“When I came close to the village everything was still; the people were asleep. Where I entered the camp, there was a little timber growing, and here I stopped. While I was considering what I should do, a girl came out of a lodge, but she went away from me. If she had come toward me I should have killed her, for she would have discovered me. After the girl had entered a lodge, I went into the camp to where there were some horses. I drove them out of the camp. Six went back, and I drove nine to where I had left my party. The two that I had ordered to steal horses for me were there. When I came to the place, and found all my men there, I said to them, ‘This is very good. I have stolen some horses for you. Now I will go back and get the rest of them for you.’ One of the other men persuaded me not to go again, but to let him go. He did so, and brought the six other horses.
“It was the custom, if it was very difficult or dangerous to go to a place to steal horses, for the leader himself to go and do the work.
“After two nights on the return journey I divided the horses among the men. It used to be the custom after a party had been successful and brought back the horses for them to change their names. After this trip my name was changed to ‘They-know-that-Leader.’ It was the custom among the Pawnees if they brought in horses to make an offering. We felt that we owed something to Ti-ra´-wa, and we gave a horse to the priest, the old man who had performed the ceremonies. I was gone but thirteen days, and returned to my tribe.”
After him follows A-ka-pa-kish—Pities-the-Poor. He, too, tells his story, and explains why one of his war parties was unsuccessful:
“My father told me, if I should ever want to go off on a war party, to humble myself, and not to let a day pass without praying to Ti-ra´-wa by my smokes. I must always remember to pray to Ti-ra´-wa to give me a strong will, and to encourage and bless me in my worship to him. Even when I was eating I must always remember to pray to him. This I must do for some time before starting out.
“At one time I felt that I was poor, and I resolved to go off on the warpath. A warrior, whom I knew, went out and took a lot of horses. He had been as poor as I. I believed that this man had got his horses because he had prayed to Ti-ra´-wa, and I thought, ‘If I pray to Ti-ra´-wa, why may I not do the same.’ So I prayed. No one else knew what I intended. After I had made up my mind, I selected another man, one whom I could trust, and called him to tell him of my resolve. I made him sit by me in the lodge, and said to him, ‘I want you to sit by me to-day, and smoke, and learn my intention.’ After we had smoked, I said to him, ‘My friend, I want you to know that we are on the warpath. We are going out to look for some horses.’ After he had smoked, the other man replied, saying, ‘Brother, it is well. Let us ask Ti-ra´-wa to take pity on us, to help us on our war trip, and to let us bring home many horses.’ We two were the leaders.
“Some time after we had talked together, and made up our minds what we would do, we selected certain young men that we could depend on, and told them that we were on the warpath. This was done in this way. We selected a pipe with which to have a sacred smoke, filled it and smoked. Then we called together into the lodge the others, who did not know our purpose. After they had assembled, I filled the pipe, and said, ‘We are going on a war party. We have filled this pipe, and must decide what is to be done.’ Then I passed the pipe to the man who sat next to me. If he wished to join us he smoked, and passed it to the next man. It was not allowed for any one to smoke unless he would go with this party. Some might refuse the pipe, saying, ‘I have decided to go with another party.’ The smoking of the pipe was a promise that the leader could depend on the man who smoked.
“They used to have a certain ceremony to follow before starting out on the warpath. It was something handed down, a special manner of praying to Ti-ra´-wa that he would bless them in their warfare.
“At last everything was ready for the start. The young men had their packs made up. They carried cooked pounded corn, and pounded buffalo meat mixed with tallow; and sometimes the loads were heavy. Some would carry ten pairs of moccasins, each one stuffed full of corn, or pounded buffalo meat. They were well fed. The loads were so heavy that at first we would only make short marches. The leaders had to see that the young men were not overworked.
“When all was ready, the priest who performed the ceremonies met us. He brought with him the sacred bundle which we were to take with us. At night when it was all still, after every one was asleep, the ceremonies were performed. We smoked and worshiped to the east and west, and to the north and south, and prayed for success.