88 TRUE STORIES OF THE HEAVENLY BEINGS. 
walk all day on the east side of the company, and if anyone passed in front 
of him to turn back and go home. As this boy became a man he took 
his bundle and went on the war-path with some other men, and was suc- 
cessful. He changed his name from Yellow-Bird to Proud-Fox, for he 
was very proud because he had been successful in capturing ponies the 
first time. He stayed at home but a short time, then went out again with 
another party. He captured more ponies and changed his name again to 
Spotted-Horse. This name he kept until one time when he captured 
many more ponies. Among these ponies was a fine spotted horse. This 
spotted horse seemed to be the chief of ponies. He changed his name to 
Spotted-Horse-Chief. While Spotted-Horse-Chief had that name men 
looked upon him as a great warrior. Soon after he came back with many 
ponies, another party of warriors from the Sioux country came and cap- 
tured many ponies fromthe Pawnee. Spotted-Horse-Chief satin his lodge 
and invited only a few of his friends. He told them that he intended to 
go on the war-path; that he was going to try to get the ponies back. The 
other men said that they would go with him. 
The company started out very early in the morning. When they 
had gone far from the village, they stopped to rest. Scouts were on the 
hills, and they kept making signs to the company that some more men 
were coming. The men arrived and joined the others. They came to the 
Platte River and the ice had broken so that large cakes were floating 
down the river. The leader with the bundle stopped on the east side of 
the company, and said, ‘‘Come, follow me, men!” With all his cloth- 
ing on he started to wade the river. As he went where the current was 
swift he had to push away the cakes of ice that were coming down the 
river. He crossed the river and stood upon the bank. All of his fol- 
lowers were where he had left them, although he had commanded them 
to follow him. He thought to himself: ‘‘ Well, I wanted to come on the 
war-path alone; those men followed me; and there they are afraid to cross 
the river.”” He then sang a warrior Coyote song. When the men heard 
Spotted-Horse-Chief sing, they said: ‘‘It is true. Spotted-Horse-Chief 
sat in his lodge planning to go out; we heard of it; our sisters and aunts 
fixed our moccasins, with pemmican and corn; we crawled up to his lodge 
and waited until he started out; then we followed Spotted-Horse-Chief. 
He did not ask us to follow him; now he asks us to follow him through 
this river. He has crossed the river; he is a brave man; let us cross and 
follow him through the enemy’s country.’’ The men all waded through 
the river, although the water was cold. Cakes of ice were floating down 
the stream, but the men did not mind them. They crossed the river 
and stood on the bank where Spotted-Horse-Chief had kindled a fire, so 
