Asheapproachedtheminhisalmostirresistiblespeed，everysavageheartthumpedlouderintheIndian’sduskybosom。InanothermomenttherewouldbeadefeatfortheKaposiasoraprolonga—
tionofthegame。Thetwomen，withadeterminedlookapproachedtheirfoeliketwopantherspre—
paredtospring;yetheneitherslackenedhisspeednordeviatedfromhiscourse。Acrash——amightyshout！——thetwoKaposiascollided，andtheswiftAntelopehadwonthelaurels！
Theturmoilandcommotionatthevictors’
campwereindescribable。Afewbeatsofadrumwereheard，afterwhichthecriershurriedalongthelines，announcingthelastacttobeperformedatthecampofthe"LeafDwellers。"
Thedayhadbeenaperfectone。Everyeventhadbeenasuccess;and，asamatterofcourse，theoldpeoplewerehappy，fortheylargelyprofitedbytheseoccasions。Withinthecircleformedbythegeneralassemblysatinagroupthemembersofthecommoncouncil。BlueEartharose，andinafewappropriateandcourteousremarksas—
suredhisgueststhatitwasnotselfishnessthatledhisbravestocarryoffthehonorsofthelastevent，butthatthiswasafriendlycontestinwhicheachbandmustassertitsprowess。Inmemoryofthisvictory，theboywouldnowreceivehisname。A
loud"Ho—o—o"ofapprobationreverberatedfromtheedgeoftheforestupontheMinnesota’sbank。
Halffrightened，thelittlefellowwasnowbroughtintothecircle，lookingverymuchasifhewereabouttobeexecuted。Cheeraftercheerwentupfortheawe—strickenboy。Chankpee—yuhah，themedicineman，proceededtoconferthename。
"Ohiyesa（orWinner）shallbethynamehence—
forth。Bebrave，bepatientandthoushaltalwayswin！ThynameisOhivesa。"
II
AnIndianBoy’sTrainingITiscommonlysupposedthatthereisnosystematiceducationoftheirchildrenamongtheaboriginesofthiscountry。Nothingcouldbefartherfromthetruth。Allthecus—
tomsofthisprimitivepeoplewereheldtobedivinelyinstituted，andthoseinconnec—
tionwiththetrainingofchildrenwerescrupulouslyadheredtoandtransmittedfromonegenerationtoanother。
Theexpectantparentsconjointlybentalltheireffortstothetaskofgivingthenew—comerthebesttheycouldgatherfromalonglineofancestors。A
pregnantIndianwomanwouldoftenchooseoneofthegreatestcharactersofherfamilyandtribeasamodelforherchild。Thisherowasdailycalledtomind。Shewouldgatherfromtraditionallofhisnoteddeedsanddaringexploits，rehearsingthemtoherselfwhenalone。Inorderthattheimpres—
sionmightbemoredistinct，sheavoidedcompany。
Sheisolatedherselfasmuchaspossible，andwan—
deredinsolitude，notthoughtlessly，butwithaneyetotheimpressgivenbygrandandbeautifulscenery。
TheIndiansbelieved，also，thatcertainkindsofanimalswouldconferpeculiargiftsupontheun—
born，whileotherswouldleavesostronganadverseimpressionthatthechildmightbecomeamonstros—
ity。Acaseofhare—lipwascommonlyattributedtotherabbit。Itwassaidthatarabbithadcharmedthemotherandgiventothebabeitsownfeatures。
Eventhemeatofcertainanimalswasdeniedthepregnantwoman，becauseitwassupposedtoinflu—
encethedispositionorfeaturesofthechild。
Scarcelywastheembyrowarriorusheredintotheworld，whenhewasmetbylullabiesthatspeakofwonderfulexploitsinhuntingandwar。Thoseideaswhichsofullyoccupiedhismother’smindbeforehisbirtharenowputintowordsbyallaboutthechild，whoisasyetquiteunresponsivetotheirappealstohishonorandambition。Heiscalledthefuturedefenderofhispeople，whoselivesmaydependuponhiscourageandskill。Ifthechildisagirl，sheisatonceaddressedasthefuturemotherofanoblerace。
Inhuntingsongs，theleadinganimalsareintro—
duced;theycometotheboytooffertheirbodiesforthesustenanceofhistribe。Theanimalsareregardedashisfriends，andspokenofalmostastribesofpeople，orashiscousins，grandfathersandgrandmothers。Thesongsofwooing，adaptedaslullabies，wereequallyimaginative，andthesuitorswereoftenanimalspersonified，whileprettymaid—
enswererepresentedbytheminkandthedoe。
Veryearly，theIndianboyassumedthetaskofpreservingandtransmittingthelegendsofhisan—
cestorsandhisrace。Almosteveryeveningamyth，oratruestoryofsomedeeddoneinthepast，wasnarratedbyoneoftheparentsorgrand—
parents，whiletheboylistenedwithpartedlipsandglisteningeyes。Onthefollowingevening，hewasusuallyrequiredtorepeatit。Ifhewasnotanaptscholar，hestruggledlongwithhistask;but，asarule，theIndianboyisagoodlistenerandhasagoodmemory，sothatthestoriesweretolerablywellmas—
tered。Thehouseholdbecamehisaudience，bywhichhewasalternatelycriticizedandap—
plauded。
Thissortofteachingatonceenlightenstheboy’smindandstimulateshisambition。Hisconcep—
tionofhisownfuturecareerbecomesavividandirresistibleforce。Whateverthereisforhimtolearnmustbelearned;whateverqualificationsarenecessarytoatrulygreatmanhemustseekatanyexpenseofdangerandhardship。SuchwasthefeelingoftheimaginativeandbraveyoungIndian。
Itbecameapparenttohiminearlylifethathemustaccustomhimselftorovealoneandnottofearordisliketheimpressionofsolitude。
Itseemstobeapopularideathatallthechar—
acteristicskilloftheIndianisinstinctiveandhereditary。Thisisamistake。AllthestoicismandpatienceoftheIndianareacquiredtraits，andcontinualpracticealonemakeshimmasteroftheartofwood—craft。Physicaltraininganddietingwerenotneglected。IrememberthatIwasnotallowedtohavebeefsouporanywarmdrink。Thesoupwasfortheoldmen。Generalrulesfortheyoungwerenevertotaketheirfoodveryhot，nortodrinkmuchwater。
Myuncle，whoeducatedmeuptotheageoffifteenyears，wasastrictdisciplinarianandagoodteacher。WhenIlefttheteepeeinthemorning，hewouldsay："Hakadah，lookcloselytoeverythingyousee";andatevening，onmyre—
