70 TRADITIONS OF THE CADDO. 
him, and when he got there he asked the person why he called. 
‘‘ Well,’’ said the person, ‘‘I want to find out where there is water.’’ 
The hunter told him there was some water a short distance from where 
they were. He did not know who the man was, for there was no such 
person among his people. The unknown person asked the man to 
carry him to the water, so the hunter told him to get on his back and 
he would carry him. When they reached the water the unknown man 
told the hunter to take off his clothes, and so he did, and then the 
unknown man told him to get on his back, saying: ‘‘It is now my 
time to carry you on my back. Shut youreyes and do not open them 
until I say so.’’ ‘The man obeyed, and when the unknown person told 
him to open his eyes he did not know where he was. Then the unknown 
person told him that he wanted him to come and see what he had. The 
hunter looked and saw the heads of all kinds of animals. ‘‘ Now,’’ 
said the unknown person, ‘‘ there is what I have killed, and I will tell 
you why I brought you here. I am going to give you some of my 
powers that you may kill game as Ido. Point out the heads of the 
animals that you want to kill.’’ The man pointed to the largest deer 
head, bear head, etc. ‘‘And now,’’ said the unknown person, ‘‘ you 
must not tell any one how and where you obtained your powers. All 
people call me Alligator, and I will give you these powers as long as 
you are able to hunt.’’ Alligator then told him to shut his eyes, and 
when he told him to open them ke saw that he was upon dry land once 
more. Alligator told him to go hunting, and so after he put on his 
clothes he started out to hunt. 
He did not go very far until he saw four big deer coming toward 
him and he killed every one of them. He dressed them carefully and 
then left them while he went to hiscamp. When he reached his camp 
he found his wife there, but nothing to eat. He went out and led up 
two of his horses and asked his wife to go with him. They arrived 
at the place and found the four deer. The man put two of the deer 
on one horse’s back and two*on the other one, and they started back 
to theircamp. As they came into camp with their horses loaded with 
meat, everybody at the camp saw them and wondered, for they did not 
think the man could ever killa deer. After that time he never failed 
to bring back much meat when out hunting. When the people started 
back to their homes they discovered that this man, whom the people 
had always made fun of, had been the most successful of all the hunters. 
He had killed the most deer, and besides he had killed the largest deer 
that was ever seen by the people, and he had killed the most bears 
and the most of every other kind of game. 
