30 TRADITIONS OF THE CADDO. 
One day she thought she had rope enough to reach down to the earth. 
She went and lifted the stone to one side and dropped the rope down 
just as fast as she could. She finally came to the end of the rope; then 
she fastened it to the rock and placed the rock over the hole again and 
went back home. When the man came she was at home, but the next 
time he went away she went to the hole and began to climb down. It 
took her a long while before she could see the land plainly, and before 
she came to the tops of the trees she came to the end of the rope, and 
she did not know what to do. She was getting very tired, but she 
hung there for some time, and after a while she heard a noise near her 
and she looked and sawa bird. ‘The bird passed under her feet several 
times, and when he passed the fourth time he told her that he would 
take her down and carry her home if she would step on to his back. 
She stepped on the bird’s back, and he asked her if she was ready, and 
she said that she was; then he told her to let goof the rope. She did 
so, and the bird began to fly downward very easily. ‘The bird asked 
if she would let him take her on to her home, and she said that she 
would. ‘The bird then took her to her home, and when they came near, 
the bird let her down and told her that he had to go back to his home ; 
but before leaving her he told her that he was Black Eagle. 
16. LIGHTNING AND THE PEOPLE. 
In the beginning Lightning lived upon the earth with the people, 
but he became so powerful and killed so many of the people that they 
feared and hated him. One time after he had become angry and killed 
a number of the people, the chiefs of the tribe called a council to deter- 
mine what to dowith him. They decided that he could no longer live 
with the people, but would have to goaway. Lightning pleaded to 
stay, but the chiefs would not change their decision and told him that 
he would have to go. 5 
Not long after Lightning had gone a great monster that lived under- 
ground among the rocks began to carry away the people. ‘They tried 
in every way to kill him, but could not, for he always disappeared 
under the ground where they could not reach him. Lightning ap- 
peared to them and told them that he would kill the monster if they 
would let him come back and livewith them. He said that he wanted 
to come back to earth, and that he would kill all monsters and make 
the earth a safe place for the people to live on, and would not do any 
more harm himself if they would let him come back. The people de- 
cided to let Lightning come, because there was no one else powerful 
enough to kill the great monster. 