turn，heusedoftentocatechizemeforanhourorso。
"Onwhichsideofthetreesisthelighter—col—
oredbark？Onwhichsidedotheyhavemostregularbranches？"
ItwashiscustomtoletmenameallthenewbirdsthatIhadseenduringtheday。I
wouldnamethemaccordingtothecolorortheshapeofthebillortheirsongortheappearanceandlocalityofthenest——infact，anythingaboutthebirdthatimpressedmeascharacteristic。I
mademanyridiculouserrors，Imustadmit。Hethenusuallyinformedmeofthecorrectname。
OccasionallyImadeahitandthishewouldwarm—
lycommend。
HewentmuchdeeperintothissciencewhenI
wasalittleolder，thatis，abouttheageofeightornineyears。Hewouldsay，forinstance：
"Howdoyouknowthattherearefishinyonderlake？"
"Becausetheyjumpoutofthewaterforfliesatmid—day。"
Hewouldsmileatmypromptbutsuperficialreply。
"Whatdoyouthinkofthelittlepebblesgroupedtogetherundertheshallowwater？andwhatmadetheprettycurvedmarksinthesandybottomandthelittlesand—banks？Wheredoyoufindthefish—eatingbirds？Havethein—
letandtheoutletofalakeanythingtodowiththequestion？"
Hedidnotexpectacorrectreplyatoncetoallthevoluminousquestionsthatheputtomeontheseoccasions，buthemeanttomakemeobserv—
antandagoodstudentofnature。
"Hakadah，"hewouldsaytome，"yououghttofollowtheexampleoftheshunktokecha（wolf）。
Evenwhenheissurprisedandrunsforhislife，hewillpausetotakeonemorelookatyoubeforeheentershisfinalretreat。Soyoumusttakeasec—
ondlookateverythingyousee。
"Itisbettertoviewanimalsunobserved。I
havebeenawitnesstotheircourtshipsandtheirquarrelsandhavelearnedmanyoftheirsecretsinthisway。Iwasoncetheunseenspectatorofathrillingbattlebetweenapairofgrizzlybearsandthreebuffaloes——arashactforthebears，foritwasinthemoonofstrawberries，whenthebuffaloessharpenandpolishtheirhornsforbloodycon—
testsamongthemselves。
"Iadviseyou，myboy，nevertoapproachagrizzly’sdenfromthefront，buttostealupbe—
hindandthrowyourblanketorastoneinfrontofthehole。Hedoesnotusuallyrushforit，butfirstputshisheadoutandlistensandthencomesoutveryindifferentlyandsitsonhishaunchesonthemoundinfrontoftheholebeforehemakesanyattack。Whileheisexposinghimselfinthisfashion，aimathisheart。Alwaysbeascoolastheanimalhimself。"Thushearmedmeagainstthecunningofsavagebeastsbyteachingmehowtooutwitthem。
"Inhunting，"hewouldresume，"youwillbeguidedbythehabitsoftheanimalyouseek。Re—
memberthatamoosestaysinswampyorlowlandorbetweenhighmountainsnearaspringorlake，forthirtytosixtydaysatatime。Mostlargegamemovesaboutcontinually，exceptthedoeinthespring;itisthenaveryeasymattertofindherwiththefawn。Concealyourselfinaconvenientplaceassoonasyouobserveanysignsofthepresenceofeither，andthencallwithyourbirchendoe—caller。
"Whicheveronehearsyoufirstwillsoonappearinyourneighborhood。Butyoumustbeverywatchful，oryoumaybemadeafawnofbyalargewild—cat。Theyunderstandthecharacteristiccallofthedoeperfectlywell。
"Whenyouhaveanydifficultywithabearorawild—cat——thatis，ifthecreatureshowssignsofattackingyou——youmustmakehimfullyunder—
standthatyouhaveseenhimandareawareofhisintentions。Ifyouarenotwellequippedforapitchedbattle，theonlywaytomakehimretreatistotakealongsharp—pointedpoleforaspearandrushtowardhim。Nowildbeastwillfacethisun—
lessheiscorneredandalreadywounded，Thesefiercebeastsaregenerallyafraidofthecommonweaponofthelargeranimals——thehorns，andiftheseareverylongandsharp，theydarenotriskanopenfight。
"Thereisoneexceptiontothisrule——thegreywolfwillattackfiercelywhenveryhungry。Buttheircouragedependsupontheirnumbers;inthistheyarelikewhitemen。Onewolfortwowillneverattackaman。Theywillstampedeaherdofbuffaloesinordertogetatthecalves;theywillrushuponaherdofantelopes，forthesearehelp—
less;buttheyarealwayscarefulaboutattackingman。"
Ofthisnatureweretheinstructionsofmyuncle，whowaswidelyknownatthattimeasamongthegreatesthuntersofhistribe。
Allboyswereexpectedtoendurehardshipwithoutcomplaint。Insavagewarfare，ayoungmanmust，ofcourse，beanathleteandusedtoundergoingallsortsofprivations。Hemustbeabletogowithoutfoodandwaterfortwoorthreedayswithoutdisplayinganyweakness，ortorunforadayandanightwithoutanyrest。Hemustbeabletotraverseapathlessandwildcountrywithoutlosinghiswayeitherinthedayornighttime。Hecannotrefusetodoanyofthesethingsifheaspirestobeawarrior。
Sometimesmyunclewouldwakenmeveryearlyinthemorningandchallengemetofastwithhimallday。Ihadtoacceptthechallenge。
Weblackenedourfaceswithcharcoal，sothateveryboyinthevillagewouldknowthatIwasfastingfortheday。Thenthelittletempterswouldmakemylifeamiseryuntilthemerci—
fulsunhidbehindthewesternhills。
Icanscarcelyrecallthetimewhenmysternteacherbegantogivesuddenwar—whoopsovermyheadinthemorningwhileIwassoundasleep。
Heexpectedmetoleapupwithperfectpresenceofmind，alwaysreadytograspaweaponofsomesortandtogiveashrillwhoopinreply。IfI
wassleepyorstartledandhardlyknewwhatI
wasabout，hewouldridiculemeandsaythatI
needneverexpecttosellmyscalpdear。OftenhewouldvarythesetacticsbyshootingoffhisgunjustoutsideofthelodgewhileIwasyetasleep，atthesametimegivingblood—curdlingyells。AfteratimeIbecameusedtothis。
WhenIndianswentuponthewar—path，itwastheircustomtotrythenewwarriorsthoroughlybeforecomingtoanengagement。Forinstance，whentheywerenearahostilecamp，theywouldselectthenovicestogoafterthewaterandmakethemdoallsortsofthingstoprovetheircour—
