{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_62855/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_62855","id":"gutenberg_62855","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62855","summary":null,"tags":["Category: American Literature","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Short Stories","Indians of North America -- Folklore","Indians of North America -- Juvenile literature"],"text":"TREASURY\n                                   OF\n                         AMERICAN INDIAN TALES\n\n\n                      BY THEODORE WHITSON RESSLER\n\n                         [Illustration: {Logo}]\n\n                        BONANZA BOOKS \u00b7 NEW YORK\n\n                              _517110660_\n\n_Copyright \u00a9 MCMLVII by National Board of Young Men\u2019s Christian\nAssociation. Library of Congress Catalog Number: 57-5046. All rights\nreserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form\nor by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,\nrecording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without\npermission in writing from the publisher. Inquiries should be addressed\nto: BONANZA BOOKS, a division of Crown Publishers, Inc., 419 Park Avenue\nSouth, New York, New York 10016._\n\n              _This edition is published by BONANZA BOOKS,\n                  a division of Crown Publishers, Inc.\n               by arrangement with The Association Press.\n                            a b c d e f g h\n             Manufactured in the United States of America._\n\n\nTo William Frederick, My Son\n\n  I dedicate this book to you, my son. The ways of the Indian were good.\n  Honesty and truth were sacred to them; courage, a part of their lives,\n  as much as eating and sleeping. May this book prove to bring you many\n  joyful hours of reading, for constantly were you with me during its\n  writing, not only in person but in spirit.\n\n\n\n\n                     THE 44 STORIES FROM 27 TRIBES\n\n\n      _Introduction_                                                  ix\n  1. ADVENTURE\n      _Little Rabbit Discovers a Secret of Strength_, Pueblo           3\n      _Atagahi\u2014The Secret Lake_, Cherokee                             10\n      _Quarter Moon and Little Elk_, Iroquois                         13\n      _A Kitten Brings a Boy His Feather_, Nez Perc\u00e9                  20\n      _Little Thunder Finds a Friend_, Wyandot                        23\n      _How Not to Catch a Fish_, Bella Coola                          29\n      _Little Fire Cloud\u2019s Dream_, Delaware                           33\n      _The Cry of the Horned Owl_, Cayuga                             38\n      _The Dream That Led to Victory_, Apache                         42\n  2. HUNTING AND FISHING\n      _Grey Calf Learns to Hunt Buffalo_, Crow                        53\n      _Little Fox and the Golden Eagle_, Apache                       60\n      _How Long Moose Became a Brave_, Powhatan                       65\n      _How a Fishing Trip Taught Loyalty to a Boy_, Iroquois          71\n      _Little Bear\u2019s First Hunt_, Apache                              79\n      _Crying Eagle Sees a Great Battle_, Iroquois                    84\n      _Spotted Tail and the Ghost Wolf_, Mohawk                       89\n  3. CUSTOMS\n      _The Tribes Gather_, Cree                                       99\n      _Singing Eagle\u2019s First Clothes_, Huron                         105\n      _The New Tepee_, Blackfoot                                     108\n      _Little Dove Learns to Weave_, Winnebago                       112\n      _Red Cloud\u2019s Dream_, Algonquin                                 117\n      _Broken Tooth and the War Bonnet_, Apache                      127\n      _Grey Squirrel Hears His Name_, Oneida                         129\n  4. HEROISM\n      _Little Fawn and the Wolves_, Choctaw                          139\n      _The Island_, Iroquois                                         144\n      _A New Bow for Tani_, Cherokee                                 149\n      _Singing Waters and the Medicine Well_, Teton-Dakota           153\n      _The War That Should Not Have Happened_, Comanche              160\n      _Little Horse and the Painted Arrow_, Delaware                 174\n      _Falling Water Earns a Feather_, Dakota-Sioux                  192\n      _The Race with Death_, Apache                                  197\n      _The Storm_, Algonquin                                         210\n  5. CHARACTER\n      _Sleeping Bear Makes a Mistake_, Montagnais                    217\n      _The Lesson of the Elm Tree_, Cherokee                         220\n      _The Race_, Oneida                                             225\n      _Little Thunderbird Tells the Truth_, Blackfoot                241\n      _The Prize No One Could See_, Kickapoo                         247\n      _The Mysterious Pony Raiders_, Blackfoot                       253\n      _The Canoe Race_, Ottawa                                       263\n      _Standing Fawn Makes a Doll_, Shawnee                          269\n      _Black Cloud Remembers_, Seneca                                274\n      _The Miracle of the Pine Grove_, Iroquois                      281\n      _Crooked Arrow Finds a Friend_, Shawnee                        286\n      _The Boy and the Warrior Chief_, Seneca                        300\n\n\n\n\n                              INTRODUCTION\n\n\nThis is a collection of American Indian tales for pre-teen boys and\ngirls, a fact that does not obviate the possibility of their interest to\nparents and youth leaders, as well. All have been tested by the\nauthor-compiler with youngsters in many settings\u2014in homes, in church,\nScout and Y groups, by the campfire, in meeting rooms, and even in\nbuses.\n\nThose stories which the author has created are based upon Indian lore\nand customs. Many of the traditional stories were related to him by his\nIndian friends, descendants of the braves who first recounted them many\ngenerations ago. Both the original and the traditional tales are set\ndown within the general context of Indian history, but without any\npretense that the events actually took place.\n\nAuthenticity, however, in the life, customs, and moral standards of the\nIndians has been striven for in each story. Throughout, an attempt has\nbeen made to impart, without \u201cpreaching\u201d at youngsters, three major\nethical values common to all American Indians\u2014courage, honesty in\ndealing with others, and truthfulness in speech.\n\nThe tales are of varying length, but all are short to conform with the\ninterest span of average pre-teeners\u2014and, hopefully, to leave them eager\nfor the next story session.\n\nIt will be noted that both Indian boys and girls play leading roles. The\nauthor has found that the appeal of each story has been equal for both\nsexes irrespective of whether it has a young hero or heroine.\n\nParents and youth leaders will observe, too, that stress is placed in\nseveral stories upon the close father-son and mother-daughter\nrelationship\u2014completely true in Indian culture, and as much coveted in\nthe formative pre-teen years of our own children today.\n\nWhether read to children, or adapted and retold to them, or read by\nchildren themselves, it is hoped that these stories will be cherished as\nmuch by them as by the hundreds of boys and girls who helped,\nunwittingly, to select them for this book.\n\n                                                Theodore Whitson Ressler\n\n\n\n\n                              1. ADVENTURE\n\n\n\n\n              LITTLE RABBIT DISCOVERS A SECRET OF STRENGTH\n\n\nLittle Rabbit was a young Pueblo brave who lived a very happy and\ncarefree life. There was nothing very special about Little Rabbit unless\nyou were to say that his spirits were never dampened by a sad turn of\nevents. When something went wrong and people were unhappy, Little Rabbit\nusually found his way to their side, and would offer words of\nencouragement.\n\nThe village in which Little Rabbit was born was like all the Pueblo\nadobe villages of centuries before him. Little Rabbit had to climb a\nladder in order to enter his home, because all ground floor rooms had\nonly a roof entrance. By pulling up the ladder at night, families made\ntheir homes hard to enter.\n\nLittle Rabbit had once watched several families make an adobe building,\nseveral levels high. The walls were made of a mixture of yellowish clay\nand sand, called adobe; the roofs were made of a heavy layer of the same\nadobe laid over a strong frame of log beams, crisscrossed with poles,\nwillow branches, sticks, grass, and desert brush. The Spaniards had\ntaught the Pueblos how to mold the adobe into bricks. Small holes were\nmade for windows and doorways. Each family had one large room, and the\nground floor room (without windows or a doorway) was used by all the\nfamilies for storage, initiation of the boys into secret societies, and\nfor religious ceremonies.\n\nBecause each floor was set back the depth of the room below, each level\nhad a porch which was used by the Pueblo women for making corn bread,\npottery, and baskets, and by the men to weave rugs and blankets. When\nreligious ceremonies, dances, and games were taking place, these porches\ngave the whole family the best possible point from which to watch.\n\nSuch was the village in which Little Rabbit had grown to the age of\ntwelve, a strong and tall young brave.\n\nOne day he had just finished playing some running games with his friends\nand was returning to his home when one of his friends called to him,\n\u201cCome, Little Rabbit, we are going to walk the ledges.\u201d\n\nNow walking the ledges was a very difficult game and, most of the time,\nwas forbidden by the parents. But occasionally some of the more daring\nyoung braves, willing to chance their necks, would organize a game of\nledge walking. The idea was something like \u201cFollow the Leader,\u201d but far\nmore dangerous. The boys would walk right on the edge of the roofs\u2014along\nthe first floor and, if successful and daring enough, along the second,\nand then along the third floor roof. As the boys went higher, fewer and\nfewer would take part; a fall from any one of the roofs would be bad,\nbut a fall from the second or third could cause great injury or even\ndeath.\n\nNow Little Rabbit was not a coward, but he hesitated to play the game\nbecause his father had told him that he was not to go without his\nfather\u2019s permission, and Little Rabbit knew that this was one game his\nfather would not permit him to play. So with sadness in his heart he\nshouted back to the other boys that he had work to do, and continued on\nhis way home.\n\nSeveral days passed, and each day a few of the older boys would gather\nto walk ledges, and each day they would ask Little Rabbit to take part,\nand each day Little Rabbit would say no. Finally it got to be too much\nfor even Little Rabbit. The next time he was asked he answered yes, and\nsoon was playing the very dangerous game.\n\nThe boys had all completed the first ledge of the round floor and were\nstarting for the second. Just as Little Rabbit reached the second ledge,\na voice called out, \u201cLittle Rabbit, my son, what are you doing?\u201d\n\nThe rest of the braves scattered, but the surprise at hearing his\nfather\u2019s angry voice near by frightened Little Rabbit for a moment, and\nhe lost his balance. He tried to straighten up, but went tumbling down\nthe side of the dwelling. He managed to break his fall by grasping at\nthe ladder but was not able to hold on. When he landed, his leg was\ndoubled under him and a sharp pain shot through his body, and then he\nfainted.\n\nWhen Little Rabbit awoke, he found he was stretched on his own bed, and\nhis father and mother were standing over him.\n\n\u201cI am sorry, my son,\u201d his father said softly. \u201cI did not mean to startle\nyou so. But I was afraid for you, and the fear in my heart gave\nharshness and anger to my voice. If I had waited until you were safely\nover the edge and then called to you, this terrible thing might not have\nhappened.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo not blame yourself,\u201d said Little Rabbit. \u201cIt is I who made the\nmistake. I disobeyed my father. I am truly sorry for that. If I had not\nbeen doing something wrong, I would not have been startled when you\ncalled. It was a foolish thing for me to do. I let the other boys tease\nme into playing. It would have been braver for me to tell them no. Truly\nI am ashamed, my father.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou must rest, my son. Your leg has been badly injured. When you have\nrested we shall talk of this.\u201d With that, Little Rabbit\u2019s father left\nthe house to continue his work.