One day, a young married man killed a jack-rabbit.  He was so hungry that he ran home as fast as he could, and told one of his wives to hurry and get some water to cook it.  While the young woman was going along the path to the river, she heard a beautiful song.  It sounded close by, but she looked all around and could see no one.  The song seemed to come from a cotton-wood tree near the path.  Looking closely at this tree she saw a queer rock jammed in a fork, where the tree was split, and with it a few hairs from a buffalo, which had rubbed there.  The woman was frightened and dared not pass the tree.  Pretty soon the singing stopped, and the I-nis’-kim [buffalo rock] spoke to the woman and said:  “Take me to your lodge, and when it is dark, call in the people and teach them the song you have just heard.  Pray, too, that you may not starve, and that the buffalo may come back.  Do this, and when day comes, your hearts will be glad.”

The woman went on and got some water, and when she came back, took the rock and gave it to her husband, telling him about the song and what the rock had said.  As soon as it was dark, the man called the chiefs and old men to his lodge, and his wife taught them this song.  They prayed, too, as the rock had said should be done.  Before long, they heard a noise far off.  It was the tramp of a great herd of buffalo coming.  Then they knew that the rock was very powerful, and, ever since that, the people have taken care of it and prayed to it.

[NOTE.—­I-nis’-kims are usually small Ammonites, or sections of Baculites, or sometimes merely oddly shaped nodules of flint.  It is said of them that if an I-nis’-kim is wrapped up and left undisturbed for a long time, it will have young ones; two small stones similar in shape to the original one will be found in the package with it.]

ORIGIN OF THE WORM PIPE

There was once a man who was very fond of his wife.  After they had been married for some time they had a child, a boy.  After that, the woman got sick, and did not get well.  The young man did not wish to take a second woman.  He loved his wife so much.  The woman grew worse and worse.  Doctoring did not seem to do her any good.  At last she died.  The man used to take his baby on his back and travel out, walking over the hills crying.  He kept away from the camp.  After some time, he said to the little child:  “My little boy, you will have to go and live with your grandmother.  I am going to try and find your mother, and bring her back.”  He took the baby to his mother’s lodge, and asked her to take care of it, and left it with her.  Then he started off, not knowing where he was going nor what he was going to do.