BUFFALO WOMAN. 75 
hold out his hand, and when he did this the unknown person placed a 
small medicine root in it and said: ‘‘At the start you will leave them 
a long way behind, but finally some one of them will catch up with 
you, but he will not stay with you long. Remember, whenever he 
comes up with you, to throw this medicine down behind you and you 
will leave him again a long way behind. ‘Then some one else will 
catch up with you again, and here is another medicine to throw behind 
you when the second man overtakes you. This medicine is mud, and 
you must throw it down when they come too close to you. Soon after 
you have thrown the mud you will be near the stopping place ; there 
I will meet you.”’ 
The next day was the day of the race. At about sunrise Braveness 
saw the Buffalo coming in from all directions to see the race. While he 
stood watching them, an old Buffalo came and told him that the young 
Buffalo would like to have him run in a foot race with them. He went 
with the old man to the place where the runners started. When the 
young Buffalo saw him coming they all made fun of him. When he 
joined them they lined up forthe race. Braveness placed himself in their 
midst and they started. Braveness left the Buffalo a long way behind 
at the start, and they had to run long and hard before they could come 
near him. When he saw them gaining on him he threw the root behind 
him that the unknown person had given him. He was almost winded 
and thought he could not run any more, when he saw that he was far 
ahead of allof them again. ‘The next time it took them longer to come 
up to him, but finally he gave out, and then one of the Buffalo began to 
gainonhim. When the Buffalo was about to catch up, Braveness threw 
the mud, his last medicine, down behind him and soon he was far ahead 
again. He knew that he had used all of his medicine, and he knew 
not what would happen to him next, but he kept on running. When 
he was nearing the goal, he could hear the others coming close behind 
him, for some of them were gaining on him and he was giving out. 
He did not know what to do, but just as one of the Buffalo was about 
to catch up with him, a heavy wind came up and greatly assisted and 
kept the Buffalo far behind him until he crossed the goal and won the 
race. Because wind had helped him at the last moment, he knew that 
it was wind that had talked to him and had given him the medicine 
and thus saved his life. After the race he stayed with the Buffalo 
people for a long time and no one ever molested him again. 
Finally he and his wife went back to live with his people. They had 
one child, and when it was about one year old they decided to go again 
to see the wife’s people, so that her parents might see their grandson. 
They went and remained with the Buffalo three years, and then they 