age。Inaccordancewiththisidea，myuncleusedtosendmeoffafterwaterwhenwecampedafterdarkinastrangeplace。Perhapsthecountrywasfullofwildbeasts，and，foraughtIknew，theremightbescoutsfromhostilebandsofIn—
dianslurkinginthatveryneighborhood。
YetIneverobjected，forthatwouldshowcow—
ardice。Ipickedmywaythroughthewoods，dippedmypailinthewaterandhurriedback，alwayscarefultomakeaslittlenoiseasacat。
Beingonlyaboy，myheartwouldleapateverycracklingofadrytwigordistanthootingofanowl，until，atlast，Ireachedourteepee。Thenmyunclewouldperhapssay："Ah，Hakadah，youareathoroughwarrior，"emptyoutthepreciouscontentsofthepail，andordermetogoasecondtime。
ImaginehowIfelt！ButIwishedtobeabravemanasmuchasawhiteboydesirestobeagreatlawyerorevenPresidentoftheUnitedStates。SilentlyIwouldtakethepailanden—
deavortoretracemyfootstepsinthedark。
Withallthis，ourmannersandmoralswerenotneglected。Iwasmadetorespecttheadultsandespeciallytheaged。Iwasnotallowedtojoinintheirdiscussions，noreventospeakintheirpresence，unlessrequestedtodoso。In—
dianetiquettewasverystrict，andamongthere—
quirementswasthatofavoidingthedirectaddress。
Atermofrelationshiporsometitleofcourtesywascommonlyusedinsteadofthepersonalnamebythosewhowishedtoshowrespect。Weweretaughtgenerositytothepoorandreverenceforthe"GreatMystery。"ReligionwasthebasisofallIndiantraining。
Irecalltothepresentdaysomeofthekindwarningsandreproofsthatmygoodgrandmotherwaswonttogiveme。"Bestrongofheart——bepatient！"sheusedtosay。Shetoldmeofayoungchiefwhowasnotedforhisuncontrollabletemper。Whileinoneofhisragesheattemptedtokillawoman，forwhichhewasslainbyhisownbandandleftunburiedasamarkofdisgrace——hisbodywassimplycoveredwithgreengrass。
IfIeverlostmytemper，shewouldsay：
"Hakadah，controlyourself，oryouwillbelikethatyoungmanItoldyouof，andlieunderagreenblanket！"
Intheolddays，noyoungmanwasallowedtousetobaccoinanyformuntilhehadbecomeanacknowledgedwarriorandhadachievedarecord。
Ifayouthshouldseekawifebeforehehadreachedtheageoftwenty—twoortwenty—three，andbeenrecognizedasabraveman，hewassneeredatandconsideredanill—bredIndian。Hemustalsobeaskillfulhunter。AnIndiancannotbeagoodhusbandunlesshebringshomeplentyofgame。
Thesepreceptswereinthelineofourtrainingforthewildlife。
III
MyPlaysandPlaymatesI：GamesandSportsTHEIndianboywasaprinceofthewilderness。Hehadbutverylittleworktododuringtheperiodofhisboyhood。Hisprincipaloccupationwasthepracticeofafewsimpleartsinwarfareandthechase。Asidefromthis，hewasmasterofhistime。
Whateverwasrequiredofusboyswasquicklyperformed：thenthefieldwasclearforourgamesandplays。Therewasalwayskeencompetitionamongus。Wefeltverymuchasourfathersdidinhuntingandwar——eachonestrovetoexcelalltheothers。
Itistruethatoursavagelifewasaprecariousone，andfullofdreadfulcatastrophes;however，thisneverpreventedusfromenjoyingoursportstothefullestextent。Asweleftourteepeesinthemorning，wewereneversurethatourscalpswouldnotdanglefromapoleintheafternoon！
Itwasanuncertainlife，tobesure。Yetweob—
servedthatthefawnsskippedandplayedhappilywhilethegraywolvesmightbepeepingforthfrombehindthehills，readytotearthemlimbfromlimb。
Oursportsweremoldedbythelifeandcus—
tomsofourpeople;indeed，wepracticedonlywhatweexpectedtodowhengrown。Ourgameswerefeatswiththebowandarrow，footandponyraces，wrestling，swimmingandimitationofthecustomsandhabitsofourfathers。Wehadshamfightswithmudballsandwillowwands;weplayedlacrosse，madewaruponbees，shotwinterarrows（whichwereusedonlyinthatseason），andcoastedupontheribsofanimalsandbuffalorobes。
Nosoonerdidtheboysgettogetherthan，asausualthing，theydividedintosquadsandchosesides;thenaleadingarrowwasshotatrandomintotheair。Beforeitfelltothegroundavolleyfromthebowsoftheparticipantsfollowed。Eachplayerwasquicktonotethedirectionandspeedoftheleadingarrowandhetriedtosendhisownatthesamespeedandatanequalheight，sothatwhenitfellitwouldbeclosertothefirstthananyoftheothers。
Itwasconsideredoutofplacetoshootbyfirstsightingtheobjectaimedat。Thiswasusuallyimpracticableinactuallife，becausetheobjectwasalmostalwaysinmotion，whilethehunterhimselfwasoftenuponthebackofaponyatfullgallop。
Therefore，itwastheoff—handshotthattheIndianboysoughttomaster。Therewasanothergamewitharrowsthatwascharacterizedbygambling，andwasgenerallyconfinedtothemen。
Theraceswereanevery—dayoccurrence。Atnoontheboyswereusuallygatheredbysomepleasantsheetofwaterandassoonastheponieswerewatered，theywereallowedtograzeforanhourortwo，whiletheboysstrippedfortheirnoondaysports。Aboymightsaytosomeotherwhomheconsideredhisequal：
"Ican’trun;butIwillchallengeyoutofiftypaces。"
Aformerhero，whenbeaten，wouldoftenex—
plainhisdefeatbysaying："Idranktoomuchwater。"
Boysofallageswerepairedfora"spin，"andthelittleredmencheeredontheirfavoriteswithspirit。
Assoonasthiswasended，theponyracesfol—
lowed。Allthespeedyponieswerepickedoutandriderschosen。Ifaboydeclinedtoride，therewouldbeshoutsofderision。
Lastofallcametheswimming。Alittleurchinwouldhangtohispony’slongtail，whilethelat—
ter，withonlyhisheadabovewater，glidedspor—
tivelyalong。Finallytheanimalsweredrivenin—
toafinefieldofgrassandweturnedourattentiontoothergames。
Lacrossewasanoldergameandwasconfineden—
tirelytotheSissetonandSanteeSioux。Shinny，suchasisenjoyedbywhiteboysontheice，isstillplayedontheopenprairiebythewesternSioux。The"moccasingame，"althoughsometimesplayedbytheboys，wasintendedmainlyforadults。