\n\nFor many days Little Rabbit lay in pain from his hurt leg; but more than\nhis leg, his heart and mind were hurt from the unhappiness he had\nbrought to his father by disobeying. He tried to talk with his mother\nabout how he felt but all his mother would say was, \u201cDo not worry so,\nLittle Rabbit. Your father has forgiven you.\u201d\n\nBut this was not what concerned Little Rabbit. His father now had to\ncarry on the work of farming the corn and brans and cotton all alone for\nthe family. This made Little Rabbit feel very unhappy. He wanted to do\nhis share of the work, and he liked to see crops grow.\n\nHis leg began to heal, and soon Little Rabbit was able to hobble around\nwith the aid of a stout staff. He began to help around the house as much\nas he could. Before long, he was able to limp out to the garden after\nhis father and work a little there, too.\n\nMany moons passed and his leg healed and became strong. But it was\ntwisted so that when Little Rabbit walked or ran he would limp rather\nbadly. The other young braves felt sorry for Little Rabbit. Even though\nhe could move about rather easily with his twisted leg, he really could\nnot keep up with the other young braves in the many games they played.\nSoon he found that he was not being asked so often to play the really\nexciting games.\n\nOne day as Little Rabbit was seated in front of his home, his father was\nreturning from the garden. As he came to where Little Rabbit was seated,\nhe stopped and spoke gently.\n\n\u201cWhy do you sit here so sad and forlorn, my son? Always you have been\ngay and happy, but lately you have become quiet and sad. Tell your\nfather what it is that troubles you.\u201d\n\nAnd so Little Rabbit explained that because he could not keep up with\nthem in the games of speed and skill, the other boys no longer invited\nhim to play.\n\n\u201cMy son, if you are going to sit here and let your life pass you by\nbecause your leg will not obey every command it is given, you will soon\nbecome very unhappy and bitter. You will be of no use to anyone, even\nyourself. You must turn your thoughts to other things. If you cannot run\nfast, you must practice. If you cannot jump, you must practice.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have tried, my father, but it seems to do no good. My leg is strong,\nbut the way it is twisted causes me to limp. If I try to run my leg\nbends under me. I have tried day after day but it is of no use.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou cannot sit here and think of the world as a sad, unhappy place.\nSuch thoughts will make your leg feel even more twisted than it really\nis. You must be thankful for your opportunity to raise yourself to be\nmore than just an ordinary Indian brave. You have a battle inside\nyourself now that calls for great courage and wisdom. How you will\novercome it I do not know, but you must try, my son.\u201d\n\nThat night Little Rabbit could not go to sleep because he was thinking\nabout what his father had said. Maybe he had not been working hard\nenough to make his leg do what he commanded. Tomorrow he would try\nharder.\n\nAnd so every day Little Rabbit practiced very hard. For many hours each\nweek, he would exercise his leg. Finally one day he awoke feeling strong\nand fit. After breakfast he went forth from his home to find his friends\nfor a game. When he located them, they were beginning a foot race which\nwould take them around the village. Without waiting to be asked, Little\nRabbit trotted into line just as the race started. The other boys were\noff to a big lead, but that didn\u2019t worry Little Rabbit. He remembered\nwhat his father had said and, with each running step, he repeated the\nwords, \u201cI must try.\u201d\n\nThe race was going strong. Soon, to his own surprise, Little Rabbit\nbegan to pass the other boys one after another. What he had lost in\nability, he made up in stamina\u2014the strength to go on and on. His many\ndays of practice were now proving valuable. As the other boys began to\ntire and drop back, Little Rabbit passed the leading young brave. Then\nhe began to widen the gap between himself and the next runner until\nnearly one hundred paces separated him from the second place runner when\nhe crossed the finish line.\n\nWhen all the runners had come panting to the finish line, they gathered\naround Little Rabbit, slapping his shoulders and congratulating him upon\nhis victory. Finally, one of the young braves asked, \u201cHow did you manage\nto stay so fresh to the very end?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, you see,\u201d said Little Rabbit quietly, \u201cwhen I fell from the ledge\nthat day and broke my leg, I was sure that I was being punished for\ndisobeying my father\u2019s wishes. After my leg healed and I began to play\nagain, I found that I could not keep up with you in your games. Once\nagain I thought that I was still being punished. But my father told me I\nmust try harder. This brought me courage. Once again I began practicing\nevery day to learn to run and jump even though my leg was twisted. I do\nnot have the skill that I used to have, but I now have endurance which\nmay stand me in very good stead later on as it has here today.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                        ATAGAHI\u2014THE SECRET LAKE\n\n\nSomewhere in the high ridges of the Great Smokies there was believed to\nbe a lake called Atagahi, the Secret Lake. Few people had heard of it,\nand this is a story of a young Cherokee brave and his sister who enjoyed\nthe secret of this beautiful lake nestled in the Great Smokies.\n\nUtani placed his bright, shiny, new knife on the ground next to his new\nmoccasins and admired the gleaming of the blade in the sun. He was a\nyoung Cherokee brave, rather tall for his age but very powerfully built\nand with sharp penetrating black eyes. He was too busy admiring the\nglint of the metal in the sun to notice the approach of Netani, his\nsister, until the shadow of her body crossed the knife blade and shut\noff the sun.\n\n\u201cGet out of the way of the sun,\u201d cried Utani. \u201cYou are blocking the rays\nfrom shining on my knife.\u201d Netani made no effort to move and so Utani\nrepeated his request.\n\nNetani could not understand Utani\u2019s demand that she move, but he was her\nbig brother and so she must obey. As she stepped aside she inquired of\nUtani why he watched so intently the blade of his knife in the sun.\n\nUtani, of course, now being a man, did not want to give a childish\nanswer such as, \u201cI am watching the blade shine in the sun.\u201d So he\nquickly gave another answer: \u201cI am receiving a message from the sun.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat sort of message?\u201d asked Netani.\n\n\u201cOh, the sun is telling me where Atagahi is and maybe if I study the\nblade long enough the sun will tell me just where to find it.\u201d\n\nThis, Utani thought, would satisfy his little sister. But her curiosity\nwas too great, and she asked that Utani take her to the secret lake,\nAtagahi.\n\nNow, Utani realized he had gone a little too far in his bragging; but\nbeing very stubborn, he refused to tell his sister that he really could\nnot find the secret lake by looking at the knife blade in the sun. Utani\nmade up his mind that he would have to find the secret lake, Atagahi. He\nrose and placed his knife carefully in his belt and, taking his sister\u2019s\nhand, started toward the ridges of the Great Smokies. For two hours,\nUtani and Netani climbed higher and higher into the mountains; but as\nthe day wore on, Utani began to feel a bit frightened, for they were a\nlong way from home and had come upon nothing that looked like a lake.\nFinally Netani stopped a few feet behind Utani and called out.\n\n\u201cLet us rest here for a while, big brother. I am getting tired. Besides\nit is late and I am hungry. Let us go back to the village and look\ntomorrow.\u201d\n\nOf course, Utani secretly thought that was a wonderful idea, for he was\ntired and hungry too. He agreed to follow his little sister\u2019s idea.\n\nAs he grasped his sister\u2019s hand to start home, his foot kicked a small\nstone which rolled off the side of the trail and down a small embankment\nof earth and landed at the bottom with a splash. Utani and Netani looked\nat each other with great surprise and then carefully stepped to the edge\nof the path. Utani pushed aside the branches that grew along the side of\nthe trail, and they both peered down into the waters of a beautiful blue\ngreen lake nestled among the trees and rocks that hid it from human eyes\nalong the trail. They had found it! They had found Atagahi! It was fast\ngrowing dark, so the two children decided to return to their village and\ncome back the following day to the secret lake. When they returned to\ntheir village the older braves wanted to know where they had been.\nNetani said, \u201cWe looked at Utani\u2019s knife blade in the sun, and the sun\ntold us where to find Atagahi.\u201d\n\nThe older Cherokee braves all laughed and laughed very loudly. But\nNetani and Utani did not laugh, for they knew where Atagahi was and they\ncould go there any time they pleased. They never told anyone their\nsecret, but every once in a while if you looked very carefully up the\ntrail into the mountains, you might see two Indian children kicking\nstones off the side of the trail.\n\n\n\n\n                      QUARTER MOON AND LITTLE ELK\n\n\n\u201cQuarter Moon! Where are you, Quarter Moon?\u201d\n\nLittle Elk was shouting for his friend as he trotted through the quiet\nIroquois village.\n\nIt was July, and many of the older braves had gone off to fish and hunt.\nThere were few left in the village except the women, the old men, and\nthe children. Little Elk was now twelve and he was feeling like a big\nwarrior more and more each day.\n\nFinally just as Little Elk was about to give up, he heard his friend\nanswering him from behind his father\u2019s wigwam. \u201cWhy do you call so\nloudly, Little Elk?\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause my mother said that I could go fishing this day and I would\nlike you, my friend, to go with me. I have a great deal of good fishing\nequipment, and there is still one canoe left at the shore of the great\nlake. Can you come with me?\u201d\n\nQuarter Moon thought for a moment, especially of the work he was\nsupposed to do that day. Finally he said, \u201cWait, I will go and ask my\nmother.\u201d\n\nWith that he disappeared into the wigwam and in a moment was out again,\nsmiling.\n\n\u201cMy mother says that I may go, but that I must be back when the sun has\nclimbed to the highest point in the sky. For any day now, my father is\nexpected back and I have not completed the chores he gave me to do when\nhe left.\u201d\n\n\u201cCome then,\u201d said Little Elk. \u201cWe must hurry.\u201d\n\nThe two boys ran to the lake shore and, after placing their fishing\nequipment in the canoe, they stepped in and pushed away from the shore.\n\n\u201cWe will paddle along the shore,\u201d said Little Elk.\n\nThe Indians of the Northeast made fishing tackle from young basswood\nsaplings and made their hooks from bone. With these they were able to\ncatch the mighty muskellunge of the northern waters and supplemented\ntheir fresh meat diet with lake fish.\n\nThe boys paddled for quite some time before they dropped their lines\ninto the water. They had picked a good spot because in a matter of\nminutes they had several fish in the floor of the canoe. Suddenly,\nLittle Elk noticed that the canoe had been drifting and he spoke to his\nfriend about it.\n\n\u201cWe should start for home, Little Elk,\u201d Quarter Moon said. \u201cThe sun is\nclimbing high in the heavens. We have many fine fish, and our mothers\nwill be proud.\u201d\n\nAs they picked up their paddles once again, Little Elk looked around to\nmake sure that they were headed in the right direction. They had been so\nbusy with their fishing that they had drifted far from where they had\nstarted. Little Elk wasn\u2019t quite sure which direction they should take\nto go homeward, for the two boys had never been off by themselves\nfishing and for a moment he was confused. Then, looking at the sun, he\ndecided that they had turned completely around and would have to turn\ntheir canoe once again to be headed in the right direction. And after he\ntold Quarter Moon, the two boys turned the canoe around and began to\npaddle in the direction they were sure was right.\n\nThey paddled past several islands and toward the main shore, when\nQuarter Moon cried out, \u201cLittle Elk, our canoe has sprung a leak.\u201d\n\nLittle Elk looked down at his moccasins. The water was beginning to rise\nin the canoe. Then Little Elk knew why this old canoe had been left at\nthe shore of the lake. The bottom was not considered safe. So the canoe\nhad been left to be repaired and used later on.\n\n\u201cQuarter Moon, we are not too far from the shore. Paddle harder and we\nwill be able to reach the shore before the canoe fills so full that we\ncannot move it.