﻿fletcher-la 
  flesche] 
  ENVIRONMENT; 
  RESULTANT 
  INFLUENCES 
  79 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  Ponca 
  traditions 
  already 
  given, 
  the 
  people 
  followed 
  

   this 
  stream 
  northward 
  to 
  a 
  place 
  where 
  "they 
  could 
  step 
  over 
  the 
  

   water," 
  and 
  thence 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  turned 
  southward. 
  As 
  they 
  

   were 
  going 
  "across 
  the 
  land," 
  they 
  hunted 
  buffalo 
  far 
  toward 
  the 
  

   Rocky 
  mountains, 
  and 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  their 
  hunts 
  they 
  encountered 
  the 
  

   Padouca 
  (Comanche). 
  The 
  following 
  tradition 
  tells 
  of 
  this 
  meeting 
  

   and 
  its 
  results: 
  

  

  At 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  Ponca 
  had 
  no 
  animals 
  but 
  dogs 
  to 
  help 
  them 
  to 
  carry 
  burdens. 
  

   Wherever 
  they 
  went 
  they 
  had 
  to 
  go 
  on 
  foot, 
  but 
  the 
  people 
  were 
  strong 
  and 
  fleet; 
  

   they 
  could 
  run 
  a 
  great 
  distance 
  and 
  not 
  be 
  weary. 
  'While 
  they 
  were 
  off 
  hunting 
  buffalo 
  

   they 
  first 
  met 
  the 
  Padouca, 
  and 
  afterward 
  had 
  many 
  battles 
  with 
  them. 
  The 
  Padouca 
  

   were 
  mounted 
  on 
  strange 
  animals. 
  At 
  first 
  the 
  Ponca 
  thought 
  the 
  men 
  and 
  animals 
  

   were 
  one 
  creature, 
  but 
  they 
  learned 
  better 
  after 
  a 
  while. 
  The 
  Padouca 
  had 
  bows 
  

   made 
  from 
  elk 
  horn. 
  They 
  were 
  not 
  very 
  long, 
  nor 
  were 
  they 
  strong. 
  To 
  make 
  

   these 
  bows 
  the 
  horn 
  was 
  boiled 
  until 
  it 
  was 
  soft. 
  While 
  in 
  this 
  condition 
  it 
  was 
  scraped 
  

   down, 
  then 
  spliced 
  and 
  bound 
  together 
  with 
  sinew 
  and 
  glue. 
  Their 
  arrows 
  were 
  tipped 
  

   with 
  bone. 
  But 
  the 
  weapon 
  the 
  Padouca 
  depended 
  on 
  in 
  fighting 
  was 
  a 
  stone 
  

   battle-ax. 
  Its 
  long 
  handle 
  was 
  a 
  sapling 
  bound 
  with 
  rawhide 
  to 
  which 
  a 
  grooved 
  stone 
  

   ax 
  head, 
  pointed 
  at 
  both 
  ends, 
  was 
  bound 
  by 
  bands 
  of 
  rawhide. 
  This 
  weapon 
  made 
  

   them 
  terrible 
  fighters 
  at 
  close 
  quarters. 
  The 
  weakness 
  of 
  their 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows 
  

   reduced 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  their 
  horses 
  in 
  battle 
  save 
  as 
  a 
  means 
  to 
  bring 
  them 
  rapidly 
  up 
  to 
  

   their 
  enemies, 
  where 
  they 
  could 
  bring 
  their 
  battle-axes 
  into 
  play. 
  If 
  their 
  foes 
  were 
  

   armed 
  with 
  strong 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  the 
  Padouca 
  would 
  suffer 
  before 
  they 
  came 
  to 
  

   close 
  range. 
  To 
  protect 
  their 
  horses 
  from 
  arrows 
  they 
  made 
  a 
  covering 
  for 
  the 
  horses' 
  

   breasts 
  and 
  sides, 
  to 
  prevent 
  an 
  arrow 
  taking 
  effect 
  at 
  ordinary 
  range. 
  This 
  covering 
  

   (armor) 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  thick 
  rawhide 
  cut 
  in 
  round 
  pieces 
  and 
  made 
  to 
  overlap 
  like 
  the 
  

   scales 
  of 
  a 
  fish. 
  Over 
  the 
  surface 
  was 
  sand 
  held 
  on 
  by 
  glue. 
  This 
  covering 
  made 
  the 
  

