222 TALES OF READY-TO-GIVE. 
home there. Then the boy said: ‘‘I am done. My work is finished.” 
He flew up into the tree as a speckled woodpecker. 
And so it is that we find the woodpecker’s nests at the top of hollow 
trees and the nests of the mice at the foot of the hollow trees. 
68. THE WITCH-WOMAN WHO STOLE THE WONDERFUL ROBE.’ 
In a village a Witch-Woman lived with the people. She killed many 
handsome young men. She also stole many things from the people, hid- 
ing the things which she took under her dress. Sometimes she would cap- 
ture a young boy and would turn the boy intosome animal. Sometimes 
she would place them under the earth in the form of woodrats, moles, 
or gophers. She did so many bad things among the people that they 
turned out and tried to kill her. When they pounded her with sticks she 
cared nothing about it. When the people tried to cut her with knives, 
the knives would not go through her flesh. She laughed at them and 
mocked them. The people could not do anything with her. 
They got together and decided to go to the old priests for advice. A 
man was sent to the priest. He said to the priest, ‘“‘I was sent to you by 
the people for advice as to what we should do with this Witch-Woman.” 
The priest reached up, took down his sacred bundle, opened it, took out 
a rattle, and began to recite rituals and songs which were given to the peo- 
ple by Tirawa. At last he came toa ritual which told about the Witch- 
Women through the country; that they were to be done away with by 
young men from different parts of the country. Then the priest stopped 
singing, wrapped up the bundle, and hung it up. He told the man to go 
and tell the people that the Witch-Woman was not to be present with the 
people always; that Witch-Women belonged to the earth and in time 
they would be placed upon the earth. He told the man also to tell the 
people that certain young men would come into their village who would 
be the ones to do away with the Witch-Woman. 
Early the next spring a young man came to their village. This 
young man was not known to the people. The buffalo robe which he 
had over his body had stars and dark clouds painted on it. Paintings of 
lightning in the clouds, the sun and moon were also upon the robe. 
Flocks of swallows and also gadflies were painted on the robe. The boy 
1Told by Leading-Sun, Kitkehahki. This story is told to children to teach 
them to be careful not to meddle with objects of a ceremonial or religious nature 
or with objects which did not belong to them. Closely corresponding variants of 
this tale were found inal! four bands of Pawnee, the one given here being the most 
complete. The songs which accompany this version were obtained from Thief, 
also a Kitkehahki. In another veision of this tale, obtained from the Chaui Old- 
Woman, Coyote was substituted for Witch-Woman. 
