White Plume got together
what he would need on the trip and was ready for an early start the
next morning. That night Dead Shot and his wife sat up
away into the night instructing their son how to travel and warning
him as to the different kinds of people he must avoid in order to
keep out of trouble. "Above all," said the father, "keep a good
look out for Unktomi (spider); he is the most tricky of all, and
will get you into trouble if you associate with him."
White Plume left early, his father accompanying him for several
miles. On parting, the father's last words were: "Look out for
Unktomi, my son, he is deceitful and treacherous." "I'll look out
for him, father;" so saying he disappeared over a hill. On
the way he tried his skill on several hawks and eagles and he did
not need to use his painted arrows to kill them, but so skillful
was he with the bow and arrows that he could bring down anything
that flew with his common arrows. He was drawing near to the end
of his destination when he had a large tract of timber to pass
through. When he had nearly gotten through the timber he saw an
old man sitting on a log, looking wistfully up into a big tree,
where sat a number of prairie chickens.
"Hello, grandfather, why are you sitting there looking so
downhearted?" asked White Plume. "I am nearly starved, and was
just wishing some one would shoot one of those chickens for me, so
I could make a good meal on it," said the old man.
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