THE WARRIORS AND THE THREE SNAKES. oo 
He who was at the end stood crying. And he said as follows: “Ho, O servants! I 
have found a plan.” And they gave to the Snakes all their possessions, such as arrows, 
moccasins, and knives. And from the time that they closed their mouths there was 
acalm. The Snakes made the high wind with their mouths, when they lay with open 
mouths. And the men went homeward by jumping over the Snake which lay across 
their path. “Ho! O servants! Let one of you go before,” said the war-chief. And 
they were unwilling, as all were afraid. ‘Oho! O servants, I will be he! As the 
war-chief belongs to the class of men who are continually making efforts to accomplish 
anything whatsoever, and who are accomplishing it, not fearing to die, I will be the 
one to undertake it,” said the war-chief. And when the war-chief was going home- 
ward, the middle Snake was lying with open mouth. And leaping over him, he went 
homeward. “Oho! Be ye strong,” said the war-chief. And then the other war-chief 
leaped over in like manner and went homeward. ‘Oho, O servants! Be ye strong. 
Desire to do just as we do when we are coming homeward,” said the war-chiefs. And 
so they continued going homeward one by one; then one went homeward; then one 
was apt to go homeward, thirty men in all. Again one leaped over and went home- 
ward: Again the one next to him leaped over. As many of them as reached the other 
side of the Snake exhorted one another to do their best. But he who stood at the 
very end of the line hesitated. The tears trickled down his face. ‘Ho, O servant! you 
are aman. We are men, and so we travel. O servant, you do wrong to cry,” said the 
war-chief. At length when this man was going homeward, the Snake raised his back, 
forming a hump, and the man lay down suddenly on the Snake’s back. And when the 
Snake threw the man over on his (7. e., the man’s) back, he swallowed the man imme- 
diately. “Oho!” said the war-chief. ‘So, O servants! we walk alone. When any 
one person wishes to die at any place, he dies.” So they went homeward. And they 
used to sleep on the homeward way. And thus they slept regularly when at a dis- 
tance. At length two went as scouts. ‘‘O war-chief! some lodges are there in that 
place,” said they. “Oho!” said he. ‘O war-chief! we are tired. Be strong. We 
desire to ride horses,” said they. “Oho!” said he. And they reached there on their 
homeward way. They stood by the very edge of the lodges. Both war-chiefs went 
to the village. Behold, a great many horses were in a long line. And both war-chiefs 
drove them along before them. They took them away towards their comrades. After 
moving a while, they reached that place again with them. ‘Begone and tell them,” 
said one war-chief, addressing the other. He arrived there again and told them. ‘Your 
war-chief has done a pleasant thing,” said he. ‘Ho, O war-chief!” said every one. 
' And the war-chief who had the horses arrived there again. “Oho!” said he, “tie ye 
all those horses with lariats.” They tied the horses with lariats. And they drove 
all before them. And they slept regularly as they went homeward. They arrived 
home again at the lodges which they had abandoned when they were coming in this 
direction towards the foe. And all the horses which they had brought back they gave 
to the women and the old men. r: 
