Very early in the morning a runner came to the lodge where Redhorn and his eldest brother Kunu lived, and shouted, "Hoho! Redhorn, you and Kunu are invited to go on the warpath." They replied, "All right!" Redhorn took a dish that would be used in the feast they always had before starting out on the warpath. He stood with his legs wide apart, then he said, "Dish, enlarge yourself," and dropped it between his feet. Suddenly, the dish became larger. Redhorn did this four times, and finally the dish was as big as the distance between his feet. When Kunu tried this, he ended up breaking his dish. Kunu and Redhorn started out for the feast with the two youngest brothers tagging along uninvited. When they arrived many other guests were already there. Redhorn, Turtle, and Otter were given the choice parts of the meat. Then it was time for the Fast Eating Contest which was to show whether any of the enemy that the spirits promised to the warparty would succeed in escaping. Redhorn ate his food the fastest, followed by Wolf, Otter, and Turtle last of all. Turtle, as always, tried to justify himself: "I knew you would be reckless, so I took my time and made sure that I ate every piece. Because of you, now one of the enemy will escape." The host arose and said, "In four days I intend either to go on the warpath or take a hunting trip."

Four days later they started out, but camped just outside the village. Then the war leader called upon Redhorn, Wolf, Otter, and Turtle to start out hunting, each from a different side of the village, but Turtle, not being much of a hunter, sent a small turtle in his place. Then, unexpectedly, those in the camp heard someone say, "Over there ... there! Go there and I will give you a smoke." The war leader gave orders to go out and shoot whatever seemed to be talking. They came back with a bear. This happened twice again. When they had shot the first three bears, Turtle had been absent. The fourth time they heard a shout, and when they went out to investigate, they found Turtle alone. They said, "What is it Turtle?" "Over there is a cave with someone in it." So they all ran over to the cave, and sure enough, they killed the biggest bear of all. The next two nights the same things happened again.

The fourth night the war leader asked for scalps. He knew from his vision that the victims would be two newlywed couples who were so fond of each other that they left their village to be alone. He sent forth Storms as He Walks and Redhorn as scouts to find out where they were. Storms as He Walks was the nephew of the war leader, and both had come from the Thunderbird spirit village. Storms as He Walks said to Redhorn, "If you were a Thunderbird like me, we could travel there in the clouds," but Redhorn replied, "We can do that anyway, my friend, even though I am not a Thunderbird." So they went in the clouds, and where the victims were walking, it began to drizzle. The victims said, "Let's camp, it's starting to rain." The two scouts returned to their own camp and told the warleader that they found the enemy camp and that they were not expecting an attack. The warleader announced, "At dawn we will get ready for the attack." Then he warned everyone to keep their eyes on Turtle, "For he is very tricky." When they set out for the objective, Turtle said, "I need to turn aside here." After that no one saw him again, so the warleader said, "We had better rush them now," so they attacked. Storms as He Walks gave the first victory cry, shouting, "Sons of War!" Redhorn killed the second, Wolf the third, and Otter the fourth enemy. All the rest of the warparty was allowed to give themselves a lesser war honor by touching each of the slain. Then Turtle suddenly appeared and complained, "I wish these cowards had defended themselves so that I could have arrived in time!" As they returned home, a runner was sent ahead, and he shouted, "Storms as He Walks has been killed! Redhorn has been killed! Wolf has been killed! Otter has been killed!" At this the old men became despondent, and said, "Those whom we most relied on are no more." No sooner was this said than all four men with their warparty appeared and ran in a circle around the village. Then they came to the place of the Victory Dance, and they danced there for four days. After the dance, a woman followed them home. She was interested in Redhorn, but Redhorn said he was too young to marry. Finally, after all the other brothers said the same thing, the second oldest married her.

