a kicking match,*^ 

 tell hirn : 'No, let us go to sleep, my friend.' " Then he fled and went 

 a long distance. His companion, to satisfy himself that he was still 

 there, wanted to hear him speak and called out again : "Let us have 

 a kicking match !" The answer came : "No, we are friends. I do not 

 think it is well for us to have a kicking match, for we might become 

 angry at each other." Then this one had finished sharpening his leg 

 and became angry, and went out and peeped into the other shelter and 

 saw nothing there but a piece of skin. Then he said, "You fool ! You 

 cannot escape from me. You can go far, but I will overtake you !" 

 Then he started to travel with one of his legs sharpened. He followed 

 the trail of the other, who had already reached the camp. He told the 

 people about the one who had sharpened his leg, and they in great fear 

 prepared to flee with the women and children. Then the other reached 

 the camp. He kicked and killed the first one he came to. He did the 

 same to the next one, and thus he killed- many, piercing them through 

 with the point of his leg. Then he went all over the camp,, killing all 

 of the people excepting those who were in hiding. Then one man 

 thought of a rock (hata°), and swallowed it. He went to the one with 

 the sharp leg and said to him, "Kick me right in the stomach with all 

 your might." He did so and broke the point of his leg, [and was killed] . 

 The other young man continued his journey. — K. 



* Informant L 



