THE RABBIT BOY. 109 
The head of the medicine-man was placed in the village. When 
the head dried it turned into a kind of wood. The people used this 
head for medicinal purposes. When they wanted to give it to a 
patient they scraped a portion from the head and gave it to the per- 
son for certain sicknesses. It cured many people. The same head is 
still among our people, only it is about the size of a hen’s egg now. 
33. THE RABBIT BOY.* 
In olden times there was a village upon the Missouri River. In 
this village the young men were all the time going on the war-path, and 
there were many dances going on. There was a young man who took 
no part in their dances, nor in their war-parties. The people made fun 
of him, but he did not care. Each morning he would sleep until after 
the sun was high. When he ate he would climb up and sit upon the 
top of the lodge; but the girls did not seem to care for him. His father 
scolded him, and wanted to know what was the matter with him. So 
the young man said, “I have never been anywhere, and I have never 
felt like going anywhere, but to-day I feel like going upon the grave- 
yard hill, to stand and mourn, and to see if the gods will help me.” 
The old man took out his white clay. He put it upon the boy, and 
told him to go up to the graveyard. He said that he hoped the gods 
would help him. The boy went up on the hill and stood by the grave- 
yard. In the afternoon it stormed. The boy huddled himself against 
a grave mound. ‘The boy’s father came up and tried to coax him to 
come down, but the boy was determined to stay there. The old man 
and the old woman took a piece of buffalo hide and stretched it over 
the boy, and there he remained during the storm, which lasted sev- 
eral days. 
As soon as it cleared up there was a noise overhead that sounded 
like big wind. The boy did not know what it was, but he could hear 
whistling coming down from above, then it would come up again. 
While he was there wondering what it was, there came a Jack-Rabbit. 
It crawled under his robe. Then an Eagle swooped down and sat by 
the boy, and it said, ‘“My son, I have run that animal down, and I want 
you to give it to me, so that I can eat it.” The Rabbit said: ‘My son, 
do not give me up! Do not listen to the Eagle! Just now he has the 
best of me. If you save me I will give you powers that I possess.” 
The Eagle said: “Give him to me; I want to eat him! If you give 
*Told by Elk. 