\u201d\n\nSo the boys paddled with all their strength and soon felt the bow of the\ncanoe scrape against the sandy bottom of the lake shore. Jumping out,\nthe two boys pulled the leaking canoe ashore and up onto the brush.\nLooking around, the boys realized that they were in unfamiliar\nterritory. Neither boy had ever been this far along the shore, but now,\nby looking out upon the lake, they guessed that they were some distance\nnorth of their village.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Little Elk, \u201cat least we are not lost, for by following the\nshore south, we will come to our village. Come, Quarter Moon! We will\nput our fish upon some green sticks and take them with us.\u201d\n\nThe boys took their knives and cut out two young branches from nearby\ntrees; by running the branch through the gills of the fish and out\nthrough the mouth, they were able to carry them comfortably. The boys\nthen started to follow the shore for home. By this time the sun was\nbeginning to lower in the sky, and the boys knew that it was getting\nquite late. So they hurried along the shore carrying their prize catch\nof muskellunge.\n\nWhen they had gone less than halfway to the village, Quarter Moon\nsuddenly called out to his faster companion.\n\n\u201cWait, Little Elk, do not run so fast. I cannot keep up with you. I must\nrest.\u201d\n\nThe two boys seated themselves on the side of the lake to catch their\nbreath. It was then that they suddenly heard a noise. Turning around,\nLittle Elk saw several feathers through the trees. He was about to call\nout when a warrior came into his sight and he realized that these were\nnot Iroquois, but a roving band of Abnakes. Quickly he threw himself to\nthe ground and pushed Quarter Moon down beside him. Quarter Moon almost\ncried out because he was so startled, but Little Elk motioned him to be\nstill. He pointed into the woods and Quarter Moon could see why Little\nElk had motioned him to be quiet. Then Little Elk counted the Abnakes\nwho were moving quietly along the trail in single file, headed in the\ndirection of his village. There were fourteen of them, all tall, strong,\nyoung warriors, each carrying a stout bow and a quiver of arrows.\n\nWhen the band had passed, Little Elk turned to Quarter Moon and\nwhispered:\n\n\u201cWe must hurry. They are headed in the direction of our village and with\nour warriors all gone, there are none but the old men, women, and\nchildren. We must warn the village.\u201d\n\nThey jumped up and began to run as fast as they could along the shore\ntoward their village, forgetting all about their fish and fishing gear,\nin their haste to get to their village and warn their people.\n\nSoon they saw smoke from campfires only a few hundred paces ahead. Even\nthough both boys felt as if their hearts would burst, they forced\nthemselves to continue running until the wigwams of the village were in\nsight. The boys slowed to a trot, and entered the village all out of\nbreath. They ran straight to the wigwam of Quarter Moon\u2019s uncle and\ntried, between gasps for breath, to tell him what they had seen. Finally\nQuarter Moon\u2019s uncle raised his hand. \u201cWait! Wait! My boy, get your\nbreath and then tell me what has brought you to my wigwam breathing so\nheavily and looking like a frightened deer.\u201d\n\nThe boys took several deep breaths and then Little Elk told his story to\nthe old man.\n\n\u201cBut we are not at war with the Abnakes and surely we have nothing they\nwould want in our village. But if this is an attack, we must warn the\nothers. Go through the village and tell all the others to gather at the\nmedicine lodge. There are some of us left who can handle weapons. Rather\nthan give our few supplies or our women to an attacking band of Abnakes,\nwe will gather every able-bodied man and woman and fight if we have to.\u201d\n\nWord was sent out through the village, and soon everyone gathered at the\nmedicine lodge. Quarter Moon was ready to repeat to all what he had told\nthe old brave when Little Elk looked through the fringe in the trees and\nspotted some warriors approaching. He was about to shout a warning when\nhe saw his father in the lead of the party. Little Elk ran to his\nfather, shouting that the Abnakes were near by. And then he saw,\nstanding next to his father, a very tall and handsome Abnake. For some\nreason, Little Elk felt that this was no ordinary warrior. Then his\nfather spoke.\n\n\u201cWait, Little Elk, my son. What is this you say about our village being\ninvaded?\u201d\n\nLittle Elk was embarrassed and looked down at the ground. \u201cMy father,\nwhen Quarter Moon and I were returning from our fishing trip, we saw\nsome Abnakes through the trees. They carried many bows and quivers of\narrows, and they were moving swiftly and quietly toward our village.\nQuarter Moon and I ran as fast as we could to warn the village.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou did well, my son. But come, I want you to welcome a friend of mine.\nThis is Chief Big Running Fox of the Abnakes. With him are fourteen of\nhis finest hunters. Our hunting party searched far and wide for game but\nwith little success. After many days of searching, we were ready to\nstart for home, sad and empty handed, when we were met by Chief Big\nRunning Fox. After explaining to him our presence in Abnake lands, we\nwere invited to their village, where we received food and shelter for\nthe night. The next morning Chief Big Running Fox explained that the bad\nweather this past spring had driven the game north. The Abnakes had\nplenty, but knew that their neighbors to the south would not have much\ngame. So Chief Big Running Fox let us hunt on the Abnake grounds to get\nplenty of meat for our tribe. In return we have invited them here for a\nfeast to thank them for this great kindness.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am sorry, great chief, that I thought you were going to attack our\nvillage,\u201d said Little Elk, feeling very much ashamed.\n\nChief Big Running Fox placed his hands upon the boy\u2019s shoulders. \u201cDo not\nfeel ashamed. It could have been an unfriendly visit and you were right\nto warn your people of strangers near your home. Your father can be\nproud to have you for a son, and we are glad to have you as a friend.\u201d\n\nThe hunting party of Iroquois and Abnakes moved into the village side by\nside. That night, instead of war dances, there were happy dances\ncelebrating their good hunting and finding a new friend. Right in the\ncenter of all the excitement sat Little Elk and Quarter Moon, the heroes\nof the day.\n\n\n\n\n                   A KITTEN BRINGS A BOY HIS FEATHER\n\n\nBetween the swift running Snake River and the rumbling Grande Ronde in\nthe beautiful Valley of Winding Waters, there lived a band of Indians\ncalled the Wallows, a branch of the Nez Perc\u00e9 tribe.\n\nLittle White Wolf was one of the young boys who was trying to earn his\nfirst feathers which would show that he had become a full-fledged brave.\nOften he would wander from the camp into the forests that covered the\nslopes of the valley. There he would try to think of things he could do\nto get his feather\u2014an act of bravery or great hunting skill. Two summers\nhad passed since he first tried to win his feather. His little friends,\nSwift Owl and Gray Frog, had earned their feathers and now strutted\nproudly through the village to call attention to their feathers. They\nboth took special care to spend most of their time playing near Little\nWhite Wolf, no doubt to make him jealous of their awards.\n\nOne day, when Little White Wolf was watching his mother mold a small\nbowl from clay, he caught sight of his father, Big White Wolf, striding\ninto the village with a large brown animal slung over his shoulders.\nLittle White Wolf knew that his father had made a kill. The boy raced\nforward excitedly to greet his father. As his father came nearer, the\nboy saw the large claws of a mountain lion. He was thrilled and proud\nand asked impatiently for his father to tell him the story of the kill.\nBut his father only shook his head and put his hand on Little White\nWolf\u2019s shoulder to quiet him.\n\n\u201cMy son,\u201d he told him, \u201cyou will have to wait until the big fire tonight\nwhen I tell the tale for all to hear.\u201d\n\nThat night as the braves gathered around the evening fire, Little White\nWolf settled as close as he could to the spot where his father would\nstand to tell his tale of adventure. After the other braves had told\ntheir stories, Little White Wolf\u2019s father walked with long, firm steps\nto the center of the circle and began to speak. While Little White Wolf\nlistened, he thought that his father looked unusually strong and tall.\n\nBig White Wolf told how he had been tracking a deer in a small glen at\nthe southern end of the valley when he heard a snarl. Turning quickly,\nhe saw a large female puma poised to spring at him from a tree. Just as\nthe cat leaped, Big White Wolf shot his arrow. The cat fell dead at his\nfeet. He could not explain why the big cat had been roused unless he had\nbeen close to a lair of kittens which this mother cat had been guarding.\n\nLittle White Wolf leaned forward listening intently. Suddenly a thought\nflashed through his mind. He could not sleep soundly that night because\nhe kept thinking of his secret plan. As dawn broke, Little White Wolf\narose silently and gathered his bow and arrow and a small pouch of food.\nThen he started off for the southern end of the valley. He came soon to\nthe place where his father had killed the big cat. The boy began to\nsearch every nook and cranny for the little kittens that must be here.\nHe felt sure his father had been right in guessing why the cat had\nsprung at him.\n\nFinally, after many hours of searching, Little White Wolf was about to\ngive up when he heard a faint cry coming from his right. He moved behind\na small tree and parted the branches to see what had made the sound.\nJust a few paces away in the hollow of a rock lay a small ball of brown\nfur. Now Little White Wolf must carry out his plan to bring the puma\nkitten back to camp alive. He moved slowly and quietly so that he would\nnot frighten the kitten. The little puma was looking away from Little\nWhite Wolf.\n\nWhen the boy was only two paces away, the kitten heard him. The animal\njumped up quickly and started to run. But the Indian was too fast. He\nleaped and caught the kitten by the scruff of the neck. Then he lifted\nthe little puma gently and began to scratch its head and pet it. In a\nfew moments, the animal was curled up in Little White Wolf\u2019s arms,\nleaning contentedly against the boy\u2019s chest. The boy started back to\ncamp with his prize.\n\nNo one had known why he had left or where he had gone, so Little White\nWolf was greeted excitedly by the other boys as he marched into the\ncamp. Even Swift Owl and Gray Frog praised him for having rescued the\nlittle puma and for having braved a possible attack from some grown\npuma.\n\nThat night Little White Wolf told his story. With great dignity, the\nChief awarded the boy his feather. He was a very proud young brave. Now\nhe could strut with Gray Frog and Swift Owl throughout the camp.\n\nLittle White Wolf never realized how thankful his father was that his\nson had returned safely. Big White Wolf knew that the father cat might\nhave returned while the boy was taking the kitten. If that had happened,\nthere might have been no feather award council fire that night.\n\n\n\n\n                     LITTLE THUNDER FINDS A FRIEND\n\n\nLittle Thunder was always the first one awake in his woodland Wyandot\nvillage, running about doing many chores before his parents were even\nawake. He would build up the breakfast fire and make sure there was\nenough wood to keep it going during the day. He would take the water\nbags to the cool spring and refill them with fresh water for that day\nand do many other little chores.\n\nFinally when the rest of the village began to stir, Little Thunder would\nrush about gathering up his many small treasures and lay them all out in\nfront of him on the ground to choose the ones he would carry with him\nthat day. He had pieces of flint, a deer\u2019s horn, colored stones from the\nbrooks, birch bark on which he had burned pictures, and many other\nthings important to an Indian boy. Then his mother would call him in to\neat. When breakfast was over, his father and mother would explain the\nfamily\u2019s plans for the day. Then each would set about doing his share of\nthe work.\n\nOne morning just before Little Thunder\u2019s father was to go off on a hunt\nwith the other warriors of the village, he called Little Thunder to him.\n\n\u201cYou must take care of your mother while I am away,\u201d Big Thunder told\nthe boy. \u201cYou must be the man of the house now. You must protect your\nmother and your home and see that all of the work is done.