(1) kîtahtawê mîkiwâhpihk ohci sipwêhtêw, kêkâ-mitâtaht ê-ihtasicik ê-sipwêhtêcik, ê-mostohtêcik, ê-nitonawâcik ayahciyiniwa. kîtahtawê niyânanwâw ê-tipiskâyik, niyânanwâw ê-kî-nipâcik, mostoswa wâpamêwak. pêyak awa sipwêhtêw, ê-nitawi-pâskiswât. ê-nipahât pêyak, kahkiyaw êkota itohtêwak ê-wiyanihâcik, ê-wî-mîcisocik. êkwa ê-kîsi-mîcisocik, omaskisiniwâwa ê-kaskikwâtahkik, ê-mîsahahkik ê-pîkopayiyiki, êwako wîhkasko-kisêyin pasikôw, ê-sipwêhtêt ê-pêyakot. êwako ayinânêwosâp ê-tahtopiponwêt awa kâ-sipwêhtêt, ê-wî-kakwê-wâpamât ayahciyiniwa. ôki wiya kotakak apiwak. ê-asawâpit ê-wî-kakwê-wâpahtahk kêkway, ê-ispatinâyik êkota ê-pa-pimisihk, kisiwâk ôta osêhcâyiw; nama kêkway wâpahtam. kîtahtawê kêkway pêhtam ê-pitihkwêyik. kîtahtawê wâpamêw ê-pê-sâkêwêpayiyit mostoswa mihcêt, kâ-wâpamât ayahciyiniwa mihcêt ê-pê-nawaswâtâyit ôhi mostoswa, ê-wî-nipahâyit. namôya kî-tapasîw, wâpamikoci ta-nipahikot. kâsôw êkota apisîs ê-sakâsiyik; êkota pimisin, acosisa ê-tahkonahk; nama kêkway pâskisikan. ita kâ-pimisihk, kisiwâk ôta pimipayiyiwa mostoswa. itê kâ-pê-ohtohtêyit, êkotê misiwê nipahêyiwa mostoswa. êkwa ê-itâpit, misiwê wâpamêw itê kâ-kî-itohtêyit. kîtahtawê ê-pimisihk, nâway ê-pê-ihtâyit awa ayahciyiniwa, iskwêwa ê-wîcêwâyit, owîkimâkaniyiwa, pâskisikan ê-tahkonamiyit ôhi nâpêwa, êwakoni otihtik. wâpamik iskwêwa ôhi. wîhtamawêw owîkimâkana awa iskwêw, ôhi ê-pimisiniyit nêhiyawa. ê-itâpit awa ayahciyiniw, otinam opâskisikan. êkwa awa nêhiyaw kâ-pimisihk acosis ôma otinam, ôhi ayahciyiniwa ê-pimwât; nipahêw. iskwêw awa tapasîw. âsay mîna êwakoni ôhi iskwêwa pimwêw; mîna êwakoni nipahêw. êkosi pasikôw; ôhi nâpêwa kâ-nipahât pâskisikan otinam; otêmiyiwa nîso otinêw; têhtapiw. êkwa awa ayahciyiniwa mihcêt itê kâ-nipahâyit mostoswa, êkotê itohtêw, ê-têhtapit. âta wiya wî-maskamêw; namôya wî-kitâpamêw, ê-kostahk ta-nisitawêyimikot ê-nêhiyâwit. piyisk miyâskawêw, mihcêt ayîsiyiniwa ê-kî-miyâskawât. namôya kiskêyihtam kwayask ê-itohtêt pêyak ôhi ayahciyiniwa ê-wiyanihâyit mostoswa. âsay kî-itohtêw. êkosi"tânisi kî-tôtamân?" itêyihtam, ê-kostât êwakoni. apisîs ohpimê pimohtêw, ê-têhtapit, pêyak ê-sakâpêkinât misatimwa, ayahciyiniwa otêmiyiwa ê-maskamât êwakoni kâ-nipahât. êkwa ôhi kâ-kâh-kitâpamikot nisitawêyimik ê-nêhiyâwit, ê-otinâyit otêmiyiwa; wâpiskisiyiwa; êkosi tapasîw. êkwa têhtapiyiwa. ê-kîsi-têhtapit awa ayahciyiniw, têpwêw; owîcêwâkana kitâpamik. êkosi aniki ayahciyiniwak mihcêt pê-sipwêpayiwak. êkosi êkwa kâ-tapasît awa nêhiyaw. êkwa awa kâ-nisitawêyimât nêhiyawa nawaswâtêw ôhi nêhiyawa, ê-wî-kakwê-nipahât. êkwa awa nêhiyaw ê-âpasâpamât, "mahti kisiwâk kita-ayât." ôhi kâ-na-nawaswâtikot kisiwâk ayâyiwa, kisiwâk ê-askôkot. wâhyaw pâpayiyiwa; wâyonipitêw ôhi kâ-têhtapit ê-môskîstawât ôhi wâhyaw kâ-pê-nakasiwêyit. kisiwâk ê-osâpamikot, pâskisok. patahok. êkosi tapasîyiwa. êkwa wiya pâskiswêw; nîhciwêpahwêw; nipahêw. âsay mîna êwakoni otêmiyiwa otinêw. êkosi êkwa tapasîw. kâ-mihcêticik aniki ayahciyiniwak ê-otihtâcik ôhi kâ-nipahimiht, êkota poyowak. osâm âsay wâhyaw ayâw, ê-tapasît. êkwa owîcêwâkana aspin kâ-kî-nakatât ita kâ-kî-mîcisocik, êwakonik wiya ê-pêhtahkik ê-mâh-matwêwêyik, kî-tapasîwak, ê-mosci-pimipahtâcik, "mâskôc nipahâw", ê-itêyihtahkik,- ôhi kâ-kî-nitawi-ay-asawâpiyit.¹

