72 TRADITIONS OF THE ARIKARA. 
20. THE TWO BOYS AND THE WATER-SERPENT.* 
Two boys once wandered about the village and they were wel- 
comed to any lodge they entered. One morning they came into one 
lodge and the people were glad to have them come in, but they claimed 
that the boys must be the ones who ate up their pot of corn. The boys 
did not know anything about the pot of corn. They left the lodge and 
went into another and there they were accused of the same thing. 
The boys went to another lodge, but were again accused. They were 
indignant at the accusations that were made against them. They 
wandered off from the village and returned when the sun set. 
Now the two boys said one to the other, “Let us be on our guard 
to-night and perhaps we may discover who eats the corn.’”’ In those 
times an inclosure surrounded the village, and the two boys sat by the 
inclosure. ‘They sat there until all the people of the village went to 
‘sleep, for they agreed to stay till morning. After all the people had 
gone to sleep the boys heard much roaring by the river; so they 
listened. After the noise of the waters ceased, they saw a big black 
thing going over their heads. It climbed over the inclosure and went 
on top of a lodge. It was a long serpent. The serpent stuck its head 
into the smoke hole of the lodge. In a few moments he went to another 
lodge and did the same thing. Then he went to still another. Now the 
serpent went back to the river and the boys were glad to find out 
who ate up the people’s corn, beans, and squash that had been prepared 
in the evening for the next morning. 
When morning came the boys went down to the timber and cut 
many sticks to make arrows with. They sat down and made arrows 
till evening; but they never mentioned what had happened. Again 
the boys stayed out, and after all the people had gone to sleep the 
same thing happened as on the preceding night. Again they saw the 
serpent climbing over the inclosure and onto the lodges. Then the 
boys shot at the serpent while it had its head inside a lodge, reaching 
for food. The boys threw their arrows at the water-monster as fast 
as they could. They threw so many arrows at the monster that he was 
almost dead. ‘The serpent came out from the lodge and went down 
to the river. The waters roared and rose, because the water-monster 
was dying, but when it was dead the waters were silent. When 
the waters went down the big serpent was found dead on a small 
peninsula. 
*Told by Antelope. 
