Weboyslearnedthis，amongothersecretsofnature，andgotourblunt—headedarrowstogetheringoodseasonforthechipmunkexpedition。

Wegenerallywentingroupsofsixtoadozenorfifteen，toseewhichwouldgetthemost。Ontheeveningbefore，weselectedseveralboyswhocouldimitatethechipmunk’scallwithwildoat—

strawsandeachoftheseprovidedhimselfwithasupplyofstraws。

Thecrustwillholdtheboysnicelyatthistimeoftheyear。Brightandearly，theyallcometo—

getherattheappointedplace，fromwhicheachgroupstartsoutinadifferentdirection，agreeingtomeetsomewhereatagivenpositionofthesun。

Myfirstexperienceofthiskindisstillwellre—

membered。ItwasafinecrispMarchmorning，andthesunhadnotyetshownhimselfamongthedistanttree—topsaswehurriedalongthroughtheghostlywood。Presentlywearrivedataplacewherethereweremanysignsoftheanimals。Theneachofusselectedatreeandtookuphispositionbehindit。Thechipmunkcallersatuponalogasmotionlessashecould，andbegantocall。

Soonweheardthepatteroflittlefeetonthehardsnow;thenwesawthechipmunksapproach—

ingfromalldirections。Somestoppedandranexperimentallyupatreeoralog，asifuncertainoftheexactdirectionofthecall;otherschasedoneanotherabout。

Inafewminutes，thechipmunk—callerwasbe—

siegedwiththem。Someranalloverhisperson，othersunderhimandstillothersranupthetreeagainstwhichhewassitting。Eachboyremainedimmovableuntiltheirleadergavethesignal;thenagreatshoutarose，andthechipmunksintheirflightallranupthedifferenttrees。

Nowtheshooting—matchbegan。Thelittlecreaturesseemedtorealizetheirhopelessposi—

tion;theywouldtryagainandagaintocomedownthetreesandfleeawayfromthedeadlyaimoftheyouthfulhunters。Buttheywereshotdownveryfast;andwheneverseveralofthemrushedtowardtheground，thelittlered—skinhuggedthetreeandyelledfranticallytoscarethemupagain。

Eachboyshootsalwaysagainstthetrunkofthetree，sothatthearrowmayboundbacktohimeverytime;otherwise，whenhehadshotawayallofthem，hewouldbehelpless，andanother，whohadclearedhisowntree，wouldcomeandtakeawayhisgame，sotherewaswarmcompetition。Some—

timesadesperatechipmunkwouldjumpfromthetopofthetreeinordertoescape，whichwascon—

sideredajokeontheboywholostitandatriumphforthebravelittleanimal。Atlastallwerekilledorgone，andthenwewentontoanotherplace，keepingupthesportuntilthesuncameoutandthechipmunksrefusedtoanswerthecall。

Whenwewentoutontheprairieswehadadif—

ferentandlesslivelykindofsport。Weusedtosnarewithhorse—hairandbow—stringsallthesmallgroundanimals，includingtheprairie—dog。Webothsnaredandshotthem。Oncealittleboysetasnareforone，andlayflatonthegroundalittlewayfromthehole，holdingtheendofthestring。

Presentlyhefeltsomethingmoveandpulledinahugerattlesnake;andtothisday，hisnameis"Caught—the—Rattlesnake。"Veryoftenaboygotanewnameinsomesuchmanner。Atanothertime，wewereplayinginthewoodsandfoundafawn’strack。Wefollowedandcaughtitwhileasleep;butinthestruggletogetaway，itkickedoneboy，whoisstillcalled"Kicked—by—the—Fawn。"

Itbecameanecessarypartofoureducationtolearntoprepareamealwhileouthunting。ItisafactthatmostIndianswilleattheliverandsomeotherportionsoflargeanimalsraw，buttheydonoteatfishorbirdsuncooked。Neitherwilltheyeatafrog，oraneel。Onourboyishhunts，weoftenwentonuntilwefoundourselvesalongwayfromourcamp，whenwewouldkindleafireandroastapartofourgame。

Generallywebroiledourmeatoverthecoalsonastick。Weroastedsomeofitovertheopenfire。

Butthebestwaytocookfishandbirdsisintheashes，underabigfire。Wetakethefishfreshfromthecreekorlake，haveagoodfireonthesand，diginthesandyashesandburyitdeep。Thesamethingisdoneincaseofabird，onlywewetthefeathersfirst。Whenitisdone，thescalesorfeath—

ersandskinarestrippedoffwhole，andthedeli—

ciousmeatretainsallitsjuicesandflavor。Wepulleditoffasweate，leavingthebonesundis—

turbed。

Ourpeoplehadalsoamethodofboilingwith—

outpotsorkettles。Alargepieceoftripewasthoroughlywashedandtheendstied，thensus—

pendedbetweenfourstakesdrivenintothegroundandfilledwithcoldwater。Themeatwasthenplacedinthisnovelreceptacleandboiledbymeansoftheadditionofred—hotstones。

Chatannawasagoodhunter。Hecalledthedoeandfawnbeautifullybyusingathinleafofbirch—

barkbetweentwoflattenedsticks。Onemorningwefoundthetracksofadoeandfawnwhohadpassedwithinthehour，forthelightdewwasbrushedfromthegrass。

"Whatshallwedo？"Iasked。"Shallwegobacktotheteepeeandtelluncletobringhisgun？"

