ABSTRACTS. 125 
creeps away from grass lodge and goes to find snake. Some time after, when out 
hunting, man hears voice inside large tree and large snake comes out of tree. He 
knows it is his wife, but he passes on. 
40. THE GIRLS WHO WANTED TO MARRY THE CHIEF. 
Two twin daughters hear of chief in another village and obtain parents’ consent 
to go and offer themselves in marriage to him. They start in search of chief’s 
village. They meet man with turkey and tell him. He says he is chief, and is 
willing, but asks them to wait until he runs home and tells his grandmother. 
Man is Owl. He runs home and tells grandmother to clean up lodge, as he is 
bringing home two girls on whom he is playing joke. In morning she is to ask 
which turkey she is to cook, that girls may think there are many turkeys and good 
things to eat. Owl goes for girls, who are pleased with things, and marry Owl. 
Every day he comes in with turkey; as he goes to council and chief gives him 
turkey for allowing him to sit on his back. Finally twins grow weary of turkey 
and begin to suspect. They follow Owl and peep through opening in grass lodge 
and see Owl sitting in middle with chief on his head. Girls scream. Owl recog- 
nizes their voices, jumps up, throwing chief off his head, and runs home. He 
scolds grandmother for letting girls follow him, and they slip off and return home. 
Owl, angry at being fooled by his own joke, tells grandmother they must kill 
people. They gather all water by digging big hole and draining waters out from 
all rivers, springs, and lakes. Water is all gone, and people are dying of thirst, 
while Owl is splashing about in big hole. Every one goes in search of water. 
Crow, who was snow white then, comes to field where grass is all withered and big 
grasshoppers are jumping about. He runs after them, and makes so much noise 
that people think he has found water. They run in great haste, and are so angry 
with Crow for fooling them that Coyote rolls him in black earth until he is black. 
Coyote makes rule that if any one makes loud noise and arouses people’s expec- 
tations he must either lead them to water or take hard whipping. Turtle falls in 
great crack in dried mud and halloosfor help. People run, thinking he has found 
water, and Coyote takes him out of crack and gives him so hard a whipping that 
his shell cracks. Turtles still bear marks of cracks on their shells. Some one 
hears big splashing noise. He goes on and comes to hole where Owl sits playing 
in water. He tells people, and they consider how they can get water from Owl. 
Flea goes to Owl’s lodge and enters as his grandmother is about to take bath. 
She has big jar full of water in front of her. Flea crawls up her leg and bites her, 
She gives big kick and upsets jar. When Owl sees water running in all directions 
he opens eyes wide in astonishment, and they have been that way ever since. All 
people are grateful to Flea. Coyote puts him on his back that he may have warm 
home. 
41. THE POOR HUNTER AND THE ALLIGATOR POWER. 
Hunters go on two months’ hunt and take their wives with them. Among them 
are a poor man and wife who are starving. Poor man hunts day after day, but 
returns without anything. One day, after hunting all morning, he hears some 
one calling him. He goes and sees person who wants to find water. When hunter 
tells him there is water short distance off, unknown person asks man to carry him. 
He does so, and when they reach water person tells hunter to take off clothes and 
to get on his back. Man shuts eyes, and when he opens them he sees heads of all 
