She called out, “Oh my children, the ghost is carrying me off!” Heavy Collar rushed out, and called to the others, “Come, and help me take my mother from the ghost.”  He grasped his mother about the waist and held her, and another man took him by the waist, and another him, until they were all strung out, one behind the other, and all following the old woman, who was following the ghost woman, who was walking away.

All at once the old woman let go of the pipe, and fell over dead.  The ghost disappeared, and they were troubled no more by the ghost woman.

THE WOLF-MAN

There was once a man who had two bad wives.  They had no shame.  The man thought if he moved away where there were no other people, he might teach these women to become good, so he moved his lodge away off on the prairie.  Near where they camped was a high butte, and every evening about sundown, the man would go up on top of it, and look all over the country to see where the buffalo were feeding, and if any enemies were approaching.  There was a buffalo skull on the hill, which he used to sit on.

“This is very lonesome,” said one woman to the other, one day.  “We have no one to talk with nor to visit.”

“Let us kill our husband,” said the other.  “Then we will go back to our relations and have a good time.”

Early in the morning, the man went out to hunt, and as soon as he was out of sight, his wives went up on top of the butte.  There they dug a deep pit, and covered it over with light sticks, grass, and dirt, and placed the buffalo skull on top.

In the afternoon they saw their husband coming home, loaded down with meat he had killed.  So they hurried to cook for him.  After eating, he went up on the butte and sat down on the skull.  The slender sticks gave way, and he fell into the pit.  His wives were watching him, and when they saw him disappear, they took down the lodge, packed everything on the dog travois, and moved off, going toward the main camp.  When they got near it, so that the people could hear them, they began to cry and mourn.

“Why is this?” they were asked.  “Why are you mourning?  Where is your husband?”

“He is dead,” they replied.  “Five days ago he went out to hunt, and he never came back.”  And they cried and mourned again.

When the man fell into the pit, he was hurt.  After a while he tried to get out, but he was so badly bruised he could not climb up.  A wolf, travelling along, came to the pit and saw him, and pitied him. Ah-h-w-o-o-o-o!  Ah-h-w-o-o-o-o! he howled, and when the other wolves heard him they all came running to see what was the matter.  There came also many coyotes, badgers, and kit-foxes.

“In this hole,” said the wolf, “is my find.  Here is a fallen-in man.  Let us dig him out, and we will have him for our brother.”