Oct., 1903. Arapaho Traditions — Dorsey and Kroeber. 369 



The next morning the whole family rose early and got breakfast 

 by sunrise. "Well, dear boys, I want you to play near our home. Use 

 all of your arrows, but leave those red and black ones here. If you 

 happen to come across a little bird, 'Scaly- foot,' (a species of chick- 

 adee, — some say sage-hen) and use all your arrows in shooting at her, 

 don't pick up a single one. Now please remember this," said the father, 

 getting the various kinds of feathers ready for the arrows. 



The boys provided themselves with dry meat for luncheon and 

 started off to play. After they had gone a distance, they came across 

 a buffalo wallow, and saw this Scaly-foot enjoying a bath. Seeing 

 that the bird was tame (brave), they went nearer and began to shoot at 

 it. For a long time they could not hit the little bird; they had shot 

 every arrow. Remembering their father's warning, one of them cau- 

 tioned his brother not to pick up his last arrow again. "Our father 

 said that we must not pick up our arrows, for this bird is dangerous," 

 said one of them. "Oh ! I don't care what our father said. I want to 

 kill the pretty bird," said the other, running to the arrow and picking it 

 up. Just as soon as he had picked up the arrow there came a terrific 

 wind (hurricane or cyclone) toward them. "Say, brother, we have 

 got to run home and get out of the wet," said By-the-Door. So they 

 both ran swiftly, but the wind was getting closer to them. "Run fast, 

 brother," said By-the-Door as he looked back. By-the-Door took the 

 lead and ran into their tipi and was safe, while Spring-Boy was blown 

 away just as he grabbed at the door. For an unknown distance this 

 boy was blown and alighted among tall weeds in a buffalo wallow. 



Beyond this spot there came a big moving camp toward this lost 

 boy. Fortunately the people made their camp within a short distance 

 of him. As it was getting quite late in the evening and the ground 

 was very damp, the women, after erecting their own tipis, went for 

 WTeds or tall grass for mattresses. In the camp there was a poor old 

 woman. The whole camp was starving and this old woman was very 

 destitute. She, too, went to cut tall grass for a mattress, and reached 

 a very good patch of tall grass. Being tired out, she cut grass, and 

 without looking around carefully or further as she grabbed a bunch of 

 grass, she saw a small boy, drawn up and looking forsaken. 



"Well, grandchild, I am so glad to see you ! It is my grandchild, 

 Found-in-Grass," said the old woman, picking up the boy in her arms. 

 Found-in-Grass was scabby; very lousy, his nose was running, and his 

 eyes were filled with film, but this old woman was thankful for a dear 

 companion. This thoughtful old woman, after getting enough grass, 

 carried this destitute child to her own tipi, which was located just out- 



