7 
THE SUITOR AND HIS FRIENDS. 333 
TRANSLATION. 
A very beautiful woman dwelt in a certain village. And the young men used to 
go thither, as they desired her. And they always failed to win her. And one young 
man thought, “Let me see! They have desired the woman, and have always failed, 
but I desire the woman and I will go!” And the young man departed. And there 
was a very high hill, on which a person was sitting. The youth who was thinking of 
the woman drew near the man sitting on the hill. And the person who sat on the hill 
stood erect and then sat, at short intervals. And the young man who was thinking 
of the woman arrived there by the man. And the young man said, “My friend, why 
do you sit?” And the other said as follows: “My friend, I wish to attack these 
buffaloes, but I always go beyond them, so I tie stones to my ankles.” The stones were 
very large, but he was tying them to his ankles. And the youth said, ‘My friend, if 
ever the time comes, you can run; but Iam without a companion. Letus go.” The man 
said, “Yes,” and went with him. At length, they came in sight of two large lakes, 
where a man was sitting. When he wished to drink water, he bowed his head and 
drank; and he raised his head again. The young man arrived there. “My friend, 
why do you sit?” said he. ‘Yes, my friend, I wish to drink this, but I never get 
enough, so I am desiring to drink yonder one also,” said the man. “My friend, if ever 
the time comes, you can drink it. But I have no companion; let us go,” said the youth. 
And the man went with the two, making three. As they went, they saw another per- 
son, who was walking and looking at the sky. Having reached him, the youth said, 
“Why do you walk?” “Yes, my friend, I pulled the bowstring, and sent the arrow 
far away. But as the arrow has not come back to me, I am waiting for it to appear,” 
said the man. ‘My friend, I am going traveling, but I have no one with me. You 
can seek your property in the future. Let us go,” said the youth. When the man 
said, “Yes,” they departed. They were four. At length there was a person lying 
stretched out. Whenever he raised his head, he lay down again. Behold, he was 
listening regularly to something on the ground. “My friend, why do you recline?” 
“Yes, my friend, the different kinds of vegetation are coming forth, and I am listening 
to their breathing,” said the man. ‘“ My friend, you can listen to it in the future. Let 
us go. I walk on a journey, but I have no one with me,” said the youth. When the 
man said, “Yes,” he went with him. 
At length they arrived at the village. And when the men arrived there, the people 
crowded around to gaze at them. “Five men have come,” said the people. ‘ Why 
have you come?” “Yes, we have come because we desire the woman,” said the five 
men. “Though they come regularly on account of the woman, they always fail, as it 
is difficult to win her,” said the people. And they said as follows: “Tf you wish to 
marry the woman, you will throw this rock away, and send it out from this place to a 
remote land. It always overshadows the viliage, and keeps away the sunlight.” 
And the youth who desired the woman said, “Alas! my friends, it is very difficult.” 
“My friend,” said I1’‘é-siya”-ikata™ (He-who-tied-stones-to-his-ankles), “what is diffi- 
cult? It is by no means difficult.” He went to the rock. When he arrived there, he 
leaned against the rock, and pushed it away. As the rock was cracked in many places 
by the fall, it was ground very fine. And from that cause, that is, from the rock which 
was ground very fine, came all the stones which are scattered far and wide over the 
