244 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BuU. 194 



But the people did not pay so much attention to Guts any longer for so often 

 he had brought bad luck. Guts told the old men that since his son had dreamed 

 of the Earthnaming bundle, he should put on the ceremony and possess it since 

 he was now a head man. So Bobtail Bull pledged the ceremony and right away 

 he dreamed of one tipi and the old men told him that one enemy family was given 

 to him by his gods. He gave the four day ceremony of the Red Sticks to bring 

 the buffaloes and the old men "walked" with his wives. Then he went out and 

 took possession of the family, killing all of them and taking their horses. 



The old men came as before and said that since he had killed a whole family 

 and had possessed their horses, he was even a greater chief. All the time there 

 were old men at his lodge eating, for they liked to eat with and help an ambitious 

 and lucky man. His wives worked hard preparing nice things for the old men. 

 The old men told him many things he should know to be a great chief of the 

 village because this knowledge was expected of him. Now Bobtail Bull thought 

 he would surely get ahead of Poor Wolf who had the reputation of knowing 

 many sacred traditions and stories of the olden times. So he invited the old 

 men in often and gave them good meals and the old men would tell him of the 

 olden times even back when the people first came on the earth. At this time 

 one of his wives went off with another man and he found out about it. He was 

 very angry at her, for she did not take care of their children. He sent two old 

 men to bring her back. 



The two men went to her and said, "Your husband is calling for you." 



They took her back to her husband's lodge and Bobtail Bull sat down beside 

 her; he painted her face black as she would have had the right to do if she had 

 been beside him when he came back from a successful war expedition. He 

 dressed her in good leggings, moccasins, dress, and robe, and put her on his best 

 horse and told the two men to take her to her new husband saying, "Take her 

 away from here." 



Not long afterward the other wife ran away with another man and her children 

 were going about through the village looking for their mother. The children were 

 having a hard time, for they had no mother to take care of them. Bobtail Bull 

 was angry because his wife had left him and he could no longer invite in the older 

 men. So he resolved to go to war again. His younger brother, Charging Eagle, 

 offered to help him for that was much better than fighting with one's own people. 

 His clansmen and friends volunteered to help him when they learned he was going 

 to war again. Not far from the village they found an enemy with one foot and 

 killed him. Now Bobtail Bull was a bigger chief, the others in the party said. 

 Then they found an enemy going along a dry creek and Charging Eagle killed him. 

 The people praised Bobtail Bull and Charging Eagle when they came back into 

 the village with the two scalps and the horses. 



Bobtail Bull had done this because another had gone off with his wife. He 

 sent two men to bring his second wife back and when she was with him again she 

 began to cry but he painted her up, dressed her in good things, mounted her on 

 his best horse, and sent her back to her husband. All this he did because he was 

 a chief. Then his brother-in-law gave Bobtail Bull a different sister for the one 

 who ran away. This was good, for then he had his children with him and the old 

 men were welcomed once more. 



Again he gave the Walking ceremony and the old men "walked" with his new 

 wife. Then he went out to war again and his young men killed and struck three 

 enemies. Soon the younger men were giving him presents in the ceremonies and 

 he was living a good life. Others asked him to assist when the buffaloes were called 



