HOW BURNT-HANDS BECAME A CHIEF. 69 
The boy fled to the village and peeped in, to see if his grand- 
mother had done what he had told her to do. She was gone, and he 
followed her and found her beyond the second timber as he had 
directed. “Now,” said he, “take one of these bear claws off my wrist 
and open the little bag of paint.” This she did, and he began to sing 
and perform the ceremony. He adorned his grandmother and himself 
according to the instruction of his Bear father. The people had all 
turned out to kill him for what he had done. Still others were calling 
it wrong to harm the boy, and reminded the people of what bad ruling 
Red-Bear had done. 
Burnt-Hands and his grandmother had turned into Bears, and 
were making a big noise, growling and grunting. Nearer and nearer 
the warriors circled around the timber, shouting and yelling. The 
boy told his grandmother to be first to attack. So she did so. She 
caught Red-Bear’s brother and four or five others of his near rela- 
tives. “Now, I will attack,’ said Burnt-Hands, “for you must be 
tired.” He picked out the leaders and the influential men of the vil- 
lage and scalped them and tore them up. The warriors began to re- 
treat. A cry was raised to end the fight, as many had been killed, but 
how to stop the boy and the old woman they did not know. They 
assembled and filled the peace-pipe. They gave it to Last-Child 
to take to the boy and the old woman. She took the pipe and came 
toward them, they growling wildly. The boy knew it was the girl. 
He told his grandmother not to charge at her. The boy accepted the 
peace-pipe and both smoked it. This ended the fight. 
Burnt-Hands asked his grandmother how old she would like to be. 
She said, “About thirty-eight,” and so she was. The boy made him- 
self about twenty-two, and when all was quiet he married Last-Child. 
Burnt-Hands came to be chief, and had Black-Bear as his slave. The 
people lived happily under his rule. 
18. HOW BURNT-HANDS BECAME A CHIEF.* 
Once there was an old woman and her grandson. They were 
very poor; they had nothing. The boy’s name was Burnt-Hands. 
Some warriors got together in the village and planned to go on the 
war-path. Burnt-Hands heard of it. He told his grandmother that 
he wanted to join the warriors on the war-path. She told the boy that 
when he went he must never tell Coyote stories on the war-path. She 
gave him a round burnt clay ball that had a handle to it. She told 
*Told by Two-Hawks. 