The same man called for another warpath, and everything went just as it had for the first warparty. Once again Turtle failed to win a war honor. Then for a third time the warparty went out and everything happened as before, only now they took eight captives. During the Victory Dance many girls teased Redhorn, but he never paid any attention to them. [1]

Commentary: "newlywed couples" -- at first it seems like gratuitous brutality to attack newlyweds camped outside the main village during their "honeymoon," but the thought here is that no one on earth would resist with more fanaticism in defence of their loved ones. Thus they would be the most formidable foes, not the weakest and most vulnerable.

Links: Redhorn, The Redhorn Cycle, The Sons of Earthmaker, Turtle, Storms as He Walks, Otters, Wolf & Dog Spirits, Thunderbirds.

Links within the Redhorn Cycle: §1. The Race for the Chief's Daughter, §3. Redhorn and His Brothers Marry.

Stories: mentioning Redhorn: The Redhorn Cycle, Redhorn's Sons, The Mission of the Five Sons of Earthmaker, Redhorn's Father, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, The Twins Join Redhorn's Warparty, The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, The Spirit of Gambling, The Green Man, The Hotcâgara Contest the Giants, cp. The Cosmic Ages of the Hotcâgara; featuring Turtle as a character: The Mission of the Five Sons of Earthmaker, Turtle's Warparty, Turtle and the Giant, Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, Soft Shelled Turtle Gets Married, Turtle and the Merchant, Redhorn's Father, Redhorn's Sons, Turtle and the Witches, The Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, Trickster Soils the Princess, Morning Star and His Friend, Grandfather's Two Families, The Race for the Chief's Daughter, Redhorn Contests the Giants, Redhorn and His Brothers Marry, The Skunk Origin Myth, The Hotcâk Migration Myth, Porcupine and His Brothers, The Creation of Man, The Twins Join Redhorn's Warparty, The Father of the Twins Attempts to Flee, The Chief of the Herok'a, The Spirit of Gambling, The Mulberry Picker, Hare Secures the Creation Lodge, The Markings on the Moon (v. 2), The Green Man, The Hotcâgara Contest the Giants, The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, The Coughing Up of the Black Hawks, The Petition to Earthmaker, The Origins of the Milky Way; mentioning Thunderbirds: The Thunderbird, Warughápara, How the Thunders Met the Nights, The Boy who was Captured by the Bad Thunderbirds, Traveler and the Thunderbird War, The Boulders of Devil's Lake, Thunderbird and White Horse, Bluehorn's Nephews, How the Hills and Valleys were Formed (vv. 1, 2), The Man who was a Reincarnated Thunderbird, The Thunder Charm, The Lost Blanket, The Twins Disobey Their Father, The Thunderbird Clan Origin Myth, Story of the Thunder Names, The Wonághire Wâkcik Clan Origin Myth, Eagle Clan Origin Myth, Pigeon Clan Origins, Bird Clan Origin Myth, Adventures of Redhorn's Sons, Brave Man, Ocean Duck, Turtle's Warparty, The Daughter-in-Law's Jealousy, The Quail Hunter, The Twins Join Redhorn's Warparty, Redhorn's Sons, The Dipper, The Stone that Became a Frog, The Race for the Chief's Daughter, Redhorn Contests the Giants, The Sons of Redhorn Find Their Father, The Warbundle of the Eight Generations, Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, Origin of the Hotcâk Chief, The Spirit of Gambling, Wolf Clan Origin Myth, Aratcgéga's Blessings, The Orphan who was Blessed with a Horse, The Nightspirits Bless Tciwoit'éhiga, The Green Waterspirit of the Wisconsin Dells, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, The Big Stone, The Origins of the Milky Way; featuring Otter as a character: Otter Comes to the Medicine Rite, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, Turtle's Warparty, The Origins of the Milky Way, Redhorn's