BURNT-BELLY AND HIS DREAMS. 159 
while the young man himself led out a war party. They attacked the 
village of the enemy, killed many, taking many scalps and bringing 
home many ponies. When he brought the ponies home he began to 
give them away. The people wondered who this man was. The people 
would say, ‘‘What has become of Burnt-Belly.’’ The boy stood up and 
said to the people: ‘‘We went on the war-path, we attacked the village, 
we killed many people, took many scalps and many ponies. The people 
are well off through it. You are anxious to find out who was the leader 
of this war party. It is the boy whom you all despised; the boy whom 
you called Burnt-Belly. It was this boy who led the party.’ Then 
the people knew at once that it was the poor boy, and when the wonder- 
ful man heard of the boy he said to himself: ‘‘All things that I have 
said to the boy have come true. It is wonderful. When he became my 
brother-in-law I would ask for Burnt-Belly.’’ The people chose him for 
a chief and they knew him as a great warrior. 
43. THE BOY WHO WORE A WOODPECKER CAP.* 
There was a village upon the prairie with a stream of water running 
on the south side. On the west side were many little ponds and lakes. 
Upon one of the islands the people saw a strange being. This strange 
being was a little boy. He wore a woodpecker cap. Around the rim 
circle were many woodpeckers’ heads. This little boy also had a quiver 
made of otter skin. The bow was of osage orange and it was black 
with age. The arrows were black and were feathered with the yellow 
feathers of a woodpecker. The leggings were made of antelope skin. 
Eagle feathers were tied upon the leggings, and here and there hung 
owls’ heads. Every time he was seen upon the island in the night the 
people would hear the owls hoot about him. 
One day the boy saw a strange woman swim across to the island 
where he was. The people in the village had never attempted to swim 
across the lake to the island, for there were many strange animals in 
the water, and people were afraid to swim across the lake. The woman 
came to the island where the boy was. The woman said: ‘‘My grand- 
child, it is now time for you to go among your people. I left you here 
upon the island so that the animals might take care of you and teach you 
their mysteries, and that some day you might be able to help your peo- 
ple. I have brought you an arrow. Whenever you want to cross the 
lake take this arrow, shoot it over the lake, and when the arrow falls 
1Told by White-Horse, Pitahauirat. The practice of certain Pawnee medicine- 
men of wearing a cap or head dress bearing a circular band of woodpecker scalps 
is explained by this story. The moral of the story for children is that they should 
take care of their fine clothing. 
