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。