"No，no！"exclaimedChatanna。"Didnotourpeoplekilldeerandbuffalolongagowithoutguns？

Wewillenticeherintothisopenspace，and，whileshestandsbewildered，Icanthrowmylassolineoverherhead。"

Hehadcalledonlyafewsecondswhenthefawnemergedfromthethickwoodsandstoodbeforeus，prettierthanapicture。ThenIutteredthecall，andshethrewhertobacco—leaf—likeearstowardme，whileChatannathrewhislasso。Shegaveonescreamandlaunchedforthintotheair，almostthrowingtheboyhuntertotheground。Againandagainsheflungherselfdesperatelyintotheair，butatlastweledhertothenearesttreeandtiedhersecurely。

"Now，"saidhe，"goandgetourpetsandseewhattheywilldo。"

Atthattimehehadagood—sizedblackbearpartlytamed，whileIhadayoungredfoxandmyfaithfulOhitikaorBrave。IuntiedChagoo，thebear，andWanahon，thefox，whileOhitikagotupandwelcomedmebywagginghistailinadig—

nifiedway。

"Come，"Isaid，"allthreeofyou。Ithinkwehavesomethingyouwouldallliketosee。"

Theyseemedtounderstandme，forChagoobe—

gantopullhisropewithbothpaws，whileWana—

honundertookthetaskofdiggingupbytherootsthesaplingtowhichIhadtiedhim。

Beforewegottotheopenspot，wealreadyheardOhitika’sjoyousbark，andthetwowildpetsbe—

gantorun，andpulledmealongthroughtheun—

derbrush。Chagoosoonassumedtheutmostpre—

cautionandwalkedasifhehadsplintersinhissoles，whileWanahonkepthisnosedownlowandsneakedthroughthetrees。

Outintotheopengladewecame，andthere，be—

forethethreerogues，stoodthelittleinnocentfawn。

Shevisiblytrembledatthesightofthemotleygroup。Thetwohumanrogueslookedtoher，I

presume，justasbadastheotherthree。Chagooregardedherwithamixtureofcuriosityanddefi—

ance，whileWanahonstoodasifrootedtotheground，evidentlyplanninghowtogetather。ButOhitika（Brave），generousOhitika，hisoccasionalbarkingwasonlyinjest。Hedidnotcaretotouchthehelplessthing。

Suddenlythefawnspranghighintotheairandthendroppedherprettyheadontheground。

"Ohiyesa，thefawnisdead，"criedChatanna。

"Iwantedtokeepher。"

"Itisashame;"Ichimedin。

Wefiveguiltyonescameandstoodaroundherhelplessform。Wealllookedverysorry;evenChagoo’seyesshowedrepentanceandregret。AsforOhitika，hegavetwogreatsighsandthenbe—

tookhimselftoarespectfuldistance。Chatannahadtwobigtearsgraduallyswampinghislong，blackeye—lashes;andIthoughtitwastimetohidemyface，forIdidnotwanthimtolookatme。

IV

Hakadah’sFirstOffering"HAKADAH，coowah！"wasthesonorouscallthatcamefromalargeteepeeinthemidstoftheIndianencampment。Inanswertothesummonsthereemergedfromthewoods，whichwereonlyafewstepsaway，aboy，accompaniedbyasplendidblackdog。Therewaslittleintheap—

pearanceofthelittlefellowtodistinguishhimfromtheotherSiouxboys。

Hehastenedtothetentfromwhichhehadbeensummoned，carryinginhishandsabowandarrowsgorgeouslypainted，whilethesmallbirdsandsquirrelsthathehadkilledwiththeseweap—

onsdangledfromhisbelt。

Withinthetentsattwooldwomen，oneoneachsideofthefire。Uncheedahwastheboy’sgrandmother，whohadbroughtupthemother—

lesschild。Wahchewinwasonlyacaller，butshehadbeeninvitedtoremainandassistinthefirstpersonalofferingofHakadahtothe"GreatMys—

tery。"

Thiswasamatterwhichhad，forseveraldays，prettymuchmonopolizedUncheedah’smind。Itwashercustomtoseetothiswheneachofherchildrenattainedtheageofeightsummers。Theyhadallbeencelebratedaswarriorsandhuntersamongtheirtribe，andshehadnothesitatedtoclaimforherselfagoodshareofthehonorstheyhadachieved，becauseshehadbroughtthemearlytothenoticeofthe"GreatMystery。"

Shebelievedthatherinfluencehadhelpedtoregulateanddevelopthecharactersofhersonstotheheightofsavagenobilityandstrengthofman—

hood。

Ithadbeenwhisperedthroughtheteepeevil—

lagethatUncheedahintendedtogiveafeastinhonorofhergrandchild’sfirstsacrificialoffering。

Thiswasmerespeculation，however，fortheclear—

sightedoldwomanhaddeterminedtokeepthispartofthemattersecretuntiltheofferingshouldbecompleted，believingthatthe"GreatMyste—

ry"shouldbemetinsilenceanddignity。

Theboycamerushingintothelodge，followedbyhisdogOhitikawhowaswagginghistailpro—

miscuously，asiftosay："MasterandIarereallyhunters！"

Hakadahbreathlesslygaveadescriptivenarra—

tiveofthekillingofeachbirdandsquirrelashepulledthemoffhisbeltandthrewthembeforehisgrandmother。