The"mud—and—willow"fightwasratherasevereanddangeroussport。Alumpofsoftclaywasstuckontheendofalimberandspringywil—
lowwandandthrownasboysthrowapplesfromsticks，withconsiderableforce。Whentherewerefiftyorahundredplayersoneachside，thebattlebecamewarm;butanythingtoarousethebraveryofIndianboysseemedtothemagoodandwhole—
somediversion。
Wrestlingwaslargelyindulgedinbyusall。Itmayseemodd，，butwrestlingwasdonebyagreatmanyboysatonce——fromtentoanynumberonaside。Itwasreallyabattle，inwhicheachonechosehisopponent。Therulewasthatifaboysatdown，hewasletalone，butaslongashere—
mainedstandingwithinthefield，hewasopentoanattack。Noonestruckwiththehand，butallmanneroftrippingwithlegsandfeetandbuttingwiththekneeswasallowed。Altogetheritwasanexhaustingpastime——fullyequaltotheAmericangameoffootballandonlytheyoungathletecouldreallyenjoyit。
Oneofourmostcurioussportswasawaruponthenestsofwildbees。WeimaginedourselvesabouttomakeanattackupontheOjibwaysorsometribalfoe。Weallpaintedandstolecau—
tiouslyuponthenest;then，witharushandwar—
whoop，sprangupontheobjectofourattackandendeavoredtodestroyit。Butitseemedthatthebeeswerealwaysonthealertandneverentirelysurprised，fortheyalwaysraisedquiteasmanyscalpsasdidtheirboldassailants！Aftertheon—
slaughtuponthenestwasended，weusuallyfol—
loweditbyapretendedscalpdance。
Ontheoccasionofmyfirstexperienceinthismodeofwarfare，thereweretwootherlittleboyswhowerealsonovices。Oneofthemparticularlywasreallytooyoungtoindulgeinanexploitofthatkind。Asitwasthecustomofourpeople，whentheykilledorwoundedanenemyonthebat—
tlefield，toannouncetheactinaloudvoice，wedidthesame。Myfriend，LittleWound（asIwillcallhim，forIdonotrememberhisname），beingquitesmall，wasunabletoreachthenestuntilithadbeenwelltrampleduponandbrokenandtheinsectshadmadeacounterchargewithsuchvigorastorepulseandscatterournumbersineverydi—
rection。However，heevidentlydidnotwanttoretreatwithoutanyhonors;sohebravelyjumpeduponthenestandyelled：
"I，thebraveLittleWound，to—daykilltheonlyfierceenemy！"
Scarcelywerethelastwordsutteredwhenhescreamedasifstabbedtotheheart。Oneofhisoldercompanionsshouted：
"Diveintothewater！Run！Diveintothewater！"fortherewasalakenearby。Thisad—
viceheobeyed。
Whenwehadreassembledandwereindulginginourmimicdance，LittleWoundwasnotallowedtodance。Hewasconsiderednottobeinex—
istence——hehadbeenkilledbyourenemies，theBeetribe。Poorlittlefellow！Hisswollenfacewassadandashamedashesatonafallenlogandwatchedthedance。Althoughhemightwellhavestyledhimselfoneofthenobledeadwhohaddiedfortheircountry，yethewasnotunmindfulthathehadscreamed，andthisweaknesswouldbeapttorecurtohimmanytimesinthefuture。
Wehadsomequietplayswhichwealternatedwiththemoresevereandwarlikeones。Amongthemwerethrowingwandsandsnow—arrows。Inthewinterwecoastedmuch。Wehadno"dou—
ble—rippers"ortoboggans，butsixorsevenofthelongribsofabuffalo，fastenedtogetheratthelargerend，answeredallpracticalpurposes。Some—
timesastripofbass—woodbark，fourfeetlongandaboutsixincheswide，wasusedwithconsiderableskill。Westoodononeendandheldtheother，usingtheslipperyinsideofthebarkfortheout—
side，andthuscoastingdownlonghillswithre—
markablespeed。
Thespinningoftopswasoneoftheall—ab—
sorbingwintersports。Wemadeourtopsheart—
shapedofwood，hornorbone。Wewhippedthemwithalongthongofbuckskin。Thehandlewasastickaboutafootlongandsometimeswewhittledthesticktomakeitspoon—shapedatoneend。
Weplayedgameswiththesetops——twotofiftyboysatonetime。Eachwhipshistopuntilithums;thenonetakestheleadandtherestfol—
lowinasortofobstaclerace。Thetopmustspinallthewaythrough。Therewerebarsofsnowoverwhichwemustpilotourtopinthespoonendofourwhip;thenagainwewouldtossitintheairontoanotheropenspotoficeorsmoothsnow—
crustfromtwentytofiftypacesaway。Thetopthatholdsoutthelongestisthewinner。
Sometimesweplayed"medicinedance。"This，tous，wasalmostwhat"playingchurch"isamongwhitechildren，butourpeopleseemedtothinkitanactofirreverencetoimitatethesedances，thereforeperformancesofthiskindwerealwaysenjoyedinsecret。Weusedtoobservealltheim—
portantceremoniesanditrequiredsomethingofanactortoreproducethedramaticfeaturesofthedance。Therealdancesoccupiedadayandanight，andtheprogramwaslongandvaried，sothatitwasnoteasytoexecuteallthedetailsperfectly;buttheIndianchildrenarebornimi—
tators。
Theboysbuiltanarborofpineboughsinsomeout—of—the—wayplaceandatoneendofitwasarudelodge。Thiswasthemedicinelodgeorhead—
quarters。Alltheinitiateswerethere。Atthefurtherendorentrancewerethedoor—keepersorsoldiers，aswecalledthem。Themembersofeachlodgeenteredinabody，standinginsinglefileandfacingtheheadquarters。Eachstretchedouthisrighthandandaprayerwasofferedbytheleader，afterwhichtheytooktheplacesassignedtothem。
Whenthepreliminarieshadbeencompleted，ourleadersoundedthebigdrumandweallsaid"A—ho—ho—ho！"asasortofamen。Thenthechoirbegantheirsongandwhenevertheyendedaverse，weallsaidagain"A—ho—ho—ho！"Atlasttheystruckupthechorusandweallgotuponourfeetandbegantodance，bysimplyliftinguponefootandthentheother，withaslightswingtothebody。
Eachboywasrepresentingorimitatingsomeoneofthemedicinemen。Wepaintedanddecor—
atedourselvesjustastheydidandcarriedbirdorsquirrelskins，oroccasionallylivebirdsandchipmunksasourmedicinebagsandsmallwhiteshellsorpebblesformedicinecharms。
