The hands of the dead Pawnee

Shaoñ´ ju´ba ti´-biama´. Ki Pa´thiñ wiñ´ t'e´tha-biama´. Pa´thiñ thiñke´ noñbe´
Dakotas / some / camped, they say. / And / Pawnee / one / they killed, they say. / Pawnee / the (ob.) / hand /

eta´ te ma´sa-bi egoñ´, uba´tite´tha-biama´ paha´ta we´goñze noñ´baxtie´goñ. Ki
his / the (ob.) / cut off, they say / having, / they hung them up, they say / at a hill / measure / about two. / And /

hoñ´, uga´hanapa´ze ki, tade´sage he´gazhi ama´. Ki nu´ ama´ uthe´wiñ gthiñ´-biama´.
night, / dark / when, / high wind / much / they say. / And / man / the (pl. sub.) / collecting / they sat, they say. /

Shoñ´ i´ugtha goñ´ gthiñ´-biama´, de´shtea´a gthiñ´-biama´, shoñ´ iu´tha a´zhithoñthoñ´ 'i´the
And / telling news about themselves / so / they sat, they say, / talking incessantly / they sat, they say, / in fact / news / different sorts / speaking of /

gthiñ´-biama´. Ki ni´ashiñga wiñ´ i´e wakoñ´dagixti ti´zhebe te´di gthiñ´-biama´.
they sat, they say. / And / man / one / very loquacious / door / at the / he sat they say. /

Ki ni´ashiñga wiñ´ wahe´hazhixti´-bi a´shiata´toñ a-i´-biama´, shoñ´ ni´ashiñga wa´spexti´-bi
And / man / one / very stout-hearted, they say / from outside / was coming, they say, / in fact / man / very sedate, they say /

e´iñte, wahe´hazhixti´-bi e´iñte, a´shiata´toñ a-i´-biama´. Nu´ a´shiata´toñ a-i´ aka´,
(he) may be, / very stout-hearted, they say / (he) may be, / from outside / he was coming, they say. / Man / from outside / he was coming / he who, /

Noñ´zhiñshke´xchi ati´ a´hoñ, a´-biama´. Ki the´ ni´ashiñga i´e wakoñ´dagi aka´, Ea´toñ
Hardly / I have come / ! / he said, they say. / And / this / man / loquacious / the (sub.), / Why /

noñ´zhiñshke´xchi thati´ a, a´-biama´. Na! tade´sage, uga´hanapaze´xti e´goñ, ku´ahe
hardly / you have come / ? / said he, they say. / Why! / a high wind, / very dark / as, / I feared unseen danger /

he´ga-ma´zhi e´goñ, noñ´zhiñshke´xchi ati´ ha, a´-biama´. A´xtoñ wi´ebthiñ´ ki
I very much / as, / hardly / I have come / . / said he, they say. / How possible / it is I / if /

noñ´zhiñ shke´xchi ati´ ta´doñ, a´-biama´ i´e wakoñ´dagi aka´. U´kuhe´ shtewoñ´ thiñge´,
hardly / I have come / shall ? / said he, they say / loquacious / the (sub.). / Something to fear / at all / there is none, /

a´-biama´. E´goñthoñ´zha, wi´ ku´ahe he´ga-ma´zhi, a´-biama´ a´ma aka´, pi´ te´di.
said he, they say. / Though so, / I / I feared unseen danger / I very much, / said he, they say / the / other, / I was coming / when. /

E´goñthoñ´zha, ti´ gazoñ´adixtioñ´ shoñ´ ku´thahe´ te shoñ´azhi, a´-biama´. Ki ni´ashiñga
Though so, / tent / in the very midst of / yet / you feared / the / improper, / said he, they say. / And / man /

wa´spe aka´ ga´-biama´: Hiñ´dake´-goñ! ku´thaha´zhi wiñ´thake´iñte, Pa´thiñ noñbe´ te
sedate / the (sub.) / he said as follows, they say: / So let us see! / you do not fear / if you tell the truth, / Pawnee / hand / the (ob.) /

agi´moñthiñ´-ga. Ashniñ´ thagthi´ ki, shoñ´ge u´doñ wi'i´ ta´ miñke, a´-biama´. Api´bthe
walk thou for them. / You have them / you come back / if, / horse / good / I give to you / will / I who, / said he, they say. / I go for them /

koñ´btha ki, api´bthe ta´ miñke, a´-biama´ i´e wakoñ´dagi aka´. Tena! ke´,
I wish / if, / I go for them / will / I who, / said, they say / loquacious / the (sub.). / Fie! / come /

agi´moñthiñ´ga. Shoñ´ge u´doñxti wi'i´ ta´ miñke, ashniñ´ thagthi´ ki, a´-biama´.
go for them. / Horse / very good / I give you / will / I who, / you have them / you come back / if, / said he, they say. /

Agi´atha´-biama´ a´ma aka´ noñbe´ te. Ki the´ ni´ashiñga the´aka ga´-biama´: E´githe
He went for them, they say / the other / hand / the (ob.). / And / this / man / this (sub.) / said as follows, they say: / Beware /

wiñ´kazhi te´ a´hoñ. E´di noñ´ba zhu´gthe moñthiñ´-ga, a´-biama´. E´goñ e´di
he tell not the truth / lest / ! / There / two / with him / walk thou, / said he, they say. / So / there /

atha´-biama´. Koñ´gexchi ahi´i ki, noñba´ aka´ heba´di gthiñ´-biama´, itha´pe gthiñ´-biama´.
they went, they say. / Very near / they arrived / when, / two / the (sub.) / on the way / they sat, they say, / waiting for him / they sat they say. /

