So _Pa-hu-ka´-tawa_ went away to the Rees, and the people knew him no more; after that he never came down to see them. When the people learned this, they felt very badly, and were angry at his brother who would not see him. There was living not long ago, among the Rees, an old woman, who, when she was a girl, had seen and talked to _Pa-hu-ka´-tawa_.
Note.--This is a Skidi story. The Rees have a story of what _Pa-hu-ka´-tawa_ did after he had come to them. The Lower Village tribes have a story of a hero of this same name, which is quite different from that of the Skidi.
There was a time, far back, when some people thought that it was good to sacrifice to _Ti-ra´-wa_ whatever they had that was most precious to them. The sacrifice of the animal, the burnt offering, has always been made by all the Pawnees; that is one of the things handed down from the ruler. It is very old. The Skidi have always performed the sacrifice of the captive. Each one of these is sacred and solemn, but it is not like giving up something that belongs to you, and that you love. It is a sacrifice, but it does not cost much.
Many years ago, in the Skidi village on the Loup, there lived a man, who believed that if he sacrificed his son to _Ti-ra´-wa_, it would be a blessing to him. He thought that if he did this thing, perhaps _Ti-ra´-wa_ would speak to him face to face, and that he could talk to him just as two people would talk to one another, and that in this way he would learn many things that other people did not understand. His child was a nice boy about ten years old, strong, growing up well, and the man loved him. It made him feel badly to think of killing him. He meditated long about this, but the more he thought about it, the more he believed that this sacrifice would please _Ti-ra´-wa_. There were many things that he wanted to understand, and to do; and he thought if he gave up his son, these good things would come to him. So he resolved to make the sacrifice.
One morning he started out from the village, and took the boy with him. They went over to the Platte. When they got to the river, as they were walking along, the man took his knife from its sheath, and caught the boy by the shoulder, and stabbed him quickly, and cut him open. When the boy was dead, he threw the body into the river, and then went back to the village. When he got there, he went into his lodge and sat down. After a time he said to his wife, "Where is the boy?" The woman said, "He went out with you, when you went over to see the horses." The man answered, "No; I went out to where the horses are feeding, and looked at them, but he did not go with me."