(1) kayâs kîtahtawê nêwo nêhiyawak sipwêhtêwak; mitoni mîhkawikiyiwa otêmiwâwa, ê-nitawi-kimoticik misatimwa. nama wiya kî-kimotiwak. kîtahtawê pêyak oskinîkiwa kîminatêwak. nipahêwak êwakoni. êkosi êkwa maniswêwak ostikwâniyiw. êkosi tapasîwak; êkotê konita itê kâsôwak; kotakihk sipwêhtêwak. tâpwê wâpahtamwak ê-mihcêtiniyiki mîkiwâhpa. êkosi êkota kimotiwak. ma-mitoni kâhcitinêwak misatimwa. nâh-nîso otinêwak. êkosi ê-tipiskâk tapasîwak. kapê-tipisk pimâmôwak. ê-wâpahk, ita kôh-kimoticik, kâwi êkota takosinwak. êkosi misatimwa wêpinêwak. sêmâk nawaswâtâwak, ayahciyiniwa ê-nawaswâtikocik. êkosi ê-mîhkawikiyit otêmiwâwa, êkosi nakasiwêwak. êkosi ê-kiskêyihtamiyit êkâ ta-kî-atimikocik, pônihikwak. êkosi ati-ka-kîwêwak.

(1) Once upon a time, long ago, four Cree set out; their horses were very fleet, and they went to steal horses. They did not succeed in stealing any. Then at one time they attacked a young man from ambush. They killed him. Then they scalped him. Then they fled; they hid somewhere or other; they went off to another place. They saw a village of many tents. There, then, they stole. They managed to lay their hands on many horses. Each took two of them. Then they fled in the night. All night long they rode in flight. At daybreak they arrived again at the place where they had stolen horses. So they let the horses go. At once they were pursued, by the Blackfoot they were pursued. But as their horses were fleet, they outdistanced their pursuers. When the others knew that they could not overtake them, they quit them. So they went on towards home.

(2) mwêhci nêwâw ê-kî-nipâcik, kîkisêpâ minahôwak. êkota nâh-nawacîwak. êkota ma-mîcisôwak. ê-kîsi-mîcisocik, sipwêhtêwak. êkwa kisinâyiw, kêkâc ê-piponiyik, kêkâc. kîtahtawê wâpahtamwak mîkiwâhp. ê-tipiskâk itohtêwak. êkota ê-takohtêcik, wâpamêwak misatimwa nîso, ê-nipahcikâsoyit. êkosi asêhtêwak. ê-wâpaniyik itohtêwak. pîkonamwak mîkiwâhp. ê-pîhtokêcik, ayîsiyiniwa pimisiniyiwa ê-nipiyit, ayahciyiniwa. otinêwak ê-tâpiskawâyit pîwâpiskominisa mihcêt, otakohpiyiwa mîna. mitoni mosêskatênêwak nâpêwa êsa. êkosi isi sipwêhtêwak. kîtahtawê wâhyaw ê-ayâcik, kâ-matwê-sâkowêyit. êkosi êkwa ê-âpasâpicik, wâpamêwak, ê-pê-nawaswâtikocik. êkosi êkwa tapasîwak; tahki kisiwâk askôkwak. piyisk nayawapiyiwa otêmiwâwa.

(2) When they had been exactly four nights on the way, in the morning they killed game. There they prepared meat. They ate there. After their meal, they went on. It was cold, for it was nearly winter. Presently they came in sight of a tent. When night fell, they approached it. When they reached it, they saw two horses that had been killed. So they withdrew. In the morning they went there. They broke open the tent. When they entered, there lay a man who had died, a Blackfoot. They took a great number of metal beads which he had as a necklace, and his blanket-robes. They must have stripped the man completely. Thereupon they departed. Presently, when they were quite a ways, there he came a-whooping. When they looked back, they saw him coming in pursuit of them. They fled; he kept close upon them. At last their horses went out of breath.

(3) kîtahtawê têpwâtikwak, "pêtâk kâ-maskamiyêk!"

(3) Then at one time he called to them: “Bring here what ye have robbed from me!”

(4) âhci piko namôya wî-miyêwak. sôhki sôhki êkwa tapasîwak. kîtahtawê wêpinam otakohpiyiwa, pêyak ê-nayawapiyit otêma. ê-âpasâpit, ê-pê-otihtamiyit, otinamiyiwa. âhci piko pê-pimitisahokwak. êkoyikohk mitoni wî-atimik awa kâ-nayawapiyit otêma. êkosi têpwâtêw owîcêwâkana.

(4) Still they did not want to give him the things. With all their might they fled. Presently one whose horse was winded threw away a blanket of the man's. When he looked back, the other came up to it and took it. Still he came chasing them. By this time he had almost overtaken the one whose horse was out of breath. So the latter called to his companions.

(5) "wâh-wêpinamok anihi kâ-kî-otinamêk," itêw owîcêwâkana.

(5) “Throw away all the things you took,” he cried to his companions.

(6) tâpwê wâh-wêpinamiyiwa kahkiyaw. nayêstaw pîwâpiskominisa namôya wêpinêw pêyak, osâm ê-miywêyimât. êkosi ê-âpasâpit, kâ-wêpinahkik anihi ê-pê-otihtamiyit, otinamiyiwa. âhci piko pê-pimitisahokwak. mitoni ê-wî-atimikocik, êkoyikohk oskinîkiw awa kâ-ayâwât pîwâpiskominisa kiskêyihtam ê-nayawapiyit otêma. kiskisopayiw; pîwâpiskominisa otinêw, ê-wêpinât.

(6) Accordingly they threw away everything. Only one did not throw away the metal beads, because he liked them too much. When he looked back, the other reached the things they had thrown down and took them. He still kept after them. When he was very close upon them, the youth who had the metal beads perceived that his horse was out of breath. He took thought; he laid hold of the metal beads and threw them down.

(7) ê-otihtâyit matwê-sâkowêyiwa, "namôya misawâc takî-maskamiyêk niwawêsîhona!"

(7) When the other reached them, he whooped aloud, “Not after all will ye be able to despoil me of my fineries!”

(8) êkosi pônihikwak. êkosi kîwêyiwa.

(8) Thereupon he quit them, and they returned home.

(9) êkosi êkoyikohk.

(9) That is all.

Footnotes