THE MAN WHO MARRIED A BUFFALO. rg 
the old people to watch over the boy; that he was bad and might hurt 
some of the children. She meant that if the little boy should strike 
some of the children his hands would turn into a calf’s hoofs, and they 
would hurt the children badly. The Buffalo woman also said: ‘‘Watch 
the boy closely. Donotlet him fall upon the ground, for the boy will then 
get away fromus.’’ The woman meant that if the boy should fall down 
upon the ground he would turn into a Buffalo calf and would run away. 
The woman and the boy remained with the people and were happy. 
Every day the young man went to where the people were playing 
with the gambling sticks. When the sun became hot and it was noon, 
the boy would take a bucket of water to his father. One day the young 
man went out to the gambling grounds and played with the sticks. He 
began to lose nearly everything that he had and he became angry. 
When the boy came with the water he stood to one side of the gambling 
grounds with the water, but the man would not go to his son to drink. 
The mother was sitting in the lodge. Something seemed to touch her. 
She arose and went out of the lodge. She sat down near the entrance 
and she saw her son with the water standing near his father. The 
‘man never went to drink and the woman became angry. The boy came 
home and his mother took him and went into the lodge. She took up 
her robe and that of the child and they went out. The grandmother 
saw them go out. She went right out and went to where her son was 
playing with the sticks. She called to him and said: ‘“‘My son, stop 
playing. Come home. See, yonder go your wife and your child.’ The 
man looked, and when he saw his wife and child going away he threw 
down the sticks and went home. The young man entered the lodge and 
sat down. He asked for his leggings and moccasins. He put them on 
and went out. As he went upon the hill he saw the two going, not as 
human beings, but as Buffalo. He followed for a long distance. The 
calf would come back and jump around its father, and then would run 
again to its mother. Inthe night the Buffalo would sit down in a hollow 
while the calf would come and lie beside the father. 
One day the calf came and said: ‘“‘Father, are you hungry?’ The 
man said: ‘‘Iam.’”’ Thecalf said: ‘‘ Father, strike me upon the forehead, 
not so very hard.’’ The man hit the calf upon the forehead. As soon 
as he struck the head, pemmican fell from the head and dropped upon the 
grass. The man sat down and ate of the pemmican. When he had eaten 
enough he put away what was left. Then he went on again. The calf 
came to him again and said: ‘‘Father, are you thirsty?’’ The man said: 
“Ves, Iam thirsty.”’ Thecalfthenbegantopawintotheground. After 
a while the calf’s hoof began to work out from the ground. The water 
