Part 18 (1/2)

”Friend, let us go to your home.” So he went with him to his tepee.

The young man said, ”Grandmother, I have brought my friend home with me; get him something to eat.”

She said, ”Where shall I get it from, that you say that?”

”Grandmother, how is it that you say so?” asked the stranger.

She replied, ”Waziya treats this people very badly. When they go out to kill buffalo, he takes it all, and now they are starving to death.”

Now Waziya was a giant who caused very cold weather and blizzards.

Then he said, ”Grandmother, go to him and say, 'My grandchild has come on a journey and has nothing to eat; so he has sent me to you.'”

So the old woman went and standing at a distance, cried, ”Waziya, my grandchild has come on a journey and has nothing to eat; so he has sent me to you.”

He replied, ”Bad old woman, get you home; what do you mean by coming here?”

The old woman came home crying, and saying that Waziya had threatened to kill some of her relations.

Star-born said, ”My friend, take your strap; we will go there.”

The old woman interfered: ”I have with difficulty raised my grandchild.”

Grandchild replied to this by saying, ”Grandmother is very much afraid.” So the two went together.

When they came to the house of Waziya, they found a great deal of dried meat outside. He put as much on his friend as he could carry, and sent him home with it; then Star-born entered the tepee of Waziya, and said to him, ”Waziya, why did you answer my grandmother as you did when I sent her to you?”

Waziya only looked angry.

Hanging there was a bow of ice. ”Waziya, why do you keep this?” he said.

The giant replied, ”Hands off; whoever touches that gets a broken arm.”

Star-born said, ”I will see if my arm breaks.” He took the ice bow and snapped it into many pieces, and then started home.

The next morning all the people went on the chase and killed many buffaloes. But, as he had done before, the Waziya went all over the field, gathered up all the meat, and put it in his blanket.

Star-born was cutting up a fat cow. Waziya came and stood there. He said, ”Who cuts this up?”

”I am,” answered Star-born.

Waziya said, ”From where have you come that you act so haughtily?”

”Whence have you come, Waziya, that you act so proudly?” he retorted.