"Thisblunt—headedarrow，"saidhe，"actuallyhadeyesthismorning。Beforethesquirrelcandodgearoundthetreeitstrikeshiminthehead，and，ashefallstotheground，myOhitikaisuponhim。"

Hekneltupononekneeashetalked，hisblackeyesshininglikeeveningstars。

"Sitdownhere，"saidUncheedahtotheboy;

"Ihavesomethingtosaytoyou。Youseethatyouarenowalmostaman。Observethegameyouhavebroughtme！Itwillnotbelongbe—

foreyouwillleaveme，forawarriormustseekopportunitiestomakehimgreatamonghispeople。

"Youmustendeavortoequalyourfather。andgrandfather，"shewenton。"Theywerewarriorsandfeast—makers。Butitisnotthepoorhunterwhomakesmanyfeasts。Doyounotrememberthe’LegendoftheFeast—Maker，’whogavefortyfeastsintwelvemoons？Andhaveyoufor—

gottenthestoryofthewarriorwhosoughtthewilloftheGreatMystery？To—dayyouwillmakeyourfirstofferingtohim。"

Theconcludingsentencefairlydilatedtheeyesoftheyounghunter，forhefeltthatagreateventwasabouttooccur，inwhichhewouldbetheprincipalactor。ButUncheedahresumedherspeech。

"Youmustgiveuponeofyourbelongings——

whicheverisdearesttoyou——forthisistobeasacrificialoffering。"

Thissomewhatconfusedtheboy;notthathewasselfish，butratheruncertainastowhatwouldbethemostappropriatethingtogive。Then，too，hesupposedthathisgrandmotherreferredtohisornamentsandplaythingsonly。Sohevolunteered：

"Icangiveupmybestbowandarrows，andallthepaintsIhave，and——andmybear’sclawsnecklace，grandmother！"

"Arethesethethingsdearesttoyou？"shedemanded。

"Notthebowandarrows，butthepaintswillbeveryhardtoget，fortherearenowhitepeoplenear;andthenecklace——itisnoteasytogetonelikeitagain。Iwillalsogiveupmyotter—

skinhead—dress，ifyouthinkthatisnotenough。"

"Butthink，myboy，youhavenotyetmen—

tionedthethingthatwillbeapleasantofferingtotheGreatMystery。"

Theboylookedintothewoman’sfacewithapuzzledexpression。

"IhavenothingelseasgoodasthosethingsI

havenamed，grandmother，unlessitismyspottedpony;andIamsurethattheGreatMysterywillnotrequirealittleboytomakehimsolargeagift。Besides，myunclegavethreeotter—skinsandfiveeagle—feathersforhimandIpromisedtokeephimalongwhile，iftheBlackfeetortheCrowsdonotstealhim。"

Uncheedahwasnotfullysatisfiedwiththeboy’sfreeofferings。Perhapsithadnotoccurredtohimwhatshereallywanted。ButUncheedahknewwherehisaffectionwasvested。Hisfaithfuldog，hispetandcompanion——Hakadahwasalmostin—

separablefromthelovingbeast。

Shewassurethatitwouldbedifficulttoobtainhisconsenttosacrificetheanimal，butsheven—

tureduponafinalappeal。

"Youmustremember，"shesaid，"thatinthisofferingyouwillcalluponhimwholooksatyoufromeverycreation。Inthewindyouhearhimwhispertoyou。Hegiveshiswar—whoopinthethunder。Hewatchesyoubydaywithhiseye，thesun;atnight，hegazesuponyoursleepingcountenancethroughthemoon。Inshort，itistheMysteryofMysteries，whocontrolsallthings。

towhomyouwillmakeyourfirstoffering。Bythisact，youwillaskhimtogranttoyouwhathehasgrantedtofewmen。Iknowyouwishtobeagreatwarriorandhunter。IamnotpreparedtoseemyHakadahshowanycowardice，fortheloveofpossessionsisawoman’straitandnotabrave’s。"

Duringthisspeech，theboyhadbeencomplete—

lyarousedtothespiritofmanliness，andinhisexcitementwaswillingtogiveupanythinghehad——evenhispony！Buthewasunmindfulofhisfriendandcompanion，Ohitika，thedog！So，scarcelyhadUncheedahfinishedspeaking，whenhealmostshouted：

"Grandmother，Iwillgiveupanyofmypos—

sessionsfortheofferingtotheGreatMystery！

Youmayselectwhatyouthinkwillbemostpleas—

ingtohim。"

Thereweretwosilentspectatorsofthislittledialogue。OnewasWahchewin;theotherwasOhitika。Thewomanhadbeeninvitedtostay，althoughonlyaneighbor。Thedog，byforceofhabit，hadtakenuphisusualpositionbythesideofhismasterwhentheyenteredtheteepee。With—

outmovingamuscle，savethoseofhiseyes，hehadbeenaverycloseobserverofwhatpassed。

Hadthedogbutmovedoncetoattracttheat—

tentionofhislittlefriend，hemighthavebeendissuadedfromthatimpetuousexclamation：

"Grandmother，Iwillgiveupanyofmyposses—

sions！"

ItwashardforUncheedahtotelltheboythathemustpartwithhisdog，butshewasequaltothesituation。

"Hakadah，"sheproceededcautiously，"youareayoungbrave。Iknow，thoughyoung，yourheartisstrongandyourcourageisgreat。Youwillbepleasedtogiveupthedearestthingyouhaveforyourfirstoffering。YoumustgiveupOhitika。Heisbrave;andyou，too，arebrave。

