THE BEAR MEDICINE. 341 
any of them to stay in the lodge, for he was going to have a ceremony 
of his own. The women swept out the lodge, spread the mat on the 
ground and went out. The boy was then alone. He took down his 
bundle, and took therefrom the bear’s claw and four downy feathers, each 
having a different color. He laid them upon the ground and went out 
to the place where the ponies were tied. He first put his handsinto the 
mouths of the horses, went back into the lodge, and passed his hands 
over the bear’s claw and the feathers. This was a sign of thankfulness 
to the Bear who had taken pity upon him; for he had never owned a pony, 
and these were his first. After this performance, he filled his pipe and 
sang a song, calling the spirit of the Bear to him. The boy smoked the 
pipe, and after smoking went out and told one of the women to go and 
bid the chief’s son come to his tipi. 
The poor boy went back into the lodge, sat down, put another cushion 
on the mat, and as the chief’s son entered the young medicine-man 
-motioned him to take a seat on the cushion that he had placed there 
for him to siton. The chief’s son saw the things spread out in front of 
the poor boy, and he knew then where the boy had gone when he disap- 
peared. The chief’s son now arose and put his hands over the poor 
boy, and told him that he was glad he was back, and that he now knew 
that the poor boy had been among the Bears, and that the Bears had 
taught him the mysteries. He begged the poor boy to teach him. The 
poor boy said: ‘‘No, I can not, my brother, for your father is a chief, 
and you can never know these mysteries. You must be kind and good 
to the people, for some day you will be a chief. To have the spirit of 
the Bear you must kill people and take scalps, and this I do not want 
you to do. I sent for you, for I have been treating the wounded man. 
I do not want the people to know my power, but when I went to visit 
the wounded man the spirit of the Bear overcame me, for the people 
who were waiting upon him were not doing right by him. I have cured 
him. The people know my power, and you, who have befriended me, 
ought to know of my power before anyone. I possess it, it isin me, but 
Ican not explainit to you. Nowitis time for me to wrap up the things 
in the bundle and hang them on the side of the lodge. Now, my brother, 
I have several robes which I received for waiting upon that wounded 
man. Take your choice.’’ The young man took one robe which had 
pictures of a pipe upon it, for these things belong to a chief. The poor 
boy took the chief’s boy outside, untied one of the ponies, and handed 
him a rope. Said he: ‘‘This, my brother, is yours; take it home, use it 
for your own, but come back to-night and stay with me.’’ The chief’s 
boy was very thankful. He took the pony to the chief’s lodge, went in, 
