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。