Another story they told about Strong Bear was about a time when there was boxing going on. Well “circular fenced area” is what they call it, or “square fenced area,” the place inside which they box.

Wohei there was one who was really tough, a White man. He was the champion in this boxing. “Wohei,” [the Arapahos] said to [Strong Bear], “you should challenge him. You should fight him.”

"No," he said. “No.” I might hurt him, or I might even kill him. I don’t want to do that. If he hit me, it would be like he was hitting a rock, and then if I hit him, boy I don’t know if he would live much longer,” he said.

And that’s why he didn’t agree to their request. “I might hurt him. That’s not the purpose of my power – for me to go around hurting people. I don’t [use it] unless I need to stand up for my relatives, or for self-protection,” he said.

Wohei that’s how it went. “Well...it’s not that I was given this power at some point. Rather, I grew up with it as my own [special quality]. I was born with it. That’s how I came to be so powerful. But I don’t want to use it to hurt anybody. I don’t want to kill anybody with it, unless I need to protect my relatives or myself.

And that’s why he didn’t agree to their request. “If I hit that guy, well I don’t know if he would live much longer, and I don’t want to just kill somebody for no reason. This tough guy, let his power be. Let him be. I don’t want to... I don’t want to take his power away from him.”

Wohei that’s what he said. And that’s why he didn’t agree to their request. That’s the way it was.