THE YOUTH AND THE UNDERGROUND PEOPLE

_Omaha_

There were some villages which were very populous. The chief's son and
his daughter were unmarried. There were two sons. They surrounded the
herds of buffaloes. They used to kill buffaloes.

One of the sons of this chief attacked a buffalo when far apart from
the rest. He shot it; but the buffalo had gone out of sight into the
ground. The man and his horse, too, went headlong; but the buffalo
went down first.

Now the father sent out criers. "He says that his son reached the
buffaloes, but he has not come home. He says that ye who have seen his
son will please tell it," shouted the criers.

One said he had seen him. "I saw him very distinctly. He went in
pursuit. Perhaps he went headlong into a sunken place, for when on
very level ground he vanished altogether. I did not see him again," he
said.

The father commanded the people to join him in seeking his son. When
the man who had seen him said, "It was just here," the people
scattered far and wide, seeking the chief's son. All the people sought
him. Behold, he had gone down the pit some time before. The buffalo
had gone down, having kicked off a piece of the soil. The horse, too,
had gone down, having kicked off a piece of the soil.

There was no trail beyond the pit. All the people went directly to it,
without hesitation.

The pit was very large and extended far downward. The chief spoke of
removing the village there, at once. So there they camped. They camped
around the pit.

Then the chief implored the young men and those who had been his
friends. If there was one man who was stout-hearted, one who had a
firm heart, the father wished him to enter the pit and go after the
young man. So he implored them.

At length one rode round and round the village. Then he promised to
enter the pit and go after the missing son.

"Tell his father. He must also collect cords," he said.

Having cut buffalo hides in strips, he collected the cords.

"Make a round piece of skin for me, and tie the long line of cord to
it," he said. So they finished it.

"Now it matters not to what place I go, I will put the body in the
skin bucket. I go to take hold of him. When I reach the ground at the
bottom, I will pull suddenly on the cord. When I pull on it many
times, you will draw it up." Thus he said.

At last he reached the ground inside the pit. It was very dark. When
he felt around in the dark, the buffalo was lying alo