When the tree flowered

by John G. Neihardt

“Sheetsha! Sheetsha!” commented No Water and Eagle Voice, their heads shaking with feebleness.

“Dho,” Moves Walking agreed. “It was bad, very bad. So Falling Star said, ‘Grandfather, I think you should call the head men of the village here, for I want to say something to them.’ The old man felt much stronger now, so he went and told the head men. And when the head men were there, they all said, ‘Hun-hun-hi! It is good! Our grandson, Falling Star, has come to visit us!’ And the head chief said, ‘We have no meat to give you, for we are all starving. There is a white crow that talks. He always flies ahead of the hunters and tells the bison to go away; and when the hunters come, no bison are there at all, and we are starving.’

“Then Falling Star said to the head men, ‘You must do what I say. Set up a tepee in the center of the hoop and make it tight without even a smoke flap; for nobody is going to live in this tepee. Make a little fire in there before you shut it tight. There are bison not far away. I will go there and change myself into a bison. When you come to hunt, there will be only one bison left, for the white crow will tell the others to run away. This one bison will be I, but do not fear to kill and butcher me, for you cannot hurt me. Do not take any meat for yourselves—only enough for the little children who are crying. Then you will see.’

“So Falling Star asked for a bison robe, and this he tied about him. Then he began rolling on the ground and bellowing. All at once he was a big bison bull, and he galloped away to where the other bison were feeding, and the white crow was hopping around among them.

“Soon the hunters were coming, and the white crow began flying around over the bison and screaming, ‘Run! Run! The hunters are coming!’ All of them ran away from there except one big bull, and he just went on feeding. So the white crow flew down onto the bull’s back and began pecking and screaming, ‘Did you not hear me, bad one? I told you to run away! The hunters are coming!’ But this big bull just made thunder in his belly and went on feeding.

“The hunters were close now, and the white crow had to fly away. But he was watching while the hunters killed and butchered the big bull. When they had butchered they took some tender meat and good warm liver for the little children who were crying, and went back to the village.

“Then the white crow came flying around and around the bull that was butchered, and he was thinking, ‘I must be careful. Maybe this is a trick.’ But the fresh meat smelled so good that he could not stay away from it. So he hopped around the butchered bison, with his head on this side, then on that side, then on this side, then on that side. [Three heads wagged, illustrating the point.] All the while he was hopping a little closer. When he could not wait any longer he pecked at one of the eyes. But the way the other eye looked at him, he was frightened, and he said, ‘This looks like Falling Star’s eye.’ So he flew away and sat on top of a plum thicket to watch.

“While he was watching, the black crows and the magpies and two hawks smelled the fresh meat and came swooping down on it to feast. This made the white crow hungrier than before, and very angry too. So he came flapping and screaming, ‘Get away from my meat! This is my meat, and I will eat it myself!’ But nobody listened. So he hopped right inside the butchered bison and began poking around for some good warm liver. Peck-peck. Peck-peck-peck. Peck-peck-peck-peck. The meat was good and he was greedy, so he forgot to be afraid.

“That is just what Falling Star was waiting for, and all at once he was not a butchered four-legged any more; for he changed himself into a two-legged and caught white crow by the legs!”

Having silenced the exclamations of triumph with a lifted forefinger, Moves Walking continued: “Don’t bother me. I must tell this right. ‘Squawk! Squ-awk! Squ-awk-k-k!’ the white crow screamed; ‘Let me go! Let me go! I will give you my power if you will let me go!’ But Falling Star said, ‘You have been bad to the people long enough. I will not let you go.’ So he went back to the village; and when the people saw him coming with the white crow that was flapping and screaming, they all cried, ‘Hiyay! Hiyay,’ with one big voice.