358 THE ORIGIN OF MEDICINE CEREMONIES OR POWER. 
upon you and give you certain powers, so that you may become a great 
warrior, and finally become a chief. We wish to make a medicine-man 
of you and you must start a dance among your people known as the 
Buffalo and Wild Horse dance. There are your things in front of you. 
Put the things upon you and sit among us. Before we do anything for 
you, we wish you to go home and let your father and mother know that 
your are alive, for they are mourning over you. We also want you to 
go after presents for us. Now,I want you to look at me and you will see 
that all these Buffalo on the south side are my children. Now that 
you have been taken into my lodge you shall die of old age, but you shall 
also have many children. Now look at me.’”’ The boy looked on the 
south side and there sat an old bull whose skin was bare of hair, on 
account of old age. There were a few hairs on his head; the rest of his 
skin had no hair. The bull said: ‘‘My son, you have heard me ask my 
children to take pity upon you, and they have consented to do so; but 
first bring me native tobacco, blue beads, a black silk handkerchief, 
and brown eagle feathers.’’ The Horse then spoke and said, ‘‘My son, 
look at me.’” The boy looked, and there sat anold black Horse. It had 
only a few hairs on its mane and tail. The black Horse then said: “‘My 
son, my children have taken pity upon you; but first get me native 
tobacco, sweet grass, black buffalo lariat rope, eagle feathers, and paint.” 
Then they set the boy west of the lodge, and all the Buffalo and the Horses 
arose and ran to the boy, and as they gathered around him he disappeared. 
When the young man came to, he was sitting by the lake as he sat 
before. He saw to his right something standing up like a Horse, that 
spoke to him and said: “I am going to your home with you. I am 
the black Horse that you saw on the north side that was so poor, old, 
and thin.’’ The boy then arose and started back home. In the even- 
ing the black Horse said, ‘‘My son, I eat the grass. You must eat as 
I do.’’ The boy ate a few bunches of grass and was filled. Each day 
the horse circled around the boy, and this was done to take the tired 
feeling from the boy. The Horse and the boy traveled fast. One 
night they came to a village and the Horse stopped and told the boy that 
it was his father’s village. 
The boy went into his village and found his father’s lodge. He 
entered the lodge and woke up his mother. She screamed, but the boy 
spoke to her. He told his father that he was there. The old man kin- 
dled a fire. The boy told his mother and father that he had come, but 
that he had not come to stay; that he had to go back, but that he wanted 
his father to go through the village and tell his brothers that he wanted 
tobacco, blue beads, a black silk handkerchief, sweet grass, and brown 
