HANDSOME-BOY. 419 
young man to the edge of the village and stood him up. Then they 
brought some coals and placed them on the east side of him, on the 
south side, on the west, and on the north. Then they placed wild sage 
upon the hot coals, so that the boy stood in the center where the four 
smokes went up. After the smoke died out the uncle came and touched 
him with wild sage. Then he took one stem of wild sage and took the 
leaves off and rolled it into a ball. He gave it to him and said, ‘‘Eat, 
and swallow the spit, for you must not spit anything out.’’ Then they 
took the boy into the village and they gave him many things to eat. 
After four days the uncle said: ‘‘My nephew, it is now time for 
you to leave us, for you are not dead, but the being who has been watch- 
ing over you made you come here. Since you have come here you know 
now that the people who die come to us through this passage. It is 
very good for a young man to die in battle. Warriors find the road here 
easy and are gladly received, but the people who die upon their sick bed 
have a long and hard journey. The people who commit suicide never 
enter this entrance. If they do enter, the person who watches drives 
them back. Now you must go. Itis not time for you to come to stay.” 
They placed the hot coals again as at first, and placed the wild sage upon 
the hot coals and the young man stood in the center of the smoke. After 
the smoke died away they took wild sage and rubbed it upon him and 
told him to go, and to return to his people, as it was not right for him to 
wander over the country. They said he was to tell them of the journey 
he had taken. The boy entered the passage-way and began to run again. 
When he reached the little being who was in the way, the being spoke to 
him and said: ‘‘You will stop a little while.”” He saw the little being 
there as he had seen him before, but when he closed his eyes and opened 
them again there stood the man concerning whom he had been dreaming. 
He had on the buffalo robe, and the leggings with the scalps and eagle 
feathers. Thenhe knew him. Theman said: ‘‘Do you remember me?”’ 
and the boy said: ‘‘I do.”” Then he said: ‘‘I am the one who has been 
taking care of you, and it is I who brought you here so that you could go 
to where the dead people are. You have seen them with your own eyes. 
You have seen some come in covered with blood. They were the people 
who died on a sick bed. I am the Wind that blows. I shall always be 
with you, so that in fighting with the enemy you need not be afraid, for 
they can not kill you. I give you this mud and I give you this downy 
feather to put upon your head. When you go to battle, if the enemy 
shoots the downy feather, you will die. I give you also this whistle 
which I have and you must blow it in the battle. You must go out of 
this entrance, and as soon as you go out I will guide you to your people; 