\u201d He smiled\nand pressed his son\u2019s shoulders. \u201cYou will soon be a man and then we can\ngo on the big hunt together. But you are man enough now to watch over\nyour mother while I am away.\u201d\n\nLittle Thunder felt very proud of the way his father had spoken to him.\nWhen all was in readiness and the hunters had left the village, Little\nThunder turned to his mother and stood very straight as he looked at\nher.\n\n\u201cDo not be afraid, for I will watch over you, mother,\u201d he promised. \u201cTo\nshow that I can get all the food we need, I will go into the woods and\nbring us a fine fat rabbit for supper.\u201d\n\nNow Little Thunder had a good hunting bow which his grandfather had made\nfor him many moons ago. It was of stout hickory and had an even curve to\nit when the sinew string was pulled tight. Little Thunder had worked\ncarefully to make straight, strong arrow shafts. He had chosen the best\nwillow shoots from which be peeled the bark. Then he seasoned and\nstraightened them over the fire, and rubbed them smooth with sandstone.\nHis arrowpoints were made of flint which he had chipped with a piece of\ndeer\u2019s antler after much practice under the eyes of his father. These\nwere his best arrows and he was saving them for the time he would go\nwith his father on the hunt.\n\nLittle Thunder laid these big-game arrows aside and picked up the set he\nhad made for use now as a young Indian boy. They had bone points which\nhe had ground sharp and bound into the split end of the shaft with wet\nsinew that tightened as it dried. On the other end he had glued and tied\ncarefully trimmed goose and turkey feathers to help the arrow fly\nstraight to its mark. He selected several arrows and tested his bow.\nLittle Thunder knew he would find plenty of game because the Indians\nnever killed without needing the food or skin of an animal. Having\nfinished all preparations for the hunt, he said good-bye to his mother\nand started off to find the fat juicy rabbit he had promised her.\n\nLittle Thunder trotted along the forest trails at a fast jog, looking in\nall directions for signs of game. He moved softly on his toes and the\nballs of his feet, as his father had taught him, so that he would not\nfrighten the creatures of the forest.\n\nSoon he came out of the forest into a large clearing that he believed\nwould yield the game he was after. He had walked watchfully only a short\nwhile when, not seven paces from him, he saw a rather large clump of\ntall grass move. He dropped to the ground, pressed his body flat against\nthe earth and waited. The grass did not move again. He tested the slight\nbreeze by wetting a finger in his mouth and holding his finger in the\nair. The side of his finger away from him felt cool and he knew that the\nbreeze was blowing toward him. Whatever was in the grass ahead of him\nwould not be able to catch his scent. He crept forward softly. When he\nwas about three paces from the clump of grass, he stood up with bow and\narrow ready to shoot.\n\nBut before he let the arrow fly, he stopped short. There, nestled in the\ngrass, was a young fawn which appeared to have been born only a short\nwhile ago. The fawn, frightened by Little Thunder, lay perfectly still,\nhis coat blending in almost perfectly with the grasses and shrubs around\nhim.\n\nLittle Thunder put the arrow back in his quiver. He moved toward the\nanimal slowly. The fawn struggled to his spindly little legs and wobbled\nslightly. Then his legs gave way and he fell to the ground. Little\nThunder could not help laughing at the awkward little animal. This\nscared the fawn even more and he rose to his feet again and tried to run\nbut again tumbled to the ground. Little Thunder ran forward to where the\nfawn lay, fearful that the fawn might have hurt himself. When he reached\nthe side of the fawn he knelt down and placed his hands along the soft\nsilky neck. The fawn trembled but he made no attempt to move. Gently,\nLittle Thunder stroked his neck and head and back and soon the little\nfawn quieted down. It was not too long before a rough little tongue\nreached up and swiped at Little Thunder\u2019s face. Little Thunder laughed\nagain and the fawn trembled. Speaking softly, Little Thunder told the\nfawn that everything was all right and that no one would harm him.\n\nLittle Thunder realized that the mother deer must not be too far off,\nbecause only rarely would a mother deer leave her young\u2014and then only to\nget a drink of water or find a new place to hide her fawn. Little\nThunder rose from the ground and decided to look around for the fawn\u2019s\nmother. Walking to the opposite edge of the clearing, he looked down\nthrough the forest and saw a lake. Winding his way through the trees and\nbrush, he was soon standing upon the shore of the lake. There he found\nfresh tracks of a full-grown deer. Then he saw some blood on the shore\nnear more deer tracks, but he could find no further trace of the deer.\nThen he spotted the prints of a pair of moccasins. He realized that a\nwarrior from a neighboring tribe in search of food had probably come\nupon the doe while she was drinking, shot her, and carried her away. He\nknew his guess was right when he saw a deer\u2019s stubby tail tied to the\nbranch of a low-hanging tree\u2014a sign always left by an Indian near the\nplace where he had killed an animal for food or clothing.\n\nLittle Thunder ran back quickly to the little fawn, still nestled in the\ntall grass. Even though he trembled as Little Thunder came near, he soon\nbecame calm as the young Indian petted him gently.\n\n\u201cYour mother has been killed, little one,\u201d Little Thunder murmured to\nthe fawn. \u201cThat leaves you with no one to look out for you. Do not\nworry. I, Little Thunder, will be your friend. But first we must get you\nto a safer place, for there are many animals that would make life\ndangerous for you here in the open.\u201d\n\nLittle Thunder lifted the young fawn in his arms and carried him into\nthe woods where he found a small thicket. Hiding the fawn in the\nthicket, he returned to the lake and brought some water to the fawn.\nThen picking up his bow and arrows, he trotted swiftly toward home to\ntell his mother of his adventure. On the way, a plump rabbit ran across\nhis path. Little Thunder\u2019s shot was easy and accurate. So he brought his\nmother the big rabbit he had promised\u2014and a big but true story, too.\n\nFor many days after that, Little Thunder went back with food to his\nnewly found friend. The young fawn soon became strong and was able to\nfrisk about. Soon Little Thunder and the fawn were playing games\ntogether in the clearing. He even taught the fawn to come when he\nwhistled.\n\nAt last, his father returned from the long hunting trip and Little\nThunder told him all about his adventure with the young fawn.\n\n\u201cThis I will have to see for myself,\u201d Big Thunder told the boy.\n\u201cTomorrow we shall go together to the thicket in the forest.\u201d\n\nSo the next morning Little Thunder took his father to the forest, but\nwhen they reached the thicket, it was empty. Big Thunder smiled at his\nson as if to say that the boy had dreamed the whole adventure.\n\n\u201cHe is probably out frisking in the clearing,\u201d Little Thunder said\nhastily, \u201cor he\u2019s down at the lake having a drink. He will be back soon.\nCome, father, we will sit over here and wait.\u201d\n\nThough they waited patiently long into the afternoon, the deer did not\nreturn. For several days after that, Little Thunder came back to the\nforest and clearing and lake, but there was no sign of his animal\nfriend. Little Thunder lost all hope of finding the fawn and soon forgot\nall about him, until one day about twelve moons later.\n\nLittle Thunder had gone hunting that day and found himself on the trail\nof a young buck. He followed the buck all morning and just as he was\nabout to give up the trail and return home, he saw the clearing where he\nhad found the fawn. Approaching quietly he looked out across the\nclearing. At first he could see nothing. Then as he gazed along the side\nof the clearing near the forest, his eyes stopped at the small thicket.\nSomething moved. Could it be the fawn, he wondered hopefully.\n\nSlowly he stood up and moved toward the thicket. Then something stirred\nagain. A beautiful young buck stood up in the thicket. The buck turned\nto run. Little Thunder whistled and called out softly. The buck stopped,\nturned and looked at the boy. Then, without fear, the buck ran forward\nto where Little Thunder stood with his hand outstretched. The animal\u2019s\ntongue licked the Indian\u2019s hand, and Little Thunder reached up and\nscratched the young buck\u2019s head. The boy knew that his friend had come\nback at last. He would have much to talk about to the buck\u2014and even more\nto tell his father.\n\n\n\n\n                        HOW NOT TO CATCH A FISH\n\n\nThe Bella Coola were a tribe that lived along the Northwest coast. Like\nmost of the Indians in this part of the land, they were fishermen and\nwoodcarvers. Some of the most beautiful carvings in the world have come\nfrom these tribes. Their chief source of food was fish. Each year at the\ntime the salmon were running, the Indians would go out to the great\nrivers with spears and fish nets to make large catches. Each salmon was\nthen split and dried and stored.\n\nAs soon as the Bella Coola boys were old and strong enough, they were\ntaken out to the rivers and taught how to throw the fish spear with its\nlong line attached. They were also taught the use of the large fish\nnets. Both the spear and the net were hard to handle and sometimes\ndangerous.\n\nOne day Little Twig (who had that name because of his size and the\nthinness of his body when he was born) begged his father to take him on\nthe salmon hunt. All the men of the tribe were getting ready to head for\nthe river steps where the salmon would be leaping. But Little Twig\u2019s\nfather stooped beside his son and spoke slowly to him.\n\n\u201cMy son, I would like to take you along, but this is man\u2019s work and you\nare still a young boy with much to learn. Stay here in the village and\nplay with the other children. Your day of hunting and spearing the great\nsalmon will come before you know it. But this time the answer must be\nNo.\u201d\n\nLittle Twig watched his father leave the village. When all the other\nfishermen had left, Little Twig went in search of his friend, Running\nTurtle. He found him carving a new handle for his knife.\n\n\u201cRunning Turtle, let us go and watch our fathers fish for the great\nsalmon,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can go far above them on the river and watch from\nthe ledge. We will stay only for a short while and will be back in the\nvillage before we are missed. I have never seen them fish for the great\nsalmon because my father says that it is too dangerous for Indian boys.\nWill you go?\u201d\n\n\u201cMy father will not let me go to fish with the men of the village\neither. But he never said that I could not watch the men as they fish.\nCome, Little Twig, let us hurry. The men are probably already there.\u201d\n\nThe two boys set out swiftly after the fishing party. Soon they could\nhear the river roaring just ahead of them. They stopped at the trees\nthat grew close to the river shore. Peering through the branches, they\ncould see the men of the tribe spread out on both sides of the river,\nsome with nets and some with spears. At the feet of each fisherman were\nlarge baskets into which he threw the fish he caught.\n\nThe boys worked their way around and above the fishermen until they were\nabout three hundred paces upstream from the fishermen. Edging close to\nthe side of the river near the top of the waterfalls, the boys crept out\non a sloping ledge of rock that was only an arm\u2019s length from the\nrushing water. They were so close that the spray wet their faces as they\ngazed downstream at the fishermen.\n\nSoon Little Twig became so excited by what he was watching that he stood\nup and began to pretend that he was fishing for salmon, too. But he was\nnot used to the slippery rocks as the men were, and he suddenly found\nthat he was losing his balance. He called to Running Turtle to help him,\nbut before Running Turtle could grab him Little Twig was tumbling into\nthe rushing river. His body was caught in the great swirling waters that\nswept him downstream. He choked as his eyes and nose and ears filled\nwith water. Just as he began to think he would die, he felt his body\nbeing lifted from the water, and heard a voice shouting.\n\n\u201cLook at this fine fish that I have caught,\u201d someone yelled, laughing.\n\nThen Little Twig realized that one of the fishermen had reached out with\nhis net and snatched him from the river. Little Twig sputtered and\ncoughed and rubbed his eyes as strong hands set him on his feet. There\nhe was, in the middle of a circle of grinning warriors from the village.