THE SNAKE BROTHER.
ONE time, long ago, a big party of Pawnees went on the warpath down to the south. They could find no enemies anywhere, and they went a long way south. In this party were two brothers, poor boys, and one day as they were traveling along, apart from the others, in a piece of woods where it was very thick, they got lost. When they found that they were lost, they tried to go back to the camp, but they could not find the others, and at last gave up looking for them and started to go back north to their home. They had no food with them, and were looking about for something to kill, so that they might eat. As they were going along, they came upon a dead buffalo that had been killed some time, and there was nothing of it left but the bones, so they took some of the marrow bones, and carried them along with them, until they made a camp.
Not far beyond here they stopped to rest. There was a tree growing near where they stopped, and as they looked up into it, they saw a squirrel run up the tree. One of the brothers caught up his bow and arrows, and the other said, “Oh, kill him, kill him, quick.” The boy shot and killed it, and they skinned it, and roasted it over the fire. While they were cooking it the elder brother said, “I wonder if it is good to eat the marrow and the squirrel together.” The younger said, “No, it is not good to do so. This is not real meat.”[10] The elder thought the two kinds of food would be good together, and they disputed about this for some time. The elder brother kept coaxing the younger to eat the squirrel and the marrow together, but the younger said, “Oh, brother, I do not like to do this. To me it does not seem good. But if you wish to do it, why don’t you?” The elder said, “I think I will do so;” and he did so, taking a bite of squirrel, and then a bite of marrow. He said, “It is nice, you had better take some.” But the younger brother would not. He ate only the marrow. After they had eaten they did not go on further, but slept there.
[10] Like buffalo meat, or elk or deer.
About the middle of the night, the elder brother felt a noise in his feet, and he sat up and felt of his legs and feet, and he found that his feet were stuck together, and were beginning to get round, like a snake, and had a rattle on the end of them, and that his legs were round and like the tail of a great big rattlesnake. He reached over, and put his hands on his brother, and shook him, and said to him, “Get up. There is something the matter with me.” The younger brother woke up, and felt of his brother, and found how it was; as if he was changing into a snake, beginning at his feet. When he saw this he felt very badly. Then the older brother began to talk to the younger, and to give him good advice, for he felt very sad.
He said, “Now I am going to die, and leave my young brother here alone on this prairie. He is so young, he will not be able to find his way home, and he must die, too. Surely this has happened because I ate the marrow and the squirrel together.” While he was talking, the change had moved up to his waist.
After a little while he got more hopeful, and he said, “Now, brother, I know that you will get home safely. I will protect you. I know that I am going to be a snake, and I shall stay right here. You see that hole,” and he pointed to a hole in the bank. “When I have changed into a snake, take me in your arms, and carry me over to that hole. I am going to stay there forever. That will be my home, for that is the house of the snakes. When you go back home, you must tell our father and mother how it was, and whenever you want to go on the warpath, take a big party and come down this way, and come right here, to this very place, and you will see me, for I shall be here. Now, brother, when you go back home, some time after you have reached home, I want you to come back all alone; come right here. You know what I told you; do not be afraid of me. I believe this was to happen to me, and I could not help it. After you have once come all alone, then the second time you may bring some others with you, but the first time come alone.” So he talked to his brother, and as he spoke the change kept going on. While it was moving up his body, until it got to his head, he was still like a man in his mind, but all his body was like a great big snake. Then he spoke to his brother, and said, “Now, brother, cover up my head with the robe, and after a little while take it off again.” The younger brother, did as he was told, and when, after a while, he took the robe off, there he saw an immense snake’s head as broad as his two hands. The elder brother had completely changed into a snake.
The young man took the snake in his arms, and carried him over to the hole, and put him on the ground by it. He felt very sad to go away and leave his brother here. Before he started, he spoke good words to the snake, and said, “Now, brother, I am going home, and I ask you to take pity on me, and to protect me. I do not know the country I am going through, and you must take care of me. Do not forget the promises you have made me.” After he had spoken he did not wait to see the snake go into the hole, but started on his journey, and went off toward his home.
When he reached the village, he told all these things to his father and his mother. He said to all his relations, “Do not mourn for him. He is alive and he is well. The only trouble is, that he is in the shape of a snake.” After he had been home ten days, he told his mother to make for him five pairs of moccasins, that he was going on the warpath for himself. His mother did so, and he stuffed them full of parched corn, and took a little sack of pounded buffalo meat on his back, and started back to see his brother.