|
很久以前，地面上没有石头，大山。丘陵和峡谷并不崎岖，所以在地面上快速行走是非常简单的。那个时候也没有矮树丛，所有的灌木和树都是高大笔直，间距相等，因此人们不用开路也能穿过森林。 那时，有一只大野牛在陆地上四处闲逛。他从水中获得了一种神奇的力量——这种力量可以把任何东西变成其他形状。只要他在一个特定的水塘里喝水，就能拥有这种力量。 四处漫游时，野牛经常穿越一座高山。他非常喜欢这座山，于是有一天他问大山："你想变成别的什么东西吗？” "是的，”大山回答说，“我想变成一种没有人愿意攀登的东西。” "好吧，"野牛说，"我会把你变成一种很硬的东西，我把它叫做石头、你会非常坚硬，没有人能够把你打碎，而且会非常光滑，没有人能爬得上去。" 因此，野牛把大山变成了一块大石头。“我还会给你一种力量，只要你不把自己弄碎，你就可以把自己变成任何别的东西。” 这个地方只生活着野牛，没有人居住；山的另一边住着人，他们非常凶残，猎杀动物。野牛们都知道，都尽可能地离他们远远的。但是有一天，野牛觉得他想看看这些人，希望和他们成为朋友，说服他们不要杀害野牛。. 于是他翻过大山，沿着一条小溪走下去，一直来到一座小屋旁。那里住着一位老太太和她的孙子。男孩很喜欢野牛，野牛也喜欢小男孩和他的奶奶。野牛对他们说：“我拥有神奇的力量，可以把你们变成你们希望的任何东西，你们最想变成什么？” '‘我想永远和我孙子在一起。我想变成一种可以让我和我的孙子在一起的东西，不论他走到哪里。" “我会把你们带到野牛的家乡，"他们的客人说，"我会让他们教男孩飞速地奔跑，让水把奶奶变成某种东西可以使你们两个永远在一起。” 于是野牛、奶奶和小男孩一起翻过大山来到了野牛居住的地方。 “我们会教你如何飞速地奔跑，"野牛们告诉男孩，"但你得保证不让你们的人猎杀野牛。” “我保证！"男孩说。 在野牛们的指导下，小男孩学得很快，野牛们没人能追上他了。不论小男孩跑到哪儿，上了年纪的奶奶都能跟着他，因为她被变成了风。 小男孩和野牛生活在一起，一直到他长大成人。然后，野牛让他回到他们的人那里，提醒他记住自己的承诺。小男孩善于奔跑，所以他成了猎人们的领袖，大家都叫他“鹰翼‘’。 一天，首领把“鹰翼”叫到身边说"我的孩子，我想让你带猎人们到野牛的家乡。我们从未杀过野牛，因为他们跑得太快了。但是现在你也跑得很快，如果你能杀死几头野牛，带回野牛的肉和皮，我就收你做我的养子。等我死了之后，你就会成为部落的首领。” “鹰翼”非常渴望成为首领，就把对野牛许下的承诺抛诸脑后了。他和猎人们出发了。但是他爬山很快，一会儿就把其他人远远落在了后面。到了山的另一边，他发现了一群野牛，野牛惊慌失措地狂奔起来，"鹰翼”追逐他们，把大部分野牛都杀死了。 能从水中得到力量的那头了不起的野牛，在“鹰翼”猎杀野牛的时候离家外出了。回家的路上，他口渴极了，于是他从山另一边的水塘中喝了一些水，而没从那个能给他神奇力量的特别水塘喝水。当他回到家后，看到猎人所做的一切，非常愤怒。他想把人变成野草，但是他已做不到了，因为他从别的水塘里喝了水，失去了可以变形的力量。 野牛去找那块以前曾经是一座大山的大石头。 "你能做什么来惩罚猎人所做的一切呢？”他问石头。 “我会让树木缠绕在一起，那样人就很难穿过它们，”石头回答说，‘‘我会使自己碎成许多碎块，遍布整个陆地。这样那个能飞奔的人和他的同伙们从我身上跑过去时，就会割伤他们的脚。” “那样是可以惩罚他们的。"野牛同意了。 于是石头把自己碎成许多许多块,布满了整个陆地。每当那个能飞奔的人——“鹰翼”和他的同伙们想要翻越大山的时候，石头就会割破他们的脚，灌木丛就会划伤他们的身体。 这就是“鹰翼”不信守对野牛的承诺而得到的惩罚。 A long time ago there were no stones on the earth. The mountains, hills, and valleys were not rough, and it was easy to walk on the ground swiftly. There were no small trees at that time either. All the bushes and trees were tall and straight and were at equal distances. So a man could travel through a forest without having to make a path. At that time, a large buffalo roamed over the land. From the water, he had obtained his spirit power the power to change anything into some other form. He would have that power as long as he only drank from a certain pool. In his wanderings, Buffalo often traveled across a high mountain. He liked this mountain so much that one day he asked it, “Would you like to be changed into something else?” “Yes,” replied the mountain. “I would like to be changed into something nobody would want to climb over.” “All right，，，said Buffalo. “I will change you into something hard that I will call ‘stone.， You will be so hard that no one will want to break you and so smooth that no one will want to climb you.” So Buffalo changed the mountain into a large stone. “And I give you the power to change yourself into anything else as long as you do not break yourself.” Only buffaloes lived in this part of the land. No people lived here. On the other side of the mountain lived men who were cruel and killed animals. The buffaloes knew about them and stayed as far away from them as possible. But one day Buffalo thought he would like to see these men. He hoped to make friends with them and persuade them not to kill buffaloes. So he went over the mountain and traveled along a stream until he came to a lodge. There