XML version dated February 14, 2024. © Douglas R. Parks, Indiana University.

152

Soldier and the Wolves

Eleanor Chase

koxtunaaʾít.
I will tell the story of it.
tiraaʾiitUxtaáNIš natanuu- NUxtaakunuuwaáWI kuNAhúx
It is a true story (of) one of ours who was living an old man
nuuxAxaáNU xunáNIš.
who was named Soldier.

sinoó AhnuxčipiriíNU číkuʾ weNAhkUtpsiwaáhNA
Yet when he was young when he was about winters old
nooxiniʾ na taWIšaápis noowitiraaWIhkaʾiíšAt weNAhkUhunuu- waáWI NIhkuraaNAxweekoóčI.
eighteen, then he went hunting when they went around when they looked for things.
nuu wehnaátA nuu wehnaátA skaweéraaʾuʾ
There as he went, there as he went west,
číkuʾ nookanawitiihunuuwá číkuʾ niinakukootíkA
there there was nothing going round nothing for him to kill
číkuʾ niinaakuranikaaʾiišá tsástš.
some for him to bring home meat.

tiwehnuútA tiwehnuútA hUhtiísuʾ wewitIsakuuníšwoʾ
As it was, as it was, finally it was about sunset
číkuʾ niikohnuutAxítIt AhnakAhaanáwi sáhniš.
whatever happened its being the odor a human.
nuu wehnaátA noowitIhaapé.
There as he went there was a tree.
naaNIšú wituhnaaké atíštIt nakukoosaátA.
Really it was a nice tree, good for one to climb up on.
wehnatkáʾU noowitíʾ sčiRIhkaapinát tiwehnaWAhnaáhu.
When he heard it it was a wolf when it was howling.

noowitiwískaʾ parúNIt toxkoosáʾAt.
Then he thought: "Quickly let me get up on it!"

a noowitikoosáʾAt niiʾaNAhaápI.
And then he went up where the tree was.
noowiteehaah- níhIt aNAhaápI niiwehnakoohaahkaátA.
There was a single tree the tree where he went on the prairie.
noowiti- koosáʾAt.
Then he climbed up on it.
atíštIt noowiwituhkUxiwaáRIt.
Well then he seated himself comfortably.

kanawituxtaačeéʾA noowiteekUxuhčitáʾ
It was not long then they came running over the hill
číkuʾ niikohnuhnaánuʾ sčiRIhkaapinát.
however many there were wolves.
noowewiteeraawakaah- taʾaáhuʾ.
Now they were all howling.
noowitištsaaweerawiítIt niiʾAhnakoo- sákUx.
Then they put their paws up against it where he was sitting on top.

tsu noowitiraná niíšuʾ.
But he had them arrows.
kaništanuhkáʾIt tinaákuʾ.
They didn't have them guns.
noowitiwískaʾ nookanaxteekUxawaníkuʾ niíšuʾ nát- kuʾ.
Then he thought: "I will not just shoot them arrows without purpose.
kutiraáNIš naáNIt nakUxaakaareétIt.
It was to be really when it opened its mouth
noo- witiwískaʾ kunoxtootUhuunookuwáNIt.
Then he thought: "I'll shoot it into its mouth."

a nikunoowituúta wenehkuraawiinúʾa
And then that is what he did: when they came charging
wenehkišwiNAsaaweereétIt sčiRIhkaapinát noo- witiiwáNIt.
when they raised their forepaws up on it the wolves, then he shot it.
noowituhniišUhuunookuwáNIt.
Then he shot the arrow into its mouth.
noowituu- tIsaapiraáʾAt na noowitiʾiitoóxIt.
Then it rolled over and then it lay still.

wah tiinikuwehnuutaánu wehnakawoótiku
Now while he was doing this when he was killing them,
wehnakawoótiku AhnoowewitikohniwiíkUx.
when he was killing them, then the dead bodies were piled up.
wehnuutAxkoosákUx noowitiwískaʾ Axtóh kaakíʾ nataakutakaáhAt.
While he was just sitting on top then he thought: "Certainly I canno t get down."
wah tiwehnuútA tiwehnuútA uunawaa- ríčI AhwituuxaWIsunuuwá.
Now as it was, as it was the others they were just lingering around for a while longer.

nootiRAsačipiítIt.
Then they gathered together.
nootiraáNAt.
Then they went
wekaaku- naaneešawíhAx.
There was a multitude of them.
číkuʾ NAsawíʾuʾ kohniikawoótIt.
About thirty he must have killed them.

wehnakoosákUx noowitiwískaʾ Axtóh aatoo- xátA
While he sat on top then he thought: "Certainly if I should go
naraatawé kuúNUx axkuuhunáx.
perhaps a bear maybe he'll find me.
tiiháʾ neetoxkoosákUx.
Here let me stay up on top!"

wah tiwehnakoosákUx kaakiiRAtkAhaahčeenoókuʾ awirítkAt.
Now as he sat on top the night is not long in summer.
wah tiwehnuútA noowitiihaahtawiitikUxítIt.
Now as it was then it began to become daylight.

wehneehaahtawiitikUxítIt noowitiwískaʾ aatox- tanooʾaáhNA
When it began to become daylight then he thought: "If I extracted them
niíšuʾ naraátawe xanuhnaanapítaahAt.
the arrows, maybe they might turn back."
noowitiriškUxawáNIt na noowitiwískaʾ nuunee- šuxtoswá.
Then he threw the arrows away and then he thought: "Let them lie there!"

