3206 THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE WICHITA. 
59. THE MAN WHO RESCUED HIS WIFE FROM SPIRIT-LAND.* 
There was a time when a boy grew up with another person of the 
same age as himself. In their boyhood they were always good friends. 
Wherever one went the other had to go. They were always together, 
and like other boys, became warriors. When they had grown to be 
young men they still continued to go around together. When they 
started on their life as warriors they never parted. When they went 
to many battles they were together fighting, and would help one another. 
When any two persons did this in times of war, people used usually 
to call them fast friends; and especially, when they were in battle to- 
gether or gave scalps to one another, or horses that they had stolen, 
they were known as Nawadi. The boys were both single. When at 
home they would stay first at the home of one, then at the home of 
the other. In these homes they were considered as brothers, as they 
had been together so long as friends. 
One of them finally got married, and the other man remained un- 
married. When the one was married the other went about by himself, 
thinking that his friend had not fulfilled his promise to him that they 
were never to part so long as they lived, so that when the young man 
got married it somewhat dissolved their partnership. The young man 
would be on the war-path by himself and would still think of his friend. 
Once upon a time when the single man was to be with a party that 
went out on the war-path he undertook to die in battle, so that he 
might cease to think about his friend. When they found the enemy, 
they fought, and he was killed in the battle. When the rest of the 
warriors returned home they brought the married man the news that 
his friend had been killed in battle. The married man mourned con- 
stantly for his friend, and people asked him why he had not gone along 
to see ‘his friend die in battle and be with him when he died, and die, 
too, so he would not have to mourn for him; it being the custom that 
after two had formed a friendship of this kind, wherever one went 
the other was expected to go, and if one had to die in battle the other 
would die also, so that one would not have to mourn the other. 
Now the married young man’s wife died and left him with one 
child. This grieved him still more. He mourned continually. for the 
loss of his wife and for his friend. He would go to his wife’s grave, 
sometimes remain there all night, and come back to his home the next 
day. Then he would go back again. While he was there he fell asleep, 
and in his dream his friend appeared to him, saying to him: “Do you 

*Told by Killed-Enemy-in-Water (Wichita). 