Hewillnotfeardeath;youwillbearhislossbrave—

ly。Come——herearefourbundlesofpaintsandafilledpipe——letusgototheplace。"

Whenthelastwordswereuttered，Hakadahdidnotseemtohearthem。Hewassimplyunabletospeak。Toacivilizedeye，hewouldhaveap—

pearedatthatmomentlikealittlecopperstatue。

Hisbrightblackeyeswerefastmeltinginfloodsoftears，whenhecaughthisgrandmother’seyeandrecollectedheroft—repeatedadage："Tearsforwomanandthewar—whoopformantodrownsorrow！"

Heswallowedtwoorthreebigmouthfulsofheart—acheandthelittlewarriorwasmasterofthesituation。

"Grandmother，myBravewillhavetodie！LetmetietogethertwooftheprettiesttailsofthesquirrelsthatheandIkilledthismorning，toshowtotheGreatMysterywhatahunterhehasbeen。

Letmepainthimmyself。"

ThisrequestUncheedahcouldnotrefuseandsheleftthepairaloneforafewminutes，whileshewenttoaskWacootatoexecuteOhi—

tika。

EveryIndianboyknowsthat，whenawarriorisabouttomeetdeath，hemustsingadeathdirge。

HakadahthoughtofhisOhitikaasapersonwhowouldmeethisdeathwithoutastruggle，sohebegantosingadirgeforhim，atthesametimehugginghimtighttohimself。Asifhewereahumanbe—

ing，hewhisperedinhisear：

"Bebrave，myOhitika！IshallrememberyouthefirsttimeIamuponthewar—pathintheOjibwaycountry。"

AtlastheheardUncheedahtalkingwithamanoutsidetheteepee，sohequicklytookuphispaints。Ohitikawasajet—blackdog，withasilvertipontheendofhistailandonhisnose，besideonewhitepawandawhitestaruponaprotuber—

ancebetweenhisears。Hakadahknewthatamanwhopreparesfordeathusuallypaintswithredandblack。NaturehadpartiallyprovidedOhitikainthisrespect，sothatonlyredwasrequiredandthisHakadahsuppliedgenerously。

Thenhetookoffapieceofredclothandtieditaroundthedog’sneck;tothishefastenedtwoofthesquirrels’tailsandawingfromtheorioletheyhadkilledthatmorning。

Justthenitoccurredtohimthatgoodwarriorsalwaysmournfortheirdepartedfriendsandtheusualmourningwasblackpaint。Heloosenedhisblackbraidedlocks，groundadeadcoal，mixeditwithbear’soilandrubbeditonhisentireface。

Duringthistimeeveryholeinthetentwasoc—

cupiedwithaneye。Amongthelookers—onwashisgrandmother。Shewasverynearrelenting。

HadshenotfearedthewrathoftheGreatMys—

tery，shewouldhavebeenhappytocallouttotheboy："Keepyourdeardog，mychild！"

Asitwas，Hakadahcameoutoftheteepeewithhisfacelookinglikeaneclipsedmoon，leadinghisbeautifuldog，whowasevenhandsomerthaneverwiththeredtouchesonhisspecksofwhite。

ItwasnowUncheedah’sturntostrugglewiththestormandburdeninhersoul。Buttheboywasemboldenedbythepeople’sadmirationofhisbravery，anddidnotshedatear。Assoonasshewasabletospeak，thelovinggrandmothersaid：

"No，myyoungbrave，notso！Youmustnotmournforyourfirstoffering。Washyourfaceandthenwewillgo。"

Theboyobeyed，submittedOhitikatoWacootawithasmile，andwalkedoffwithhisgrandmotherandWahchewin。

Theyfollowedawell—beatenfoot—pathleadingalongthebankoftheAssiniboineriver，throughabeautifulgroveofoak，andfinallyaroundandunderaveryhighcliff。Themurmuringoftherivercameupfromjustbelow。Ontheoppositesidewasaperpendicularwhitecliff，fromwhichex—

tendedbackagradualslopeofland，clothedwiththemajesticmountainoak。Thescenewasim—

pressiveandwild。

Wahchewinhadpausedwithoutawordwhenthelittlepartyreachedtheedgeofthecliff。IthadbeenarrangedbetweenherandUncheedahthatsheshouldwaitthereforWacoota，whowastobringasfarasthattheportionoftheofferingwithwhichhehadbeenentrusted。

Theboyandhisgrandmotherdescendedthebank，followingatortuousfoot—pathuntiltheyreachedthewater’sedge。Thentheyproceededtothemouthofanimmensecave，somefiftyfeetabovetheriver，underthecliff。Alittlestreamoflimpidwatertrickleddownfromaspringwith—

inthecave。Thelittlewatercourseservedasasortofnaturalstaircaseforthevisitors。Acool，pleasantatmosphereexhaledfromthemouthofthecavern。Reallyitwasashrineofnatureanditisnotstrangethatitwassoregardedbythetribe。

Afeelingofaweandreverencecametotheboy。

"ItisthehomeoftheGreatMystery，"hethoughttohimself;andtheimpressivenessofhissurroundingsmadehimforgethissorrow。

