THE WOMAN WHO TURNED INTO A SNAKE. 67 
and the man began to cook the fish and the snake flesh. When he was 
through he took the snake flesh to his wife for her dinner. He and the 
dog ate the fish. He sent the dog into the grass house to see what his 
wife was doing, and the dog saw that she was eating the snake. He 
was sent in the second time, and he saw that she was scratching herself 
allover herbody. Every place she scratched herself the skin would turn 
the color of the snake skin, until she finally turned into a snake. She 
crept away from the grass lodge and went to find the snake, for she did 
not know that he wasdead. Some time after, the man went out hunt- 
ing and he came to a large tree. He heard something making a noise 
inside of the tree and finally saw a large snake come out from the tree. 
He knew that it was his wife, but he passed on. 
40. HOW OWL FOOLED THE GIRLS WHO WANTED TO MARRY THE 
CHIEF, * 
One time there lived an old man and woman who had two beautiful 
twin daughters. ‘These girls heard of a chief who lived in another vil- 
lage, and rumors of his great wealth and his fame as a great chief had 
traveled far. The girls asked their parents if they might not go to the 
chief and offer themselves in marriage. Their parents consented, and 
so the girls started to the chief’s village. They did not know just 
where the village was, but they started in the direction that they thought 
it was, and decided to ask the first person they met to direct them. 
They traveled along for a time and then met a man with a turkey in 
his hand coming down the road. ‘They stopped him and began to talk 
to him. ‘‘ We want to marry this famous chief, for we hear that he is 
good and very wealthy, but we donot know him. We have never seen 
him, we have not even been to his village, and perhaps we would not 
know him if we should see him.’’ The man grinned to himself and 
said: ‘‘I am the chief and I live just a little way from here; I have 
been away attending acouncil. Well, I must say that I am willing, 
but wait here while I run on home and tell my grandmother.’’ 
The girls waited. They thought it strange that so great a chief 
should have to tell his grandmother, but they said nothing. The man, 
who was no other than Owl, ran on to his home, and calling his grand- 
mother, said: ‘‘ Clean up the lodge and put it inorder. Iam going to 
bring home two girls whom I am playing a jokeon. They think I am 
the rich chief and want to marry me.’’ After they had cleaned the 
lodge, for it was very disorderly, Owl said: ‘‘I am going to put this 
turkey which I have brought home over my bed ; when you get up in 
the morning ask me which turkey you shall cook and pretend to point 
*Told by Wing. 
