The Antelope Hunter who was a Witch

THE ANTELOPE HUNTER WHO WAS A WITCH ¹⁷

Four men went hunting antelopes. One man gathered the party together, and his brother-in-law went and a third man and a fourth. They had been out several days. The others had already killed many antelopes, but the leader was a witch, and he used to go out by himself and build a fire. He was calling the, Gewa Indians (a. Ute tribe) to come and destroy his companions, but he did not succeed in his purpose. His brother-in-law thought, "I wonder why he always goes off at night. There is something wrong." Again that night when the witch thought his brother-in-law was sleeping he got up and went off. His brother-in-law followed at a distance. He heard the witch say to himself, "All this time I have not succeeded in what I desire." His brother-in-law thought, "This man is not thinking right. We had better go home to-morrow." He went to the others and said, "We had better start for home. We have killed enough antelopes." They started to get ready. That night the brother-in-law dreamed. He heard someone say to him, "Your side locks are too long. Cut them to-morrow at sunrise and you will be safe." In the morning he rose before sunrise and took a knife and was about to cut his side locks when the sun rose. The witch came up. He said, "Why are you about to cut your hair like that?" His brother-in-law said, "I heard someone in my dream last night tell me to cut it at sunrise and I would be safe." The witch said, "That dream is false. Do not cut your hair." He laid down his knife and did not cut his side, locks.

The brother-in-law told the other two, "Go and get the burros." They loaded them and he sent them on ahead. "Go on, I am going to hunt a little and I will follow." The witch heard this. He was angry that they were escaping. "I have been calling my helpers until this noon and they have not come." The witch said to his brother-in-law, "It is Thursday now. We better stay this one day longer." They went out hunting. The witch said, "I will go off a little." His brother-in-law followed; he heard the witch say to himself, "My helpers have not come, my helpers have not come!" His brother-in-law thought, "He is thinking double thoughts." At last the brother-in-law saw them coming. There were lots of Gewa Indians. They made a circle just as if it were a rabbit hunt. They surrounded him. He was a tall man and he had a gun, but they closed in on him and took his gun. He was captured. They heard

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the witch screaming and they went after him and killed him. The brother-in-law fought them all. They could not overcome him. He heard them talking, but did not understand their language. He thought they were saying, "Shoot him." One pulled his arrow and it went through his stomach but it did not kill him. He stooped down and ran out from under the people's legs and escaped. He ran as fast as he could. He saw them way behind. He got to a place where many oaks were growing. He threw himself down. He lay there in hiding. All day he lay there. He was sick because of the odor of the warm blood. He fainted. The Gewa came in pursuit, but they did not find him and they all turned back.

In the late afternoon he woke as if he had been sleeping. He tore his clothes to strips and tied up his wounds. He got up. "Perhaps they have gone back. I will start for home." He cleaned himself and started for home. He came across some Mexicans herding. "Hello, friends!" "Hello, where are you coming from?" "From back below. I was hunting antelopes and my brother-in-law caused me to be shot. They killed my brother-in-law, I think. I heard him cry out. I think he is dead." "Let's go over to our camp." They took him in. They brought him halfway home. He got to Santo Domingo and the Santo Domingo Indians brought him home. When the people of Cochiti heard that the Gewa Indians had shot this man they got ready to go against them. They took the man to the Giant Society and made medicine for him and he got well. He told the people what had happened in the antelope hunting, how his brother-in-law had called the Gewa against them and had been killed, but he himself had escaped. So the witch was killed and the brother-in-law escaped and lived a long time.

Footnotes

108:17 Informant 1. Notes, p. 235.