“’This is the story of the fate of Kaw-kaw-chee, the Raven, a Sioux Chief who died long ago exackly as my mother told me.  The Raven died because he asked too many questions an’ was too cur’ous.  It began when Sublette, who was a trader, came up the Mitchi-zoor-rah, the Big-Muddy, an’ was robbed by the Raven’s people.  Sublette was mad at this, an’ said next time he would bring the Sioux a present so they would not rob him.  So he brought a little cask of fire-water an’ left it on the bank of the Big-Muddy.  Then Sublette went away, an’ twenty of the Raven’s young men found the little cask.  An’ they were greedy an’ did not tell the camp; they drank the fire-water where it was found.

“‘The Raven missed his twenty young men an’ when he went to spy for them, behold! they were dead with their teeth locked tight an’ their faces an’ bodies writhen an’ twisted as the whirlwind twists the cottonwoods.  Then the Raven thought an’ thought; an’ he got very cur’ous to know why his young men died so writhen an’ twisted.  The fire-water had a whirlwind in it, an’ the Raven was eager to hear.  So he sent for Sublette.

“‘Then the Raven an’ Sublette had a big talk.  They agreed not to hurt each other; an’ Sublette was to come an’ go an’ trade with the Sioux; an’ they would never rob him.

“’At this, Sublette gave the Raven some of the whirlwind that so killed an’ twisted the twenty young men.  It was a powder, white; an’ it had no smell.  Sublette said its taste was bitter; but the Raven must not taste it or it would lock up his teeth an’ twist an’ kill him.  For to swallow the white powder loosed the whirlwind on the man’s heart an’ it bent him an’ twisted him like the storms among the willows.

“’But the Raven could give the powder to others.  So the Raven gave it in some deer’s meat to his two squaws; an’ they were twisted till they died; an’ when they would speak they couldn’t, for their teeth were held tight together an’ no words came out of their mouths,—­only a great foam.  Then the Raven gave it to others that he did not love; they were twisted an’ died.  At last there was no more of the powder of the whirlwind; the Raven must wait till Sublette came up the Big-Muddy again an’ brought him more.

“’There was a man, the Gray Elk, who was of the Raven’s people.  The Gray Elk was a Choo-ayk-eed, a great prophet.  And the Gray Elk had a wife; she was wise an’ beautiful, an’ her name was Squaw-who-has-dreams.  But Gray Elk called her Kee-nee-moo-sha, the Sweetheart.

“’While the Raven waited for Sublette to bring him more powder of the whirlwind, a star with a long tail came into the sky.  This star with the tail made the Raven heap cur’ous.  He asked Gray Elk to tell him about it, for he was a prophet.  The Raven asked many questions; they fell from him like leaves from a tree in the month of the first ice.  So the Gray Elk called Chee-bee, the Spirit; an’ the Spirit told the Gray Elk.  Then the Gray Elk told the Raven.’