[Footnote 1:  The chickadee.]

So they traded; Old Man took some of the bird’s power, and the bird took
Old Man’s necklace and put it on.

Now they jump. Wo’-ka-hi! they jump way across and far on to the ground.  Now they jump; another! another! another!  Now it comes Old Man’s turn.  He runs, he jumps, he goes high, and strikes the ground far beyond any other person’s jump.  Now comes the ni’-po-muk-i.  “Wo’-ka-hi!” the men shout. “Ki’-yo!” cry the women, “the bird has fallen in the creek.”  The warriors are running to kill him.  “Wait!  Hold on!” cries the bird.  “Let me speak a few words.  Every one knows I am a good jumper.  I can jump further than any one; but Old Man asked me for some of my power, and I gave it to him, and he gave me this necklace.  It is very heavy and pulled me down.  That is why I fell into the creek.”

Then the people began to shout and talk again, some saying to kill the bird, and some not, when Old Man shouted out:  “Wait, listen to me.  What’s the use of quarrelling or killing anybody?  Let us go back, and I will doctor the child alive.”

Good words.  The people were glad.  So they went back, and got ready for the doctoring.  First, Old Man ordered a large fire built in the lodge where the dead girl was lying.  Two old men were placed at the back of the lodge, facing each other.  They had spears, which they held above their heads and were to thrust back and forth at each other in time to the singing.  Near the door-way were placed two old women, facing each other.  Each one held a puk’-sah-tchis,[1]—­a maul,—­with which she was to beat time to the singing.  The other seats in the lodge were taken by people who were to sing.  Now Old Man hung a big roll of belly fat close over the fire, so that the hot grease began to drip, and everything was ready, and the singing began.  This was Old Man’s song:—­

[Footnote 1:  A round or oblong stone, to which a handle was bound by rawhide thongs, used for breaking marrow bones, etc.]

[Illustration:]

Ahk-sa’-k[=e]-wah, Ahk-sa’-k[=e]-wah, Ahk-sa’-k[=e]-wah, etc.  I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care.

And so they sung for a long time, the old men jabbing their spears at each other, and the old women pretending to hit each other with their mauls.

After a while they rested, and Old Man said:  “Now I want every one to shut their eyes.  No one can look.  I am going to begin the real doctoring.”  So the people shut their eyes, and the singing began again.  Then Old Man took the dripping hot fat from the fire, gave it a mighty swing around the circle in front of the people’s faces, jumped out the door-way, and ran off.  Every one was burned.  The two old men wounded each other with their spears.  The old women knocked each other on the head with their mauls.  The people cried and groaned, wiped their burned faces, and rushed out the door; but Old Man was gone.  They saw him no more.