(1) kêtahtawê êsa mîna ê-âyimisit ayahciyiniw wîwa kâ-kwâsihtwât.

(1) Sometimes a Blackfoot brave's wife would be abducted.

(2) "tânisi ôma?" "namôya nikiskêyihtên awiyak ayiwâk ta-nâpêhkâsot iyikohk niya," itwêw awa ayahciyiniw.

(2) “How is this? I did not know that anyone was a greater warrior than I,” said that Blackfoot.

(3) êkwa nitonikêw; papâ-yâh-yôhtêwêpinam mîkiwâhpa. nama nânitaw miskawêw owîkimâkana, êkwa kâ-sipwêhtêt. têhtapiw ê-mîhkawikiyit, ê-nitonawât owîkimâkana. kotak ôtênaw takosin. nitonawêw mîkiwâhpihk. mêkwâc ê-nîswapicik ôhi kâ-kwâsihikot, kâ-paspâpiyit onâpêma. paspâmôwak. oskinîkiw awa wanaskacipahêw ôhi ayahciyiniwa. wâyonîw; owîkimâkana nitawi-otihtêw.

(3) Then he searched; he went about throwing open the tipis. Finding his wife nowhere, he went away. He mounted a fast horse, and looked for his wife. He came to another village. He searched in the tipis. As the woman who had been abducted sat with her lover, there was her husband looking into the tent. They fled through an opening in the tent. The youth outran that Blackfoot and got away. He went back; he went and reached his wife.

(4) kakwêcimêw: "awîna ê-itêyihtahk kâ-pê-sipwêhtêyêk?"

(4) He questioned her: “Whose idea was it to elope and come here?”

(5) "niya," itwêw iskwêw.

(5) “Mine,” said the woman.

(6) "êkwa ka-kîwânânaw," itwêw.

(6) “Now we shall go home,” said he.

(7) êkwa kîwêw. takosinwak; pîhtokêwak. âsay takosin oskinîkiw. êkwa mâkwêyimôw: "sôskwâc ninipahik!"

(7) Then he went home. They arrived and went into their tipi. Meanwhile the youth arrived. Now he was worried: “Without delay he will kill me!”

(8) êkwa nitomêw awa ayahciyiniw; nitomêw oskinîkiwa ôhi kâ-kî-kwâsihtâkot owîkimâkana.

(8) Then that Blackfoot summoned him; he summoned the youth who had abducted his wife.

(9) kakwêcimêw ê-pîhtokêyit: "tânisi ôma, nisîm, kâ-ôh-kî-sipwêhtêyan?" "awîna otitêyihcikan kâ-sipwêhtêyêk?"

(9) When he entered the tipi, he questioned him: “How comes this, my younger brother, that you went away from here? Whose idea was it that you two went away?”

(10) "wiya kiwîkimâkan; namôya niya." "kêtahtawê ê-tipiskâk, âsay ê-kawisimoyân, kâ-pê-koskonit, 'kiwî-nipahikonaw; sipwêhtêtân,' ê-isit." "nisêkimik." "niwaniskân; niwawêyîn; nipâskisikan, nimôhkomân, pakamâkan nitôtinên." "'hâw, niyâ!' nititâw." "êkosi kâ-sipwêhtêyâhk."

(10) “Your wife's; not mine. In the night, after I had gone to bed, she came and woke me, saying to me, 'He will kill us; let us go away.' She frightened me with her words. I got up; I dressed; I took my gun, my knife, my hatchet. 'There, come!' I said to her. And so we went.”

(11) "tâpwê nimihtâtên, nisîm, ê-tôtamêk." "êkosi kika-osîmimitin." "nâtitisahohkok nitêmak," itêw otôskinîkîma.

(11) “Truly I am sorry, Brother, at what you two have done. So now I shall have you as my younger brother. Go drive my horses hither,” he bade his followers.

(12) wîpac pêtisahwêyiwa. nawasonêw ê-mîhkawikiyit nîso otêma; kîwêhtahêw. êkwa otayiwinisa ê-mîkisiwiyiki, êkwa opâskisikan, opîhtatwâna miyêw. kiki nîso omîhkawikiwi-atimwa ôhi okosâka; mâka êkosi ê-otinât ê-osîmit. kîwêw awa oskinîkiw.

(12) Quickly they drove them there. He picked out two of his swiftest horses; he brought them to his tent. Likewise of his beaded clothes, and a gun of his, and an ammunition-bag he gave to him, together with two swift horses, to his fellow-husband; thus, in spite of rivalry, he accepted him and made him his brother. The youth went home.

(13) "âta wiya namôya kinipahik!" itâw.

(13) “So he did not kill you, after all?” he was asked.

(14) "êha," itwêw.

(14) “No,” he said.

(15) êkwa wiya nêwo miyêw ostêsa masinasowi-atimwa.

(15) Then he gave his elder brother four brindled horses.

(16) êkwa mîna pêyak ayahciyiniw otôtamôwin, kîhyawêma kîpa êsa ê-kî-kwêskêyihtahk, anohc mistahi ê-kî-kisiwâsit.

(16) This was another of the Blackfoot's ways, that he changed his mind exceedingly fast, when but now he had been very angry.

(17) êwako mîna mitoni kayâs ê-kî-ihkihk tôtamôwin, ahpô awiya kâ-kitâpamâyit wîwiwâwa ayahciyiniwak, âsay ê-kî-âsitêyimâcik wîstawâw. êwako pônipayiyiw; wîstawâw miywêyihtamwak awahkânisak, ê-pôni-kîskikotêcik. kêsinâ mâna kî-wawiyasinâkosiwak. tânikâ kî-wâpamâyahkok; mistahi êtokê ka-pâhpinânaw. êwako pêyak kêhcik kêkway ê-ihtakohk, isi-nôtiniskwêwêwin. pêyak êwako ê-kîsi-âtocikâtêk otisi-iyinihkêwin.

(17) This too was a very old custom of theirs, that if anyone so much as looked at the Blackfoots' wives, at once they suspected him. This has stopped; the poor slaves are glad that their noses are no longer being out off. They surely must have looked funny. I wish we could have seen them; we should have laughed a great deal. But this is a thing which no longer exists, this kind of fighting one's wife. This is one of their customs that people tell of.

Footnotes