E´githe gthi´azhi ka´shi ama´. Goñ´ gthi´azhi egoñ´, noñba´ aka´ agtha´-biama´
Behold / he came not back / a long while / they say. / And / he came not back / having, / two / the (sub.) / went back, they say /

ti´ata. Goñ´, Thaoñ´shna thagthi´ a, a´-biama´. Na! du´dadi oñthoñ´gape oñgthiñ´
to the tent. / And, / You left him / you have come / ? / said he, they say. / Why! / on this side / we waited for him / we sat /

ki, gthi´azhi egoñ´, oñga´gi, a´-biama´. Tena´! t'e´ te, a´-biama´. Hiñda´! e´di
when, / he came not back / because, / we came home, / said they, they say. / Fie! / he died, / said he, they say. / Let me see! / there /

bthe´ ta´ miñke, a´-biama´ wa´spe aka´. Athiñ´ thiñge´xti e´di atha´-biama´, nini´ba
I go / will / I who, / said, they say / sedate / the (sub.). / Having it / there was nothing at all / there / he went, they say, / pipe /

si´oñthe´xchi agtha´thiñ-bi egoñ´, e´di atha´-biama´ ni´ashiñga noñbe´ te´di, eshna´xchi.
alone / had his, they say / having, / there / he went, they say / man / hand / to the, / he alone. /

E´githe atha´-bi ki, pahoñ´ga ni´ashiñga athe´ aka´, e´githe ni´ashiñga noñbe´ te
Behold, / he went, they say / when, / before / man / he went / he who, / behold, / man / hand / the (ob.) /

koñ´gexchi ahi´i ki, t'e´ aka´ma. Goñ´ki the´ ni´ashiñga aka´ noñbe´ te thiza´-bi
very near / he arrived / when, / he had died, they say. / And / this / man / the (sub.) / hand / the (ob.) / took, they say /

egoñ´, athiñ´ agtha´-biama´. Aki´-biam e´goñ, Noñbe´ te abthiñ´ agthi´ ha, a´-biama´
having, / he took back, they say. / He reached there again, they say / as, / Hand / the (ob.) / I have brought them back / . / said, they say /

ni´ashiñga wa´spe aka´. Goñ´ki the´ ni´ashiñga wa´spe aka´ i´a-biama´. Wi´ shti
man / sedate / the (sub.). / And / this / man / sedate / the (sub.) / he spoke, they say. / I / too /

oñzhiñ´ga tedi´toñ ua´gashoñ-hnoñ-moñ´, anu´doñ-hnoñ-moñ´, a´-biama´. Ki shoñ´
me small / from that time / I have traveled regularly, / I have gone regularly on the war-path, / said he, they say. / And / no matter /

eda´doñ te´xixti a´akipa´ shtewoñ´ aniñ´ta edi´ge-hnoñ-moñ´. Ki shoñ´ woñ´eshte,
what / very difficult / I met / soever / I live / the in. ob. were there, regularly, I had. / And yet / even once, /

Ga´moñ ta´ miñke, eha´-mazhi-hnoñ-moñ´, a´agina´xthe-hnoñ-moñ´, a´-biama´.
I do that / will / I who, / I never said it, / I concealed mine regularly, / said he, they say. /

Eda´doñ wiñ´ te´xi a´akipa´ ki, Nu´ bthiñ´ thoñ, ebthe´goñ-hnoñ-moñ´, a´-biama´. Ki
What / one / difficult / I meet / if, / Man / I am / the (past ?), / I always think, / said he, they say. / And /

shoñ´ i´e u´'oñthiñge´-xti pa´xa-ma´zhi-hnoñ-moñ´, a´-biama´. Ki wa'u´-hnoñ te´xiawa´the
yet / words / without just cause / I never make them, / said he, they say. / And / woman only / I prize them /

ha, ki shoñ´ge shti te´xiawa´the ha, a´-biama´. Goñ´ ni´ashiñga waxpa´nixti
, / and / horse / too / I prize them / . / said he, they say. / And / man / very poor /

noñ´ba we´boñ-biama´ ni´ashiñga wa´spe aka´. Ni´ashiñga waxpa´ni thoñka´ shoñ´ge
two / called them, they say / man / sedate / the (sub.). / Man / poor / the ones who / horse /

u´doñxti aki´tha wa'i´-biama, shoñ´ge oñ´sagi´xti. Ki ni´ashiñga miñ´gthoñzhi e´iñte
very good / both / he gave to them, they say, / horse / very swift. / And / man / unmarried / perhaps /

wa'u´ thiñke´ shti 'i´-biama´ ni´ashiñga wa´spe aka´. Wa'u´-hnoñ te´xi thoñ´zha shoñ´
woman / the (ob.) / too / gave to him, they say / man / sedate / the (sub.). / Woman only / precious / though / yet /

aniñ´ta ta´ miñke, a´-biama´. Noñ´de wiwi´ta itha´gipahoñ koñ´btha goñ´ e´gimoñ,
I live / will / I who, / said he, they say. / Heart / my own / I know mine / I wish / so / I do that, /

a´-biama´. Ni´ashiñga t'e´ ke´ agi´moñthiñ´i-ga, a´-biama´.
said he, they say. / Man / dead / the (ob.) / walk ye for him, / said he, they say. /