FOOTNOTES:
[22] Told by Antelope.
22. THE BOY WHO TURNED INTO A SNAKE.[23]
A long time ago there was a young man in the village who was an idiot. All the boys plagued him except one whose father was a chief and who took a liking for the boy. This chief’s son used to take the boy to his lodge and feed him. One day the poor boy said to his friend: “Let us go on the war-path. Let us go alone, for we can do as well as the warriors.” They started out and went south, crossing the Missouri River. After they had crossed the river they went west. For several days they continued their journey, but as they did not have much to eat they became exhausted and turned back.
When they were going over the prairie they saw something in the distance that looked like a log. They came to it and saw that it was a water-serpent. This water-serpent seemed to have no end. The boys walked one way, then another, until they finally gave up trying to find the end, and there was no way to go around it. The foolish boy said: “I know what I will do. I will make a big fire upon the serpent, so that it will burn up and we can cross over.” This they did. They gathered many dry limbs and placed them upon the serpent, then set it on fire. The serpent burned in two. Before crossing over, the idiot said, “My brother, that meat looks very nice, let us eat it.” “No,” said the other boy, “we must not eat it; the serpent is wonderful.” But the idiot was hungry and took some meat from the serpent and ate. He tried to get the other boy to do the same, but the boy would not eat of it, although he was very hungry. After the idiot had enough of the meat he went across the serpent. The other boy followed.
The boys now traveled down the Missouri River until night overtook them, when they lay down. The next morning the boys woke up. The idiot looked at his feet and he saw that his feet were colored with red and blue stripes. “Look,” said the idiot, “I have colored feet. I will not have to paint my feet when we dance at home. People will like it.” But the other boy did not say anything, for he knew there was something wrong. They went on until they reached another stream of water, where they lay down again and slept. This time, when they woke, the idiot looked at his legs and he found his legs also were colored. He was pleased, for he thought that he would not have to paint when dancing. The next night they lay down, and when they arose in the morning the idiot’s body also was colored. They kept on journeying. The fourth morning the boy found his legs had grown together and had turned into the tail of a snake. The other young man promised to take care of him as long as he could. He carried the boy upon his back to the nearest lake. The idiot now turned into a Snake.
The next morning, the Snake told the boy to place him in the lake; that if the fishes were satisfied to let him remain with them he would let the boy know. The boy put the Snake into the lake. The Snake swam about the lake and there was a great commotion in the water. The fishes in the lake did not seem to like this Snake which had come among them. The Snake came out again, and the boy took it and put it upon his back and carried it to another lake. There was a great noise again in the lake. The Snake came out again, and said: “Carry me to the Missouri River and put me in. That is where I am to stay.” So the boy took the Snake down to the Missouri River and put it into the river. The Snake swam around in the river and came out and said: “My brother, I am to rest in the middle of the Missouri River. Whenever the people cross the Missouri River they must say, ‘My brother, let me step over you.’ They will then always cross over the river without any danger of drowning. If they do not say anything, there will be danger of their getting drowned. Let them also give me presents, throwing them into the river. Now go home and tell my friends to bring me some presents of pounded corn and dried buffalo meat.”
The boy went home and told his friends what had happened. The people brought blankets, tobacco, pounded corn, and dried meat. The boy and some other people went to the river and there they gave presents. The Snake boy received the presents, showing himself, so the people knew that the idiot had turned to a Snake. Every time the men went on the war-path they said: “My brother, we want to step over you. We are upon the war-path. See that none of our young men get lost in the river.” To-day these people say to this river: “Brother, I am about to cross over you. See that I do not drown.” Presents used to be given to the Snake boy by warriors when upon the war-path.