50 TRADITIONS OF THE CADDO. 
Bat flew up where the people were, but he was scorched a little before 
he could get there, and that is the reason bats are yellowish in color. 
After the bad animals had all been burned the people returned to the 
world again, and ever since the world has been a good place to live 
upon. 
25. HOW THE BUFFALO CEASED TO EAT HUMAN BEINGS.* 
When the world was new there were many wild and fierce animals, 
and the buffalo were among the fiercest, for they ate human beings. 
In those days the buffalo were many-colored and roamed the plains in 
great herds, and were so numerous that men could not go out on the 
plains alone for fear of being caught by them. There was one great 
man who received power from the Father, and he had the power to go 
right into the midst of these terrible animals and kill them without 
being hurt. That man was Buzzard, and he was the only man who 
possessed such power. All the other people had to live in villages 
together that they might protect each other and hunt together. One 
time some men went out in the timber alone to hunt turkey and deer. 
They wandered far, and when they started home they found that they 
had to cross a long stretch of lonely prairie. While they were hurry- 
ing across the vast stretch of country they saw a black cloud arise in 
the west and come nearer and nearer, until at last they knew that a 
great herd of buffalo was sweeping down upon them. ‘They threw the 
game from their backs, threw away their bows and arrows, and ran as 
fast asthe wind. ‘The buffalo, dangerous as they were, were not good 
runners, and so the men reached the timber before them and ran into 
the dense thicket. 
After these men succeeded in escaping, the people took courage and 
ventured farther away from home. One time four men went out to 
hunt bear. They went into the timber that lay between two moun- 
tains and there they found the fresh tracks of a bear. ‘They trailed it 
all through the timber and over the mountain, and found it at the edge 
of the timber at the foot of the mountain. The bear ran out to the 
open plain and the men pursued and killed it. While they were cut- 
ting it up to carry home they heard a great noise, like thunder, coming 
across the plains. They looked and saw that the buffalo were upon 
them. ‘They tried to escape, but it was too late. The buffalo caught 
all but one man, who succeeded in gaining the timber and climbing a 
tall tree. All day the buffalo surrounded the tree and tried to butt it 
down, but could not. Night came on, then they returned to the plains 
and the man climbed down and ran to his home. He told all the 




* Told by White-Bread. 