Thenthepersonstobeinitiatedwerebroughtinandseated，withmuchceremony，uponablanketorbuffalorobe。Directlyinfrontofthemthegroundwaslevelledsmoothandherewelaidanoldpipefilledwithdriedleavesfortobacco。
Arounditweplacedthevariouslycoloredfeathersofthebirdswehadkilled，andcedarandsweet—
grassweburnedforincense。
Finallythoseofuswhohadbeenselectedtoper—
formthisceremonystretchedoutourarmsatfulllength，holdingthesacredmedicinebagsandaimingthematthenewmembers。Afterswingingthemfourtimes，weshotthemsuddenlyforward，butdidnotletgo。Thenovicesthenfellforwardontheirfacesasifdead。Quicklyachoruswasstruckupandwealljoinedinalivelydancearoundthesup—
posedbodies。Thegirlscoveredthemupwiththeirblankets，thusburyingthedead。Atlastweresurrectedthemwithourcharmsandledthemtotheirplacesamongtheaudience。Thencamethelastgeneraldanceandthefinalfeast。
Iwasoftenselectedaschoir—masterontheseoc—
casions，forIhadhappenedtolearnmanyofthemedicinesongsandwasquiteanaptmimic。Mygrandmother，whowasanotedmedicinewomanoftheTurtlelodge，onhearingofthesesacrilegiousacts（asshecalledthem）warnedmethatifanyofthemedicinemenshoulddiscoverthem，theywouldpunishmeterriblybyshrivelingmylimbswithslowdisease。
Occasionally，wealsoplayed"whiteman。"Ourknowledgeofthepale—facewaslimited，butwehadlearnedthathebroughtgoodswheneverhecameandthatourpeopleexchangedfursforhismer—
chandise。Wealsoknewthathiscomplexionwaspale，thathehadshorthaironhisheadandlonghaironhisfaceandthatheworecoat，trousers，andhat，anddidnotpatronizeblanketsintheday—
time。Thiswasthepicturewehadformedofthewhiteman。
Sowepaintedtwoorthreeofournumberwithwhiteclayandputonthembirchenhatswhichwesewedupfortheoccasion;fastenedapieceoffurtotheirchinsforabeardandalteredtheircos—
tumesasmuchaslaywithinourpower。Thewhiteofthebirch—barkwasmadetoanswerfortheirwhiteshirts。Theirmerchandiseconsistedofsandforsugar，wildbeansforcoffee，driedleavesfortea，pulverizedearthforgun—powder，pebblesforbulletsandclearwaterforthedangerous"spiritwater。"Wetradedforthesegoodswithskinsofsquirrels，rabbitsandsmallbirds。
Whenweplayed"huntingbuffalo"wewouldsendafewgoodrunnersoffontheopenprairiewithasupplyofmeat;thenstartafewequallyswiftboystochasethemandcapturethefood。
Oncewewereengagedinthissportwhenarealhuntbythemenwasinprogress;yetwedidnotrealizethatitwassonearuntil，inthemidstofourplay，wesawanimmensebuffalocomingatfullspeeddirectlytowardus。Ourmimicbuffalohuntturnedintoaveryrealbuffaloscare。Fortunately，wewereneartheedgeofthewoodsandwesoondisappearedamongtheleaveslikeacoveyofyoungprairie—chickensandsomehidinthebusheswhileotherstookrefugeintalltrees。
Welovedtoplayinthewater。Whenwehadnoponies，weoftenhadswimmingmatchesofourownandsometimesmaderaftswithwhichwecrossedlakesandrivers。Itwasacommonthingto"duck"ayoungortimidboyortocarryhimintodeepwatertostruggleasbesthemight。
Irememberaperilousridewithacompaniononanunmanageablelog，whenwewerebothlessthansevenyearsold。Theolderboyshadputusonthisuncertainbarkandpushedusoutintotheswiftcurrentoftheriver。Icannotspeakformycomradeindistress，butIcansaynowthatIwouldratherrideonaswiftbroncoanydaythantrytostayonandsteadyashortloginariver。
Ineverknewhowwemanagedtopreventashipwreckonthatvoyageandtoreachtheshore。
Wehadmanycuriouswildpets。Therewereyoungfoxes，bears，wolves，raccoons，fawns，buffalocalvesandbirdsofallkinds，tamedbyvariousboys。Mypetsweredifferentatdifferenttimes，butIparticularlyrememberone。IoncehadagrizzlybearforapetandsofarasheandIwereconcerned，ourrelationswerecharmingandveryclose。ButI
hardlyknowwhetherhemademoreenemiesformeorIforhim。Itwashishabittotreateveryboyunmercifullywhoinjuredme。HewasdespisedforhisconductinmyinterestandIwashatedonaccountofhisinterference。
II：MyPlaymatesCHATANNAwasthebrotherwithwhomIpassedmuchofmyearlychildhood。FromthetimethatIwasoldenoughtoplaywithboys，thisbrotherwasmyclosecompanion。Hewasahandsomeboy，andanaffectionatecomrade。Weplayedtogether，slepttogetherandatetogether;andasChatannawasthreeyearstheolder，Inaturallylookeduptohimastoasuperior。
Oesedahwasabeautifullittlecharacter。Shewasmycousin，andfouryearsyoungerthanmy—
self。Perhapsnoneofmyearlyplaymatesaremorevividlyrememberedthanisthislittlemaiden。
Thenamegivenherbyanotedmedicine—manwasMakah—oesetopah—win。ItmeansThe—four—
corners—of—the—earth。Asshewasrathersmall，theabbreviationwithadiminutiveterminationwasconsideredmoreappropriate，henceOesedahbecamehercommonname。
Althoughshehadaverygoodmother，Un—
cheedahwasherefficientteacherandchaperonSuchknowledgeasmygrandmotherdeemedsuit—
abletoamaidenwasdulyimpresseduponhersusceptiblemind。WhenIwasnotinthewoodswithChatanna，Oesedahwasmycompanionathome;andwhenIreturnedfrommyplayatevening，shewouldhaveahundredquestionsreadyformetoanswer。Someofthesewerequestionsconcerningourevery—daylife，andothersweremoredifficultproblemswhichhadsuddenlydawneduponheractivelittlemind。
Whateverhadoccurredtointerestherduringthedaywasimmediatelyrepeatedformybenefit。
TherewerecertainquestionsuponwhichOese—
dahheldmetobeauthority，andaskedwiththehopeofincreasingherlittlestoreofknowledge。
Ihaveoftenheardherdeclaretohergirlcompan—
ions："Iknowitistrue;Ohiyesasaidso！"
Uncheedahwaspartlyresponsibleforthis，forwhenanyquestionscameupwhichlaywithinthesphereofman’sobservation，shewouldsay：
