boffman] RESURRECTION OF BALL CARRIER 2.37 



wife then told him that her younger son had eaten it. The chief saw 

 that he had been thwarted in his desire, and violently threw the body 

 of the bird away. He then arose from his bed and seemed as well as 

 when he first came to the wigwam. 



When the body of Ball Carrier was deposited on the scaffold in the 

 grove of trees, the ball which the old woman, his grandmother, had 

 given him returned to her. When it bounded into her hut, she knew 

 that her grandson had met with some misfortune, and she immediately 

 prepared to go to his rescue. She took a fox-skin and tied it about her 

 head and around her forehead, and another which she fastened to her- 

 self as a breechcloth. Then bidding the ball to return to where the 

 body of her grandson was lying, it started to roll and bound back upon 

 its journey, the old woman following. At last the ball reached the 

 grove of trees, where it stopped; then the old woman placed her hand 

 on the body of Ball Carrier, crying out aloud, " My grandson, arise, 

 arise, and come home with me!" Ball Carrier's life returned, and he 

 sat up as if he had been only asleep. Then the old woman said to him, 

 "Come, my grandson, it is time to return home." So Ball Carrier went 

 to the wigwam, gathered up his weapons, and followed the old woman 

 back whence she had come. 



When they had reached her wigwam, the old woman said to Ball 

 Carrier, "My grandson, did you get the gold which you went to procure 

 from the Bad One?" 



Ball Carrier replied, " Yes, grandmother, I got it." 



" Where is it?" she asked. 



" Here, in my left armpit," responded Ball Carrier, raising his arm. 



Then the old woman took a knife and carefully scraped away from 

 the skin every particle of gold which Ball Carrier had procured. Then 

 she said, " My grandson, did you get the bridge which the Bad One 

 also possessed?" 



"Yes, grandmother, I got that too," replied Ball Carrier. 



"Where is it?" asked the old woman. Then Ball Carrier lifted up 

 his right arm, and pointing to his armpit,'said, " Here is the bridge, 

 grandmother." 



The old woman took the gold, and placing it in the palm of her 

 hand, said, " My grandson, this gold must now be hidden iu the earth, 

 because if it remains where everybody can get it, the people will 

 become too indolent; but if it is buried people nrast work for it, and 

 they will get only what they require." Then pulling up one of the 

 poles that supported the wigwam, she put the gold into the hole and 

 rammed it down into the earth, where it has become scattered, and 

 where those who seek it must dig and work hard to get it. 



Then she took the bridge, and turning toward Ball Carrier, said, 

 " This bridge also must be buried, because if everybody can get 

 hold of it they can transport themselves across any river or chasm, 

 and people will become too lazy to work or to learn how to build such 