êwako awa kâ-kî-nitawi-asawâpit, êwako nîso nipahêw ayahciyiniwa; nisto misatimwa maskamêw; pêyak pâskisikan; iskwêwa pêyak nipahêw. owîcêwâkana miskawêw awa nêhiyaw. êkwa âcimôw ôma ka-isi-wâpahtahk, kâ-isi-otinât ôhi misatimwa. êkota ayâwak, owîcêwâkana ita ê-miskawât. êkwa ê-tipiskâyik, êkota ohci kâwi sipwêhtêwak, ê-itohtêcik ôhi ayahciyiniwa ita ê-wîkiyit, êkwa ê-kimotamawâcik otêmiyiwa. êkota tapasîwak. kîwêwak; êkwa piyis êkosi isi takosinwak wîkiwâhk. êwako awa kâ-tôtahk wîhkasko-kisêyin.

(1) At one time he set out from his lodge; nine men were in the party; they went on foot, looking for Blackfoot. When five nights had passed and five times they had slept on the way, they saw some buffalos. One man went out to shoot them. When he had killed one, all went there to skin it and cut it up, and to eat. When they had eaten and were sewing moccasins or mending such as were torn, Sweet-Grass arose and went off alone. Eighteen years old was he when he then set out to see Blackfoot. Meanwhile the others stayed where they were. When he looked out to see what there was to be seen, as he lay there on a rise of the land, close by the land was hilly; he could not see anything. After a while he heard something come thudding. Then he saw a great herd of buffalos come forth and saw a large band of Blackfoot coming in pursuit of the buffalo, to kill them. He could not flee, for if they saw him, they would kill him. He hid there in a small clump of trees; there he lay, holding his arrows; he had no gun. Close by the place where he lay came the buffalos. Everywhere in yon direction whence they had come, the others had killed buffalos. And when he looked this way, he saw them all going on. At last, as he lay there, behind the rest came a Blackfoot with a woman, his wife; the man carried a gun; these came to where he was. The woman saw him. She told her husband that a Cree lay there. [no translation] Then the Cree who lay there took an arrow like this and shot the Blackfoot, killing him. The woman ran away. Then he shot the woman; her too he killed. So then he got up; he took the gun from the man he had slain, and his two horses; he mounted. Where those Blackfoot had killed many buffalos, thither he went, now on horseback. He wanted to rob them, but he did not want to look upon them, fearing they would know him for a Cree. At last he passed them; he passed a great many people. He had unwittingly gone straight to one of the places where the Blackfoot were preparing buffalo. Beyond retreat he had gone there. “What can I do?” he thought, fearing them. He rode a bit to one side, leading by the bridle the other one of the horses he had taken from the Blackfoot he had slain. Then when one of the others looked at him, he knew he was a Cree and that he had taken some of their horses; white horses they had; and so he fled. Then the other mounted. When the Blackfoot mounted, he whooped; his companions looked. In this way those Blackfoot started off in a crowd. And so the Cree fled. The one who had recognized him as a Cree pursued him to kill him. When the Cree looked back at his pursuer, “I shall let him get near.” Closer and closer behind him came he who was pursuing. A long way had the other come; he turned back the horse and attacked the man who had come outdistancing his companions. The other saw him near and shot at him. He missed him and fled. Then he shot at the other; he knocked him from his horse, killing him. This one's horse also he took. Then he fled. All the other Blackfoot, when they reached the one who was slain, stopped there. He was already too far away in his flight Then his companions whom he had left there where they had eaten, when they heard the shots, fled running on foot, thinking, “Perhaps the others have killed him,” - the one who had gone to reconnoitre. But he who had gone to reconnoitre had killed two Blackfoot; he had taken three horses from them and one gun; he had killed one woman. That Cree found his comrades. Then he told of what he had experienced and of how he had taken those horses. They stayed there where he found his comrades. When night came, they set out again, going to where those Blackfoot dwelt, and stole their horses from them. Then they fled. They returned home, and so at last reached their camp. The one who did thus, was Sweet-Grass.

(2) êkosi êkwa âcimowin.

(2) That is the story.

Footnotes

¹CHECK heaviness of -ây-