"Ohiyesaoughttoknowthat：heisaman——
Iamnot！Youhadbetteraskhim。"
Thetruthwasthatshehadherselfexplainedtomemanyofthesubjectsunderdiscussion。
IwasoccasionallyreferredtolittleOesedahinthesamemanner，andIalwaysacceptedherchild—
ishelucidationsofanymatteruponwhichIhadbeenadvisedtoconsulther，becauseIknewthesourceofherwisdom。Inthissimplewayweweremadetobeteachersofoneanother。
Veryoftenwediscussedsometopicbeforeourcommoninstructor，oransweredherquestionsto—
gether，inordertoshowwhichhadthereadiermind。
"Towhattribedoesthelizardbelong？"inquiredUncheedah，upononeoftheseoccasions。
"Tothefour—leggedtribe，"Ishouted。
Oesedah，withherusualquickness，flashedouttheanswer：
"Itbelongstothecreepingtribe。"
TheIndiansdividedallanimalsintofourgen—
eralclasses：1st，thosethatwalkuponfourlegs;
2nd，thosethatfly;3rd，thosethatswimwithfins;
4th，thosethatcreep。
OfcourseIendeavoredtosupportmyassertionthatthelizardbelongswhereIhadplacedit，be—。
causehehasfourdistinctlegswhichpropelhimeverywhere，onthegroundorinthewater。Butmyopponentclaimedthatthecreatureunderdisputedoesnotwalk，butcreeps。Mystrongestargumentwasthatithadlegs;butOesedahinsistedthatitsbodytouchesthegroundasitmoves。Asalastresort，Ivolunteeredtogofindone，anddemon—
stratethepointinquestion。
Thelizardhavingbeenbrought，wesmoothedoffthegroundandstrewedashesonitsothatwecouldseethetrack。ThenIraisedthequestion：
"Whatconstitutescreeping，andwhatconstituteswalking？"
Uncheedahwasthejudge，andshestated，with—
outanyhesitation，thatananimalmuststandclearofthegroundonthesupportofitslegs，andwalkwiththebodyabovethelegs，andnotincontactwiththeground，inordertobetermedawalker;
whileacreeperisonethat，regardlessofitslegs，ifithasthem，dragsitsbodyupontheground。Uponhearingthejudge’sdecision，Iyieldedatoncetomyopponent。
Atanothertime，whenIwasengagedinasim—
ilardiscussionwithmybrotherChatanna，Oesedahcametomyrescue。Ourgrandmotherhadaskedus：
"Whatbirdshowsmostjudgmentincaringforitsyoung？"
Chatannaatonceexclaimed：
"Theeagle！"butIheldmypeaceforamo—
ment，becauseIwasconfused——somanybirdscameintomymindatonce。Ifinallydeclared：
"Itistheoriole！"
Chatannawasaskedtostatealltheevidencethathehadinsupportoftheeagle’sgoodsenseinrearingitsyoung。Heproceededwithanairofconfidence：
"Theeagleisthewisestofallbirds。Itsnestismadeinthesafestpossibleplace，uponahighandinaccessiblecliff。Itprovidesitsyoungwithanabundanceoffreshmeat。Theyhavethefresh—
estofair。Theyarebroughtupunderthespellofthegrandestscenes，andinspiredwithloftyfeelingsandbravery。Theyseethatallotherbe—
ingslivebeneaththem，andthattheyarethechil—
drenoftheKingofBirds。Ayoungeagleshowsthespiritofawarriorwhilestillinthenest。
"Beingexposedtotheinclemencyoftheweathertheyoungeagletsarehardy。TheyareaccustomedtohearthemutteringsoftheThunderBirdandthesighingsoftheGreatMystery。Why，thelit—
tleeaglescannothelpbeingasnobleastheyare，becausetheirparentsselectedforthemsoloftyandinspiringahome！Howhappytheymustbewhentheyfindthemselvesabovetheclouds，andbeholdthezigzagflashesoflightningallaboutthem！Itmustbenicetotasteapieceoffreshmeatupintheircoolhome，intheburningsum—
mer—time！Thenwhentheydropdownthebonesofthegametheyfeedupon，wolvesandvulturesgatherbeneaththem，feedingupontheirrefuse。
Thatalonewouldshowthemtheirchieftainshipoveralltheotherbirds。Isn’tthatso，grand—
mother？"Thustriumphantlyheconcludedhisargument。
IwasstaggeredatfirstbythenoblespeechofChatannna，butIsoonrecoveredfromitseffects。
ThelittleOesedahcametomyaidbysaying：
"WaituntilOhiyesatellsofthelovelinessofthebeautifulOriole’shome！"ThistimelyremarkgavemecourageandIbegan：
"Mygrandmother，whowasitsaidthatamotherwhohasagentleandsweetvoicewillhavechildrenofagooddisposition？Ithinktheorioleisthatkindofaparent。Itprovidesbothsun—
shineandshadowforitsyoung。Itsnestissus—
pendedfromtheprettiestboughofthemostgrace—
fultree，whereitisrockedbythegentlewinds;
andtheonewefoundyesterdaywasbeautifullylinedwithsoftthings，bothdeepandwarm，sothatthelittlefeatherlessbirdiescannotsufferfromthecoldandwet。"
HereChatannainterruptedmetoexclaim：
"Thatisjustlikethewhitepeople——whocaresforthem？Theeagleteachesitsyoungtobeac—
customedtohardships，likeyoungwarriors！"
Ohiyesawasprovoked;hereproachedhisbrotherandappealedtothejudge，sayingthathehadnotfinishedyet。
"Butyouwouldnothavelived，Chatanna，ifyouhadbeenexposedlikethatwhenyouwereababy！Theorioleshowswisdominprovidingforitschildrenagood，comfortablehome！A
homeuponahighrockwouldnotbepleasant——
itwouldbecold！Weclimbedamountainonce，anditwascoldthere;andwhowouldcaretostayinsuchaplacewhenitstorms？Whatwisdomisthereinhavingapileofroughsticksuponabarerock，surroundedwithill—smellingbonesofanimals，forahome？Also，myunclesaysthattheeagletsseemalwaystobeonthepointofstarvation。Youhaveheardthatwhoeverlivesongamekilledbysomeoneelseiscomparedtoaneagle。Isn’tthatso，grandmother？
"Theoriolesuspendsitsnestfromthelowersideofahorizontalboughsothatnoenemycanapproachit。Itenjoyspeaceandbeautyandsafety。"
OesedahwasatOhiyesa’ssideduringthedis—
cussion，andoccasionallywhisperedintohisear。
UncheedahdecidedthistimeinfavorofOhiyesa。
Wewereonceveryshortofprovisionsinthewintertime。Myuncle，ouronlymeansofsup—
