The tribe moved up on the North Platte, until they came to Court House
Rock. The two poor Indians followed them, and camped with the others.
One day while they were here, the young men who had been sent out to
look for buffalo, came hurrying into camp and told the chiefs that a
large herd of buffalo were near, and that among them was a spotted
calf.
The Head Chief of the Pawnees had a very beautiful daughter, and when he
heard about the spotted calf, he ordered his old crier to go about
through the village and call out that the man who killed the spotted
calf should have his daughter for his wife. For a spotted robe is
_ti-war'-uks-ti_--big medicine.
The buffalo were feeding about four miles from the village, and the
chiefs decided that the charge should be made from there. In this way,
the man who had the fastest horse would be the most likely to kill the
calf. Then all the warriors and the young men picked out their best and
fastest horses, and made ready to start. Among those who prepared for
the charge was the poor boy on the old dun horse. But when they saw him,
all the rich young braves on their fast horses pointed at him and said,
"Oh, see; there is the horse that is going to catch the spotted calf;"
and they laughed at him, so that the poor boy was ashamed, and rode off
to one side of the crowd, where he could not hear their jokes and
laughter.
When he had ridden off some little way the horse stopped and turned his
head round, and spoke to the boy. He said, "Take me down the creek, and
plaster me all over with mud. Cover my head and neck and body and legs."
When the boy heard the horse speak, he was afraid; but he did as he was
told. Then the horse said, "Now mount, but do not ride back to the
warriors, who laugh at you because you have such a poor horse. Stay
right here until the word is given to charge." So the boy stayed there.
And presently all the fine horses were drawn up in line and pranced
about, and were so eager to go that their riders could hardly hold them
in; and at last the old crier gave the word, "_Loo-ah!_"--Go! Then the
Pawnees all leaned forward on their horses and yelled, and away they
went. Suddenly, away off to the right, was seen the old dun horse. He
did not seem to run. He seemed to sail along like a bird. He passed all
the fastest horses, and in a moment he was among the buffalo. First he
picked out the spotted calf, and charging up alongside of it,
_U-ra-rish!_ straight flew the arrow. The calf fell. The boy drew
another arrow, and killed a fat cow that was running by. Then he
dismounted and began to skin the calf, before any of the other warriors
had come up. But when the rider got off the old dun horse, how changed
he was! He pranced about and would hardly stand still near the dead
buffalo. His back was all right again; his legs were well and fine; and
both his eyes were clear and bright.
The boy skinned the calf and the cow that he had killed, and then he
packed all the meat on the horse, and put the spotted robe on top of the
load, and started back to the camp on foot, leading the dun horse. But
even with this heavy load the horse pranced all the time, and was scared
at everything he saw. On the way to camp, one of the rich young chiefs
of the tribe rode up by the boy and offered him twelve good horses for
the spotted robe, so that he could marry the Head Chief's beautiful
daughter; but the boy laughed at him and would not sell the robe.
Now, while the boy walked to the camp leading the dun horse, most of the
warriors rode back, and one of those that came first to the village went
to the old woman and said to her, "Your grandson has killed the spotted
calf." And the old woman said, "Why do you come to tell me this? You
ought to be ashamed to make fun of my boy, because he is poor." The
warrior said, "What I have told you is true," and then he rode away.
After a little while another brave rode up to the old woman, and said to
her, "Your grandson has killed the spotted calf." Then the old woman
began to cry, she felt so badly because every one made fun of her boy,
because he was poor.
Pretty soon the boy came along, leading the horse up to the lodge where
he and his grandmother lived. It was a little lodge, just big enough for
two, and was made of old pieces of skin that the old woman had picked
up, and was tied together with strings of rawhide and sinew. It was the
meanest and worst lodge in the village. When the old woman saw her boy
leading the dun horse with the load of meat and the robes on it, she was
very surprised. The boy said to her, "Here, I have brought you plenty of
meat to eat, and here is a robe, that you may have for yourself. Take
the meat off the horse." Then the old woman laughed, for her heart was
glad. But when she went to take the meat from the horse's back, he
snorted and jumped about, and acted like a wild horse. The old woman
looked at him in wonder, and could hardly believe that it was the same
horse. So the boy had to take off the meat, for the horse would not let
the old woman come near him.