\nHe began rubbing all the sore spots where river rocks had struck his\nbody. Suddenly he recognized his father\u2019s face. Instead of wearing the\nstern look which Little Twig had expected, his father was smiling.\n\n\u201cWere you so eager to take a swim that you dove into the river?\u201d he\nasked the boy. \u201cOr did you hope to catch brother salmon with your bare\nhands?\u201d\n\n\u201cI disobeyed you, my father, and I am truly sorry. I was a foolish young\nboy to come to the river when you told me to stay at home. Now I know\nwhy I have not been brought on the fishing trips. This is truly a job\nfor men.\u201d\n\nLittle Twig looked toward the ground. His father reached down and lifted\nthe lad into the air.\n\n\u201cYes, my son, this is a job for men. Someday soon you will join us in\nhunting the swift salmon with spear and net. But for now, be happy to\nremain in the village with your friends. You were lucky that my brother\nhad his net where he did, or we might have missed you and your body\nwould have been carried away. Come, we will go back to the village to\ntell your mother of your swim this fine day.\u201d\n\nThen he laughed again. Little Twig laughed this time, too, and all the\nbraves joined in the laughter. No one would speak harshly to him about\nhis foolish act even though it had brought him near death. Indians\nbelieved that angry words make people sick. So Indian parents, like\nLittle Twig\u2019s father, always tried to speak happily.\n\nJust then Running Turtle came out of hiding, and he started to laugh\nwith the others.\n\n\n\n\n                       LITTLE FIRE CLOUD\u2019S DREAM\n\n\nThe Delawares were a peaceful tribe, hunting and fishing in their rich\nvalley and not bothering their neighbors, for they had plenty and needed\nlittle more than they were able to obtain themselves with their strong\nbows and sharp arrows and their well-kept fishing gear.\n\nIt was late spring, and one day as Little Fire Cloud romped and played\nin the village his father called to him.\n\n\u201cCome, Little Fire Cloud, it is time we built a new canoe. Shortly we\nshall be needing a new canoe and if we do not start work now it will not\nbe ready when the time comes to leave camp.\u201d\n\nSo father and son started out to gather the materials to make a fine new\ncanoe.\n\nThe Indians of the forest and lakes depended a great deal upon the canoe\nand were wise enough to construct them of material that was easy to\nobtain. Light cedar made the ribs and the planking of the canoe, and\nover this the Indians stretched a tight cover of birch bark. Then they\ntook spruce roots and split them and these they used to sew the seams of\nthe canoe together. They then would calk the spaces with a tarlike\nsubstance which was made from pine pitch and soot. When finished the\nproduct was firm and sturdy, but above all if the canoe should become\ninjured in any way, the materials were always handy in the forest with\nwhich to make repairs.\n\nFinally Little Fire Cloud and his father had gathered all the necessary\nequipment together and the work on the canoe was started. Father and son\nworked very hard at the job, and a few days later the canoe was\ncompleted. As the two finished their work they stood back to admire the\njob and Little Fire Cloud said,\n\n\u201cIs it not beautiful, father? It is the most beautiful canoe I have ever\nseen either in our own village or any of our neighbors.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, Little Fire Cloud, it really is a beautiful canoe and one which we\ncan be proud of.\u201d\n\nFor the rest of that day that remained, Little Fire Cloud could talk of\nnothing else but the beautiful canoe that he helped his father to build.\nFinally supper was over, and it was time to retire.\n\nThat night as Little Fire Cloud fell asleep his head was all full of\nvisions of canoes and rapids and great lakes and rivers. Soon the\nconfusion of many things became one thing, and Little Fire Cloud found\nhimself standing on the shore of a great lake. He did not know how he\ngot there or what lake it was, but the water was a beautiful blue green\nand it was calm and smooth. It was daytime and, as Little Fire Cloud\nlooked upon the lake, in the distance he saw a canoe coming toward him.\nIn the bow of the canoe stood a great warrior, his arms folded across\nhis chest and his eyes looking right at Little Fire Cloud.\n\nIn the stern of the canoe, a young warrior softly paddled the canoe\nforward toward the shore, directly to where Little Fire Cloud was\nstanding. As the canoe drew closer, Little Fire Cloud saw that it was\nmade of shimmering silver birch bark and it looked so clean and new.\n\nAs the bow scraped the shore, the warrior stepped from the canoe and\nwalked to where Little Fire Cloud was standing.\n\n\u201cCome, Little Fire Cloud, step into the canoe, and we shall take a short\ntrip.\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not know if I should,\u201d said Little Fire Cloud overcome by the\ngreat warrior who stood before him. \u201cMy father might wonder where I had\ngone.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo not worry about your father for you will be gone only a short while\nand we shall return you to this point on the shore. I have something I\nwant to show you.\u201d\n\nSo Little Fire Cloud feeling a warmth toward this great warrior stepped\nin and seated himself in the middle of the canoe. Then the great warrior\nstepped in and pushed away from shore. The warrior in the stern turned\nthe canoe toward the middle of the lake and began to paddle steadily,\nhis blade cutting the water neatly and hardly making a ripple.\n\nThe canoe glided softly and smoothly across the water. Up ahead a mist\nhad settled upon the water, and soon the canoe had entered this mist and\nwas gliding softly through the water with nothing on any side but the\ncloudy white mist. All that Little Fire Cloud could see was water right\nnext to the canoe.\n\nLittle Fire Cloud called to the warrior.\n\n\u201cWhere are you taking me, O great warrior of the lake?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou shall see, little brave,\u201d said the great warrior without turning in\nthe canoe.\n\nSoon the mist lifted, and there surrounding the canoe was a beautiful\npool of water with many streams running off in different directions.\n\nThe Indian who was paddling guided the canoe into one of these streams,\nand as the canoe moved forward the warrior pointed toward the shore.\nThere along the shore, Little Fire Cloud could see many beaver working\ndiligently at gathering material for their homes. As the canoe continued\nalong the stream, Little Fire Cloud saw many beautiful flowers and\nplants, and occasionally a deer could be seen drinking at the water\u2019s\nedge. Little Fire Cloud was quick to notice that the animals seemed to\npay no attention to the canoe when it sailed past where they stood\nexcept to lift their heads and look at this craft as it moved smoothly\nalong the stream under the expert hands of the brave in the stern.\n\nLittle Fire Cloud noticed that there were no weapons in the canoe.\n\nSoon they had reached a fork in the stream, and again the canoe was\nguided into one of the openings and the trip continued. Many more wild\nflowers and animals were observed by Little Fire Cloud until suddenly\nthey were in the mist once again and all the beauty was behind them as\nthey moved swiftly through the mist.\n\nWhen they broke from the cloud, Little Fire Cloud could see the shore of\nthe lake once again and he realized that they must have traveled in a\ncircle. Soon the canoe scraped the shore and the warrior stepped out and\nassisted Little Fire Cloud. When the boy was safely ashore the warrior\nsaid, \u201cDid you enjoy your trip?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes,\u201d answered Little Fire Cloud. \u201cEverything was so beautiful.\nThank you very much for the nice ride and for showing me all the\nbeautiful things of nature.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, Little Fire Cloud, there are many many beautiful things in nature\nthat can be seen if one travels quietly and peacefully in a good canoe.\nNature is our friend and, if we remember this, many pleasant hours will\nbe spent seeing nature. Do not do anything to spoil this picture which\nwill remain with you always. If you never raise your bow to kill unless\nyou have need for food or clothing game will always be plentiful. But if\nyou wasted this beauty which is given to the Indian you yourself and\nyour people would soon die from hunger and cold. To kill for the sake of\nkilling is cruel and wasteful. Now I must say good-bye, for I have many\nmiles to travel. Good-bye, Little Fire Cloud, and remember your trip\ninto the misty lake.\u201d\n\nWith that the warrior stepped into the canoe, and soon the canoe turned\nand disappeared into the distance.\n\nSuddenly Little Fire Cloud felt a hand upon his shoulder and someone was\nshaking him.\n\n\u201cMy son, my son, wake up, you have been dreaming.\u201d\n\nWhen Little Fire Cloud opened his eyes he was lying on his bed, and his\nfather was standing over him.\n\n\u201cOh, father, I had the most beautiful dream. A great warrior came and\ntook me for a ride in a beautiful canoe and showed me the wonders of\nnature in all their splendor.\u201d\n\nAnd Little Fire Cloud went on to tell his dream in all the beautiful\ndetail that he could remember. His father was a good father and so he\nlistened patiently to his son; and when Little Fire Cloud had finished\ntelling about the dream, his father said, \u201cYes, my son, it was a\nbeautiful dream, and in the dream you learned a great lesson concerning\nthe creatures of the wild which I hope you will always remember.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                       THE CRY OF THE HORNED OWL\n\n\nLittle Beaver was full of excitement, for soon the winter would be over\nand he and his friend Jumping Rabbit would once again be able to take\ntheir little canoe and go to the lake and streams to catch the fine fish\nthat waited in the early spring for the bait to be cast.\n\nThe Cayuga village had weathered the winter well, and now the first\nsigns of spring were beginning to show. With the bursting forth of the\nspring flowers and the green shoots of plants and grass and the green\nleaves the Cayuga village seemed to come alive.\n\nOne of the first tasks was the uncovering of the canoes. (When winter\napproached, the canoes were all hauled far above the lake water\u2019s edge\nand covered completely with mounds of sand. This kept them from drying\nout and cracking during the cold winter.) Finally all the canoes had\nbeen uncovered, and the Indians took to the lakes and the streams again,\nfishing and hunting to replenish the food supply that had been used\nduring the winter.\n\nOne morning Little Beaver searched for his friend Jumping Rabbit for a\nlong time and when he could not find him, he decided to go off by\nhimself. Walking to the edge of the lake he found that his father had\nuncovered his canoe for him.\n\nStepping into the canoe he paddled across the lake to the mouth of a\nstream which was new to him. This stream led to the Lake of the Rushes\nwhere the girls and women gathered the rushes each spring to make new\nmats for the platforms of the wigwam. Here he had not been before.\n\nAs Little Beaver paddled he saw many signs of spring, but he was\nsearching for big game. He wanted to be the first young boy to bring a\ndeer back to the village.\n\nSoon he beached his canoe on the side of the Rush Lake and moved inland\nsearching for signs of the deer. Suddenly he came upon the tracks of\nwhat seemed to be a fine big buck. Following carefully along the track\nof the deer he noticed that the deer was moving slowly. Then suddenly\nthe spaces between the tracks became bigger and he knew that the deer\nhad begun to move faster.\n\nSuddenly the noises of the woods ceased and it was very quiet. Up ahead\na shadow flitted across the trail. Little Beaver dropped upon his belly\nand then he heard it\u2014the cry of the great horned owl. But still he knew\nthat the owl would not cry at this time of day and from a short distance\noff the trail he heard an answering cry.\n\nThrough the fading light among the trees up ahead, he saw a small group\nof warriors gather. One of these warriors placed his hand alongside his\nmouth, and the cry of the horned owl once again was heard and from\nanother direction an answer.\n\nThen Little Beaver knew that these were unfriendly Indians from the\nnorth and they had invaded the land of the Cayugas. They could be here\nfor one reason only, to raid his village.\n\n\u201cI must return at once to the village and warn my people of this\ndanger.