250 THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE ‘WICHITA, 
At the Swift-Hawks’ home there were now left the old woman and 
the old man. The old man said to his wife: “I know well enough that 
they have gone where I always told them not to go, and they have 
disobeyed me. Suppose I try my turn and look for my children.” He 
at once set out to look for his children. It took him four days to reach 
the place. He followed the trail of his sons, and stopped to rest at 
night where they had stopped. The old man finally came to the village 
late in the evening on the fourth day. He asked where he might be 
allowed to stay at night. They told him to go to the largest and tallest » 
tipi that he saw; that visitors were received there. He went on as he was 
told. When entering the tipi he was told to pass to the bed for guests 
and to be seated. Then he saw some of his children’s weapons. He 
began to think that his boys must have met death. He was given supper 
and was told that some one in the village had power to play the shinny 
game and no one else had power to win a game from him; that the 
first thing in the morning he would be called forth to the grounds to 
play a game of shinny. Early in the morning he went to the creek to 
take a bath. In those times this is the way they changed their feathers. 
Then he was called to the shinny game. When he was seen he was 
much younger than was expected. He wore the same kind of dress that 
the boys had worn, and was painted red. He went to the grounds to 
meet his foe. ‘They tossed the ball and the game commenced. ‘The 
old man saw how his boys had had a hard time playing with this man. 
Being old, he soon gave out and lost the game also. He was clubbed 
with a shinny club. The people were mean. The mean ones would 
dance over any one’s death; so the people danced and had all kinds of 
sports. 
At home, the old woman was alone. She remained at home by 
herself. Once on a time she went out to the creek and took a bath. 
When bathing, she heard some noise from the water. It was something 
like waves; but without further notice she went out of the water and 
went on home. It was not long until she found out that she was preg- 
nant, old as she was. It was but a little while till a child was born to 
her, who was a boy. The boy grew rapidly every day, until he became 
a young man. He asked the old woman why they were living alone. 
She told him that the rest of the family had left their home and had 
gone to the village of Fire-Light-like-Prairie-Fire, and she supposed 
that they had met death there. He told the old woman that he must 
in some way get over there and recover them. He made the journey, 
and it took him four days. When he arrived at the village he asked 
where he could stay for a night’s rest. He was then ordered to go to 
