126 TRADITIONS OF THE ARIKARA. 
the Missouri River. Soon they discovered that what they saw were 
all kinds of snakes. They were ready to meet the snakes, for they 
knew what they had done, and they were ready to die. They took 
their clubs and killed the snakes, although the snakes killed many of 
the Arikara. By and by the snakes killed one of the foolish boys. 
They bit the other boy all’ over, but he killed many of them. After 
a while they went away, but they had killed many people, and all be- 
cause the foolish boys had killed the young snake. 
44. THE FIGHT BETWEEN THE ARIKARA AND THE BEARS.* 
There was a young man who had a beautiful wife, whom he 
loved. She had a garden in the woods where she went every day 
in the spring to hoe. Each morning, before starting to the garden, 
she prepared pemmican and dried meat to take with her. She took 
‘enough for two or three persons. Her husband noticed this. One 
day while she was preparing the meat he asked her why she was 
preparing so much, for he thought that she must have some of her 
relatives to help her in her garden. The woman made no reply. One 
day, as she went out to the garden, her husband secretly followed her. 
When her husband came to her garden he hid near by. He saw that 
the garden was well cared for, and he knew by this that some one 
had been helping her to clean it. The man waited a little while, and 
there came forth from the woods a man, who walked right over to 
the woman. The woman seemed glad to see this man who met her, 
and the man was glad to meet the woman. This strange man was 
painted, and upon his head were feathers, and a set of bear’s claws 
were about his neck. The man went to work in the garden, helping the 
woman. The woman’s husband lay upon the top of the hill, watching 
them. When the sun was high, the strange man and the woman 
stopped working. They went over in the shade of some trees, and 
they ate the meat that the woman had prepared. After eating, the 
strange man lay with the woman. The woman’s husband saw all that 
went on. He slowly made his way toward the camp and went home. 
When he got home he took down his bow and arrows and began 
to fix the arrow-points and bow-string. In the meantime, the woman 
returned. She asked her husband where he was going, and he made 
reply that he was fixing up his bow and arrows to go hunting the next 
day. The man then asked his wife how she was getting along with 
the work in her garden, and she said she was nearly through. 
*Told by Two-Hawks. 
