306 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



The mother warned them of Old- Woman- With-Basket so they visited her, 

 borrowed her basket, pointed it at her, and destroyed her with fire. They gave 

 their mother the basket and she danced while singing the victory songs, in- 

 stituting the custom of dancing and singing when the enemy had been defeated. 

 [The previous myth claimed that the custom was instituted by Hungry Wolf 

 who sang victory songs at the Mourners Camp.] 



When she warned them to stay away from No Head he insulted them by telling 

 them how he killed their mother and disposed of the two babies. Then the boys 

 killed him also by magical means. Then they killed the White Beaver. 



Having killed one enemy each time out to war, they were now known as Two 

 Men. [The Hidatsa respected highly one who had led four successful war parties 

 even though only one enemy was killed each time out. One who had led four 

 successful expeditions, killing and scalping one man each time, was more highly 

 regarded than one who had led only one war party which had killed four enemies. 

 Also, higher honors were bestowed on one who had led four successive successful 

 expeditions than one who had gone out a greater number of times in order to win 

 four records. Because they had gone out only four times and were successful 

 each time. Two Men had attained the highest honors recognized.] 



Charred Body warned Two Men always to be on their guard, using the sacred 

 arrows for protection, for the gods were all angry because of the holy things that 

 had been destroyed by them. When out hunting. Two Men would stick their 

 sacred arrows into the ground while sleeping and the arrows would fall over and 

 awaken them when in danger. One day the arrows did not warn them. Long 

 Arm had overcome the supernatural powers of the arrows, for he was the leader of 

 the People Above. He found the boys while they slept and took Spring Boy, who 

 was the principal offender, above for punishment. The people prepared a forked 

 post on which to torture Spring Boy. A brush shelter was built around the post 

 and the people came to sing and watch while Spring Boy died. Ten songs were 

 sung over and over while the men danced. Two mounds were built from earth 

 brought in from outside, between which Spring Boy would be placed and covered 

 with this earth when he died. All through the ceremony Long Arm stood watch- 

 ing, holding a stone ax. 



Lodge Boy awoke, missed his brother, and traveled over all of the earth as an 

 arrow looking for Spring Boy. Returning to the place where they separated, he 

 discovered a hole in the sky above him. He changed into a sacred arrow and went 

 through the hole in the sky to the land above. There, changing himself into a 

 small boy, he was taken into the lodge of a very old woman living alone and fed. 

 She informed him that Spring Boy was being tortured in the brush shelter and took 

 him to see the ceremonies. He was recognized by Spring Boy and was obliged to 

 leave quickly when Long Arm suspected that Lodge Boy had come. 



During the night, Lodge Boy freed his brother and they escaped towards the 

 hole in the sky, taking with them Long Arm's ax with the watching eyes. Long 

 Arm awoke, discovered Spring Boy and his sacred ax with the watching eyes gone, 

 and ran to the hole in the sky. There he put his hands over the hole to prevent 

 Two Men from escaping to the land below. Now that they had Long Arm's 

 sacred ax, which was his chief source of supernatural powers, they threatened to 

 cut off Long Arm's hand if he attempted to prevent their return home. He agreed 

 to free them providing they performed rites on the earth in the same manner as 

 they had observed in the sky. Then he explained the ceremonial significance of 

 each article and rite of the Hidebeating ceremony which he was sending to the 

 land below. 



Later, Two Men traveled over the earth and came to a village where rites 

 were being performed and decided to have a "son." They caused a virgin to 



