Naiyenezgani said he was going yonder and would be back by sunset. He went to the mountain top where the halter lay. The Sun was standing there. “It must be my father,” he said. “I did not know you. I am glad you came down to me.” “Well, my son,” the Sun replied, “let us go around the horses.” “What time will it be when we get around them?” the son asked. Leaving the place where the halters were lying they went where the ropes were. The space was level full of horses. “Fine, my son,” the Sun said to Naiyenezgani, “with ropes and halters you made a fence so the horses cannot get out. You have this broad world for a corral.”
They went on and came where the halters were piled up. “These halters will round up the wild horses for you and you will put them on their heads.” They went on and came where the rope hung. “These ropes will drive the horses together for you. They will drive the wild horses close to camp for you.” They started back and came where Naiyenezgani had met the Sun. “I have done everything for you,” the Sun said. “Now I am going back and leave you. You too will go home. Tomorrow it will be finished. You will give your people two horses apiece. Give each of them one stallion and one mare. Distribute them from noon until sunset. These horses are mares and stallions in equal numbers. Tonight two saddles are to be placed on the pole you put up. You shall keep three saddles and give away seven. When you give away the horses give away seven saddles. Now my son, we separate. Shake hands. Others will do as we do.” They said njo to each other and separated. It was not long before he was back and stood there as the sun set. He was happy and laughing. “Where have you been, my son?” his mother asked. “You must have been in a good place or you would not be laughing.” “What did you say, mother?” he replied. “I am happy; when I came over there where the halter lay I met my father. I walked with him all day. As we walked around the horses he told me about everything. I am happy.”
He said that none of them should go out tomorrow, but that he himself would go out early. When he went out there in front of the yellow saddle lay a white saddle. Behind that was a blue one. Between them was a yellow saddle. The pole was full. There were ten saddles in a row. “I told you to put up a long pole, and you put up a short one,” he said to his mother. “You said dig one hole here and another there, my son,” she replied. “Just these may well be our saddles,” he said. He called Tobatc'istcini, saying they would go to catch the horses. “You go to the rope over there. I, too, will go to the other rope. Hurry, we will catch the horses,” he said to him. He ran where one rope was, and the other one went where the other rope was. When they came to the two ropes, they circled around, driving the horses all towards each other. They could not find their own horses, the Sun's horses. They went into the enclosure and walked around. Even when they went around that way they could not find the horses. They looked for them again, going around among the other horses, but they could not find them. The horses touched each other, they were so thick.
Then Tobatc'istcini said, “Naiyenezgani, why do you act so? Is your mind gone? You say you met your father yesterday and that you spent the day going around the horses. He took them out of the herd, and away from you.”
Naiyenezgani caught a black stallion and the other brother a sorrel gelding. When they led them to the camp their mother asked Tobatc'istcini why he had caught a sorrel and told him to turn him loose and catch a white gelding. She said the gray and sorrel horses were made for them and that they were well trained the day before. She told them to hurry and drive the horses in. Tobatc'istcini rode the sorrel horse back and unsaddled it. He then caught a white horse and drove the gray horses back to the camp.[[23]]
“Let us go,” he said to his brother. They mounted the horses and rode along. Their mother spoke to them, “My boys, take off that yellow saddle and put on a white one.” When they came riding back where their mother was, a horse whinneyed. It sounded like the voice of the gray stallion that used to be his horse. Another horse whinneyed in this direction and the voice was like that of the sorrel mare. They knew their horses when they whinneyed and one said to the other, “Brother, those are our horses whinneying but we cannot do anything about it.”[[24]] “Let us hurry,” the other said. They rode toward the herd of horses but the horses started to run and the herd broke up. While they were looking they ran where their horses whinneyed. Their fly told them that the horses had already run into the enclosure and that the four doors were shut. They heard them whinneying far away. Their fly said the horses were already in their stable, but they still whinneyed. They drove the other horses near the camp. The older brother told the people to form in a line around the horses. He said they were going to stake out horses for them. The people replied that they had no ropes, that only the two brothers had them. They asked the brothers to make ropes for them. They were told to wait while they returned where the horses used to be. They told them that they would have ropes the next day. The brothers went in different directions, calling to each other. They met and sent their fly to the Sun because the people were without ropes. He told his brother to go back where he had been staying. He directed him also to take the bridle off and to leave the rope as it was, tied to the saddle. “When the Sun is in the middle of the sky we will drive the horses back. Although it is late the Sun will be in the same place.[[25]] He (the Sun) may give us something,” he said.
The fly returned and reported: “Your horse was standing behind him. He sat watching where the stallions were fighting each other. He kept looking at them and then he went a little way.”
The Sun's disk was yellow as at sunset. He looked down four times. The yellow beams struck under his raised knees. From the other side they also streamed toward him. Nothing happened, and he got up and went to his horse. When he put his foot in the stirrup and mounted, ropes were tied in four places to the saddle strings where there had been no ropes before. Both saddles were that way. They both mounted together and their horses pawed the ground and snorted. He rode back to the camp, loping, and the other horses strung out behind him. The other brother was running his horse on the other side. They stopped near the camp. The horses were all lined up facing him. He called to the one on horseback, “Come here.” He rode up to him and he asked how many ropes there were. The other replied he did not know for he had not counted them, and inquired of the other how many ropes he had. The first speaker replied that he did not know. Then the younger brother said the other should catch the horses for them and lead them out while he remained on his horse where he was. The other brother then rode among the horses and caught a mare. He led the horse out and gave the rope to one of the men. He rode back among the horses and caught a stallion. When he had caught six horses, the ropes were all gone. He beckoned with his hand and his brother rode up to him. “Had you only six ropes?” he asked. “Yes, I only had six and I have caught six horses. Now, take your turn and I will remain here on horseback.” The second brother caught the horses and reported that he had chosen the better horses. The horses were all good but some of them looked to be small.
They told the people there were only seven saddles and that so many of the men might have saddles, but that the others must ride around bareback for the present. He told them that some time they might have saddles because the Sun knew of their need and he himself knew it. He instructed them to tie out their horses close by. He said if they heard the horses nickering they would know that the stallions were covering the mares. They would also know the colts when they were foaled. If they turned their horses loose they might not know them. The ropes he said would guard their horses for them. They would now drive back the other horses while those who had received horses staked theirs out.
He drove the horses away and hung his bridle up. The other one he laid in another direction. He took the saddle and everything else back to the camp. They came back to the camp in the middle of the night but they did not know it was night because the Sun had not moved.