188 THE ACOMA INDIANS 



asked the king for his best knife — "Your own knife. I'm going to 

 kill my horse." "Why?" "To help you. Get different colors 

 horses." "How?" "I show you." Then San Diego went out and 

 got his horse, and watered him. He took him outside the king's 

 house and tie up one foot. He made a cross on his neck. Then he 

 cut quick. The blood came out (in spurts). The first horses had 

 four "trees" in their eyes.** The next had three, the ne.xt two, and 

 the next one. San Diego chose a kind of a white and blue horse, same 

 size as his old one. "I'm going to take this one home." The king- 

 thanked him for all the horses. San Diego said, "I'm going to go 

 home to-morrow." "Where do you live?" "Long ways. But we 

 come back. My mother she's very old, and I want to see her." The 

 king said, "I'll give you 50 men to guard you and my daughter." 

 ''All right.' 



That night they had a big dinner. That night they had a big dance. 



Next morning the king woke up. He went down and washed for 

 breakfast. "Well, I get my horse and go home." The king said, 

 "Well, I'll tell the soldiers to get you four horses and some lunch." 

 When San Diego went out to get his horse he found him ciying. San 

 Diego asked him why he was crying. " 'Cause we going home. Your 

 mother is dying right now. Better hurry up. We going to a hill. 

 When we're halfway up, I'll fly up the rest of the way. Be sure and 

 keep your eyes closed, and tell your wife to keep her eyes closed. 

 When we get home I'll tell you." 



So San Diego told the king that he dreamed his mother was dying 

 and he had to hurry. So the king sent the soldiers out, 50 of them, 

 25 on each side. San Diego sat in his saddle, and his wife sat behind 

 him. San Diego put two cpaiak' *^ on his right temple. They went 

 out to the west. Pretty soon they came to a hill. They went up. 

 A twister came and blew the horse up. The two feathers (the 

 cpaiak') helped lift them up. The soldiers saw the horse and San 

 Diego and his wife go up in the air. They ran back to the king and 

 told him that his son and daughter M'ere lost. "All right," the king- 

 said, "he be back." 



Pretty soon they got home. San Diego opened his eyes. He was 

 home. He went in his house. He find his mother dead in bed. San 

 Diego cried, but he couldn't help her. So they buried her. He 

 stayed there three days. Then he said to his wife, "Well, I take you 

 back your home now. I can't keep you here 'cause I travel over 



w If yoa look into a horse'.s oye, you see, sometimes, some little objects that look like "trees," or little 

 fimgous growths. Sometimes there is one, sometimes two, three, or four. Some Acoma Indians believe that 

 these little "trees" are indices of a horse's disposition. It he has one "tree" he is a mean horse, very mean. 

 If he has more than one he isn't mean. The narrator of this story had some months before explained this to 

 me. 



" A cpaiak' is a small, white, downy eagle feather that is often worn in the hair during ceremonies. 

 Masewi, the elder twin war god, was very fond of these feathers. 



