Aggo-dah-gauda had one leg hooped up to his thigh so that he wasobliged to get along by hopping. He had a beautiful daughter, and hischief care was to secure her from being carried off by the king of thebuffaloes. He was peculiar in his habits, and lived in a loghouse, andhe advised his daughter to keep indoors, and never go out for fear sheshould be stolen away.
One sunshiny morning Aggo-dah-gauda prepared to go out fishing, butbefore he left the lodge he reminded his daughter of her strangelover.
"My daughter," said he, "I am going out to fish, and as the day willbe a pleasant one, you must recollect that we have an enemy near whois constantly going about, and so you must not leave the lodge."
When he reached his fishing-place, he heard a voice singing--
"Man with the leg tied up, Man with the leg tied up, Broken hip--hip-- Hipped.
Man with the leg tied up, Man with the leg tied up, Broken leg--leg-- Legged."
He looked round but saw no one, so he suspected the words were sung byhis enemies the buffaloes, and hastened home.
The girl's father had not been long absent from the lodge when shebegan to think to herself--
"It is hard to be for ever kept indoors. The spring is coming on, andthe days are so sunny and warm, that it would be very pleasant to sitout of doors. My father says it is dangerous. I know what I will do: Iwill get on the top of the house, and there I can comb and dress myhair."
She accordingly got up on the roof of the small house, and busiedherself in untying and combing her beautiful hair, which was not onlyfine and shining, but so long that it reached down to the ground,hanging over the eaves of the house as she combed it. She was sointent upon this that she forgot all ideas of danger. All of a suddenthe king of the buffaloes came dashing by with his herd of followers,and, taking her between his horns, away he cantered over the plains,and then, plunging into a river that bounded his land, he carried hersafely to his lodge on the other side. Here he paid her everyattention in order to gain her affections, but all to no purpose, forshe sat pensive and disconsolate in the lodge among the other females,and scarcely ever spoke. The buffalo king did all he could to pleaseher, and told the others in the lodge to give her everything shewanted, and to study her in every way. They set before her thechoicest food, and gave her the seat of honour in the lodge. The kinghimself went out hunting to obtain the most delicate bits of meat bothof animals and wild-fowl, and, not content with these proofs of hislove, he fasted himself and would often take his pib-be-gwun (Indianflute) and sit near the lodge singing--
"My sweetheart, My sweetheart, Ah me!
When I think of you, When I think of you, Ah me!
How I love you, How I love you, Ah me!
Do not hate me, Do not hate me, Ah me!"
In the meantime Aggo-dah-gauda came home, and finding his daughter hadbeen stolen he determined to get her back. For this purpose heimmediately set out. He could easily trace the king till he came tothe banks of the river, and then he saw he had plunged in and swumover. When Aggo-dah-gauda came to the river, however, he found itcovered with a thin coating of ice, so that he could not swim acrossnor walk over. He therefore determined to wait on the bank a day ortwo till the ice might melt or become strong enough to bear him. Verysoon the ice was strong enough, and Aggo-dah-gauda crossed over. Onthe other side, as he went along, he found branches torn off and castdown, and these had been strewn thus by his daughter to aid him infollowing her. The way in which she managed it was this. Her hair wasall untied when she was captured, and as she was carried along itcaught in the branches as she passed, so she took the pieces out ofher hair and threw them down on the path.
When Aggo-dah-gauda came to the king's lodge it was evening. Carefullyapproaching it, he peeped through the sides and saw his daughtersitting there disconsolately. She saw him, and knowing that it was herfather come for her, she said to the king, giving him a tenderglance--
"I will go and get you a drink of water."
The king was delighted at what he thought was a mark of her affection,and the girl left the lodge with a dipper in her hand. The king waiteda long time for her, and as she did not return he went out with hisfollowers, but nothing could be seen or heard of the girl. Thebuffaloes sallied out into the plains, and had not gone far by thelight of the moon, when they were attacked by a party of hunters. Manyof them fell, but the buffalo-king, being stronger and swifter thanthe others, escaped, and, flying to the west, was never seen more.