Oct., 1903. Arapaho Traditions — Dorsey and Kroeber. 335 



was really crying. She went to it. There lay a woman, and by her 

 swollen breasts this child. The child cried for want of milk; it was 

 starving. "Is this my grandson? Surely it is my grandson, Little- 

 star (ha96uusa'').'" She took the boy to her tent and crushed berries 

 for him. With these she fed him. What was not eaten remained 

 in the bucket. The boy. saw where she put the bucket at the back of the 

 tent. The old woman said : "My grandson, I will go out to see if I 

 have caught any elk or deer or buffalo." There were trails with pits 

 in them, leading to the tent from all sides. It was by means of these 

 that she lived. She told her grandson to go outside and play near 

 the tent, and gave him a bow and arrows. The boy became hungry, 

 and went inside to get the bucket of berries. It was gone. He won- 

 dered what had become of it, because he had seen the old woman put 

 it away. When she came back, she was carrying elk meat on her 

 back. He went to' meet her, and said : "Grandmother, some one has 

 eaten up the crushed berries. When I went to get them they were 

 gone." The old woman said: "Perhaps they leaked out." This the 

 boy believed. Then she cooked meat from the back of the elk, find 

 gave it to her grandson to eat on a wooden bowl. What was left she 

 put away in the same place as before. She went out again, telling 

 the boy : "Do not go far away ; I am going to look after my pits." 

 The boy remained in the tent. Then he went outside to play. He be- 

 came hungry and went inside to eat the meat that was left. There 

 were only bones in the bowl. He was much surprised. Then the old 

 woman came back with more meat. A third time the same thing hap- 

 pened. The boy began to suspect that some one was stealing their 

 food. After the old woman had come back the third time, she again 

 gave him food and went away. The boy determined to see who it was 

 that came in to steal their food. When he thought somebodv might 

 have come, he looked at the bowl, and to his surprise he saw the head 

 of an animal. It had large eyes, a large mouth, and long teeth, and 

 was eating the cocked food. "You are the one that steals our food, 

 ugly one, coming in and taking what does not belong to you !'* said the 

 boy. Taking his bow, he shot the animal in the soft spot next to the 

 collar bone, well knowing the fatal place. The monster was killed. 

 "Now I have you," he said. The old woman returned with the meat 

 which she had got. "Grandmother, I have killed the one that steals 

 our food ; you will see who it is," said the boy to her. "Yes ? I am 

 surprised!" said his grandmother. "Where is it?" "There it lies." 

 She said nothing but went to the back of the tent and mourned. The 



'Or: Star-child. 



