376 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



end of the scalp. When you have done this, you will be victorious in all of your 

 undertakings. We are your enemies but you honored us because you fasted and 

 lay here with us. You will always have your own way.' " 



Shortly after this dream, the enemy came and stole 10 horses. Those who had 

 lost their horses were sad. Roadmaker said that he would go out and look for the 

 animals, for the other young men had not been able to find them. Others volun- 

 teered to go with him. The scouts found the enemy camp of four men far to the 

 west, nearly to the headwaters of Knife River. 



Roadmaker said, "We will sneak up on them and then wait until they eat. 

 Then they will put their bows and arrows down." 



Some had muzzle-loaders too but all of the enemies were killed before they 

 could get to their weapons. The scalps were given to Roadmaker since he was the 

 leader. He said, "We will now take the horses back to the village. You will 

 be required to return them to their former owners if they pay us for our efforts. 

 They were taken by the enemy and became the property of the enemy and now we 

 have taken them back." 



They started for home but it took them several days, for it was slow traveling 

 with the horses as they had to keep scouts out ahead all the time so they would not 

 lose the horses to the enemy again. When they came near the village, they 

 painted [themselves] to show that they had struck the enemy, tied the horses 

 together, and drove them through the village so that all the people could see that 

 they had been successful. 



Roadmaker sent an announcer through the village calling that the former 

 owners could have their horses back providing they paid the warriors for their 

 services. The people who had lost these horses were glad to get them back and 

 made payments in dresses made of mountain sheep, robes, and moccasins.^ 



Several years later Roadmaker awoke one morning and said, "Three tipis have 

 been promised to me," meaning that if he organized a war expedition, he would 

 kill off three households. He called for volunteers and 79 men volunteered. 

 Some came from the Mandan villages too. They went to the north to a place 

 east of the present town of Minot where a small stream enters the Mouse River. 

 Beyond this point the scouts discovered three tipis and returned to report. Road- 

 maker directed the men to wait until the camp moved and then he would not 

 lose any of his men. 



His men hid themselves in the path of the three families and when the enemies 

 were close, he gave the order to attack. Roadmaker's party had good horses at 

 that time and, the enemy being taken by surprise while they were spread out, it 

 did not take long to wipe out the entire party. He made a staff to which he 

 tied one scalp at the top, one in the middle, and a third at the bottom to represent 

 the three households he had been promised. 



One day another man named Yellow Hawk went out and took many warriors 

 with him. They found the enemy on the flats and there was a battle. Yellow 

 Hawk's men were outnumbered; one young man was wounded and could not 

 travel. The young man said, "Here is where I am going to have my eagle trapping 

 pit," meaning that he was going to die and the others would bury him there, A 

 young man named On Buffalo, who belonged to the Little Dog society, had his 

 staff painted black and white with four black marks and with many feathers 

 along its length. 



' Note that the payments were In things the women wore. This was to compensate the female relatives 

 since a man gave most horses stolen to his sisters and mothers. 