VerysoonWahchewincamewithsomediffi—

cultytothesteps。SheplacedthebodyofOhi—

tikauponthegroundinalife—likepositionandagainleftthetwoalone。

Assoonasshedisappearedfromview，Unchee—

dah，withallsolemnityandreverence，unfast—

enedtheleatherstringsthatheldthefoursmallbundlesofpaintsandoneoftobacco，whilethefilledpipewaslaidbesidethedeadOhitika。

Shescatteredpaintsandtobaccoallabout。

Againtheystoodafewmomentssilently;thenshedrewadeepbreathandbeganherprayertotheGreatMystery：

"0，GreatMystery，wehearthyvoiceintherushingwatersbelowus！Wehearthywhisperinthegreatoaksabove！Ourspiritsarerefreshedwiththybreathfromwithinthiscave。0，hearourprayer！Beholdthislittleboyandblesshim！

Makehimawarriorandahunterasgreatasthoudidstmakehisfatherandgrandfather。"

Andwiththisprayerthelittlewarriorhadcom—

pletedhisfirstoffering。

V

FamilyTraditionsI：AVisittoSmokyDaySMOKYDAYwaswidelyknownamongusasapreserverofhistoryandlegend。Hewasalivingbookofthetraditionsandhis—

toryofhispeople。Amonghisef—

fectswerebundlesofsmallsticks，notchedandpainted。Onebundlecontainedthenumberofhisownyears。Anotherwascomposedofsticksrepresentingtheimportanteventsofhis—

tory，eachofwhichwasmarkedwiththenumberofyearssincethatparticulareventoccurred。Forinstance，therewastheyearwhensomanystarsfellfromthesky，withthenumberofyearssinceithappenedcutintothewood。Anotherrecordedtheappearanceofacomet;andfromtheseheavenlywondersthegreatnationalcatastrophesandvictorieswerereckoned。

ButIwilltrytorepeatsomeofhisfavoritenarrativesasIheardthemfromhisownlips。I

wenttohimonedaywithapieceoftobaccoandaneagle—feather;nottobuyhisMSS。，buthopingfortheprivilegeofhearinghimtellofsomeofthebravedeedsofourpeopleinremotetimes。

Thetallandlargeoldmangreetedmewithhisusualcourtesyandthankedmeformypresent。

AsIrecallthemeeting，Iwellrememberhisun—

usualstature，hisslowspeechandgraciousman—

ner。

"Ah，Ohiyesa！"saidhe，"myyoungwarrior——forsuchyouwillbesomeday！Iknowthisbyyourseekingtohearofthegreatdeedsofyourancestors。Thatisagoodsign，andIlovetore—

peatthesestoriestoonewhoisdestinedtobeabraveman。Idonotwishtolullyoutosleepwithsweetwords;butIknowtheconductofyourpa—

ternalancestors。Theyhavebeenandarestillamongthebravestofourtribe。Toprovethis，I

willrelatewhathappenedinyourpaternalgrand—

father’sfamily，twentyyearsago。

"Twoofhisbrothersweremurderedbyajeal—

ousyoungmanoftheirownband。Thedeedwascommittedwithoutjustcause;thereforeallthebraveswereagreedtopunishthemurdererwithdeath。Whenyourgrandfatherwasap—

proachedwiththissuggestion，herepliedthatheandtheremainingbrotherscouldnotcondescendtospillthebloodofsuchawretch，butthattheothersmightdowhatevertheythoughtjustwiththeyoungman。ThesemenwereforemostamongthewarriorsoftheSioux，andnoonequestionedtheircourage;yetwhenthiscalamitywasbroughtuponthembyavillain，theyrefusedtotouchhim！

This，myboy，isatestoftruebravery。Self—pos—

sessionandself—controlatsuchamomentisproofofastrongheart。

"YouhaveheardofJinglingThundertheelder，whosebravedeedsarewellknowntotheVillagersoftheLakes。Hesoughthonor’inthegatesoftheenemy，’asweoftensay。TheGreatMysterywasespeciallykindtohim，becausehewasobedient。

"Manywintersagotherewasagreatbattle，inwhichJinglingThunderwonhisfirsthonors。Itwasfortywintersbeforethefallingofmanystars，whicheventoccurredtwentywintersafterthecomingoftheblack—robedwhitepriest;andthatwasfourteenwintersbeforetheannihilationbyourpeopleofthirtylodgesoftheSacandFoxIndians。Iwellrememberthelatterevent——itwasjustfiftywintersago。However，Iwillcountmysticksagain。"

Sosaying，SmokyDayproducedhisbundleofvariouslycoloredsticks，aboutfiveincheslong。

Hecountedandgavethemtometoverifyhiscalculation。

"Butyou，"heresumed，"donotcaretore—

memberthewintersthathavepassed。Youareyoung，andcareonlyfortheeventandthedeed。ItwasverymanyyearsagothatthisthinghappenedthatIamabouttotellyou，andyetourpeoplespeakofitwithasmuchenthusiasmasifitwereonlyyesterday。Ourheroesarealwayskeptaliveinthemindsofthenation。

"OurpeoplelivedthenontheeastbankoftheMississippi，alittlesouthofwhereImnejah—skah，orWhiteCliff（St。Paul，Minnesota），nowstands。

