OMAHA AND PONKA LETTERS. 55 
you. But my wife’s father, Mi®xa-t‘a”, shall go to see you. And I hope 
that if you acquire some elk hides you will give them to him. Just 
two women are ill, therefore [ am unable to go to you. I hope, my 
friend, that I may soon get a reply from you. By the time that I 
receive it, I wish for him to start to see you. I too desire hides, and I 
will send to you by Mi®xa-t‘a® the money for buying them, and also the 
fifty cents which I owe you. I hope that you may let me have the 
hides at a cheap price. Some persons have gone to see you. I wish to 
hear how you treat them. Though I have heard that: you have received 
hides, I will not go to see you, because the two women are ill. 
NA*ZANDAJI TO T. M. MESSICK. DECEMBER 20, 1879. 
Kagéha, wawidaxu. Ca" fe djtbaqtci uwib¢a cu¢da¢é. 
O triend, [ write to you Well, word very few I tell it to I send it to 
about something. you you. 
\ , / P ox f TOStOTRO Y , . / . / ; 
Ca" wagixe A pa*-jan’ga é¢i¢i" té u¢iwiya™-qti-ma™. Nfa- 
Well debt Big Elk he hasit the L have aided you greatly In- 
for you respecting your ewn. 
. rye , pits fae a7, . / ul , 
ci’ga uké¢i" cé¢a-baji éga", wabag¢eze tia ¢aki¢é ¢a™ udwa- 
dian common they disre- as, letter you sent it here the I told it 
gard him to me ob. 
, , NEA ase , , /e Tae pes Me w e 
eib¢a. And. (Pasi ak ibaha”i. Ki wagixe ¢agit‘a® tédthi 
tothem. Ibegged. Dorsey the he knows it. And debt you possess by the 
sub. your own time 
/ l sce . , ee. , . , > ° / po , w/ ye 
av patha ar¢ad gage wabdg¢eze i¢écpaxu tia” ¢aki¢é té’di. 
elk hide you give you letter you wrote to. you sentit here when. 
to me promised me to me 
= , : , ml 
A™pa®-janh’ea u¢takié. Ca™ a™patha ka“ b¢a tedbe. Eskana, 
Big Elk I talked to Well, elk hide I wish. very. Oh that, 
him about it. 
, ° / . Y po 
kagcha, tia’ ¢aki¢é ka*b¢éga™. 
O friend, you send it here I hope. 
to me 
TRANSLATION. 
O friend, I write to you about something. I send and tell you a very 
few words. [have done allin my power for you in trying to get the sum 
that Big Elk owes you. As they disregard an Indian, I told them that 
you had sent a letter to me (about the debt). T begged for the amount. 
Mr. Dorsey knows it. When you sent the letter to me, you said in it 
that you promised to give me an elk hide by the time that you received 
the money owing to you. I talked to Big Elk about it. J am very 
anxious to obtain an elk hide. I hope, my friend, that you will send it 
to me. 
