Oct., 1903. Arapaho Traditions — Dorsey and Kroeber. 259 



no. — The Lame Warrior and the Skeleton. 



A party of young men went off on the war-path, going toward the 

 west among the mountains. They traveled on foot, very heavily loaded 

 with food and moccasins. One day, when they were going down a river, 

 one of them felt a pain in his ankle, which continued to grow worse un- 

 til they pitched camp. 



In the morning the man's ankle was swollen so badly that it was 

 impossible for him to continue the journey with the others.^ His com- 

 panions thought it best to leave him. So they commenced cutting wil- 

 lows and tall grass to make a thatched shelter for him. The shelter 

 was completed and a good supply of food was left for him. 



"Now if you should get well soon, don't try to follow us, but go 

 back home, and save your food so that it will last till you are able to 

 get around," said his companions, and then they started off on foot in 

 search of the enemy. After many lonely days, there came .a big snow- 

 storm, and the next morning the man looked out and saw a large herd 

 of buffalo grazing on the tall grass in front of his lod^e. So he took 

 his bow and arrow and shot the fattest one and killed it. He then 

 crawled out of his lodge, went to the buffalo and skinned it, and brought 

 in the meat and laid it opposite the fireplace. After eating a good meal 

 he took one whole side of ribs and roasted it before the fire. 



During the night the man heard footsteps coming toward his tipi 

 in the snow. "Well, who can that be? I am going to give up, for I am 

 here alone. I am going to let him kill me, but I shall protect myself 

 first," he said, taking his bow and arrows and laying them by his side. 

 Some one came in, a perfect skeleton, wearing a tanned robe. The robe 

 was pinned together at the neck. The man was afraid to look at the 

 strange being at first, but when he did look at it, being very much 

 frightened, the skeleton said to him, "You must not be frightened, for 

 I have taken pity on you. It is I who gave you the pain in your ankle 

 and caused it to swell so that you could not go on the war-path. If you 

 had gone along with the rest you would have been killed. The day they 

 left you here, an enemy made a charge upon them and they Were all 

 killed, and I am the one who has saved you from destruction." The 

 lame man then took a piece of the roast ribs and gave it to the skeleton 

 to eat, watching him closely, to see where the food would go. It went 

 trom the throat along the breast, to the stomach of the skeleton. 



The skeleton rubbed the man's ankle and made it well. "Now,'' 

 said he, "if you are charged on by an enemy, you will not be killed. 

 If they shoot you, you will be this way (short skeleton), a pile of bones 



