17 6 TALES OF READY-TO-GIVE. 
breast of the girl, and looked under the breast for herheart. When it was 
about to reach for the heart the girl took hold of the legs of the eagle 
and she said: ‘‘ Where is the heart that you shall eat? It is I, your poor 
niece, who has cried many days over the prairies and tried to catch you. 
I shall take you back and you must remain with me forever.” 
The instant the woman touched the legs of the Eagle, the Eagle turned 
into the boy again. Hescreamed and yelled and said: “‘My niece, I will 
return with you to yourplace. Myniece,it shall be so. Whenthe people 
are living upon the earth there will be a time when they shall capture 
an enemy and the captured woman shall be offered to the Morning-Star. 
But this offering shall not be made unless several buffalo shall be killed 
and made holy and offered to the gods asa sacrifice to the Morning-Star.”’ 
When the woman and the boy went to their field, dark clouds came and 
covered them up and they disappeared from the earth, and they were no 
more upon the earth. The woman had returned to the Moon, and the 
boy had returned to the east to stand behind his brother. 
47. THE POOR BOY WHO LOST HIS POWER.* 
There lived in a village, that the people had deserted, a woman who 
was very poor. There lived with her a little boy who was known as 
Burnt-Belly. She loved the little boy. She went out into the fields 
and gathered corn, squashes, and beans for him. One day the little boy 
got his robe all white. The woman, though she loved the little boy, 
became angry and took a stick and hit him on the head. The boy cried; 
then she scolded him for crying. All at once the boy took the little 
white robe and wrapped himself in it, leaving only his head out. He 
then began to sing: . 
Something fly towards me, my niece. 
Now my toes are turning to something, 
Are turning to handsome eagle’s claws, 
Are turning to handsome eagle’s claws. 
Then he sang again: ‘‘My aunt, my legs shall turn into eagle’s legs.” 
Then he sang again: ‘‘My aunt, my body shall turn into an eagle’s 
body.’’ Then the woman turned around and hit the boy on the head, 
and said: ‘‘You will turn into an eagle!” The boy kept on singing and 
said: ‘‘My aunt, my arms shall turn into an eagle’s wings.’’ Then he 
sang again, and said: ‘“‘My aunt, my neck shall turn into eagle’s neck.” 
1 Told by Thief, Kitkehahki. This story is similar to the preceding and points 
the same moral, viz, the value of obedience to the gods. It may also be 
as a Kitkehahki variant of tale No. 46. 

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