\u201d\n\nLittle Beaver turned and retreated down the path to where he had left\nhis canoe. Pushing it out into the lake he immediately began paddling as\nfast as his arms could go for the mouth of the stream that would lead\ninto the next lake and to the shore of his village. He reached the mouth\nof the stream just as the dark storm clouds started to gather over the\nlake.\n\nAnd then it was raining and raining hard. This would slow up the\nattackers, but it would not stop them and Little Beaver had to get to\nhis village quickly to warn his people of the danger. He dipped his\npaddle deep into the waters of the lake and the canoe moved forward. But\nnow the wind was getting stronger and his arms began to ache from the\neffort. He paddled harder and harder but soon his arms became weak and\nhe was still a great distance from the shore. Besides the danger of the\nstorm it was fast approaching nightfall, and ahead Little Beaver could\nsee the friendly fires of his village being lit one at a time.\n\nThese would act as beacons of direction for the enemy.\n\nHe chanced a glance behind and then he heard it again. The cry of the\nhorned owl. The cry was coming from almost directly behind and in the\ndusk he could see the canoes of the enemy slipping from the stream into\nthe lake.\n\nThe storm passed and the waters became calm, and now Little Beaver\u2019s job\nwas easier, but so was that of the enemy. He paddled with all his might\nthough he felt his arms would fall off.\n\nFinally he reached the shore and he leaped out onto the sand. Without\nwaiting to pull his canoe ashore he rushed for the village. He turned to\nglance at the lake once more and he could see the canoes of the enemy\ndrawing along the shore, closer to the village with each stroke.\n\nHe rushed to his father and quickly told him what he had seen. His\nfather dashed from the wigwam and glanced toward the lake. Just then\nthey both heard it once again. The cry of the great horned owl. His\nfather stopped and listened and then placing his own hand to the side of\nhis mouth he answered the whistle. Then he turned to his son.\n\n\u201cIt is all right my son. These are friends come to join in a great\ncelebration. It is your uncle and his people from the north. Be not\nafraid, for they are friends.\u201d\n\nLittle Beaver looked at his father. He smiled and taking his father\u2019s\nhand they walked toward the lakeside. Stepping from the canoes were a\nnumber of Cayuga warriors and they came with many bundles.\n\nThe two groups greeted each other and then the leader of the visitors\ncame forward.\n\n\u201cYour father has explained that you thought we were unfriendly Indians\ncome to call. I, for one, am glad that you are not a grown warrior right\nnow, for your arrow shaft might have found its place in my heart in the\nforest. We had hoped to surprise your people with our visit but when we\nsaw your canoe glide away from the Lake of the Rushes we knew we had\nbeen seen. And so, my little brave, let me congratulate you on a fine\njob of paddling. You came across the lake in a storm without slowing\nyour stroke. I have told my brother that if we had been the enemy you\nwould have reached the village far ahead of us and we would now be\nwalking the trail of the happy hunting ground.\u201d\n\nThat night Little Beaver slept very soundly. He had a great adventure on\nhis first trip to the Lake of the Rushes and it would be a long time to\ncome before he would go alone again.\n\n\n\n\n                     THE DREAM THAT LED TO VICTORY\n\n\nSinging Fire, the young Apache brave, rode swiftly through the hills\ntoward the village of his people. He had been hunting and now was\nreturning to his tepee to join his family in a hearty evening meal. His\nhunger made him urge his pony to an even faster pace. Soon he could see\nthe smoke of the fires in the village. It was only a few moments later\nthat Singing Fire brought his pony to a quick stop on the very edge of\nthe village. To ride his horse through the village this evening would\nhave been unkind. The summer had been very dry, and his pony\u2019s hoofs\nwould have raised much dust that would settle in the cooking pots.\n\nWalking through the village, the young brave waved and called to his\nfriends. He laughed when they joked with him about his empty hands. He\nhad been unable to find any game that he felt was worth bringing to the\nvillage. Soon he reached his father\u2019s tepee and was welcomed warmly by\nthe family.\n\nWhen supper was finished, Singing Fire went to talk with his friend,\nMany Painted Ponies. The two braves had always been together since they\nwere very young and just learning to walk. Now whenever they had time,\nthey would sit and talk about their future together as great leaders of\nthe Apache tribe. He found his friend working at making new arrow tips.\n\n\u201cHello, my good friend, Many Painted Ponies, and how are you this fine\nevening?\u201d\n\n\u201cMy stomach is full and my heart is happy, Singing Fire. Could a brave\nask much more of life? I have been very fortunate in having such a fine\nfather and mother who have made my life such a pleasure. As I saw you\nride in from the hunt, I noticed you carried no game. Was there no game\nwhere you rode? Usually you do not return empty-handed.\u201d\n\n\u201cToday was bad for the hunt. The largest game knew that I was hunting\nand ran for cover, and I was not as quick as they to find the hiding\nplaces.\u201d\n\nThe two young men laughed and then spent some time talking until\ndarkness came. Each young man went back to his tepee for a well-earned\nsleep.\n\nThe next day there was great excitement in the village. As young Singing\nFire stepped from his tepee, he saw that people were gathering in the\ncenter of the village to hear a tall Apache warrior who was talking\nloudly and rapidly to the chief of the village. As Singing Fire drew\nnear, he was able to catch some of the words spoken by the warrior.\n\n\u201cIt is true, my Chief, the Comanches have been seen in our land. If we\nare not careful they will raid our pony herds and make off with many of\nour best mounts. I have seen them to the east, and they skulk like the\nlowly wolf in the night.\u201d\n\nThe great chief listened quietly until the young warrior had finished.\nThen he motioned to the older men of the tribe to gather in his tepee.\nWhen they were all inside, Singing Fire, Many Painted Ponies, and the\nother young braves stood outside waiting impatiently for what the elders\nof the tribe would decide. They could hear the young brave who had first\nreported to the chief repeating his story for those who had come late.\nHe said that while trailing some ponies that had strayed from the herd\nhe had come upon the coals of a recent fire. Because the marks in the\nsand were not Apache, he had followed the tracks made when the group\nbroke camp. Traveling at a rapid pace, he soon had come upon the band of\nComanches in a small gully. After watching them for a short while, the\nbrave had mounted his pony and ridden as fast as he could to the village\nto tell the chief of this threat to their property and peace, within\nsuch a short distance of their camp.\n\nFinally the Chief came out from his tepee and spoke to the young\nwarriors.\n\n\u201cThe Comanches have entered our hunting grounds. Not only have they\nbroken the law, but they dare to ride within a short distance of our\ncamp. We will gather a war party and go in search of these thieves of\nthe night. We will give them a sound lesson by whipping those wild dogs\nso badly that they will return to their own land with their tails\nbetween their legs\u2014if there are any left to return when we have met them\nupon the field of battle.\u201d\n\nWith low shouts of agreement, everyone ran to prepare for the warpath.\n\nSinging Fire and Many Painted Ponies returned to check their weapons and\nwhen preparations were completed returned to where the chief sat astride\na great white horse. When everyone had assembled, the party left camp in\nsearch of the invading Comanches. For several days the party searched\nbut no sign was found other than the old fire, that anyone had been in\nthe vicinity. At last the chief turned to his men and said, \u201cThey have\nseen our strength and afraid have returned to their own land. They\nrespect the might and fighting ability of the Apaches. Come, we will\nreturn to our village.\u201d\n\nThe party started for home, but as Singing Fire and Many Painted Ponies\nrode along, Singing Fire was quiet.\n\n\u201cWhat is it, my friend, Singing Fire? You are so quiet.\u201d\n\n\u201cI was just thinking, my friend, that the Comanches are not known as\ncowards; they surely would not turn from a fight. I do not believe they\nhave left our land.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, Singing Fire, for three days we have searched the land and no sign\ndo we see of the Comanches. Certainly the earth did not open and swallow\nthem up.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is just the point, my friend. What has happened to the party? The\nbrave reported seeing them and took us to where they had their fire. The\ntracks led away but suddenly stopped, and we have seen nothing to\nindicate that they returned to their own lands across the great river. I\njust am not satisfied that they have left.\u201d\n\nNothing more was said for the remainder of the trip back to the village,\nand that evening after supper, Singing Fire went to sleep thinking about\nthe hunt for the Comanches.\n\nAs he slept, he dreamed there were Comanche warriors mounted upon fast\nhorses and they all seemed to be riding toward a solid wall. Singing\nFire suddenly awoke recalling seeing that wall before.\n\nAbout a day\u2019s ride from their village was a small valley which they\ncalled the valley of the snake because it twisted and turned between the\nmountains. As the thundering riders neared the wall, it seemed to open\nup and they had disappeared within. Then the walls closed again and\nthere was silence. Singing Fire leaped from his bed and rushed to his\nfather\u2019s side.\n\n\u201cMy father, I must speak to our chief. It is of great importance that I\nsee him now.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut it is late, my son, and certainly what you have to say can wait\nuntil tomorrow.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, father, I must speak to him now.\u201d With that, Singing Fire left his\ntepee and soon was standing before the tepee of the Great Chief. He made\nhis presence known and was invited into the tepee.\n\nThe chief invited him to sit and then asked, \u201cWhat brings you to my\ntepee so late, young Singing Fire?\u201d\n\n\u201cTonight, O Great Chief, in a dream I was drawn to the painted hill\nwhich stands guard over our village. Here I stood troubled in heart and\nmind because of what has been reported to our tribe.\u201d Then Singing Fire\nproceeded to tell in complete detail of the dream he had had. When he\nfinished, he waited for the chief to speak.\n\n\u201cWhat importance do you attach to this dream you have had, young Singing\nFire?\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not know, Great Chief, but I would like your permission to take\nMany Painted Ponies and ride to this place I have seen in the dream. I\nwould like to see what can be found there and then I will return to my\nvillage.\u201d\n\nThe Indians placed a great deal of faith in dreams, and so the chief\ngave his permission and early the next morning, Many Painted Ponies and\nSinging Fire set out for the valley that Singing Fire had seen not only\nin his dream, but many times on his hunting trips.\n\nThey traveled all day, and when the sun was setting in the west, they\nfound themselves but a short distance from the entrance to the valley.\nThey camped for the night, not lighting a fire, in case there should be\nany unfriendly Indians in the vicinity.\n\nAs dawn drew near, the two young men crawled to the mountainous heights\noverlooking the twisting valley. There they lay and watched the valley\nbelow. For almost an hour they sat until finally about noontime a small\nband of warriors could be seen riding into the valley. They rode\nstraight up the middle of the valley twisting and turning as the valley\nturned but finally about midway up the valley they swung sharply to the\nleft and seemed to disappear into the very walls surrounding the valley.\n\n\u201cCome,\u201d said Singing Fire, \u201cwe must investigate this strange\noccurrence.\u201d\n\nIt took them most of the afternoon to reach a vantage point overlooking\nwhere the warriors had disappeared. Crawling carefully to the very edge,\nthe two young braves looked carefully over the edge. Below them lay a\nfantastic sight. A tremendous Comanche encampment was being formed in a\nsmall box canyon. The entrance to the box canyon was a mere crack in the\nwall which was just about wide enough for one horse and rider to enter\nat one time. Now Singing Fire could see why a rider going through the\nvalley would not see the opening for it was actually hidden from view by\na turn in the trail. If one were not looking for it, one would not find\nit except by accident.