port，wassick;andbesides，wewereseparatedfromtherestofthetribeandinaregionwheretherewaslittlegameofanykind。Oesedahhadapetsquirrel，andassoonaswebegantoecono—
mizeourfoodhadgivenportionsofherallow—
ancetoherpet。
Atlastwewerereducedverymuch，andtheprospectofobtaininganythingsoonbeinggloomy，mygrandmotherreluctantlysuggestedthatthesquirrelshouldbekilledforfood。Thereuponmylittlecousincried，andsaid：
"Whycannotwealldiealikewanting？Thesquirrel’slifeisasdeartohimasourstous，"andclungtoit。Fortunately，reliefcameintimetosaveherpet。
Oesedahlivedwithusforaportionoftheyear，andastherewerenoothergirlsinthefamilysheplayedmuchalone，andhadmanyimaginarycom—
panions。Atonetimetherewasasmallwillowtreewhichshevisitedregularly，holdinglongcon—
versations，apartofwhichshewouldafterwardrepeattome。Shesaidthewillowtreewasherhusband，whomsomemagichadcompelledtotakethatform;butnogrownpersonwaseverallowedtosharehersecret。
WhenIwasabouteightyearsoldIhadforaplaymatetheadoptedsonofaSioux，whowasawhitecaptive。Thisboywasquiteanotedper—
sonage，althoughhewasthenonlyabouttenorelevenyearsofage。WhenIfirstbecameac—
quaintedwithhimwewereontheupperMis—
souririver。Ilearnedfromhimthathehadbeentakenontheplains，andthatbothofhisparentswerekilled。
Hewasatfirstsadandlonely，butsoonfoundplentyofconsolationinhisnewhome。Thenameofhisadoptedfatherwas"Keeps—the—
Spotted—Ponies。"Hewasknowntohaveanunusualnumberoftheprettycalicoponies;
indeed，hehadapassionforaccumulatingprop—
ertyintheshapeofponies，paintedtents，dec—
oratedsaddlesandallsortsoffinery。Hehadlosthisonlyson;butthelittlepale—facebecametheadoptedbrotheroftwohandsomeyoungwomen，hisdaughters。Thismadehimquitepopularamongtheyoungwarriors。HewasnotslowtoadopttheIndiancustoms，andheacquiredtheSiouxlanguageinashorttime。
Iwellrememberhearingofhisfirstexperienceofwar。Hewasnotmorethansixteenwhenhejoinedawar—partyagainsttheGros—VentresandMandans。Myunclereportedthathewasverybraveuntilhewaswoundedintheankle;thenhebeggedwithtearstobetakenbacktoasafeplace。
Fortunatelyforhim，hisadoptedfathercametotherescue，andsavedhimattheriskofhisownlife。
Hewascalledthe"pale—faceIndian。"Hishairgrewverylongandhelavishedpaintonhisfaceandhairsothatnoonemightsuspectthathewasawhiteman。
OnedaythisboywasplayingagamblinggamewithoneoftheSiouxwarriors。Hewasanex—
pertgambler，andwoneverythingfromtheIndian。
Atacertainpointadisputearose。TheIndianwasveryangry，forhediscoveredthathisfellow—
playerhaddeliberatelycheatedhim。TheIndianswerestrictlyhonestinthosedays，evenintheirgambling。
Theboydeclaredthathehadmerelyperformedatrickforthebenefitofhisfriend，butitnearlycosthimhislife。Theindignantwarriorhadalreadydrawnhisbow—stringwiththeintentionofshootingthecaptive，butathirdpersonintervenedandsavedtheboy’slife。Heatonceexplainedhistrick;andinordertoshowhimselfanhonorablegambler，gavebackallthearticlesthathehadwonfromhisopponent。Inthemidstoftheconfusion，old"Keeps—the—Spotted—Ponies"camerushingthroughthecrowdinastateofgreatexcitement。
Hethoughthispale—facesonhadbeenkilled。
Whenhesawhowmattersstood，hegavetheag—
grievedwarriorapony，"inorder，"ashesaid，"thattheremaybenoshadowbetweenhimandmyson。"
OnespringmyuncletookChatannatotheCanadiantrading—postontheAssiniboineriver，wherehewenttotradeoffhisfursforammunitionandothercommodities。Whenhecameback，mybrotherwasnotwithhim！
Atfirstmyfearswereevenworsethanthere—
ality。Thefactswerethese：ACanadianwithwhommyunclehadtradedmuchhadsixdaugh—
tersandnoson;andwhenhesawthishandsomeandintelligentlittlefellow，heatonceofferedtoadopthim。
"Ihavenoboyinmyfamily，"saidhe，"andIwilldealwithhimaswithason。Iamalwaysintheseregionstrading;soyoucanseehimtwoorthreetimesinayear。"
Hefurtherassuredmyunclethatthepossessionoftheboywouldgreatlystrengthentheirfriend—
ship。Thematterwasfinallyagreedupon。AtfirstChatannawasunwilling，butasweweretaughttofollowtheadviceofourparentsandguardians，hewasobligedtoyield。
Thiswasasevereblowtome，andforalongtimeIcouldnotbeconsoled。Uncheedahwasfullyinsympathywithmydistress。Shearguedthatthewhiteman’seducationwasnotdesirableforherboys;infact，sheurgedhersonsostronglytogobackafterChatannathathepromisedonhisnextvisittotheposttobringhimhomeagain。
Butthetraderwasashrewdman。Heimmedi—
atelymovedtoanotherpartofthecountry;andI
neversawmyChatanna，thecompanionofmychildhood，again！Welearnedafterwardthathegrewupandwasmarried;butonedayhelosthiswayinablizzardandwasfrozentodeath。
MylittlecousinandIwenttoschooltogetherinlateryears;butshecouldnotendurethecon—
finementoftheschool—room。Althoughappar—
entlyveryhappy，shesufferedgreatlyfromthechangetoanindoorlife，ashavemanyofourpeo—
ple，anddiedsixmonthsafterourreturntotheUnitedStates。
III：TheBoyHunterITwillbenoexaggerationtosaythatthelifeoftheIndianhunterwasalifeoffascination。Fromthemomentthathelostsightofhisrudehomeinthemidstoftheforest，hisuntutoredmindlostit—
selfinthemyriadbeautiesandforcesofnature。
Yetheneverforgothispersonaldangerfromsomelurkingfoeorsavagebeast，howeverabsorbingwashispassionforthechase。
TheIndianyouthwasabornhunter。Everymotion，everystepexpressedaninborndignityand，atthesametime，adepthofnativecaution。
Hismoccasinedfootfelllikethevelvetpawofacat——noiselessly;hisglitteringblackeyesscannedeveryobjectthatappearedwithintheirview。Notabird，notevenachipmunk，escapedtheirpierc—
