660 THE ¢EGIHA LANGUAGE—MYTHS, STORIES, AND LETTERS. 
NOTES. 
659, 5. ¢iike, superfluous (fide F.), but given by. the chief, who is one of the aged 
men, and an orator. Perhaps there have been some changes in the language within 
the past ten years. F. and G. are young men. 
659, 5. e, superfluous, fide F. In the next line F. reads “‘ wadaxe,” referring it 
to one man, Little Elk; but Ma®tcu natba said, ‘‘ wadaxai,” and seemingly referred io 
both men. 
659, 7. dudanga¢i*, contr. of duda anga¢i?. 
659, 8. Cejata”, etc. F. at first accepted this reading, having inserted the com- 
mas after ‘‘ag¢i” and ‘“‘wa¢ati-ma.” Subsequently he gave the following reading: 
Céyata® cai/ge wadi? ag¢iima, wa¢adi-ma, b¢iga wéma%¢a™i ha Hiyanga ama, The 
Winnebago have stolen from us all the horses which you gave us, and which we brought 
back from yonder place where you are. But G. says that Ma*teu na*ba used “ i®ma?- 
¢a"i,” as he spoke as a chief, regarding his people’s horses as his own. 
659, 9. Wakega té, ete. F. and G. read, Wakéga té/ a™’¢icta™ ctéwa’ maji ha, 
Ada® da” qti i”’/pimaji ha, The sickness has not stopped on me at all, therefore I am much 
sadder than I have ever been. 
659, 12. be tate, ete. As Ma*tcu na™ba spoke for his tribe, this sentence would 
be, if expressed in ordinary language, Eile agate taité a%¢a™ baha®-baji ha, wawakega 
a najiti éga®, in the 1st. pers. pl. 
TRANSLATION. 
O Walking Elk and Running Buffalo, I have received and read the letter which 
has come. And I send this letter to you. I can not come to any decision. Many 
persons are dead, including women and children. Two very stout-hearted men have 
died, so I am crying incessantly. Wacuce (or, Brave), the mother’s brother of your 
Mawata"na, and the one who has been the keeper of the sacred pipes, is dead. The 
other dead man was named Little Elk. I regarded them as very stout-hearted men, 
but they are dead. You ought to know one of them, Little Elk. When we dwelt on 
this side of (Omaha Creek?) you brought a horse to give to him. It was a dun 
horse. The Winnebagos have stolen from me all the horses which the Omahas 
received from you and brought back to yonder place(?). The sickness has not yet 
stopped its violence among my people in the least degree, therefore I am much sadder 
than I have ever been. Even while I sit talking thus many persons have been lost 
to me by death, therefore I am sad. And my relations, the Ponkas, have sent here 
to invite us to visit them, but we do not know whether we shall go or not, because we 
still have sickness among us. I wish to hear what plans have been made by those 
real Dakotas, who are under Spotted Tail. I have received no money, as the white 
people have given me none. Iam very poor because the horses have been expended, 
so I send you a letter by some one, I send you a very few words by some one. 
