METHOD OF RECORDING INDIAN LANGUAGES. 589 
NOTES. 
588, 24. This word “‘hduze” means to take or hold onés own; and is 
most commonly applied to a man’s taking a wife, or a woman a hus- 
band. Here it may mean either that one who starts in a wicked course 
consorts with others ‘more wicked than himself,” or that he himself 
grows in the bad and takes hold of the greater forms of evil—marries 
himself to the wicked one. 
It will be noted from this specimen of Dakota that there are some 
particles in the language which cannot be represented in a translation. 
The ‘‘do” used at the end of phrases or sentences is only for emphasis 
and to round up a period. It belongs mainly to the language of young 
men. ‘“‘ Wo” and “po” are the signs of the imperative. 
TRANSLATION. 
. There was a dog; and there was an old woman who had a pack of 
dried meat laid away. This the dog knew; and, when he supposed the 
old woman was asleep, he went there at night. But the old woman was 
aware of his coming and so kept watch, and, as the dog thrust his head 
under the tent, she struck him across the face and made a great gash, 
which swelled greatly. 
The next morning a companion dog came and attempted to talk with 
him. But the dog was sullen and silent. The visitor said: “Tell me 
what makes you so heart-sick.” To which he replied: “ Be still, an old 
woman has treated me badly.” ‘What did she do to you?” He an- 
swered: “An old,woman had a pack of dried meat; this I saw and 
went for it; and when it was now far in the night, and I supposed she 
was asleep, I went there and poked my head under the tent. But she 
was lying awake and cried out: ‘Shoo! what are you doing here?’ and 
struck me on the head and wounded me as you see.” 
Whereupon the other dog said: “ Alas! Alas! she has treated you 
badly, verily we will eaf up her pack of meat. Call an assembly: call 
Water-mist (t. e., rain); call Bite-off-silently; call Strong-neck; call 
Sharp-knife.” So he invited them all. And when they had all arrived, 
he said: “Come on! an old woman has treated this friend badly; bestir 
yourselves; before the night is past, the pack of dried meat which she 
prizes so much, and on account of which she has thus dealt with our 
friend, that we will eat all up”. 
Then the one who is called Rain-mist caused it to rain, and it rained 
all the day through until dark; and the tent was all drenched, and the 
holes of the tent-pins were thoroughly softened. Then Bite-off-silently 
bit off all the lower tent-fastenings, but he did it so quietly that the old 
woman knew nothing of it. Then Strong-neck came and seized the pack 
with his mouth, and carried it far away. Whereupon Sharp-knife came 
and ripped the pack through the middle; and so, while it was yet night, 
they ate up the old woman’s pack of dried meat. 
Moral.—A common thief becomes worse and worse by attaching him- 
self to more daring companions. This is the myth. 