   Ponca 
  arrows 
  glance 
  off 
  and 
  do 
  no 
  damage. 
  The 
  Padouca 
  protected 
  their 
  own 
  bodies 
  

   by 
  long 
  shields 
  of 
  rawhide. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  had 
  breastplates 
  made 
  like 
  those 
  on 
  their 
  

   horses. 
  When 
  the 
  Ponca 
  found 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  terrible 
  creature 
  they 
  first 
  encountered 
  

   was 
  a 
  man 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  an 
  animal, 
  they 
  called 
  the 
  animal 
  kawa, 
  a 
  name 
  in 
  use 
  by 
  

   the 
  Osage 
  to-day 
  to 
  designate 
  the 
  horse. 
  The 
  Ponca 
  noticed 
  the 
  smell 
  of 
  the 
  horse, 
  

   and 
  the 
  odor 
  would 
  apprise 
  them 
  of 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  the 
  Padouca. 
  When 
  a 
  man 
  

   perceived 
  the 
  smell, 
  he 
  would 
  run 
  and 
  tell 
  the 
  herald, 
  who 
  would 
  at 
  once 
  go 
  about 
  

   the 
  camp, 
  and 
  cry: 
  "The 
  wind 
  tells 
  us 
  the 
  kawa 
  are 
  coming!" 
  So 
  the 
  Ponca 
  would 
  

   make 
  ready 
  to 
  defend 
  themselves. 
  The 
  Ponca 
  had 
  many 
  battles 
  with 
  the 
  Padouca. 
  

   The 
  Ponca 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  horses, 
  so 
  they 
  killed 
  them 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  

   men. 
  Nor 
  could 
  they 
  find 
  out 
  where 
  were 
  the 
  Padouca 
  villages, 
  for 
  when 
  the 
  two 
  

   tribes 
  met, 
  the 
  Padouca 
  always 
  moved 
  in 
  an 
  opposite 
  direction 
  from 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  

   their 
  dwellings. 
  So 
  the 
  Ponca 
  could 
  not 
  discover 
  where 
  the 
  Padouca 
  lived. 
  

  

  One 
  day 
  the 
  two 
  tribes 
  had 
  a 
  great 
  battle. 
  The 
  people 
  fought 
  all 
  day 
  long. 
  Some- 
  

   times 
  the 
  Ponca 
  were 
  driven, 
  sometimes 
  the 
  Padouca, 
  until 
  at 
  last 
  a 
  Ponca 
  shot 
  a 
  

   Padouca 
  in 
  the 
  eye, 
  and 
  he 
  dropped 
  from 
  his 
  horse. 
  Then 
  the 
  battle 
  ceased. 
  After 
  

   the 
  death 
  of 
  this 
  man 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Padouca 
  came 
  toward 
  the 
  Ponca 
  and 
  motioned 
  that 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  Ponca 
  should 
  come 
  toward 
  him. 
  Then 
  the 
  Padouca 
  said 
  in 
  plain 
  Ponca: 
  

   "Who 
  are 
  you? 
  What 
  do 
  you 
  call 
  yourselves?" 
  The 
  Ponca 
  replied: 
  "We 
  call'our- 
  

   selves 
  Ponca; 
  but 
  you 
  speak 
  our 
  language 
  well; 
  are 
  you 
  of 
  our 
  tribe?" 
  The 
  Padouca 
  

   said: 
  " 
  No; 
  we 
  are 
  Padouca. 
  I 
  speak 
  your 
  language 
  as 
  a 
  gift 
  from 
  a 
  Ponca 
  spirit. 
  As 
  

   I 
  lay 
  one 
  day 
  on 
  a 
  Ponca 
  grave 
  after 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  battles 
  with 
  you 
  a 
  man 
  rose 
  from 
  the 
  

   grave 
  and 
  spoke 
  to 
  me, 
  so 
  I 
  know 
  your 
  language 
  

  

  Then 
  it 
  was 
  agreed 
  to 
  make 
  peace. 
  Visits 
  were 
  exchanged, 
  the 
  Ponca 
  bartered 
  

   their 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows 
  for 
  horses, 
  and 
  found 
  out 
  the 
  whereabouts 
  of 
  the 
  Padouca 
  village. 
  

  

  