AftertheyleftMilleLacstheyfoundedseveralvillages，butfinallysettledinthisspot，whencethetribeshavegraduallydispersed。Hereabattleoccurredwhichsurpassedallothersinhistory。Itlastedonewholeday——theSacsandFoxesandtheDakotasagainsttheOjib—

ways。

"AninvitationintheusualformofafilledpipewasbroughttotheSiouxbyabraveoftheSacandFoxtribe，tomakeageneralattackupontheircommonenemy。TheDakotabravesquicklysignifiedtheirwillingnessinthesamemanner，andithavingbeenagreedtomeetupontheSt。Croixriver，preparationswereimmediatelybeguntodespatchalargewar—party。

"Amongourpeoplethereweremanytriedwar—

riorswhosenameswereknown，andeveryyouthofasuitableagewasdesirousofemulatingthem。Astheseyoungnovicesissuedfromeverycampandalmosteveryteepee，theirmothers，sisters，grand—

fathersandgrandmothersweresingingforthemthe’strong—heart’songs。Anoldwoman，liv—

ingwithheronlygrandchild，theremnantofaoncelargebandwhohadallbeenkilledatthreedifferenttimesbydifferentpartiesoftheOjibways，wasconspicuousamongthesingers。

"Everyonewhoheard，casttowardherasym—

patheticglance，foritwaswellknownthatsheandhergrandsonconstitutedtheremnantofabandofSioux，andthathersongindicatedthatherpre—

ciouschildhadattainedtheageofawarrior，andwasnowabouttojointhewar—party，andtoseekajustrevengefortheannihilationofhisfamily。

ThiswasJinglingThunder，alsofamiliarlyknownas’TheLittleLast。’Hewasseentocarrywithhimsomefamilyrelicsintheshapeofwar—clubsandlances。

"Theagedwoman’ssongwassomethinglikethis：

"Go，mybraveJinglingThunder！

UponthesilverypathBeholdthatglitteringtrack——

"Andyet，mychild，rememberHowpitifultoliveSurvivoroftheyoung！

’Stablishournameandkin！"

"TheSacsandFoxeswereverydaringandconfidentuponthisoccasion。TheyproposedtotheSiouxthattheyshouldengagealonewiththeenemyatfirst，andletusseehowtheirbravescanfight！Tothisourpeopleassented，andtheyas—

sembleduponthehillstowatchthestrugglebe—

tweentheiralliesandtheOjibways。Itseemedtobeanequalfight，andforatimenoonecouldtellhowthecontestwouldend。YoungJinglingThunderwasanimpatientspectator，anditwas*TheMilkyWay——believedbytheDakotastobetheroadtravelledbythespiritsofdepartedbraves。

hardtokeephimfromrushingforwardtomeethisfoes。

"Atlastagreatshoutwentup，andtheSacsandFoxeswereseentoberetreatingwithheavyloss。ThentheSiouxtookthefield，andwerefastwinningtheday，whenfreshreinforcementscamefromthenorthfortheOjibways。UptothistimeJinglingThunderhadbeenamongtheforemostinthebattle，andhadengagedinseveralcloseen—

counters。ButthisfreshattackoftheOjibwayswasunexpected，andtheSiouxweresomewhattired。Besides，theyhadtoldtheSacsandFoxestosituponthehillsandresttheirwearylimbsandtakelessonsfromtheirfriendstheSioux;

thereforenoaidwaslookedforfromanyquarter。

"AgreatOjibwaychiefmadeafierceonslaughtontheDakotas。ThismanJinglingThundernowrushedforwardtomeet。TheOjibwayboastfullyshoutedtohiswarriorsthathehadmetatenderfawnandwouldreservetohimselfthehonorofdestroyingit。JinglingThunder，onhisside，exclaimedthathehadmettheagedbearofwhomhehadheardsomuch，butthathewouldneednoassistancetoovercomehim。

"Thepowerfulmanflashedhistomahawkintheairovertheyouthfulwarrior’shead，butthebravesprangasideasquickaslightning，andinthesameinstantspearedhisenemytotheheart。AstheOjibwaychiefgaveagaspingyellandfellindeath，hispeoplelostcourage;whilethesuccessofthebraveJinglingThunderstrengthenedtheheartsoftheSioux，fortheyim—

mediatelyfolloweduptheiradvantageanddrovetheenemyoutoftheirterritory。

"ThiswasthebeginningofJinglingThunder’scareerasawarrior。Heafterwardsperformedevengreateractsofvalor。HebecametheancestorofafamousbandoftheSioux，ofwhomyourownfather，Ohiyesa，wasamember。Youhavedoubt—

lessheardhisnameinconnectionwithmanygreatevents。Yethewasapatientman，andwasneverknowntoquarrelwithoneofhisownnation。"

ThatnightIlayawakealongtimecommit—

tingtomemorythetraditionIhadheard，andthenextdayIboastedtomyplaymate，LittleRain—

bow，aboutmyfirstlessonfromtheoldstory—

teller。Tothishereplied：

"IwouldratherhaveWeyuhahformyteacher。

Ithinkheremembersmorethananyoftheothers。

WhenWeyuhahtellsaboutabattleyoucanseeityourself;youcanevenhearthewar—whoop，"hewentonwithmuchenthusiasm。

"Thatiswhathisfriendssayofhim;butthosewhoarenothisfriendssaythathebringsmanywarriorsintothebattlewhowerenotthere，"Ian—

sweredindignantly，forIcouldnotadmitthatoldSmokyDaycouldhavearival。

BeforeIwenttohimagainUncheedahhadthoughtfullypreparedanicevenisonroastfortheteacher，andIwasproudtotakehimsome—

thinggoodtoeatbeforebeginninghisstory。

"How，"washisgreeting，"soyouhavebegunalready，Ohiyesa？Yourfamilywereeverfeast—

makersaswellaswarriors。"

