Old Man Loses His Eyes

Once there was a bird that had power to throw its eyes into a tree and call them back again. Now, Old Man came along one day and saw the bird throw its eyes up into a tree and call them back again. He said, “I should like to do this.” So he began to cry, and asked the bird for some of its power. At last the bird took pity on him. It told him that, when he came to straight standing trees, all he had to do was to wish his eyes to go up, and then to wish them down again. However, he was warned not to wish it when among crooked trees. Then Old Man went on and came to some nice straight trees. Then he wished his eyes up in the tree, and at once they were up there. Then he wished they were back again, and at once they were back again. Now, Old Man was greatly pleased. Then he came to some thick brush, and he said to himself, “Now I wonder how it will work if I try it on this brush. I wonder why the bird told me not to send my eyes into crooked trees.” So out of curiosity he wished his eyes in the brush, and as he did so they went down into the brush and disappeared. All his wishing would not bring them back again. Now Old Man could not see, and he went along making signs for some one to come to his aid. Finally a coyote who was passing that way came up and looked at Old Man. The coyote saw that his eyes were gone. Now this coyote had a festered foot, and he held this up to Old Man’s nose. “My,” said Old Man, “that smells like a buffalo drive. I must be near a camp.” Then the coyote stole away, leaving Old Man hurrying on. After a while, as Old Man was walking along, a girl saw him, and, as he was making queer signs, she went toward him. “What do you want?” she said. When Old Man heard the voice, he said, “I want you to come over here.” Now Old Man tied up his eyes, and, when the girl came over, he said, “I wish you to lead me, for my eyes are sore.” They went on until they came to some thick brush.

Then Old Man said, “I will make a camp here.” So he set up some poles as if to make a lodge. Then he went after more poles but, being unable to find the ones just set up, he started another shelter, and so on.

Finally the girl said, “What are you doing?” Old Man said, “I am making several lodges, so you can have your choice.” After a while he began to tie a rattle, made of hoofs, to the girl’s dress. “What are you doing now?” she said.

“Oh,” said he, “I am putting preventive medicine on you.” Then they camped together. Old Man had hung the hoof-rattles on the girl to act as a bell, so that he could hear her and follow her. One day the bandage came off his eyes, and the girl saw that he had no eyes. When she found this out, she tried to run away from him. Old Man followed her by the sound of the rattles; but, when she discovered this, she took them off and threw them out from a steep bank over the river. Then Old Man followed the rattling that they made, and fell head first into the water.

Now Old Man met Coyote, and said to him, “Brother, you loan me one of your eyes, and I will go and get some meat for both of us.” Coyote agreed to this, and gave Old Man one of his eyes. Then Old Man went into a camp where there were people; but when they saw that one socket was empty, they were frightened and began to run away. Old Man ran after them, calling, “I will not hurt you; come back.” But this only frightened them the more. At last, finding that he had scared the people, he was very angry, and, going back to Coyote said, “Here, you are to blame for this. You only gave me one eye, and scared all the people away.” So then he took the other eye from Coyote.