Atondido Stories
a great herd of buffaloes—all the buffaloes that had been driven
from the prairies. The dog barked at them and snapped at their
heels, and the stick beat them, and they began to drive them
quickly out of the cavern and eastward toward the plains. But
they still kept the shape of dog and stick. When evening came,
and it was time for the boy and his mother to go home, the boy
searched for the dog and the woman looked for her stick, but
they could not find them, and they had to go home without
them.
Just as the woman and her son reached their house on the
bank of the river, the giant-thief was coming home too. He
chanced to look to the east, and there he saw, far away, many
buffaloes running towards the foot-hills where the sweet-grass
grew. He was very angry, and he cried loudly to his son, "Where
is the dog? Where is the dog?" "I lost him in the underbrush,"
said the boy; "he chased a bird and did not come back." "It was
not a bird he chased," said the giant; "it was one of my buffaloes.
I told you he was an evil thing and not to touch him, but you
and your mother would have your way. Now my buffaloes are
all gone." He gnashed his teeth in a great rage, and rushed off to
the hidden cave to see if any buffaloes were left, crying as he
went, "I will kill the dog if I find him." When he reached the cave
the Chief and the youth, still in the form of a dog and a stick,
were just rounding up the last of the buffaloes. The giant rushed
at them to kill the dog and to break the stick, but they sprang up-
on an old buffalo and hid in his long hair and, clinging on tight-
ly, the dog bit the buffalo until the old animal plunged and
roared and rushed from the cave, bearing the Chief and the
youth concealed on his back. He galloped eastward until he
reached the herd far away on the prairie, leaving the giant far
behind to make the best of his anger. Then the Chief and the
31