MI-TSI.

Mi-tsi was long a faithful member of the Little Fire order

(Ma-ke-tsa-na-kwe), but he grew careless, neglected his sacrifices, and

resigned his rank as "Keeper of the Medicines," from mere laziness. In

vain his fathers warned him. He only grew hot with anger. One day Mi-tsi

went up on the mesas to cut corral posts. He sat down to eat his dinner.

A great black bear walked out of the thicket near at hand and leisurely

approached him. Mi-tsi dropped his dinner and climbed a neighboring

little dead pine tree. The bear followed him and climbed it, too. Mi-tsi

began to have sad thoughts of the words of his fathers.

"Alas," he cried, "pity me, my father from the West-land!" In vain he

promised to be a good Ma-ke-tsa-na-kwe. Had not Po-shai-a[n,]-ki'a

commanded?

So the black bear seized him by the foot and pulled until Mi-tsi

screamed from pain; but, cling as he would to the tree, the bear pulled

him to the ground. Then he lay down on Mi-tsi and pressed the wind out

of him so that he forgot. The black bear started to go; but eyed Mi-tsi.

Mi-tsi kicked. Black bear came and pressed his wind out again. It hurt

Mi-tsi, and he said to himself, "Oh dear me! what shall I do? The father

thinks I am not punished enough." So he kept very still. Black bear

started again, then stopped and looked at Mi-tsi, started and stopped

again, growled and moved off, for Mi-tsi kept very still. Then the black

bear went slowly away, looking at Mi-tsi all the while, until he passed

a little knoll. Mi-tsi crawled away and hid under a log. Then, when he

thought himself man enough, he started for Zuni. He was long sick, for

the black bear had eaten his foot. He "still lives and limps," but he is

a good Ma-ke-tsa-na-kwe. Who shall say that Po-shai-a[n,]-k'ia did not

command?