Havingdonejusticetothetendermeat，hewipedhisknifebystickingitintothegroundseveraltimes，andputitawayinitssheath，afterwhichhecheerfullyrecommenced：

"ItcametopassnotmanywintersagothatWakinyan—tonka，thegreatmedicineman，hadavision;whereuponawar—partysetoutfortheOjibwaycountry。Therewerethreebrothersofyourfamilyamongthem，allofwhomwerenotedforvalorandthechase。

"Sevenbattleswerefoughtinsuccessionbeforetheyturnedtocomeback。Theyhadsecuredanumberoftheenemy’sbirchcanoes，andthewholepartycamefloatingdowntheMississippi，joyousandhappybecauseoftheirsuccess。

"Butonenightthewar—chiefannouncedthattherewasmisfortuneathand。Thenextdaynoonewaswillingtoleadthefleet。Theyoungestofthethreebrothersfinallydeclaredthathedidnotfeardeath，foritcomeswhenleastexpectedandhevolunteeredtotakethelead。

"Ithappenedthatthisyoungmanhadleftaprettymaidenbehindhim，whosechoiceneedle—

workadornedhisquiver。Hewasveryhand—

someaswellasbrave。

"Atdaybreakthecanoeswereagainlauncheduponthebosomofthegreatriver。Allwasquiet——afewbirdsbeginningtosing。Justasthesunpeepedthroughtheeasterntree—topsagreatwar—

crycameforthfromthenearshores，andtherewasarainofarrows。Thebirchencanoeswerepierced，andintheexcitementmanywerecap—

sized。

"TheSiouxwereatadisadvantage。Therewasnoshelter。Theirbow—stringsandthefeathersontheirarrowswerewet。TheboldOjibwayssawtheiradvantageandpressedcloserandcloser;

butourmenfoughtdesperately，halfinandhalfoutofthewater，untiltheenemywasforcedatlasttoretreat。NeverthelessthatwasasaddayfortheWahpetonSioux;butsaddestofallwasWinona’sfate！

"MorningStar，herlover，wholedthecanoefleetthatmorning，wasamongtheslain。FortwodaystheSiouxbravessearchedinthewaterfortheirdead，buthisbodywasnotrecovered。

"Athome，meanwhile，thepeoplehadbeenalarmedbyillomens。Winona，eldestdaughterofthegreatchief，onedayenteredherbirchcanoealoneandpaddleduptheMississippi，gazingnowintothe，wateraroundher，nowintotheblueskyabove。Shethoughtsheheardsomeyoungmengivingcourtshipcallsinthedistance，justastheydoatnightwhenapproachingtheteepeeofthebeloved;andsheknewthevoiceofMorningStarwell！Surelyshecoulddistinguishhiscallamongtheothers！Thereforeshelistenedyetmoreintently，andlookedskywardasherlightcanoeglidedgentlyupstream。

"Ah，poorWinona！Shesawonlysixsand—

hillcranes，lookingnolargerthanmosquitoes，astheyflewincircleshighupinthesky，goingeastwhereallspiritsgo。Somethingsaidtoher：

’ThosearethespiritsofsomeoftheSiouxbraves，andMorningStarisamongthem！’Hereyefollowedthebirdsastheytraveledinachainofcircles。

"Suddenlysheglanceddownward。’Whatisthis？’shescreamedindespair。ItwasMorn—

ingStar’sbody，floatingdowntheriver;hisquiver，workedbyherownhandsandnowdyedwithhisblood，layuponthesurfaceofthewater。

"’Ah，GreatMystery！whydoyoupunishapoorgirlso？LetmegowiththespiritofMorn—

ingStar！’

"Itwasevening。Thepalemoonaroseintheeastandthestarswerebright。Atthisveryhourthenewsofthedisasterwasbroughthomebyareturningscout，andthevillagewasplungedingrief，butWinona’sspirithadflownaway。Nooneeversawheragain。

"Thisisenoughforto—day，myboy。Youmaycomeagainto—morrow。"

II：TheStoneBoy"Ho，mitakoda！"（welcome，friend！）

wasSmokyDay’sgreeting，asI

enteredhislodgeonthethirdday。"IhopeyoudidnotdreamofawaterycombatwiththeOjib—

ways，afterthehistoryIrepeatedtoyouyesterday，"theoldsagecontinued，withacomplaisantsmileplayinguponhisface。

"No，"Isaid，meekly，"but，ontheotherhand，Ihavewishedthatthesunmighttravelalittlefaster，sothatIcouldcomeforanotherstory。"

"Well，thistimeIwilltellyouoneofthekindwecallmythsorfairystories。Theyareaboutmenandwomenwhodowonderfulthings——thingsthatordinarypeoplecannotdoatall。Sometimestheyarenotexactlyhumanbeings，fortheypartakeofthenatureofmenandbeasts，orofmenandgods。

Itellyouthisbeforehand，sothatyoumaynotaskanyquestions，orbepuzzledbytheinconsistencyoftheactorsintheseoldstories。

"Oncethereweretenbrotherswholivedwiththeironlysister，ayoungmaidenofsixteensum—

mers。Shewasveryskilfulatherembroidery，andherbrothersallhadbeautifullyworkedquiversandbowsembossedwithporcupinequills。Theylovedandwerekindtoher，andthemaideninherturnlovedherbrothersdearly，andwascontentwithherpositionastheirhousekeeper。Theyweregreathunters，andscarcelyeverremainedathomeduringtheday，butwhentheyreturnedateveningtheywouldrelatetoheralltheiradventures。