Sons, Redhorn Contests the Giants, The Arrows of the Medicine Rite Men, V. 2, Îtcorúcika and His Brothers, Morning Star and His Friend; featuring otters as characters: Otter Comes to the Medicine Rite, The Fleetfooted Man, The Dipper, The Two Children, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, Turtle's Warparty, The Origins of the Milky Way, Redhorn's Sons, Redhorn Contests the Giants, Îtcorúcika and His Brothers, The Woman who Loved Her Half Brother, The Chief of the Herok'a, The Animal Spirit Aids of the Medicine Rite, The Arrows of the Medicine Rite Men, V. 2, Wodjidjé, Morning Star and His Friend; with Storms as He Walks as a character: Redhorn's Sons, Redhorn and His Brothers Marry, Redhorn Contest the Giants, The Twins Join Redhorn's Warparty; having Wolf as a character: Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, A Man and His Three Dogs, Redhorn's Sons, The Twins Join Redhorn's Warparty, Redhorn Contests the Giants, The Dogs of the Chief's Son, The Man Whose Wife was Captured, Morning Star and His Friend, The Origins of the Milky Way; mentioning feasts: Thunderbird Clan Origin Myth (Chief Feast), The Creation Council (Eagle Feast), Wonághire Wâkcik Clan Origin Myth (Eagle Feast), Waterspirit Clan Origin Myth (Waterspirit Feast), Bear Clan Origin Myth (Bear Feast), The Woman Who Fought the Bear (Bear Feast), Grandfather's Two Families (Bear Feast), Wolf Clan Origin Myth (Wolf Feast), Buffalo Clan Origin Myth (Buffalo Feast), The Blessings of the Buffalo Spirits (Buffalo Feast), Buffalo Dance Origin Myth (Buffalo Feast), He Who Eats the Stinking Part of the Deer Ankle (Buffalo Feast), The Blessing of Cokeboka (Feast to the Buffalo Tail), Snake Clan Origins (Snake Feast), Blessing of the Yellow Snake Chief (Snake Feast), The Thunderbird (for the granting of a war weapon), Turtle's Warparty (War Weapons Feast, Warpath Feast), Porcupine and His Brothers (War Weapons Feast), Earthmaker Blesses Wagícega (Wecgícega) (Winter Feast = Warbundle Feast), Big Thunder Teaches Tcap'ósgaga the Warpath (Winter Feast = Warbundle Feast), The Boy who was Blessed by a Mountain Lion (Winter Feast = Warbundle Feast), White Thunder's Warpath (Winter Feast = Warbundle Feast), The Fox-Hotcâk War (Winter Feast = Warbundle Feast), Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth (Warpath Feast), Trickster's Warpath (Warpath Feast), The Masaxe War (Warpath Feast), Redhorn's Sons (Warpath Feast, Fast-Breaking Feast), The Girl who Refused a Blessing from the Wood Spirits (Fast-Breaking Feast), The Chief of the Herok'a (Sick Offering Feast), The Dipper (Sick Offering Feast, Warclub Feast), The Four Slumbers Origin Myth (Four Slumbers Feast), The Journey to Spiritland (Four Slumbers Feast), Spear Shaft and Lacrosse (unspecified).

Themes: an inanimate object expands upon command: Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, Wodjidjé, The Raccoon Coat, The Elk's Skull, A Mink Tricks Trickster; a spirit makes his dish grow larger: Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth; a sacrificial meal ("Fast Eating Contest") whose object is to insure that none of the enemy will escape alive: Turtle's Warparty, Redhorn's Sons; a hero wins a girl but decides to let one of his brothers marry her: The Raccoon Coat, The Race for the Chief's Daughter, Redhorn and His Brothers Marry, The Seduction of Redhorn's Sons; walking like the Thunders: The Shawnee Prophet -- What He Told the Hotcâgara; Storms as He Walks leads scouts by walking in the air: The Twins Join Redhorn's Warparty; a warleader asks his followers for scalps and appoints two men for a special mission: The Moiety Origin Myth, cf. The Twins Join Redhorn's Warparty; newlyweds are attacked by enemies: Kunu's Warpath.

Notes:

[1] Paul Radin, Winnebago Hero Cycles: A Study in Aboriginal Literature (Baltimore: Waverly Press, 1948) 118-121.