bbw7tt] legends 695 



did not appear ill at ease but stood in the lodge wherever it seemed 

 good to him. and then without renuirk he flew away. 



The old man. Wild Cat, somewhat amazed by the quiet conduct of 

 his visitor, related the incident to his neighbors, saying that this 

 visit portended that something out of the ordinary was about to 

 happen. But an entire year passed and nothing unusual had hap- 

 pened to old Wild Cat and his fellows and neighbors. 



But at about the same season the next year the same Wliite Pigeon 

 again visited the old man's lodge. At this visit the old man believed 

 that the White Pigeon was a man (i. e., one of his own kind of 

 beings), so he conversed wnth him on many subjects. During this 

 visit White Pigeon informed the old man, Wild Cat, that all the 

 various tribes of birds had held a council at which it had been de- 

 cided that the wild pigeons should furnish a tribute to mankind, 

 because their Maker had selected the wild pigeons for this important 

 duty as most other birds had only very little to give up because their 

 mode of life required them to live dispersed here and there, and so 

 what they had to offer could be obtained only with difficulty, while 

 the others had nothing to oifer toward the suppox't of mankind. 



So, the pigeons being the only tribe of birds which built their nests 

 and reared their young in a single conimunity, it was resolved by the 

 various tribes of birds that the pigeons should spare some of their 

 young to men for food. White Pigeon continued by saying that he 

 had come purposely to notify old man Wild Cat of this momentous 

 decision, and to tell him the young pigeons were to be taken at the 

 proper season, and the manner in which this must be done. 



He said : " In the season of the roost, when the young pigeons have 

 attained a suitable size for eating, the people should select a suitable 

 person as superintendent or master of the hunt, and he should give 

 the needful directions to the people for making their preparations for 

 the hunt before starting for the hunting grounds in which the pigeons 

 have their roost in the forest."' 



On such a hunting expedition the entire community was engaged, 

 and so it was not unusual to have a very large multitude of people 

 moving along a common path at this time. But to secure order and 

 obedience certain rules for the march must be observed by all. Of 

 these, one was that when the party halted to rest, to eat, or to camp 

 for the night, the leader would place a rod, suitably painted, across 

 the path, and no one was permitted to pass over it or to go around it 

 for the purpose of continuing the journey regardless of the rest of 

 the party. It was held that should one break this injunction some 

 misfortune would inevitably befall the party. When the party was 

 ready to proceed the leader would take up the rod and then the 

 journey would be resumed. 