"Onenighttheycamehomeonebyonewiththeirgame，asusual，allbuttheeldest，whodidnotreturn。Itwassupposedbytheotherbrothersthathehadpursuedadeertoofarfromthelodge，orperhapsshotmoregamethanhecouldwellcarry;

butthesisterhadapresentimentthatsomethingdreadfulhadbefallenhim。Shewaspartiallycon—

soledbythesecondbrother，whoofferedtofindthelostoneinthemorning。

"Accordingly，hewentinsearchofhim，whiletherestsetoutonthehuntasusual。Towardeveningallhadreturnedsafely，savethebrotherwhowentinsearchoftheabsent。Again，thenextolderbrotherwenttolookfortheothers，andhetooreturnednomore。Alltheyoungmendisap—

pearedonebyoneinthismanner，leavingtheirsisteralone。

"Themaiden’ssorrowwasverygreat。Shewan—

deredeverywhere，weepingandlookingforherbrothers，butfoundnotraceofthem。Onedayshewaswalkingbesideabeautifullittlestream，whoseclearwaterswentlaughingandsingingontheirway。

Shecouldseethegleamingpebblesatthebottom，andoneinparticularseemedsolovelytohertear—bedimmedeyes，thatshestoopedandpickeditup，droppingitwithinherskingarmentintoherbosom。Forthefirsttimesincehermisfortunesshehadforgottenherselfandhersorrow。

"Atlastshewenthome，muchhappierthanshehadbeen，thoughshecouldnothavetoldthereasonwhy。Onthefollowingdayshesoughtagaintheplacewhereshehadfoundthepebble，andthistimeshefellasleeponthebanksofthestream，Whensheawoke，therelayabeautifulbabeinherbosom。

"Shetookitupandkisseditmanytimes。Andthechildwasaboy，butitwasheavylikeastone，soshecalledhima’LittleStoneBoy。’Themaidencriednomore，forshewasveryhappywithherbaby。Thechildwasunusuallyknowing，andwalkedalmostfromitsbirth。

"OnedayStoneBoydiscoveredthebowandarrowsofoneofhisuncles，anddesiredtohavethem;buthismothercried，andsaid：

"’Wait，myson，untilyouareayoungman。’

"Shemadehimsomelittleones，andwiththesehesoonlearnedtohunt，andkilledsmallgameenoughtosupportthemboth。Whenhehadgrowntobeabigboy，heinsisteduponknowingwhosewerethetenbowsthatstillhunguponthewallsofhismother’slodge。

"Atlastshewasobligedtotellhimthesadstoryofherloss。

"’Mother，Ishallgoinsearchofmyuncles，’

exclaimedtheStoneBoy。

"’Butyouwillbelostlikethem，’shereplied，’andthenIshalldieofgrief。’

"’No，Ishallnotbelost。Ishallbringyourtenbrothersbacktoyou。Look，Iwillgiveyouasign。Iwilltakeapillow，andplaceituponend。

Watchthis，foraslongasIamlivingthepillowwillstayasIputit。Mother，givemesomefoodandsomemoccasinswithwhichtotravel！’

"Takingthebowofoneofhisuncles，withitsquiverfullofarrows，theStoneBoydeparted。Ashejourneyedthroughtheforesthespoketoeveryanimalhemet，askingfornewsofhislostuncles。

Sometimeshecalledtothematthetopofhisvoice。Oncehethoughtheheardananswer，sohewalkedinthedirectionofthesound。Butitwasonlyagreatgrizzlybearwhohadwantonlymimickedtheboy’scall。ThenStoneBoywasgreatlyprovoked。

"’Wasityouwhoansweredmycall，youlong—

face？’heexclaimed。

"Uponthisthelattergrowledandsaid：

"’Youhadbetterbecarefulhowyouaddressme，oryoumaybesorryforwhatyousay！’

"’Whocaresforyou，youred—eyes，youuglything！’theboyreplied;whereuponthegrizzlyimmediatelysetuponhim。

"Buttheboy’sfleshbecameashardasstone，andthebear’sgreatteethandclawsmadenoim—

pressionuponit。Thenhewassodreadfullyheavy;andhekeptlaughingallthetimeasifhewerebeingtickled，whichgreatlyaggravatedthebear。FinallyStoneBoypushedhimasideandsentanarrowtohisheart。

"Hewalkedonforsomedistanceuntilhecametoahugefallenpinetree，whichhadevi—

dentlybeenkilledbylightning。Thegroundnearbyboremarksofastruggle，andStoneBoypickedupseveralarrowsexactlylikethoseofhisuncles，whichhehimselfcarried。

"Whilehewasexaminingthesethings，heheardasoundlikethatofawhirlwind，farupintheheavens。Helookedupandsawablackspeckwhichgrewrapidlylargeruntilitbecameadensecloud。Outofitcameaflashandthenathunderbolt。Theboywasobligedtowink;andwhenheopenedhiseyes，behold！astatelymanstoodbeforehimandchallengedhimtosinglecombat。

"StoneBoyacceptedthechallengeandtheygrappledwithoneanother。Themanfromthecloudswasgiganticinstatureandverypowerful。

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