332 THE ORIGIN OF MEDICINE CEREMONIES OR POWER. 
A few days afterwards the Skidi broke camp and went away. The 
boy thought to himself that it was time to return to the timber. When 
he went into the timber he found the Magpie again, and when the Magpie 
saw the boy it flew from one limb to the other, making a screeching 
sound, and the boy could see that the Magpie was glad to see him. The 
Magpie led the boy around through the timber. Finally it came to the 
boy in adream and said: ‘‘Something is wrong with you. I will hasten 
now to take you into the lodge of the animals, for you must not remain 
in your present condition.’’ The next day the boy woke up and followed 
the Magpie around until they came to a pond. Here the boy lay down 
to sleep. When he woke up he found himself at another place. (A 
song was taught the boy to be sung in the medicine-man’s lodge, where 
it tells of his lying down to sleep in one place and waking up in another.) 
The boy lay down again and he dreamed that he was lying upon the 
fireplace in the lodge of the animals. With him in the lodge was a 
Turtle. 
When the boy woke up he found himself at another place. Then he 
began to dig into the earth. He found canes and bulrushes growing all 
around. When he went to sleep again he saw a man covered with mud. 
Fire came from his mouth and eyes. He said: ‘‘My son, you have been 
lying upon my back for some time. I moved around. You found your- 
self at different places, but I wasmoving around. IamtheTurtle. Iam 
the fireplace of the animal lodges. I will tell you one thing which you 
can do to try my power. Make a bow out of an ash tree. Then take a 
cane and sharpen it. Put soft downy feathers upon the cane and put 
downy feathers upon the bow. When you want to do any sleight-of- 
hand jump out from the animals’ lodge. Run around the fireplace 
with the bow and reed arrows. When you have gone around four times, 
then stand in the west, facing east. Take aim, shoot at the turtle in 
the back, and the turtle, which is the fireplace, will move away.'! 
This is all I can tell you now. You are not well and the animals in 
the lodge know of it. They can not help you, for there is nothing that 
can be done for you.’”’ The boy woke up and wondered why the Magpie 
and Turtle had spoken-to him in that way. When the boy went through 
the timber he found the Magpie. The Magpie came to the boy and sat 
in the tree. It said: ‘‘My brother, you are not well and you are in 
trouble. This night I shall ask the animals in the lodge to take you in.” 
The Magpie went away. The boy woke up and looked around. After 
a while he saw in the ponds sparks of fire. Then he heard something 
’The fireplace in the ceremony of at least one Skidi medicine-lodge is shaped 
and painted like a great turtle. 
