Part 7 (1/2)
”Brother, I do not care to marry,” she answered. ”I am now happy with you.”
”But you will be yet happier married,” he answered, ”and the young stranger is of no mean family, as one can see by his dress and manners.”
”Very well, I will do as you wish,” she said. So the stranger came into the tepee and was the girl's husband.
One day as they were in their tent, a crow flew overhead, calling out loudly,
”Kaw, Kaw,
”They who forsook the children have no meat.”
The girl and her husband and brother looked up at one another.
”What can it mean?” they asked. ”Let us send for Unktomi (the spider).
He is a good judge and he will know.”
”And I will get ready a good dinner for him, for Unktomi is always hungry,” added the young wife.
When Unktomi came, his yellow mouth opened with delight at the fine feast spread for him. After he had eaten he was told what the crow had said.
”The crow means,” said Unktomi, ”that the villagers and chief who bound and deserted you are in sad plight. They have hardly anything to eat and are starving.”
When the girl heard this she made a bundle of choicest meat and called the crow.
”Take this to the starving villagers,” she bade him.
He took the bundle in his beak, flew away to the starving village and dropped the bundle before the chief's tepee. The chief came out and the crow called loudly:
”Kaw, Kaw!
”The children who were forsaken have much meat; those who forsook them have none.”
”What can he mean,” cried the astonished villagers.
”Let us send for Unktomi,” said one, ”he is a great judge; he will tell us.”
They divided the bundle of meat among the starving people, saving the biggest piece for Unktomi.
When Unktomi had come and eaten, the villagers told him of the crow and asked what the bird's words meant.
”He means,” said Unktomi, ”that the two children whom you forsook have tepees full of dried meat enough for all the village.”
The villagers were filled with astonishment at this news. To find whether or not it was true, the chief called seven young men and sent them out to see. They came to the three tepees and there met the girl's brother and husband just going out to hunt (which they did now only for sport).
The girl's brother invited the seven young men into the third or sacred lodge, and after they had smoked a pipe and knocked out the ashes on a buffalo bone the brother gave them meat to eat, which the seven devoured greedily. The next day he loaded all seven with packs of meat, saying: