(1) mînakôs isiyîhkâsôw otâcimowin kâ-wî-âtotamân. ômisi itwêw:

(1) Minakos is the name of him whose story I am going to tell. This is what he told.

(2) mitâtaht nîsosâp nâpêwak wawêyîwak, ê-wî-nitopayicik, opwâsîmôwak, ayahciyiniwa ê-wî-nitopayîstawâcik. êkosi sipwêhtêwak.

(2) Twelve men made ready to go on the war-path, Assiniboine, to make war on the Blackfoot. Accordingly they set out.

(3) wâhyaw ê-ihtâcik, kîtahtawê pêtisâpahtamwak ê-mâyi-kîsikâyik; sakamo pê-kitoyiwa, kâh-kitoyiwa piyêsiwa. êkwa kisiwâk ê-pê-mâyi-kîsikâyik, ocistikosiwak. apiwak, opâskisikaniwâwa ê-cimatâcik; êkwa akotâwak otakohpiwâwa; êkota pîhcâyihk ayâwak. asê-takosinomakaniyiw, yêkaw pisisik êkotowahk ohci kâ-kimiwaniyik.¹

êkosi pasikôwak; sipwêhtêwak âsay mîna.

(3) When they had gone a long way, at one time they saw a storm coming; unceasingly the Thunderers were coming with repeated noise. When the storm came near, they made a shelter. They stayed in one place, fixing their guns upright in the ground; over them they hung their blankets; they stayed underneath there. It came backwards; a downpour of sand was the rain. Then they arose; they set out again.

(4) êkosi êkwa kotak mîna pêtisâpahtamwak. âsay mîna nahapiwak. takopayiyiw ê-mâyi-kîsikâyik. apisîs wâh-wâyawis nipiy pahkihtiniyiw, êkwa pisisik kinosêwa êkotôwahk ohci nayêstaw ê-kimiwahk. ômayikohk êtokê ispapiwak, êkosi, pêyak misit. pasikôwak êkwa; sipwêhtêwak.

(4) Then they saw another thing coming. Again they sat down. The storm overtook them. A few scattered drops fell, for this was a rain of fishes and of nothing else. So deep they lay on the ground, like this, a foot deep. Then they arose; they went on.

(5) kîtahtawê mostoswa wâpamêwak; osâm kayâs kâ-mîcisocik.

(5) Presently they saw a buffalo; it was very long since they had eaten.

(6) pêyak oskinîkiw: "nitawi-nipa; mîcisôhâhkahk nipahaci."²

(6) One youth was told, “Go kill it; let us eat, when you have killed it.”

(7) êkosi sipwêhtêw. nipahêw ê-pâskiswât; takohtahêw kahkiyaw êkota. wiyanihtâkêwak, askêkin misiwê ê-otinahkik. êkwa pakocênêwak; êkwa otakisiya wayawîpitamwak. êkota itâmihk, ôtê otêhihk ana mostos, kî-pê-itiskwêpiw kisêyiniw, mitoni ê-wâpistikwâtit, ê-pêyakwaniyik oskîsik, ê-tapahtâskwêpit. êkosi sêkisiwak.

(7) Accordingly he went. He killed it with a shot; he brought them to that place. They skinned it, taking the hide entire. Then they cut it open and drew out the entrails. Inside there, by the heart of that buffalo there sat facing them an old man with white hair and only one eye, his head bowed forward. They were frightened.

(8) "mâskôc namôya kwayask kiwî-ispayinânaw." "nama wîhkâc êkosi ihkin."

(8) “Perhaps we shall not fare well. Never has such a thing happened.”

(9) nakatêwak; namôya mowêwak. sipwêhtêwak.

(9) They left it there; they did not eat it. They went from that place.

(10) êkosi kîtahtawê mostoso-mêskanaw êkwa mitimêwak, kâ-ati-mâh-mîsiyit êsa mostoswa. kîtahtawê kîsitêyiw otêhi-wîhkwâhk pimiy. êkosi sêkisiwak, osâm mâmaskâc ê-isi-wâpahtahkik. namôya otinamwak; nakatamwak.

(10) Then soon they followed the trail of the buffalo, where these had left their tracks. Suddenly the fat in the heart-bladder grew hot. They were frightened at seeing this astounding thing. They did not take it with them, but left it.

(11) êkwa ê-mêkwâ-pimohtêcik kisâstêyiw;³

nôhtêyâpâkwêwak. nama kêkway nipiy kî-miskamwak. êkwa atimwa pêyak wîcêwêwak, omaskisiniwâwa ê-otâpêyit; paskêpahtâw awa atim, ê-nôhtêyâpâkwêt. kîtahtawê ê-itâpicik, kî-minihkwêyiwa.

(11) Then, as they marched along, the weather grew hot; they became thirsty. They could not find any water. They had a dog with them to carry their moccasins; this dog left the trail in its thirst. Soon when they looked, it had drunk.

(12) "yâ, minihkwêw atim; miskam nipiy." "kinôhtêyâpâkwâhtânaw!" "ispahtâ; nitawâpahta," itêw oskinîkiwa.

(12) “Why, the dog has drunk; he has found water. Perhaps it is over with our thirst. Run down there; go and see,” the leader told a young man.

(13) êkwa ispahtâw; atim ôta takopahtâw; kawipayiw êkota, ê-kawipêt.

(13) He ran thither; the dog came running; it reeled over, falling from what it had drunk.

(14) êkwa oskinîkiw têpwêw; "iskotêwâpoy!" itwêw.

(14) The young man called out; “Whiskey!” he said.

(15) êkwa kahkiyaw ispahtâwak. êkwa ê-miyâhtahkik, tâpwê iskotêwâpoy. namôya wî-minihkwêwak; kostamwak.

(15) Then all ran to the place. When they smelled it, really it was whiskey. They would not drink; they were afraid of it.

(16) "namôya wîhkâc êkosi ihkin." "mâskôc namôya kwayask kiwî-ispayinânaw." "kiyâm kîwêtân," itwêw kâ-nitopayiwinihkêt.

(16) “Never has the like of this happened. Perhaps we shall not fare well. We had better go home,” said he who had made the war-party.

(17) êkosi tâpwê pê-kîwêwak. ana wiya atim kî-kawipêw: êwako piko ê-kî-minihkwêt, osâm ê-nôhtêyâpâkwêt.

(17) So they came home. As for the dog, it died of what it had drunk, it alone having drunk in its thirst.

(18) êkosi.

(18) That is all.

Footnotes

¹LB on asê-takosinomakaniyiw: The sandstorm is viewed as though the Thunderers were presenting themselves backwards; hence solid rain instead of liquid.

²CHECK micisowahkahk

³CHECK eh-mekwac - HCW: REPAIR