356 THE ORIGIN OF MEDICINE CEREMONIES OR POWER. 
them. The warriors began to worry, and they finally found out that 
when the young man was with the party it met hardships, was found out 
by the enemy, and driven away. Other war parties that the young man 
had not joined were successful and brought home many ponies. After 
these facts were recognized the warriors were careful to conceal from 
the boy their departure from the village, and if he followed and caught 
up with them the warriors told him to return home; and they called him 
all kinds of names, but still he would follow them. Finally all of the 
warriors would turn back home, for they knew there was no use going 
farther. The whole village grew to dislike the boy and he came to be 
known as Poor-Boy. 
At length the boy’s father heard what the warriors thought of his 
son. He became angry at his boy, called him all kinds of names, then 
told him that he should go upon the war-path alone. His father and 
mother both were angry at their son and ashamed of him. The boy 
became very sad. He would sit day after day, wishing that the enemy 
would attack the village, so that he could ride one of his father’s ponies 
right into the enemy’s lines and be killed; but the enemy never appeared. 
Once or twice he was about to commit suicide. All at once he made up 
his mind to go away from his village, so that if he was found by the enemy 
he might be killed; and if not found by the enemy he might meet some 
_ wild animals and be killed by them; and if not killed by the animals, he 
might starve to death. 
One evening the boy went to his mother and said, ‘‘ Mother, can you 
give me one or two pairs of moccasins and a little something to eat?”’ 
His mother said, ‘‘No, my son, I can not give them to you, for there is 
no use of your trying to join war parties.’’ The young man said, “I am 
not going with any war party, but Iam going alone.” His mother gave 
him two pairs of moccasins, one pair filled with parched corn and the 
other pair filled with pemmican. In the night the boy put his leggings 
and moccasins on and a covering robe over his shoulders, took his quiver, 
slung it over his shoulders, took a piece of buffalo hair lariat rope and 
tied it around his waist, and hung his moccasins from it. He started 
out and went directly west. Each day he took a very little of the meat 
and a few kernels of corn. The farther he went the more he ate, until 
at last he had eaten all he had. He kept on day after day. He was 
very hungry and very thin, so he could walk only a very short distance; 
then he had to stop and lie down, for his strength was leaving him. 
One day he felt dizzy. He could not see very far and he knew that 
he must be dying. At a short distance there was a hill. He made up 
his mind to go to the hill and lie down upon it, so that if he should die 
