THE THUNDERBIRD-WOMAN. 123 
hard-Wind, and Foggy-Day. These were the children of the Sun- 
Buzzard, two of which the Libertine had destroyed. After he had 
done this he came down from the tree. He had nothing but his bow, 
and so he took off his bow-string from the bow, stretched it as long as 
he could and made it long enough to put across the water. After he 
thought it to be long enough he took the string and raised it, swung it, 
brought it down and hit the water with it, and parted the water. When 
the water parted he ran fast through the dry place and got through 
before the water closed upon him. The Libertine went a long way and 
traveled pretty fast in order to get home before the Sun-Buzzard should 
get him again. Nobody knew how long it took him to get home, but 
he finally got there, and told Thunderbird-Woman and Little-Big-Belly- 
Boy what a hard time he had making his escape from the Sun-Buzzard. 
They lived together for a long time, and when the Libertine told 
them that the Sun-Buzzard was coming again to get him they saw it 
coming, and it lit on the same tree as before. The three inmates of the 
lodge all stepped out, the Thunderbird-Woman leading the other two. 
They went toward the mountains near their home, and reaching them, 
the Thunderbird-Woman carried her two companions through them on 
her back. Of course, in going through the rocks they would close up 
behind her and thus make it harder for the Sun-Buzzard to follow. 
Finally they all sat down to rest, and they asked the Libertine to go and 
see if the Sun-Buzzard was still coming. He went and heard it still 
coming, and returned, reporting it to his friends. They all went to 
the place where they had come out, listened and heard it coming rather 
slowly. It came through and fell to one side, and the Libertine killed 
it. Then the three returned to the place where they had lived. When 
the Sun-Buzzard came out of the mountains its bill was broken off, 
and its wings were pretty well broken to pieces. The Libertine told 
his mates that he was afraid that the same thing that had happened to 
him might befall him again; and so he went to the woods, and said 
that he would be seen on the dead wood of the woods thereafter. The 
Libertine was then a Big-red-Water-Worm. (Kaatsiaquatskiwats). 
Thunderbird-Woman went off toward the north, and called herself 
Rain-Woman (Kihitskahhahikia). Little-Big-Belly-Boy went flying 
toward the prairies; he became Dry-Grass-Bird (Nineca, or, Achini- 
kats), a small bird that lives in the grass. 
