G. DIRTY-BOY.
(Continued)The younger one went on, entered Dirty-Boy's lodge, and sat down by his side. The Old woman asked her who she was, and why she had come. When the Old woman had been told, she said, "Your husband is sick, and soon he will die. He stinks too much. You must not sleep with him. Go back to your father's lodge every evening; but come here in the daytime, and watch him and attend him." Now, the Raven family that lived close by laughed much at the younger daughter of the chief. They were angry because she had not entered their house and married there, as her elder sister had done. To hurt her feelings, they dressed their new daughter-in-law in the finest clothes they had. Her dress was covered with beads, shells, elk's teeth, and quill-work. They gave her necklaces, and her mother-in-law gave her a finely polished celt of green stone (jade) to hang at her belt. The younger sister paid no attention to this, but returned every morning to help her grandmother in-law to gather fire-wood, and to attend to her sick husband. For three days matters remained this way. In the evening of the third day Sun said to his sister, "We will resume our true forms to-night, so that the people may see us to-morrow." That night they transformed themselves. The old mat lodge became a fine new skin lodge, surpassing those of the Blackfeet and other tribes, richly decorated with ornaments, and with streamers tied to the top and painted. The old bark kettle became a bright copper kettle; and new pretty woven baskets, and embroidered and painted bags, were in the house. The old woman became a fine-looking person of tall figure, with clothes covered with shining stars. Dirty-Boy became a young, handsome man of light complexion. His clothes were covered with shining copper. His hair reached to the ground, and shone like the rays of the sun. In the morning the people saw the new lodge, and said, "Some rich chief has arrived, and has camped where the poor people were. He has thrown them out." When the girl arrived, she was much surprised to see the transformation. She saw a woman in the door, wearing a long skin dress covered with star pendants, with bright stars in her hair. She addressed her in a familiar voice, saying, "Come in and sit with your husband!" The girl then knew who she was. When she entered, she saw a handsome male reclining, with his head on a beautiful parflèche. His garments and hair were decorated with bright suns. The girl did not recognize him, and looked around. The woman said, "That is your husband; go and sit beside him." Then she was glad. Sun took his wife to her copper kettle which stood at the floor. It contained a shining liquid. He pushed her head into it, and when the liquid ran down over her hair and body, lines of sparkling small stars formed on her. He told her to empty the kettle. When she did so, the liquid ran to the chief's lodge, forming a path, as of gold-dust. He said, "This will be your trail when you go to see your father."
Now, the people had eaten most of their winter provisions, and the hunters could kill no game. Sun said to his wife, "Go tell your father to make many pits,1 for capturing game." As she walked along the shining trail to her father's lodge, her sister, who intended to pass off before her father as the other wife of Dirty-Boy, ran out of Raven's house, and said, " I will go with you." As soon as she stepped on the trail, she fell down. Four times she tried to walk on it, but each time she fell. Her younger sister passed on quickly, and left her. As soon as she had gone, Sun went out on the plain and gathered up the excrement of game.2 He turned each one over, and it became alive. He did this with several hundred. Finally he came to a very large one, and turned it over. He said, "This will be the last one." Then he took a whip and drove all the game. At noon the people saw him coming. The chief said, "See! Some great chief is coming, driving many cattle and horses."3 Now, the chief had a deep pit dug, into which the game was to be driven, for there were no cliffs near by, and into this Sun drove the game. The animals were killed as they fell into it. The hole was nearly full. The last animal had originated from the large droppings that Sun had turned over. It was a large, lean steer. It fell on top of all the others, and filled the pit. Sun saw his wife standing at the lodge-door, and called to her to bring some water, for he was very thirsty. His wife took the copper kettle and went to draw water. As she passed Raven's house, her sister said, "You are in a great hurry. If your husband is suffering so much from thirst, get some water from us. You can bring it to him so much the quicker." Four times she said this, but the woman went on to the spring. Then the Raven mother gave a horn full of water to her daughter-in-law, and told her to hasten. She gave it to her brother-in-law; but he threw it down saying, "I do not drink from things like that." Then she cried, and rued the mistake she had made in not following her father's directions.
1 Some say "one large deep pit;" others, "four pits." Some say they were pounds or enclosures for game, and not pits or holes.
2 Some say it was dried excrement of various kinds of game; others say it was droppings of cattle; still others think it must have been buffalo-chips, for there were no cattle long ago.
3 Some say "bufflaoes."