\n\n\u201cThis is why we have not seen the Comanches except for that one small\nparty. Under cover of night or early dawn they have been entering our\nland in small parties, gathering here until their force is large enough\nto make war upon our people.\u201d\n\nSinging Fire tapped his friend upon the shoulder, motioning him away\nfrom the edge.\n\n\u201cMany Painted Ponies, one of us must ride for all he is worth to reach\nour village and tell of this plan to our people. You must tell the chief\nto gather the Apaches together and we can trap the scheming Comanches in\ntheir own camp.\u201d\n\nMany Painted Ponies rose to leave. \u201cBe careful, my friend, for if they\nshould suspect that you are here your scalp will soon hang from their\nmedicine lodge and they will break from their camp fearing the trap we\nwill set for them. Now I will ride for our village and may your prayers\ngo with me.\u201d With that, Many Painted Ponies left and mounting his pony\nhe rode off toward home.\n\nSinging Fire kept careful watch for the next day and night and when dawn\napproached he saw the dust of many horses approaching. Riding forth to\nmeet his people, a plan formed in his mind. In council with the chiefs a\nshort time later the plan was outlined. The best marksmen of the Apaches\nwere placed around the box canyon on the walls overlooking the\nunsuspecting camp of the Comanches. Other warriors would ride into the\nvalley to stand guard at the only entrance or exit to the canyon to make\nsure none escaped.\n\nSoon all was in readiness. The signal was given. Like an attacking horde\nof eagles, the Apaches began firing down upon the Comanche encampment.\nThe battle was long and bloody. In confusion the Comanches mounted their\nponies and headed for the exit. Here they were met with a hail of arrows\nwhich drove them back into the canyon.\n\nWhen the Comanche forces were thoroughly disorganized, the chief\nsignaled the Apaches to charge through the entrance and soon the two\ntribes were locked in hand to hand combat. The victory was complete and\nsoon the last of the Comanches had fallen before the knives and war\nclubs of the attacking Apaches.\n\nIn triumph the tribe returned to the village where great celebrations\nmarked the next few days and nights. The hero of the affair was praised\nbefore the council, and Singing Fire was honored for his part in the\ngreat victory.\n\n\n\n\n                         2. HUNTING AND FISHING\n\n\n\n\n                    GREY CALF LEARNS TO HUNT BUFFALO\n\n\nGrey Calf opened his eyes to greet the warmth of the early spring day.\nThere was a great deal of excitement in his Crow village as he rolled\nout from under his buffalo robe. At just that moment, his father entered\nthe tepee.\n\n\u201cCome, my son,\u201d he said. \u201cWe must dress and eat right away. The village\nis broken down, for we are going to move again. Your mother is waiting\nto take down our tepee. Come, you must prepare to help load the\ntravois.\u201d\n\nGrey Calf learned as a very young Crow that whenever his tribe had to\nmove to follow the buffalo herds, the whole village was packed and\nloaded upon travois drawn by the horse or horses of each family.\nEverything the family owned was made to be carried easily in rawhide\ncontainers that could be folded and put away when the family had settled\nin a new place. Furniture was made so that it could be folded, too.\n\nMany times, Grey Calf had watched his mother make the travois. She would\ntake two of the tepee poles and fasten them together with a rawhide\nthong, just a short way from one end. Then she would pull the poles\napart at the opposite end and set them, at the point where they were\ncrossed and tied, upon the shoulders of their horse. The longer ends of\nthe crossed poles would stretch outward and rest on the ground behind\ntheir horse on each side. Then she would run a long strip of rawhide\nthrough the knot that joined the poles over the horse\u2019s shoulders, and\ntie it around the horse\u2019s chest like a light harness. Finally, she would\nstretch and tie strips of rawhide across the poles behind the horse, to\nmake a frame on which their family goods were loaded.\n\nGrey Calf\u2019s father had told him once that many years ago, before the\nwhite man had brought horses to the Indians\u2019 land, the travois had been\nfastened to their strong dogs. But the dogs were not so strong as\nhorses, so the loads had to be much smaller and lighter. Even their\ntepees were smaller in those days because larger ones would have weighed\ntoo much for any one dog to pull on the travois.\n\nThese thoughts passed rapidly through Grey Calf\u2019s mind as he listened to\nhis father. Then he yawned and asked, \u201cMust we move so soon again,\nfather? It seems such a short while ago that our tribe set up its\nvillage here.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy son, the buffalo are on the move,\u201d his father answered patiently.\n\u201cYou know that we would not have our tepees, our best food and clothing,\nand little of anything else without the great buffalo. When they decide\nto move, we must move with them. The scouts who have been watching the\nherd tell us that it has started to leave for new feeding grounds.\u201d\n\nWithout another word, Grey Calf got up quickly and began helping his\nmother gather their belongings. He helped her take down the tepee. Then\nshe built the travois rapidly, and he helped her pack and load their\nbelongings onto it.\n\nSoon, where once a proud village had stood, hardly anything was left\nstanding. The men set out ahead on their horses, followed by the women\nand children on horses, the smaller children sometimes riding on the\ntravois, their mothers and the older children riding astride the horses\u2019\nbacks. Grey Calf, like many other of the older boys, was riding his own\npony near his mother.\n\nThe scouts were far ahead of them, keeping close touch with the\nwandering buffalo herd, and signaling the tribe to tell the braves which\nway to lead their families. The scouts were also watching carefully for\nroving bands of the Crows\u2019 enemies, for they were near Cheyenne\nterritory, but they saw none.\n\nJust as Grey Calf was ready to ask his mother if the buffalo herd would\nnever stop roaming, a scout raced his horse back to tell the braves that\nthe herd was circling around, ready to settle down near fresh water and\nfood. The Chief gave the signal, and all the families went to work\nbusily setting up their tepees. Before too long, smoke was rising lazily\nfrom the fires which circled their new village. The trek had taken most\nof the day, and the women were beginning to cook the evening meal.\n\nThe braves were watering their thirsty horses, and then would put them\nout to graze. Grey Calf did all he could to help his mother get their\nmeal ready quickly because he was very hungry. When all the small chores\nhad been completed, the families gathered at their tepees, to eat the\nfood that smelled so good to all the children.\n\nIt wasn\u2019t long after Grey Calf had eaten that he began to feel drowsy.\nSaying goodnight to his father and mother, he went into the tepee,\nrolled himself in his warm buffalo robe (because the prairie night would\nbe cool), and was soon sound asleep.\n\nThe next day dawned as one of great excitement, for word came to the\ntepee of Grey Calf that today One Horn, the great buffalo hunter, was\ngoing to take the young braves on their first buffalo hunt.\n\nLike other Crow boys, Grey Calf had spent many days preparing patiently\nfor this great event. His father had taught him how to ride his pony and\nto shoot the bow and arrow. He had learned how to ride into a herd and\nto shoot from beneath his pony\u2019s neck. And now that great day was here.\nOne Horn, the greatest of buffalo hunters in the tribe, would give the\nyoung braves their last lesson before taking them out onto the prairie\nfor the actual hunt.\n\nWhen the young braves had gathered, One Horn stepped to the center of\nthe circle and gave his final instructions, warning them not to be too\neager but to take their time and make sure of their shot. And above all,\nhe warned them, as soon as they had made their shot they must swerve\naway from the herd. In this way they would be out of danger if the herd\nshould spread out to avoid trampling its fallen members.\n\nWhen One Horn finished, he asked if there were any questions. The young\nbraves had none. So One Horn told them that the time of the hunt would\nbe midafternoon. The boys were told to return to their tepees and get\neverything ready.\n\nGrey Calf sped back to his tepee to tell his family breathlessly all\nthat had happened. For the rest of the morning he worked carefully over\neach of his arrows and his strong bow. In fact, he was so busy that his\nmother had to call him three times before he came to lunch.\n\nThe sun seemed to move very slowly for all the Crow boys. But soon a\nyoung brave on a frisky pony rode swiftly through the village to tell\nthem to gather for the hunt.\n\nGrey Calf leaped upon his pony\u2019s back and sped to the edge of the\nvillage where the other young braves were gathering. When all had\ngathered and were seated on the ground, One Horn spoke.\n\n\u201cA small group of buffalo has wandered away from the main herd,\u201d he\nsaid. \u201cIt is from this small group that we shall choose our targets. I\nwill inspect each young brave\u2019s weapons in turn. When all are\nsatisfactory, we shall move out in the direction of the small herd. Do\nnot ride hard but move your pony slowly. Buffalo will not go far in this\nheat. We shall have plenty of time to come near them, take our positions\nquietly, and then attack together without warning.\u201d\n\nWhen One Horn had finished examining each young brave\u2019s weapons, the\nsmall band moved out in single file. Soon they sighted the buffalo. One\nHorn gave hand signals to the young braves to spread out and take their\npositions silently, but above all to wait for the signal from One Horn\nto attack.\n\nAs slowly and quietly as possible, each young brave moved into position.\nAll eyes were on One Horn, and suddenly he gave the signal. The air was\ntorn apart as wild yelps leaped from the throats of the eager young\nhunters. The buffalo were startled and began running about wildly. The\nboys dug their heels into their ponies\u2019 sides and headed into the group\nof buffalo. Soon the dust clouds were so heavy that one could not tell\nthe hunters from the hunted, but the young braves rode swiftly, each\nhunter picking out his buffalo carefully and with an eye to size. This\nwas to be the first of many buffalo kills, and each young brave hoped\nthat his would be the largest of the beasts brought down.\n\nBuffalo after buffalo began to stumble and fall before the accurate\nshooting of the young hunters. The ponies were magnificent in their\nperformance, for each had been carefully trained for this day.\n\nAs quickly as the hunt had started it was over. One by one the young\nbraves returned to One Horn who had seen their great success. Soon they\nwere once again at their starting point. They knew that the remaining\nbuffalo would tire and, knowing they were no longer being chased, would\nbegin to mill and settle down once again.\n\nOne Horn gazed proudly upon the field of battle. Twelve plump shaggy\nbeasts lay dead upon the prairie. Every brave had made his kill. There\nwould be much rejoicing in the village that evening. One Horn told the\nyoung braves how to prepare their kills for the return to the village,\nand they went to work immediately. Their adventure this afternoon would\nmean much food for the tribe and new clothing for the coming winter and\nhorns and tails to decorate their costumes and tepees.\n\nAs One Horn rode from dead buffalo to dead buffalo, watching the young\nbraves at work, he was quick to praise each lad for his part in the hunt\nthat day. Soon all had completed their tasks and a triumphant band\nreturned to the village.\n\nThat evening each young brave in turn told how he had made his kill and\nthere was a great deal of celebrating. The honor of the biggest kill\nwent to Grey Calf. As the last of the families were going into their\ntepees for the evening, Grey Calf\u2019s father came to sit by his side.\n\n\u201cMy son, your father is proud. Not only has my son killed his first\nbuffalo but it was by far the largest of the beasts killed today. Today\nyou had success and triumph, but life will not always be that simple.\nThe trail ahead is hard. There will be many difficult times, but if you\nlearn your lessons well you shall one day be a great and respected\nwarrior of the tribe.\u201d\n\nWhen Grey Calf\u2019s father had finished speaking, he looked down upon his\nson and smiled. The tired young brave had fallen asleep.