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.All day long he lay there gazing up into the tree, and when he was called for supper he refused,saying that he was not hungry, and for them not to bother him, as he would soon get up and go to bed.Farinto the night he lay thus, and when he tried to arise he could not, as a small oak tree grew through the centerof his body and held him fast to the ground.In the morning when the family awoke they found the girl had disappeared, and on going outside the sisterdiscovered her brother held fast to the earth by an oak tree which grew very rapidly.In vain were the bestmedicine men of the tribe sent for.Their medicine was of no avail.They said: "If the tree is cut down theyoung man will die."The sister was wild with grief, and extending her hands to the sun, she cried: "Great Spirit, relieve mysuffering brother.Any one who releases him I will marry, be he young, old, homely or deformed." Severaldays after the young man had met with the mishap, there came to the tent a very tall man, who had a brightlight encircling his body."Where is the girl who promised to marry any one who would release her brother?""I am the one," said the young man's sister."I am the all-powerful lightning and thunder.I see all things andcan kill at one stroke a whole tribe.When I make my voice heard the rocks shake loose and go rattling downthe hillsides.The brave warriors cower shivering under some shelter at the sound of my voice.The girl whomyou had adopted as your sister was a sorceress.She bewitched your brother because he would not let hermake love to him.On my way here I met her traveling towards the west, and knowing what she had done, Istruck her with one of my blazing swords, and she lies there now a heap of ashes.I will now release yourbrother."So saying he placed his hand on the tree and instantly it crumbled to ashes.The young man arose, andthanked his deliverer.Then they saw a great black cloud approaching, and the man said: "Make ready, we shall go home on thatcloud." As the cloud approached near to the man who stood with his bride, it suddenly lowered andenveloped them and with a great roar and amidst flashes of lightning and loud peals of thunder the girlascended and disappeared into the west with her Thunder and Lightning husband.STORY OF THE TWO YOUNG FRIENDSThere were once in a very large Indian camp two little boys who were fast friends.One of the boys, "Chaske"(meaning first born), was the son of a very rich family, and was always dressed in the finest of clothes ofIndian costume.The other boy, "Hake" (meaning last born), was an orphan and lived with his oldgrandmother, who was very destitute, and consequently could not dress the boy in fine raiment.So poorlywas the boy dressed that the boys who had good clothes always tormented him and would not play in hiscompany.Chaske did not look at the clothes of any boy whom he chose as a friend, but mingled with all boys regardlessSTORY OF THE TWO YOUNG FRIENDS 38 Myths and Legends of the Siouxof how they were clad, and would study their dispositions.The well dressed he found were vain andconceited.The fairly well dressed he found selfish and spiteful.The poorly clad he found to be generous andtruthful, and from all of them he chose "Hake" for his "Koda" (friend).As Chaske was the son of the leadingwar chief he was very much sought after by the rest of the boys, each one trying to gain the honor of beingchosen for the friend and companion of the great chief's son; but, as I have before said, Chaske carefullystudied them all and finally chose the orphan Hake.It was a lucky day for Hake when he was chosen for the friend and companion of Chaske.The orphan boywas taken to the lodge of his friend's parents and dressed up in fine clothes and moccasins.(When theIndians' sons claim any one as their friend, the friend thus chosen is adopted into the family as their own son).Chaske and Hake were inseparable.Where one was seen the other was not far distant.They played, hunted,trapped, ate and slept together.They would spend most of the long summer days hunting in the forests.Time went on and these two fast friends grew up to be fine specimens of their tribe.When they became theage to select a sweetheart they would go together and make love to a girl.Each helping the other to win theaffection of the one of his choice.Chaske loved a girl who was the daughter of an old medicine man.She wasvery much courted by the other young men of the tribe, and many a horse loaded with robes and fineporcupine work was tied at the medicine man's tepee in offering for the hand of his daughter, but the horses,laden as when tied there, were turned loose, signifying that the offer was not accepted.The girl's choice was Chaske's friend Hake.Although he had never made love to her for himself, he hadalways used honeyed words to her and was always loud in his praises for his friend Chaske.One night thetwo friends had been to see the girl, and on their return Chaske was very quiet, having nothing to say andseemingly in deep study.Always of a bright, jolly and amiable disposition, his silence and moody spellgrieved his friend very much, and he finally spoke to Chaske, saying: "Koda, what has come over you? Youwho were always so jolly and full of fun? Your silence makes me grieve for you and I do not know what youare feeling so downhearted about.Has the girl said anything to you to make you feel thus?""Wait, friend," said Chaske, "until morning, and then I will know how to answer your inquiry.Don't ask meanything more tonight, as my heart is having a great battle with my brain."Hake bothered his friend no more that night, but he could not sleep.He kept wondering what "Pretty Feather"(the girl whom his friend loved) could have said to Chaske to bring such a change over him.Hake neversuspected that he himself was the cause of his friend's sorrow, for never did he have a thought that it washimself that Pretty Feather loved.The next morning after they had eaten breakfast, Chaske proposed that they should go out on the prairies, andsee if they would have the good luck to kill an antelope.Hake went out and got the band of horses, of whichthere were over a hundred.They selected the fleetest two in the herd, and taking their bows and arrows,mounted and rode away towards the south.Hake was overjoyed to note the change in his friend.His oldtime jollity had returned.They rode out aboutfive miles, and scaring up a drove of antelope they started in hot pursuit, and as their horses were very fleet offoot soon caught up to the drove, and each singling out his choice quickly dispatched him with an arrow.They could easily have killed more of the antelope, but did not want to kill them just for sport, but for food,and knowing that they had now all that their horses could pack home, they dismounted and proceeded todress their kill.After each had finished packing the kill on his horse, Chaske said: "Let us sit down and have a smoke beforewe start back.Besides, I have something to tell you which I can tell better sitting still than I can riding along
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