Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 149 



She replied, "I will go along to your lodge if you are not afraid of him. He told 

 me that if he ever caught me out that way again with a man he would beat me and 

 the man too." 



I knew that some men were not very brave and would make trouble when their 

 wives were stolen. White Belly was always cutting up in the Stone Hammer 

 Society meetings; sometimes when the society was not meeting he would steal 

 things; he would even carry on with others' wives but I thought he might not be 

 brave so I said, "If we stay around here, he may catch us or do something foolish. 

 He might treat you even worse than he has and come to my mother's lodge for you. 

 We will run away. I will have my saddle horse hidden in the trees. We will go 

 up to Fort Buford and stay until things quiet down." 



I asked my mother to prepare me food as I was going to Fort Buford. Next day 

 when Rubs Herself went to the place we were to meet, I came down from the earth 

 lodge and met her there. She had a robe along and we put it on the horse and rode 

 double, keeping to the heavier timber. She was afraid for she thought that her 

 mother-in-law suspected something. We traveled fast and came to a place in the 

 heavy timber where we stopped to eat. There I possessed her and then we rode 

 along slowly. Soon someone was riding toward us and I saw that it was her 

 husband. He pulled her off the horse, whipped her, and even knocked her down 

 and kicked her. At first I intended to fight with him and then I thought the better 

 of it. 



She said to me, "Why don't you help me? Don't stand there and look at me." 

 So I said to White Belly, "You came after your wife and now you want to kill her." 

 I knew that I would never fight with him for it was not right for people, particu- 

 larly those of the same clan, to fight. But she was his wife and he had the right 

 to take her. I knew that people would say bad things of White Belly for taking 

 back by force a wife who did not want to live with him. He put her on the horse 

 and walked, leading the horse. I stood there after they left and did not know 

 what to do. I wondered which of White Belly's joking relatives would say most 

 to him. I thought that they might say too much to him and that he might even 

 kill me. Still I kept thinking of that woman but I was consoled to know that I 

 had not been entirely unrewarded for my trouble. Finally I mounted and gal- 

 loped toward Fort Buford and Crow-Flies-High's village, arriving there the next 

 day after sleeping out in the timber. I went to Two Bull's lodge to live, for he 

 was a close relative of my clan. 



I had not been there long when I found an eligible woman named Many Growths 

 who was not married. Finally I saw her alone and talked to her. She said that 

 she would marry me but I would have to give her one horse. I visited her a second 

 time and then she wanted two horses. I decided to look for two horses but I 

 tried to marry her without giving up horses, telling her I did not have a home and 

 only a few relatives there. When Two Bulls heard that she wanted two horses he 

 oflFered me two old ones for mine which was a good runner. I gave her Two Bull's 

 two horses and her parents invited me to come to their lodge to live. I lived with 

 her in Standing Bear's lodge that summer. 



The people planned to go farther west to set up the winter vUlage under the 

 leadership of Poor Bull who had had many dreams of the buffaloes even though 

 he had never given the big buffalo ceremonies. The people thought that he 

 would certainly be able to call the buffaloes close to the village. Since I gave 

 my good running horse to Two Bulls when I was married, I did not have a horse 

 so my wife and I went back to Fishhook Village to get my gray gelding to use 

 in the hunt. I saw White Belly who was not very friendly for a clansman since 

 his joking relatives were still annoying him even though he then had a different 

 wife. I was just past 30 at this time. 

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