In a village there lived a cannibal at that time and the people called him Snow-Bird-with-White-Wings. He had a handsome son, who would not marry any of his own tribe. The father named his son Braveness because he was very brave in hunting. Whenever he went out to hunt he brought home many kinds of game that he had killed. Many of the young girls tried to win him as a husband, but Braveness would pay no attention to any of them. One night he decided to go hunting the next day. Early the next morning he started out toward the west. While he was going along looking and watching for wild animals he saw some one sitting ahead of him under a small elm tree. He approached the person and saw that it was a woman. She called him to come where she was, and he obeyed and saw that she was very beautiful and very young. She told him that she knew he was coming there and so she had come to meet him. He listened eagerly to hear what she had to say. She asked him if she could stay with him, and if he would take her to his home and let her become his wife. He told her that he would take her to his home, but that she must ask his parents if she could stay with him. They started for his home at once, and when they arrived the girl asked the old people to let her become the young man’s wife, and they consented. After that the young man had some one to love and they lived happily for a long time; but one time while they were alone she asked him if he would do whatever she said, and he finally said that he would. She asked him to go with her to her home and told him that they would return again some day.
A few days after, they started to her home and she led the way. After they had gone a long way they came to high hills, and all at once she stopped and turned around and looked at her husband and said: “You have promised me that you will do anything that I say.” “Yes,” said he. “Well,” said she, “my home is on the other side of this large hill which is before us. I will tell you when we get to my mother. I know there will be many people coming there to see who you are, and they will bother you and try to get you angry, but do not get angry at any of them. The young men will try to kill you in some way. Listen to what I am about to tell you. I was just like you when I met you. I knew you, but you did not know me. I was the one who made you come there to find me. I have said that some of the young men will try to get you angry, and when they get you angry at them one of them will jump on you, and when they see that you are going to try to fight, they will all get after you and will not let you go until they have killed you. They are jealous of you. The reason is that I have refused many of them when they have asked me. I have told you what to do when we get there, and now I want you to lay down on the ground and roll over twice.” The man did, and when he arose he had changed into a Buffalo. The woman sat there watching him for a moment; then she did the same thing and became a Buffalo. They started on climbing the high hill, and when they reached the top of the hill the Buffalo man looked down toward the west. He saw thousands and thousands of Buffalo. Then the woman told him that they were her people. When the herd saw these two coming they began to move to one certain place, as though to wait there and see who was coming. The woman kept on leading Braveness. He followed her until she came to an old Buffalo cow and then they stopped, and Braveness knew that she was the mother of his beautiful wife. They stayed there for a long time. Every now and then four or five of the young Buffalo would come around and bother Braveness, and so they decided to go back again to Braveness’ home. On the way they stopped at the place where they had turned themselves into Buffalo. The Buffalo woman told him to do the same thing that he had done before, and so he rolled over twice and became as he was before, and then she did the same. While they were going she told him not to mention the transformation or her people to any one. When they reached home his father, Snow-Bird-with-White-Wings, asked him where he had been, and he told his father that he had been hunting and then had gone down to his wife’s home, and his father did not ask him any more questions.
They stayed at home about one year, and then they made up their minds to go again and see the woman’s mother. After they had been living with the Buffalo a long time his wife told him that the old people were talking about killing him; that they were going to have a foot race and that they intended that he should run in this foot race. When he heard all this he was worried and did not know what to do. That night he could not sleep, and he went out to take a long walk. He went a long way and walked very slowly. He heard some one calling, but could not see the person, for it was a very dark night. The unknown person said to him: “You are very young, but you must remember you cannot beat those Buffalo running without my help, and I know what they are going to do with you when the race is over. If they beat you running they are going to kill you, and so I am going to help you to win. If I do it there are others who will also help you. If you win the race they will let you have this woman all to yourself and will not bother you any more.” Then the unknown person told Braveness to hold out his hand, and when he did this the unknown person placed a small medicine root in it and said: “At the start you will leave them a long way behind, but finally some one of them will catch up with you, but he will not stay with you long. Remember, whenever he comes up with you, to throw this medicine down behind you and you will leave him again a long way behind. Then some one else will catch up with you again, and here is another medicine to throw behind you when the second man overtakes you. This medicine is mud, and you must throw it down when they come too close to you. Soon after you have thrown the mud you will be near the stopping place; there I will meet you.”
The next day was the day of the race. At about sunrise Braveness saw the Buffalo coming in from all directions to see the race. While he stood watching them, an old Buffalo came and told him that the young Buffalo would like to have him run in a foot race with them. He went with the old man to the place where the runners started. When the young Buffalo saw him coming they all made fun of him. When he joined them they lined up for the race. Braveness placed himself in their midst and they started. Braveness left the Buffalo a long way behind at the start, and they had to run long and hard before they could come near him. When he saw them gaining on him he threw the root behind him that the unknown person had given him. He was almost winded and thought he could not run any more, when he saw that he was far ahead of all of them again. The next time it took them longer to come up to him, but finally he gave out, and then one of the Buffalo began to gain on him. When the Buffalo was about to catch up, Braveness threw the mud, his last medicine, down behind him and soon he was far ahead again. He knew that he had used all of his medicine, and he knew not what would happen to him next, but he kept on running. When he was nearing the goal, he could hear the others coming close behind him, for some of them were gaining on him and he was giving out. He did not know what to do, but just as one of the Buffalo was about to catch up with him, a heavy wind came up and greatly assisted and kept the Buffalo far behind him until he crossed the goal and won the race. Because wind had helped him at the last moment, he knew that it was wind that had talked to him and had given him the medicine and thus saved his life. After the race he stayed with the Buffalo people for a long time and no one ever molested him again.
Finally he and his wife went back to live with his people. They had one child, and when it was about one year old they decided to go again to see the wife’s people, so that her parents might see their grandson. They went and remained with the Buffalo three years, and then they returned to Braveness’ home. The child’s mother would not let him go out and play with the other boys, for she was afraid he might do things that he ought not to do; but one time, while she was cooking dinner, the boy slipped away from her and went down where the other boys were playing. When he joined them they began to play that they were Buffalo. The little boy began to play with them. He laid down to roll like a Buffalo, and when he rolled over twice he got up a real Buffalo calf, and the boys began to run from him. Just at this time his mother had missed him and she looked down where the boys were playing. She saw them running and thought something must be wrong. She went to see what the trouble was and there she found her son changed into a Buffalo calf. She took him and ran down the hill, and then she dropped down on the hill and became a Buffalo, and then ran away before her husband came back from hunting. When he came back he could not find his wife or his son, and then some one told him what had happened while he was gone. At first he could not believe what he heard, but soon he went down to the place where they had rolled and saw their tracks, and then he believed the story. He never heard of them again.