THE BEAR MEDICINE-MAN. 335 
out from the lodge and it was gone for some time. When it went 
back to the lodge it flew around and said: ‘‘Animals, he is coming. I 
carried presents to the being and it received them and promised to help 
the boy.”’ 
For some time afterwards the boy noticed a great dust coming in at the 
entrance. After the dust had settled the boy saw that the being was a 
Bear. The Bear was given a seat on the north side of the lodge so that 
it could look at the sun. The leader of the lodge said: ‘‘Father, our 
errand man brought a human being into the lodge. He made a special 
request as an errand man that we take pity on this boy. We have 
failed to help him, for the thing which he’has in his stomach can not be 
destroyed, because it is a stone and it ishard. We have called upon you 
to help us.’’ The Bear then said, ‘‘If the boy will promise me one thing 
I will remove the trouble and cure him.’’ The Bear said to the young 
man, “‘When I cut you up, I want to eat a piece of your liver.’’ The 
boy told the Bear that it was all right and that he could have a piece of 
his liver. The Bear then stood on his hind legs and began to strike upon 
his breast. All at once it cried aloud, rolled in the dust, and then stood 
up again. While the Bear was going through this performance the boy 
was told to lie down. The Bear jumped at the boy and looked at him 
for a long time. The Bear began to blow its breath upon the boy until 
he became unconscious. Then the Bear took its right paw and with the 
least claw it struck the breast of the boyand tore him open. The Bear 
reached into the stomach of the boy and took out a large round stone. 
This he threw to one side. Then the Bear put its head into the boy’s 
breast. When it lifted up its head it had a piece of liver in its mouth. 
After the Bear ate the liver, it began to scream and yell, and it jumped on 
the boy and blew its breath upon his mouth and nostrils and upon the 
opening. The animals saw the opening closing up until it was closed and 
well again. The boy lay there as if he were dead. The Bear jumped 
to one side, and cried out for the animals to put life into the boy. The 
animals could not make the boy alive. Then the Magpie flew up and 
begged the Bear to restore him to life. The Bear jumped at the boy and 
blew its breath upon his nostrils and mouth until he began tomove. The 
Bear took him up in his arms, hugged him, and then he began to breathe. 
The Bear jumped away from the boy and the boy stood up. The Bear 
ran around and the boy followed. After they stopped running, the Bear 
said, ‘‘My son, from now on you shall have the power to cut people open 
and to eat their liver.’’ This had never been done before. The animals 
‘then began to teach the boy their powers. They sent him home and the 
people were surprised when they saw him coming. 
