24 
With that he left them. Then, when those partridges came home, 
what had happened to their children! 
“Why is this, children, that you look like this ?” 
their mother and their father asked them. 
“Why, when that person Wisahketchahk asked us, ‘What is your 
name, little brothers, partridges?’ and we did not tell him, but said to him, 
‘But you have just spoken our name,' then he said to us, ‘No; everything 
has two names.’ At last I told him, saying to him, ‘Little Startlers we are 
called,’ whereupon he said of us, ‘Fine ones these are to startle anyone,’ 
With that he was off and away, laughing.” 
“Well, wife, come away. When he comes to the creek again, we shall 
make him a laughing-stock for saying to our children, ‘Fine ones these, to 
startle anyone.’ Let us attack him.” 
Accordingly they appealed to the other partridges, and all assembled. 
Then presently he came to the creek in the woods. And there on both 
sides, on both banks sat the partridges in concealment. 
Then Wisahketchahk reached the creek. The water was bright and 
clear. When he came to it there, he had on a buffalo-robe; and leather 
was his coat; of leather were his breeches. 
Then he spoke as follows: “Come” — and loudly he spoke — -“I have a 
feeling that a new hat has been put up as a prize, and new clothes, and it 
has been announced, ‘If anyone jumps to the far shore, he shall have these.’ 
Three times I shall stop short; then, the fourth time, I shall jump,” he 
said. 
The partridges listened to him; but he did not see them. Then he 
walked back up the bank. 
“For a short while I shall exercise my legs,” he said; he simply told 
them what he meant to do. 
Then he stood a ways off; he put his blanket-robe here, like this; 
he put it round his neck. Then he came on a running start; at the bank 
of the creek he stopped with a jump. 
“Tut tut, I shall get my tobacco-pouch all wet, if I don’t make it,” 
he said; “I’ll throw it across.” 
He took his tobacco-pouch; he did not keep his eye on it as he flung 
it; like this it fell somewhere on the other bank. When he threw it, one 
of the partridges flew up. 
“Tut tut, really, he came very near startling me!” he said. 
“Now only three times more!” 
Again he went away from the water. He did not know the exact spot 
to which he had tossed his tobacco-pouch. Then he came with a running 
start; he stopped. 
“Two! Now only twice more!” he said. 
Then two of them flew up. 
“Tut tut, they came mighty near scaring me, these partridges, these 
little startlers!” 
Again he went off. Again he came running at that creek. 
“Three! Now this time I shall jump. Without doubt a new hat has 
been put up as a prize, and new clothes, with the statement, ‘If anyone 
jumps across the water, I shall give him these.’ But now I shall jump,” 
he said. 