ingglance。
IwasscarcelyoverthreeyearsoldwhenIstoodonemorningjustoutsideourbuffalo—skinteepee，withmylittlebowandarrowsinmyhand，andgazedupamongthetrees。Suddenlytheinstincttochaseandkillseizedmepowerfully。Justthenabirdflewovermyheadandthenanothercaughtmyeye，asitbalanceditselfuponaswayingbough。EverythingelsewasforgottenandinthatmomentIhadtakenmyfirststepasahunter。
TherewasalmostasmuchdifferencebetweentheIndianboyswhowerebroughtupontheopenprairiesandthoseofthewoods，asbetweencityandcountryboys。Thehuntingoftheprairieboyswaslimitedandtheirknowledgeofnaturalhistoryimperfect。Theywere，asarule，goodriders，butinall—roundphysicaldevelopmentmuchinferiortotheredmenoftheforest。
Ourhuntingvariedwiththeseasonoftheyear，andthenatureofthecountrywhichwasforthetimeourhome。Ourchiefweaponwasthebowandarrows，andperhaps，ifwewerelucky，aknifewaspossessedbysomeoneinthecrowd。Intheoldentimes，knivesandhatchetsweremadefromboneandsharpstones。
Forfireweusedaflintwithaspongypieceofdrywoodandastonetostrikewith。Anotherwayofstartingfirewasforseveraloftheboystositdowninacircleandrubtwopiecesofdry，spongywoodtogether，oneafteranother，untilthewoodtookfire。
Wehuntedincompanyagreatdeal，thoughitwasacommonthingforaboytosetoutforthewoodsquitealone，andheusuallyenjoyedhimselffullyasmuch。Ourgameconsistedmainlyofsmallbirds，rabbits，squirrelsandgrouse。Fish—
ing，too，occupiedmuchofourtime。Wehardlyeverpassedacreekorapondwithoutsearchingforsomesignsoffish。Whenfishwerepresent，wealwaysmanagedtogetsome。Fish—linesweremadeofwildhemp，sineworhorse—hair。Weeithercaughtfishwithlines，snaredorspearedthem，orshotthemwithbowandarrows。Inthefallwecharmedthemuptothesurfacebygentlyticklingthemwithastickandquicklythrewthemout。Wehavesometimesdammedthebrooksanddriventhelargerfishintoawillowbasketmadeforthatpurpose。
Itwaspartofourhuntingtofindnewandstrangethingsinthewoods。Weexaminedtheslightestsignoflife;andifabirdhadscratchedtheleavesofftheground，orabeardraggeduparootforhismorningmeal，westoppedtospecu—
lateonthetimeitwasdone。Ifwesawalargeoldtreewithsomescratchesonitsbark，wecon—
cludedthatabearorsomeraccoonsmustbelivingthere。Inthatcasewedidnotgoanynearerthanwasnecessary，butlaterreportedtheincidentathome。Anolddeer—trackwouldatoncebringonawarmdiscussionastowhetheritwasthetrackofabuckoradoe。Generally，atnoon，wemetandcomparedourgame，notingatthesametimethepeculiarcharacteristicsofeverythingwehadkilled。Itwasnotmerelyahunt，forwecombinedwithitthestudyofanimallife。Wealsokeptstrictaccountofourgame，andthuslearnedwhowerethebestshotsamongtheboys。
Iamsorrytosaythatweweremercilesstowardthebirds。Weoftentooktheireggsandtheiryoungones。MybrotherChatannaandIoncehadadisagreeableadventurewhilebird—hunting。
Wewereaccustomedtocatchinourhandsyoungducksandgeeseduringthesummer，andwhiledo—
ingthiswehappenedtofindacrane’snest。Ofcourse，weweredelightedwithourgoodluck。
But，asitwasalreadymidsummer，theyoungcranes——twoinnumber——wereratherlargeandtheywerealittlewayfromthenest;wealsoob—
servedthatthetwooldcraneswereinaswampyplacenearby;but，asitwasmoulting—time，wedidnotsupposethattheywouldventureondryland。Soweproceededtochasetheyoungbirds;
buttheywerefleetrunnersandittookussometimetocomeupwiththem。
Meanwhile，theparentbirdshadheardthecriesoftheirlittleonesandcometotheirrescue。Theywerechasingus，whilewefollowedthebirds。Itwasreallyaperilousencounter！Ourstrongbowsfinallygainedthevictoryinahand—to—handstrugglewiththeangrycranes;butafterthatwehardlyeverhuntedacrane’snest。Almostallbirdsmakesomeresistancewhentheireggsoryoungaretaken，buttheywillseldomattackmanfear—
lessly。
Weusedtoclimblargetreesforbirdsofallkinds;butweneverundertooktogetyoungowlsunlesstheywereontheground。Thehootingowlespeciallyisadangerousbirdtoattackunderthesecircumstances。
Iwasoncetryingtocatchayellow—wingedwood—
peckerinitsnestwhenmyarmbecametwistedandlodgedinthedeepholesothatIcouldnotgetitoutwithouttheaidofaknife;butwewerealongwayfromhomeandmyonlycompanionwasadeafmutecousinofmine。Iwasaboutfiftyfeetupinthetree，inaveryuncomfortableposi—
tion，butIhadtowaitthereformorethananhourbeforehebroughtmetheknifewithwhichIfin—
allyreleasedmyself。
Ourdevicesfortrappingsmallanimalswererude，buttheywereoftensuccessful。Forinstance，weusedtogatherupapeckorsooflarge，sharp—
pointedburrsandscatterthemintherabbit’sfur—
row—likepath。Inthemorning，wewouldfindthelittlefellowsittingquietlyinhistracks，unabletomove，fortheburrsstucktohisfeet。
Anotherwayofsnaringrabbitsandgrousewasthefollowing：Wemadenoosesoftwistedhorse—
hair，whichwetiedveryfirmlytothetopofalimberyoungtree，thenbentthelatterdowntothetrackandfastenedthewholewithaslip—knot，afteradjustingthenoose。Whentherabbitrunshisheadthroughthenoose，hepullstheslip—knotandisquicklycarriedupbythespringoftheyoungtree。Thisisagoodplan，fortherabbitisoutofharm’swayasheswingshighintheair。
Perhapsthemostenjoyableofallwasthechip—
munkhunt。Wekilledtheseanimalsatanytimeofyear，butthespecialtimetohuntthemwasinMarch。Afterthefirstthaw，thechipmunksbur—
rowaholethroughthesnowcrustandmaketheirfirstappearancefortheseason。Sometimesasmanyasfiftywillcometogetherandholdasocialreunion。Thesegatheringsoccurearlyinthemorning，fromdaybreaktoaboutnineo’clock。