MooNKv) MISCKLLANEOUSJ MYTHS. 39U 



past oui' house t\vi<'i' a day t'nrthc last thiTr days." '"I don'l know 

 wliat he did with thciii." said the youiiii' man's mother; "lie never 

 hrouyht them here." Then the o-ij-I's mother was sure tiiere was some- 

 thiny wrong, so she went home and tohl her husband, who followed 

 up the young man's trail into the woods until it brought him to whei'o 

 the l)od\' of the deer was hidden, now .so far decayed that it had to lie 

 thrown away. 



115. THE TWO OLD IVIEN 



Two old men went hunting. One had an eye drawn down and was 

 called Uk-kwunagi'ta, '"Eye-drawn-down." The other had an arm 

 twisted out of shape and was called Uk-ku'suntsuti, '"Bent- bow-shape."' 

 They killed a deer and cooked the meat in a pot. The second old man 

 dijipc^d a piece of bread into the soup and smacked his lips as he ate 

 it. ■■ Is it goodr'' .said the first old man. Said the other, ^ Ifayu' .' 

 uk-kirfindgi'sti — Yes, sir! It will draw down one's e}'e." 



Thought the first old man to himself, "He means me." 80 he dipix-d 

 a piece of bread into the pot, and smacked his lips as he tasted it. 

 "Do you find it good?" said the other old man. Said his comrade, 

 "IlayiT/ vJi-ku'sunfsvteti' — Yes, sir! It will twist up one's arm." 

 Thought the second old man, "He means me''; so he got very angry 

 and struck the first old man, and then they fought until each killed the 

 other. 



116. THE STAR FEATHERS 



A long time ago a warrior of roving disposition went down into the 

 white settlements toward the east, where for the first time he saw a 

 peacock. The beautiful long feathers surprised and delighted I'mu. 

 and l»y trading some valual)le Indian possession of his own he managed 

 to buy a few of them, which he took with him to the mountains and 

 hid, until he was I'eady to use them, in an old l)eave]- lodge under the 

 river l)ank. To get into the beaver lodge he had to dive under the 

 water. 



Jhen he set to M'ork secretly and made himself a headdi-ess, with 

 the long peacock feathers in the front and trailing out behind and tlie 

 shorter ones at the sides. At the next dance he wore the new lu'ad- 

 dress, and asserted that he had been up to the sky and that these were 

 star feathers (see iuiml)er it, "What the stars are like"). He made a 

 long speech also, which he pretended was a message he had reicived 

 from the star spirits to deliver to the people. 



Everyone wondered at the l)eautiful feathers, so different , from any 

 they had ever seen before. They made no doubt that he had lieeti up 

 to the sky and talked with spirits. He became a great prophet, and 

 used to keep hims(dt' hidden all day in the beaver hole, and whenever 

 there was a night gathering for a dance or a council he would sud- 

 d(>nly appear among them wearing his feather headdress and give 



