THE WAR PARTY OF NUDASAXA’S FATHER. Sill 
TRANSLATION. 
My father went on the war-path. And he sang all the time. He always was sing- 
ing as he walked. When he was a young man, he was always singing when he lay 
down at night. At length they went as scouts to a certain place. When the scouts 
were going back, they discovered the trail of men. ‘“O warclief, some men have 
gone homeward in a long line!” said they. ‘ Oho!” said he, “do persevere. Be sure 
to make yourselves sacred by the aid of your guardian animals.” At length three men 
were passing along very close beside them. ‘*Come, O war-chief, let us kill these!” 
said they. But the war-chief was unwilling. At length it was night and somewhat 
dark. ‘Hu! hu! hu! hu!” They were these who beat the drums. They were Paw- 
nees. When my father heard it, he aroused the young man who was with him. “Arise!” 
saidhe. And they came back to tell it to the war-chief: “O war-chief, they who beat 
the drums are manifest. Those who are in that place near by came this way and 
camped.” At day it became light again. At length the men were coming back, fol- 
lowing the course of the stream. And without detecting the presence of the Ponkas, 
they went far beyond them on their homeward way. And one was coming back. “Ho!” 
said they, “let us cause this one to die with us.” My father went as a scout. The path 
was very near. My father returned to the war-chief to tell it to him. My father left 
them all behind, as he was a swift runner. He overtook the Pawnee. The Pawnee 
having thrown away his robe, ran back towards his people in the camp. My father 
overtook him. He shot at the Pawnee repeatedly, wounding him with the arrows; he 
wounded the Pawnee every time, therefore he shot at him. And when Wacuce arrived 
there, he killed the Pawnee with a blow from his war-club. The rest of the Ponkas 
arrived afterward. After a little while the Ponkas intercepted their retreat on both 
sides of the path. At length the Pawnees in fleeing forced a way through the ranks 
of the Ponkas, carrying the latter along in pursuit. And my father remained sitting 
at the place where they had left him. And the Pawnees were coming very close 
beside him. Notwithstanding he wished to shoot at them, he never shot. ‘ Hereto- 
fore have I wished to live; and behold, if they detect me, they will kill me,” said my 
father. He referred to the Pawnee men who were walking in a dense body; if they 
found one man belonging to the foe they would be apt to kill him. This Qu‘é-man¢i" 
(White Hoof’s father) killed very many of the Pawnees; he was very active. Behold, 
the Ponkas saw him kill four men of the Pawnees; he really killed them. Qu‘é-ma*- 
¢i® was the only slayer besides my father; the rest of the Ponkas were not slayers. 
And the Pawnees killed eight or nine Ponka men. The Pawnees exterminated the 
remaining Ponkas. About five:—Nacki-jan’ga (Big-head), Qu‘é-man¢ir, the father of 
qe jé-bayé (Buffalo-dung-in-heaps), my father, and Wacuce, came home alive. All fled, 
and scattered in the thickets; they scattered and hid themselves. During the next 
day they met each other, and assembled themselves. And they barely reached home; 
they were naked and yery hungry. 
