(1) pêyak nikî-wâpamâw kisêyiniw; êwako ê-kî-âcimot kisêyiniw ômisi itwêw, "nika-âcimon," itwêw.

(1) A certain old man whom I am old enough to have known, used to tell this story. “I shall tell of what I have seen,” he would say.

(2) kîtahtawê pêyak nâpêw wî-sipwêhtêw, ê-wî-nitonawât ayahciyiniwa. niwîhtamâk( itwêw awa kisêyiniw). tâpwê sipwêhtêw. niwîcêwâw; ayinânêw nitihtasinân oskinîkiwak ê-nitopayiyahk. kîtahtawê ê-pa-pimohtêyâhk, êkwa wâhyaw ê-ayâyâhk, kîtahtawê ê-apiyâhk, ê-pîhtwâyâhk, pêyak oskinîkiw ê-sipwêhtêt, ê-wî-sâkêwêt ispatinâhk, ê-wî-kakwê-wâpamât ayahciyiniwa, ê-nitawâhtât awa kâ-wî-nanâtawâpit ispatinâhk ohci, ê-itâpit, wâpamêw mostoswa nêwo. owîcêwâkana wâwâstahamawêw. êkosi pasikôwak, ê-itohtêcik ôhi oskinîkiwa.

(2) At one time a certain man was going to set out to look for Blackfoot. He told me of his purpose (said this old man). So he set out. I went along; eight was the number of us young men who went on the war-path. Presently as we marched along, after we had gone a great distance, then once, as we sat smoking, a young man left camp to reach the crest of a hill, to look out for Blackfoot, and when this scout reconnoitred, as he looked yon way, he saw four buffalo. He signaled to his companions. Accordingly they rose to their feet and went to where that young man was.

(3) ê-otihtâcik, "tânisi?" itêw.

(3) When they reached him, “How is it?” the leader asked him.

(4) "â, konita ôta ê-ayâcik mostoswak."

(4) “Oh, merely that there are some buffalo here.”

(5) "â, kakwê-nipahihkok," itwêw awa kisêyiniw.

(5) “Very well, try to kill them,” said that old man.

(6) pêyak oskinîkiw sipwêhtêw ê-wî-pâskiswât, ê-wî-kakwê-nipahât. êkwa ê-nâciyôstawât ê-apiyit, cîki ê-ihtât, kâ-wâpamât wâkayôsa ê-nâciyôstawâyit ôhi mostoswa. êkosi pê-kîwêw awa oskinîkiw, ê-kostât ôhi wâkayôsa, ê-âcimostawât owîcêwâkana.

(6) A young man set out to shoot them. Then, when he crept up to them and was crouching now quite near, he saw a bear stealing up to these buffalo. Thereupon the young man came back, afraid of the bear, and told his companions the story.

(7) "wâkayôs nâciyôstawêw ôhi mostoswa," itêw owîcêwâkana.

(7) “A bear is stealing up to these buffalo,” he told his com panions.

(8) "mahti kitâpamâtân tânisi kê-tôtahk ôho wâkayôs," êkosi itwêwak.

(8) “Let us go see how this bear will do,” they said.

(9) tâpwê pasikôwak, ispatinâsihk ê-nahapicik, ê-kitâpamâcik. âsay cîki ayâw wâkayôs ôhi takwahinâwa. kîtahtawê pasikôw awa takwahinâw pêyak, ê-ati-sipwêhtêt, ê-itohtêt ôhi wâkayôsa. pasikôw awa wâkayôs, ê-otihtikot ôhi takwahinâwa. nôtinitôwak. namôya kinwês nôtinitôwak. nipahâw awa takwahinâw. mayaw ê-nipahiht kotak pasikôw. mîna êwako ê-itohtêt ôhi ita kâ-nipahimiht. mîna êwako nôtinitôwak. kiyipa mîna êwako nipahik wâkayôsa. kotak mîna pasikôw, ê-itohtêt, ê-wî-nôtinât wâkayôsa. nôtinitôwak; mîna êwako nipahik. kotak awa pasikôw, ê-kisiwâsit. âsay mîna itohtêw ôhi wâkayôsa. mîna êwako nôtinitôwak; nipahik. mêscihêw awa wâkayôs ê-nêwiyit takwahinâwa. ita kâ-kî-apicik ôki takwahinâwak, êkota ohci pasikôw osk-âyîsis. êwako êkota pâh-pimicipayiw, ê-kisiwâsit, ê-môskîstawât ôhi wâkayôsa. kisiwâk ê-otihtât, êkota kawipayihôw. ê-pasikôt, ayîsiyiniw isinâkosiw, câpihcicikanis ê-tahkonahk. êwako êwakoni kostêw awa wâkayôs. ê-wî-tapasît, môskîstawêw awa ayîsiyiniw. tahkamêw ôhi wâkayôsa; nipahêw. êkosi êkwa kawipayihôw; ê-pasikôt, pôti êwako mostosis. êkosi tapasîw awa mostosis; tâpwê piko nimitaw isi-tapasîw.

