All the long morning and far into the after noon, Talking Rock swept the dust this way and that, turning it over and over, in a circle that grew always wider, and just as he was about to give up the search, he found a bit of charred and blackened bone. Was this a part of his friend's
RED ROBE'S DREAM
frame? Was it not more likely a bit of bone of buffalo or elk, which some dog had carried from one of the fireplaces of the camp and dropped here?
Now for the test. Talking Rock covered the bit of bone with his robe as he had been told to do. He even raised the robe along its middle, making it look as if it really covered a person lying there. Then he shot three of the arrows up in the air, each time crying, "Look out."
Then with a hand that trembled a little, he drew the fourth arrow from the quiver, shot it and cried, "Look out, Red Robe, the arrow will strike you"; and, turning, ran from the place with all his speed.
How he wanted to look back! How he longed to see if his friend was really rising from that bit of blackened bone! But Talking Rock was strong-hearted. He controlled his desires. On and on he ran, and then—behind him the light tread of running feet, a firm hand gripped his shoulder, and a loved voice said, "Why so fast, my friend?" and stopping and turning, Talking Rock found himself face to face with Red Robe.
BLACKFEET INDIAN STORIES
He could not believe what lie saw, and had to pinch himself and to hold his friend hard in his arms to believe that all this was real.
The camp had not moved far, and the lodges were pitched on the next stream to the south. Soon after dark, the two friends entered it and went to their lodge. The poor old grandmother could not believe her eyes when she saw the young man she had reared and loved so dearly; but when he spoke she knew that it was he, and running over to him she held him in her arms and kissed him, crying from joy. After a little time, the young man said to her, " Grandmother, go to the chief's lodge and say to him that I, Red Robe, need some dried meat." The old woman hesitated at this strange request, but Red Robe said: "Go, do not fear him; Three Bulls is now the one to know fear."
When the old woman entered the great lodge and in reply to the chief's look said, "Red Robe sent me here. He wants some dried meat/' only Three Bulls of all who were in the lodge, showed no surprise. "It is what I expected," he said; "in spite of all my care he lives again, and
RED ROBE'S DREAM
I can do nothing." Turning to his wives he said, "Give her meat."
"Did you see Ma-min'?" asked Red Robe, when his grandmother had returned with the meat and had told him what the chief had said.
"No, she was not in the lodge, but two women were approaching as I left it. I think they were the girl and her mother."
"Go back once more," said the young man, "and tell Three Bulls to send me that young
woman.' !
But now the poor old grandmother was afraid. "I dare not tell him that," she exclaimed. "He would kill me, and you. His anger would be fearful."
"Do not fear," said Red Robe, "do not fear, my mother, his anger and his power are no longer to be feared. He is as feeble and as help less as one of those old bulls one sees on the sunny side of the coulee, spending his last days before the wolves pull him down."
The old woman went to the lodge and told the chief what Red Robe further wished. Ma-min' was there, her head covered with her robe,
BLACKFEET INDIAN STORIES
crying quietly, and Three Bulls tolvf her to arise and go with the messenger. Timidly at first, and then with steps that broke into a run, Ma-min' hurried toward the lodge of her sweet heart and entered it. With a cry of joy she threw herself into his arms, and Talking Rock went out and left them alone.
Great now was the happiness of these young people. Long was their life, full of plenty and of great honor. Red Robe became a chief, re spected and loved by all the people. Ma-min' bore him many children, who grew up to be the support of their old age.
THE BLACKFEET CREATION
THE Blackfeet believe that the Sun made the earth—that he is the creator. One of the names by which they call the Sun is Napi -Old Man. This is how they tell of the creation:
In the beginning there was water everywhere; nothing else was to be seen. There was some thing floating on the water, and on this raft were Old Man and all the animals.
Old Man wished to make land, and he told the beaver to dive down to the bottom of the water and to try to bring up a little mud. The beaver dived and was under water for a long time, but he could not reach the bottom. Then the loon tried, and after him the otter, but the water was too deep for them. At last the musk-rat was sent down, and he was gone for a long time; so long that they thought he must be drowned, but at last he came up and floated
BLACKFEET INDIAN STORIES
almost dead on the water, and when they pulled him up on the raft and looked at his paws, they found a little mud in them. When Old Man had dried this mud, he scattered it over the water and land was formed. This is the story told by the Blackfeet. It is very much like one told by some Eastern Indians, who are related to the Blackfeet.
After the land had been made, Old Man trav elled about on it, making things and fixing up the earth so as to suit him. First, he marked out places where he wished the rivers to run, sometimes making them run smoothly, and again, in some places, putting falls on them. He made the mountains and the prairie, the timber and the small trees and bushes, and sometimes he carried along with him a lot of rocks, from which he built some of the moun tains—as the Sweet Grass Hills—which stand out on the prairie by themselves.
Old Man caused grass to grow on the plains, so that the animals might have something to feed on. He marked off certain pieces of land, where he caused different kinds of roots and ber-
THE BLACKFEET CREATION
lies to grow—a place for camas; and one for wild carrots; one for wild turnips, sweet root and bitter root; one for service berries, bull-berries, cherries, plums, and rosebuds.
He made all kinds of animals that travel on the ground. When he made the big-horn with its great horns, he put it out on the prairie. It did not seem to travel easily there; it was awk ward and could not go fast, so he took it by one of its horns and led it up into the rough hills and among the rocks, and let it go there, and it skipped about among the cliffs and easily went up fearful places. So Old Man said to the big horn, "This is the place for you; this is what you are fitted for; the rough country and the mountains." While he was in the mountains he made the antelope, and turned it loose to see how it travelled. The antelope ran so fast that it fell over some rocks and hurt itself. He saw that this would not do, and took the antelope down on the prairie and set it free there, and it ran away fast and gracefully, and he said to it, "This is the place that suits you."
At last, one day, Old Man decided that he 147
BLACKFEET INDIAN STORIES
would make a woman and a child, and he mod elled some clay in human shape, and after he had made these shapes and put them on the ground, he said to the clay, "You shall be people." He spread his robe over the clay figures and went away. The next morning he went back to the place and lifted up the robe, and saw that the clay shapes had changed a little. When he looked at them the next morning, they had changed still more; and when on the fourth day he went to the place and took off the covering, he said to the images, "Stand up and walk," and they did so. They walked down to the river with him who had made them, and he told them his name.