DoBSEvi GHOST STORIES. 491 



forest, and as night was coming on he had to I'est there. At the edge 

 of the forest he hiy down in the open air. At midnight he was aroused 

 by the voice of a woman, who was waihng, " My son ! my son !" Still he 

 I'emained where lie was, and cnntiiined putting wood on the tire. He 

 lay with his back to the fire, placing his tliiit-lock gun in readiness be- 

 fore him. He tore a hole in his blanket large enough to peep through. 



Soon he heard the twigs break under the feet of one approaching, so 

 he peeped without rising. Behold, a woman of the olden days was 

 coming. She wore a skin dress with long fringe. A buffalo robe was 

 fastened around her at the waist. Her necklace was composed of very 

 large beads, and her leggins were covered with beads or porcupine 

 work. Her robe was drawn over her head, and she was snuffling as 

 she came. The man lay with his legs stretched out, and she stood by 

 him. She took him by one foot, which she raised very slowly. When 

 she let it go it fell with a thud, as if he was dead. She raised it a sec- 

 ond and third time. Still the man did not move himself. Then the 

 woman pulled a very rusty knife from the front of her belt, seized his 

 foot suddenly, and was apparently about to lift it and gash it, when up 

 sprang the man, saying, " What are you doing?" Without waiting for 

 a reply he shot at her suddenly, and away she went, screaming " Yui) ! 

 yuij ! yuij ! yui) ! yuij ! yuij !" Then she plunged into the forest and was 

 seen no more. 



Once again the man covered his head with his blanket, but he did 

 not sleep. When day came he raised his eyes, and, behold, he saw a 

 human burial scaflbld, with the blankets, etc., ragged and dangling. 

 He thought, "Is this the ghost that came to me?" On another occa- 

 sion he came to a forest where he had to remain for the night. He 

 started a fire, by which he sat. Suddenly he heard some one making 

 the woods ring as he sang. The man shouted to the singer, but the 

 latter paid no attention to him. The man had a small quantity of 

 wasna' (grease mixed with pounded dried buffalo meat aud wild cher- 

 ries) and plenty of tobacco. So when the singer, who was a male 

 ghost, came to him and asked him for food, the man rei)lied, " I have 

 nothing whatever;" but the ghost said, " Not so; I know that you have 

 some wasna." Then the man gave some of it to the ghost and tilled 

 the pipe for him. After the meal, when the ghost took the pipe aud 

 held it by the stem, the man saw that his hand had no flesh, beiiig 

 nothing but bones. As the ghost's robe had dropped from his shoul- 

 ders to his waist all his ribs were visible, there being no flesh on them. 

 Though the ghost did not open his lips as he smoked, the smoke 

 was pouring out through his ribs. When he finished smoking the 

 ghost said to the man, " Ho ! we must wrestle together. If you can 

 throw me, you shall kill a foe without hindrance, and steal some 

 horses." The young man agreed to the proposition ; but before begin- 

 ning he gathered plenty of brush around the tire, on which he put an 

 armful. Then the ghost rushed at the man, seizing him with his bony 