(9) So they arose and seated themselves on a small eminence of the ground to watch the animals. By this time the bear had got close to the bull buffalos. Suddenly one bull arose, left the others, and went up to the bear. When the bull came near, the bear also rose. They fought. Not long did they fight. The bull was killed. As soon as it had been killed, another rose and went to where the first one had been killed. This one, too, fought with the bear. Soon it, also, was killed by the bear. Then another still rose up and encountered the bear and fought with it. They fought; this one, too, the bear killed. Then the remaining one rose up, angry. It, too, went up to the bear. It, too, fought; the bear killed it. The bear killed all four of the bulls. Then from that place where those four bulls had been there arose a young buffalo. It ran along angrily toward the bear, to attack it. [no translation] When it got up, it had the form of a man holding a lance. The bear was afraid of this one. When it tried to escape, the man attacked it. He stabbed the bear and killed it. Then he flung himself on the ground; when he arose, there was again that young buffalo. So the young buffalo ran away; it made for the open prairie.

(10) êkosi êkwa ôki oskinîkiwak itohtêwak, ê-nitawâpamâcik ôhi mostoswa kâ-nipahimiht. ê-takohtêcik, ê-wâ-wâpamâcik, kahkiyaw awa wâkayôs ê-kaskikwênât, êkwa awa wâkayôs ospiskwanihk nôkwaniyiw êkota ê-tahkamikot ôhi mostosisa, tâpiskôc ayîsiyiniw ê-kî-tahkamât. êkwa êkota ôki oskinîkiwak wiyanihêwak.

(10) Thereupon the young men went to the place to look at the buffalos that had been killed. When they got there and examined them, it appeared that the bear had broken the necks of them all, and in the bear's back they could see the place where the buffalo-calf had stabbed it, exactly as though a man had made the wound. Then the young men skinned them and cut them up.

(11) "ka-mîcisonânaw," êkosi itwêwak.

(11) “We shall eat,” they said.

(12) tâpwê kotawêwak, ê-nawacîcik, ê-mîcisocik.

(12) Accordingly they built fires to prepare parched meat and to eat.

(13) êkwa awa kisêyiniw ômisi itwêw: "oskinîkîtik, kayâs nôhcîn;" "nama wîhkâc ômisi nitisi-wâpahtên." "mêskoc namôya kiwî-miyopayinânaw;" "mâskôc kika-nipahikonawak ayahciyiniwak." "kiyâm kîwêtân." "ka-miywâsin kîwêyahko," itwêw awa kisêyiniw.

(13) Then the old man spoke as follows: “Youths, I am an old man; never have I seen anything like this. Perhaps we shall not fare well; perhaps the Blackfoot will slay us. We had better go back. It will be better if we go home,” said the old man.

(14) "ahaq," itwêwak oskinîkiwak.

(14) “Very well,” said the young men.

(15) êkota pêyak tipiskâw ayâwak. ê-wâpahk, sipwêhtêwak, ê-kîwêcik. piyisk takosinwak wîkiwâhk. êwako âcimowak.

(15) They stayed there one night. In the morning they set out for home. At last they reached their camp. They told their story.

(16) "êwako ohci kâ-ôh-pê-kîwêyâhk, 'mâskôc namôya nika-miyopayinân,' ê-itêyihtamâhk, ê-isi-wâpahtamân, kâ-ôh-pê-kîwêyân."

(16) “That is why we have come home, 'Perhaps we shall not fare well,' was our thought, so it seemed to me; that is why I turned back.”

(17) êkosi êwako âcimowin. nîsôtêwi-mostos, êwako ê-wâpahtahk ôma âcimowin; niya nisis êwako kisêyiniw.

(17) So much for this story. Twin-Buffalo, he is the one who had this experience; my mother's brother was this old man.

Footnotes