na noowititakaáhAt.
And then he got down.
AhnoowituúNAx.
Then he just ran.
tiwehnaátA tiwehnaátA wehnakaaʾiišátA nuu wewitoosaahtáʾ.
As he went, as he went, when he was going home there the sun now came up.
naáNIt witiihaahtawiítIt wehneehuuwiraátA.
Really it became daylight as he ran.
nuuwehnaátA AhnuxtaačeéʾA AhnuxkoohaahkaʾaáhNA.
As he went there, it was a long time his being on the prairie.
nootiwísAt wenataraapačeéhu áxkUx wenakutoókUt.
Then he arrived what we say one its being the time.

wehnaWIsátA noowitiwaákoʾ číkuʾ Ahnoowekaakatiraa- hunáx.
After he arrived, then he said: "I just did not find anything.
waáwi šineekukoótit sčiRIhkaapinát.
They n early killed me wolves.
číkuʾ koh- natiikawoótIt– wiitaʾuʾ na šíhUx naraatawé NAsawíʾuʾ.
I must have killed them– twenty-five, perhaps thirty.
noo- wetikohniwiíkUx.
The dead are piled up there now."

wah niinuhnaaʾuúʾA šikaakiwakuuniiNIšikUxítIt.
Now as is the way they began to doubt what he said.
nooWIšitinaWAxkUxítIt.
Then they began to laugh at him.

noowitiwaákoʾ toxtaahnaaničitawiítIt.
Then he said: "Let's mount up!
toxtaahnaáNAt.
Let's go!"

noowitiraaničitawiítIt niikohnuhnaánuʾ.
Then they mounted however many there were.
nootuu- taakIsiráxAt.
Then he led them.
nuu noowitiRAhwísAt.
There then they arrived.
wewitIsakUhteerípiRIt.
It was now afternoon.
tsu tiwehnaraaničitáWI wewitiRAhkatariíʾI.
But since they were on horseback they were now fast.
noo- witiRAhwísAt na inoowitiikohniwiíkUx.
Then they arrived and there the dead were piled up.

na noowitiwískaʾ toxtanoóʾa niísuʾ.
And then he thought: "Let me take them out the arrows!"
noowititakaáhAt.
Then he got down.
na noowitiranooʾaahnuuxítIt niíšuʾ.
And then he began to take them out arrows.

číkuʾ kanawitihwáčiʾ tinawaaríčI šohniiNIšwakuu- náwo.
They did not say anything these the ones who were doubting him.

na nooteeraánaʾ na noowiteeRAhwísaʾ.
And then they came and then they arrived back.
noo- tiraaʾiitUxkatawiíhAt.
Then word was passed around.
noowitihwáčiʾ tiraáNIš xunaáNIš.
Then they said: "He is truthful Soldier.
waáwi šikooxihkoótIt sčiRIhkaapinát.
They n early killed him wolves.
šiteh- niináʾAx.
They must have chased him.
kunohnitáʾAt.
Then he climbed up.
nooteehaahníhIt nuuxaápI.
There was a single tree where the tree was.
číkuʾ nii waáwi kohnuúta.
I do not k now wh at he would have done.
waáwi šikooxehkanéʾIs sčiRIhkaapinát.
They w ould have eaten him up the wolves.
tsu tiwehnatá- kUx noowitiwaákoʾ weNAtkuWIskáʾA koxteekoótIt.
But when he sat on it then he said: 'When I thought, I will kill them.
nootatiihaakawáNIt.
I'll just shoot one in the mouth.
na tiraanaáNIs nootatikoótIt.
And it is truly the way then I'll kill it!'"

wehnaaWIsá noowitihneésiš a či NAxiwáhNIš.
When he arrived back then they found out: "And here you are truthful!
a či nikuNAxuúta.
And here that is what you did!"

na noowitiwaákoʾ xunáNIš waaxtóh kaakatihčeéšIt.
And then he said Soldier: "Now truly I do not lie.
weNAtkuwaákA teenikuwetatuúta.
When I said: 'This is what I did.
tiiháʾ nikuwetatuúta nikutiraawáhNIš.
Here it is what I did,' that is the truth.
wekaakatihčeešaanúʾ.
I have not been lying.
tsu šineškuuNUx- wakuunáwoʾ.
But you were doubting me.
nikutiraačítA wenataraahnaanátA.
That is the reason for our going.
wenee- šuhnaahneésiš
Now you have learned."

wah tiwenatáwe tatsuuxeéRIt kuNAhúx.
Now while he was among us I saw him the old man.
wetúx kuNAhúx.
He was an old man.
tehnúx xunáNIš.
He must have been a soldier
na tiraa- naáNIs naaxaáNU xunáNIš.
And it was truly the way his being named Soldier.

ipáhniʾ nikutóx naahukosčiripásIt.
His grandfather he was the one Little Brave.
niku- tatakuunaakunáhAs nuu nuxwanú
That one died for us there when he was going around
France nuu nuuxapakú First World War.
(in) France there when he was fighting First World War.

wah teenikutuhnaaʾiitUxúʾ.
Now this is the story.