Bowers] HIDATSA SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION 263 



They made two thongs from a Juneberry branch; by this time it was so dark 

 that they lit a fire to see to insert the sticks. First they told what they had seen 

 when they suffered, and then they put the sticks through. It felt as though I 

 was burning in the fire. They tied me to an overhanging tree and I could hardly 

 breathe. They noticed my trouble and said, "He has had enough; we better take 

 him down." 



All this time my father had been shaking his medicine rattles, praying, and sing- 

 ing the holy songs of the eagle-trapping rites. But I did not get a dream for my 

 breath would not come when they tortured me. 



The next summer, when I was 17, the people went to Bear Den Creek hunting. 

 There were many high rocks and two hawks were flying about above the cliffs. 

 We were enjoying ourselves, for the buffaloes were plentiful. I thought of the 

 things people had said about me and resolved to fast in the rocks near those hawks. 

 I went to Wolf Grass and Coyote, who belonged to my fathers' clan, and asked 

 them to help me. Because the bank was so steep at the place I wanted to hang, 

 they put an extra rope around me so that I would not be killed if the thongs pulled 

 out of the flesh. All the time my two fathers were praying to the hawks to send 

 me a dream. I stayed there until after sundown and then my fathers came for me. 



That night I dreamt of a man who came and asked me to stand beside him on 

 the right side saying, "Look to the west." 



I looked and saw a thunder cloud coming. He was carrying burning cedar on a 

 plate. He said, "See how I burn this cedar while facing the west and the rain 

 comes. Someday you will do the same as I am." 



Then he sang this sacred song, "Birds are coming from the clouds; they bring 

 rain." He told me that when I wanted to bring the rain I should do as he had 

 done, but I never did try it. 



When I was 18, my father was appointed to lead the winter camp. That 

 winter we went to Blue Buttes just above Independence in the deep timber. I 

 had often seen the dark spot on the moon and the old people had told me that the 

 moon was a human. I went out every night to cry, asking the moon uo help me. 

 After the 120th night I had a dream again, hearing someone speaking from the 

 sky, "Look to the east; there is a boat coming." 



In my dream I wished for a cord of wood. I saw a log house here where I later 

 built and a steamboat near Lucky Mound Creek. I saw a large stone on a hill 

 and then I walked into a log house. I awoke and thought of my silly dream and 

 of the silly dreams the other young men often told of getting. Then I went to 

 sleep again and a man came, saying, "They want you over there." 



I came to a high hill and saw a man sitting facing the north. He had his face 

 painted below the nose; he had an eagle feather in his hair and scalps hanging on 

 his leggings. He asked me to sit on his right side. He had a pile of buffalo 

 manure before him and a pipe. While he smoked I thought, "Anytime I go out 

 for the enemy I am supposed to go against the wind for he is facing the wind." 



He handed me the pipe to smoke and said, "Son, look towards the south." I 

 saw great mountains and large herds of horses; I thought that it meant that I 

 was to own many horses. 



That year I also had a dream of four frames surrounding my father's sacred 

 bundles, the outer one being old and broken down. My father interpreted this 

 dream to mean that I would give the Walking ceremony four times and make my 

 wives "granddaughters of the buffaloes," and that I would live to be an old man. 

 Shortly afterward the enemy came to fight near the village and, being brave, I 

 was to the front chasing them. One man turned and shot my horse, killing it. 

 My fathers of the Waterbuster clan sang the Victory songs for me. When I re- 

 turned to our lodge, Different Snake was at our lodge and wanted to marry me, for 



