31. The Man and the Eagle

31. THE MAN AND THE EAGLE (27)

Some Indians went hunting and camped in a certain place. While they were there one Indian was attracted by a certain high mountain. So he went to it and spent sometime walking around its sides. After he had looked as much as he wished he started back to camp, but before he had gotten there something like a cloud pursued him, seized him, and flew with him to the top of the rocky mountain. Arrived there, it threw him down to be food for an eaglet, which was on the top, but he whipped it and made it run away. He himself hid in a rocky cave.

After he had stayed in this place for a while he got hungry, and laid down slices of venison from a deer he had killed upon a hot rock where they became dried in the sun. He lived upon them and also gave some venison to the eaglet, which was very small. When the big eagle killed and brought home a bison he ate that in the same manner. He also fed it to the eaglet. Another time it killed a bear and he fed the eaglet with it. He did so because he wanted to ride upon its back. He was watching for a chance to do this. The old eagle went off early in the morning and came back late in the evening. So the Indian thought, "That is how I will escape." He kept trying to ride upon the little eagle. By and by he cut a stick to take along, and after the old eagle had started off, he carried the eaglet to the edge of the rock, mounted upon it and made it start downward by striking it on the head. If it inclined upward he hit it on the head and made it turn down. He struck it on the head and made it come down four times. When it dropped upon the ground he got off and ran away. As he went he saw the thing like a black cloud following him and he ran fast. When he got to some woods the eagle approached them, wheeled about and went back.