THE CHIEF'S SON AND THE THUNDERS. 185 
TRANSLATION. 
There was a tribe whose chief had a son, a young man. And the young man was 
very lazy. He did not desire anything at all; he lay down all the time. And his 
father said, “‘My child, if one is a man, he usually travels. Do you travel. Go with 
the young men and travel. Pay attention to the women, and do, at least, take one of 
them for a wife.” And his son never said anything; he continued sad all the while. 
Even though his father spoke to him, he said nothing. At length he said, “Father, 
let my mother make a tent for me.” And his mother made a tent for him. “ Mother,” 
said he, ‘make also a couch for me.” And the boy entered the tent and fasted. He 
fasted four seasons: he did not eat any food, and he did not drink water. Only once 
in a while he took a little food, and drank a little water which his mother brought to 
him. And it happened while he fasted that he thought in his heart, ‘Let me see! I 
will wear a robe made of scalps.” And it chanced that a deity spoke to him, saying, 
“Whatever you desire, that shall you do. You shall surely wear a robe made of scalps.” 
And he made an end of the fast. At length he said, “Wather, let my mother cook for 
me. Send them after an old man for me. I wish to go traveling.” ‘Yes, my child,” 
said the chief, “if one is a man, he is accustomed to travel. So have I always wished 
you to travel. Ido not wish you to die in the lodge. I wish you to die at some 
place that is away from home. I have always been sad because you did not travel.” 
The old man arrived. And the young man said as follows: “O aged inan, go after 
some of the young men for me.” And the old man departed. And as he reached 
each of the lodges, he said to the young men, “The chief’s son has invited you.” And 
a great many young men went to the chief’s son. And he said as follows: “Ho! I 
have invited you that we might go traveling. Let us go on the war-path.” And the 
young men were very glad. And he said, “For four days cause them to make moce- 
casins.” In four days they went on the war-path. * * * [What follows was not 
gained in the original, though told by the same man.—And they came to an aged 
Thunder-man, who was very poor. None but the leader knew that he was a Thunder- 
man. And they pitied him, saying, “Let us give him some of our robes and other 
goods.” They did so. Then the old man said, “You think that you have been kind 
tome. I will be kind to you. I will speak to you about something.” When he said 
this, a Coyote, who was the servant of the old man, standing at the door, gave a wink 
to the chief’s son, who followed him and went outside. Said the Coyote, “When he 
tells you to choose one of the four sacred bags, take the old otter-skin. All are good, 
but the rest are not exceedingly good.” These bags were, first, a hawk-skin bag; 
second, a martin-skin bag; third, a bag made of the skin of a bird whose name is for- 
gotten; and, fourth, an otter-skin bag. Then the chief’s son and the Coyote re-entered 
the lodge. And the old man said again, “You have been kind to me, and I will be so 
to you. Which of these four sacred bags will you take? If you wish to return with 
scalps and booty in half a day, take the martin-skin. Should you take the hawk-skin, 
you will return in two days. If you wish to be absent a little while (i. ¢., several days), 
take the third. This otter-skin one is good, but it is old and worn.” And grasping 
the otter-skin, the chief’s son said, “Grandfather, I will take this, notwithstanding its 
age.” And the old man was in a bad humor, and scolded his servant. “Psha! it seems 
that this one is he who told it.” (In the original, Naji! ¢é¢inkée twagi¢éga” eska™,) 