lived an old woman and her grandson. The little boy liked Buffalo，and Buffalo liked the little boy and his grandmother. He said to them, “I have the power to change you into any form you wish. What would you like most to be?” “I want always to be with my grandson. I want to be changed into anything that will make it possible for me to be with him, wherever he goes.” “I will take you to the home of the buffaloes,"said their guest. “I will ask them to teach the boy to become a swift runner. I will ask the water to change the grandmother into something，so that you two can always be together.” So Buffalo, the grandmother, and the little boy went over the mountain to the land of the buffaloes. “We will teach you to run swiftly，” they told the boy, “if you will promise to keep your people from hunting and killing buffaloes.” “I promise.” said the boy. The buffaloes taught him to run so fast that not one of them could keep up with him. The old grandmother could follow him wherever he went, for she had been changed into Wind. The boy stayed with the buffaloes until he became a man. Then they let him go back to his people, reminding him of his promise. Because he was such a swift runner, he became a leader of the hunters. They called him Eagle Wing. One day the chief called Eagle Wing to him and said to him, “My son, I want you to take the hunters to the buffalo country. We have never been able to kill buffaloes because they run so very fast. But you too can run fast. If you will kill some buffaloes and bring home the meat and the skins. I will adopt you as my son. And when I die, you will become chief of the tribe.” Eagle Wing wanted so much to become chief that he pushed from his mind his promise to the buffaloes. He started out with the hunters, but he climbed the mountain so fast that they were soon left far behind. On the other side of the mountain, he saw a herd of buffaloes. They started to run in fright, but Eagle Wing followed them and killed most of them. Buffalo, the great one who got his power from the water, was away from home at the time of the hunt. On his way back he grew so thirsty that he drank from some water on the other side of the mountain not from his special pool. When he reached home and saw what the hunter had done, he became very angry. He tried to turn the men into grass, but he could not. Because he had drunk from another pool, he had lost his power to transform. Buffalo went to the big stone that had once been a mountain. “What can you do to punish the hunter for what he has done?” he asked Stone. “I will ask the trees to tangle themselves so that it will be difficult for men to travel through them,” answered Stone. “I will break myself into many pieces and scatter myself all over the land. Then the swift runner and his followers cannot run over me without hurting their feet.” “That will punish them.” agreed Buffalo. So Stone broke itself into many pieces and scattered itself all over the land. Whenever the swift runner, Eagle Wing, and his followers tried to run over the mountain, stones cut their feet. Bushes scratched and bruised their bodies. That is how Eagle Wing was punished for not keeping his promise to Buffalo. |