\n\n\n\n\n                    LITTLE FOX AND THE GOLDEN EAGLE\n\n\nLittle Fox, a member of the Apache Tribe, was a shy Indian lad who was\nrather small. When he was born he was a very tiny baby and his face was\nthin and pointed like that of a fox. For this reason he was given the\nname of Little Fox.\n\nAs Little Fox grew older, he dreamed of the day he would be able to wear\nthe feathers of the Great Golden Eagle, the most respected bird of the\nAmerican Indian. It was believed that there was great power in the\nthirteen tail feathers and in the pinion feathers on the wings of the\nGreat Golden Eagle.\n\nOne day Little Fox was seated in his mother\u2019s wickiup, when his father\nentered. Without a word Little Fox\u2019s father went to a case made of\ndeerskin and carefully removed the cover. Then with great care he\nremoved from the case a most beautiful feather bonnet, at which Little\nFox gazed with great longing. His father, Swift Deer, was an honored\nbrave in the tribe and had become privileged to wear the bonnet of eagle\nfeathers for his many brave deeds and the telling of these deeds before\nthe Council of Chiefs. Swift Deer had been granted the right to place\nadditional eagle feathers in his headdress. Suddenly, Swift Deer turned\nto Little Fox, and said, \u201cWhy do you look so sad, my son?\u201d\n\nLittle Fox turned slowly to his father and said, \u201cIt is because I,\nLittle Fox, have not been able to do anything that the Council would\nrecognize as a deed worthy of the wearing of the feathers of the Great\nGolden Eagle.\u201d\n\n\u201cLittle Fox,\u201d said his father, \u201cyou seek too hard for a deed to compete\nfor this honor. Tell me, do you have any eagle feathers that you could\nwear, in case you should do a deed which would be considered worthy?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, my father,\u201d said Little Fox, \u201cbut by the rising of the next new\nmoon, I shall have many eagle feathers, for tomorrow I start in search\nof the Great Golden Eagle. It has been told by Great Moose that beyond\nthe three hills many Golden Eagles have been seen.\u201d\n\nSwift Deer was proud. He knew that though his son was small he had in\nhis breast a brave heart, for to go in search of the Great Golden Eagle\ntook a great deal of courage. Once again Swift Deer took his son aside\nand told him the many dangers of eagle hunting, but praised him for his\nbravery in going to get the tail feathers of the Great Golden Eagle.\n\nThe following morning, Little Fox took some food. Then taking a long\nstrong thong of deerskin, he looped it several times around his waist\nand tied the food pouch to it. Strapping a knife also to the thong, he\nstarted for the place where the Great Golden Eagles had been seen.\n\nOn the way he stopped just long enough to snare a plump young rabbit\nwhich he would use for bait. When he reached the place where the eagles\nwere to be found, he started digging a deep hole, large enough for him\nto stand in. Then he placed branches over the hole to hide it, with a\nsmall space for him to reach through and grasp the tail feathers of the\neagle. To the top of this cover he tied the plump young rabbit with a\npiece of thong. After all was in readiness, Little Fox lifted the edge\nof his cover and slid into the hole, resting his foot on a thick root\nwhich stuck out of the earth into the hole. Placing his back against the\nside of the hole, he waited patiently for the Golden Eagle.\n\nAn hour passed and then two and three, and Little Fox began to feel his\nmuscles tighten up and his body start to grow stiff. He began to feel\nimpatient. Suddenly, he heard the rabbit begin to move about uneasily,\nthen tug in panic against the thong that held him. Surely the Golden\nEagle must be close by. Little Fox felt relaxed; the stiffness in his\nbody was gone. Now excitement rushed into his body as he waited for the\nGolden Eagle to come to rest on the top of his hiding place.\n\nAll at once, Little Fox felt the ground tremble and he heard what\nsounded like the low rumble of a waterfall. Then he knew that what he\nhad heard was the low growl of a bear. He peered through a crack in the\ncover over the hole and saw the bear\u2019s towering form. Fear gripped the\nheart of Little Fox. Many were the stories he had heard of Indians who\nhad lost their lives while hunting for the prized feathers of the Golden\nEagle.\n\nThe bear, with the swiftness of a fleeting arrow, made one sweep with\nhis huge paw and the rabbit went sprawling. The bear paused as though he\nwere thinking about the problem before him. Here was one of his enemies\ntrapped beneath his feet. How would he reach his enemy? With an angry\ngrowl he ripped at the boughs which covered the hiding place of Little\nFox until he had uncovered the top of the hole.\n\nHolding his breath and his heart beating wildly, Little Fox crouched far\ndown in the hole and waited for the final moment when he, instead of the\nGolden Eagle, would fall victim in his own trap. The bear lunged but\nmissed his mark. Little Fox suddenly realized that the top of the hole\nwas too small for the bear to get his paw and his head in at the same\ntime. Again and again the bear lunged, but without success. The more he\nlunged and failed, the angrier he became. He thrust first his paw and\nthen his head into the hole; but Little Fox, by pressing down against\nthe bottom of the hole, was able to keep just out of reach of the\nflailing paws and gnashing teeth. All of a sudden, the bear pulled back\naway from the hole as if to consider his next move. In this instant,\nLittle Fox thought of a way that might save his life. He quickly untied\nthe long leather thong around his waist, made a loop of it, and as\nslowly and quietly as possible placed the loop just below the opening,\nholding it in place all around by pressing the thong into the earth.\nLittle Fox tied the other end to the root on which he had been standing.\n\nNow the bear was returning. Little Fox waited, holding tight to the\nleather thong. As the bear placed his head in the hole and so into the\nloop, Little Fox pulled hard on the thong, which immediately came loose\nfrom the earth and tightened around the throat of the bear.\n\nIn angry surprise, the bear pulled back from the hole only to be stopped\nshort as the thong drew tight. Then he began a series of noises which\nLittle Fox remembered for many moons. The bear\u2019s growls gradually grew\nto roars, and then turned to cries of pain. The harder the bear pulled,\nthe tighter the thong gripped his throat, until the cries became coughs\nand gasps. Then all was quiet. The bear\u2019s thrashing around had ceased,\nbut still Little Fox waited.\n\nLittle Fox slowly raised himself until he could see just over the edge.\nThere, not two feet from the hole, lay a huge bear, quite still and\ndead. Little Fox quickly pulled himself from the hole and started at a\nrun for the village.\n\nHe reached the village and, not stopping to answer any questions, ran\nstraight to his father\u2019s wickiup. He began telling his story, still\npanting and talking so fast that his father made him stop to get his\nbreath and then speak slowly. When Little Fox had finished, Swift Deer\ngathered some of the other warriors and went to the place where this\nadventure had taken place. With great pride, Swift Deer helped to skin\nthe bear and bring it back to the village. Not long after, Little Fox\nstood in the Council meeting before the elders of the tribe and\nrecounted his tale of courage. And when all his words had been heard,\nthe Council voted that Little Fox should wear in his headband not one,\nbut two of the most treasured tail feathers of the Great Golden Eagle.\n\n\n\n\n                     HOW LONG MOOSE BECAME A BRAVE\n\n\nThe Powhatan Indians were a great tribe whose hard work each year was\nrewarded with large supplies of food and clothing.\n\nLong Moose was growing up among his people happily, doing his share of\nthe tribe\u2019s work. He had become very tall and awkward. He had great\nstrength, too, which he hadn\u2019t learned yet to use well. During games and\ncontests, Long Moose often forgot how strong he was and, not meaning to,\nwould hurt his friends, sometimes rather badly.\n\nLong Moose was still trying over and over to learn how to make hunting\ntools when winter came. It was a bitter, cold, northern winter. Both his\nmother and father became very sick and died after only a few days,\nleaving his younger sister and himself alone without near relatives to\nhelp them.\n\nBecause Long Moose was not a skillful young brave, his sister had little\nrespect for him. He spent many days thinking sadly about his parents,\nbut doing nothing to get food and keep their shelter tight against the\nwind and snow. Soon their small supply of food and fuel was nearly gone,\nand Long Moose had brought no hides for making clothes or repairing\ntheir home. He had also failed to give his share of food and hides for\nall the tribe, as every warrior was expected to do. Not only his sister\nbut all the tribe began to feel that Little Moose was not a good\nPowhatan.\n\nHis sister\u2019s harsh looks at him and his own growing hunger and cold made\nLong Moose think about how and why he was not a good brother or a good\nbrave. He had to admit to himself that there was only one real reason\nbesides his poor hunting tools and bad marksmanship: he did not want to\nhunt or make good hunting tools because he did not want to kill any\nanimals.\n\nHe thought about how often he had gone out to hunt and even when,\nwithout looking for them, he had run across deer near by, he would still\ncome back without having shot a single arrow. Long Moose knew that he\nloved all wild animals as much as he had loved his parents, and loved\nhis sister and his friends now.\n\nDriven by his hunger, the cold, his shame, and his real love for his\nsister, Long Moose set out several times to hunt. Each time he made a\nkill, but he was nearly as sad when he had done so as he had been when\nhis parents died. To add to his sorrow, his sister would scold him for\nhis poor skill, and taunt him by saying that he would never grow to be a\nreal brave.\n\nAll the tribe could see that Long Moose and his sister were hungry most\nof the time. Their clothes were shabby and their home now was beyond\nrepair.\n\nOne day in early spring, Long Moose went down to the edge of the lake to\nbe away from the unkind glances of his sister and his friends\u2014and to\nthink. As he sat on a cold rock, staring out at the ice on the lake, an\nold man of the tribe came up and stood quietly beside him, waiting for\nLong Moose to speak.\n\n\u201cNantesi, my friend,\u201d Long Moose said, wondering if he still were his\nfriend, \u201cwhat brings you here to me?\u201d\n\n\u201cMy friend, Long Moose, for nearly two moons now there has been hunger\nin your home. Your clothes are worn out, and your sister is afraid to\nleave your home, because she is ashamed of her clothes. She has told\nsome of the women that you are afraid to hunt the wild game because of\nthe bear that lurks in the woods. Some of the other families have given\nher food and skins from time to time. But they can give her no more. The\nnext winter may be hard again and each family will need every bit of its\nfood and skins. You must not fear the bear. Your arms are strong, your\nlegs are swift, and surely you have the strength of three men. You\nshould be able to bring back more than is needed in your own home. Will\nyou continue to lose the respect of your tribe, or will you become a man\nand take your place with the other braves of the tribe?\u201d\n\nLong Moose thought carefully about each word the old brave had spoken.\n\n\u201cNantesi,\u201d he said after a long silence, \u201clet them think what they will.\nI do not fear the wagging tongues of my neighbors, and I do not fear the\ngreat bear of the forest. There is a good reason why I do not bring more\nhome for my sister and myself with some left over for the tribe. Never\nhave I feared the creatures of the forest. Instead, I have loved them\nmuch as I love my own people. That is why, when on the hunt, my arrows\ndo not bring death. I cannot shoot these creatures who live so happily\namong the trees and streams. Is it wrong to love these creatures so\nmuch? Nantesi, do you not know the feeling I have when a deer licks my\nhand, or a rabbit plays at my feet while I rest in the shade of a great\noak tree? These things have happened to me. The wild creatures trust me\nand come right to my hand. I cannot bring death upon those who trust\nme.\u201d\n\nNantesi said nothing. He understood now the feelings within this strange\nyoung man. He rose to leave.\n\n\u201cWait, Nantesi, my friend. My heart is heavy. What can I do? I know that\nwhat I believe is wrong in the eyes of many, for ours is a tribe of\ngreat hunters. What am I do? I must live among my people, but I cannot\nbe happy unless I live my life the way I honestly believe I should.\u201d\n\n\u201cLong Moose, I am an old man. Some of our tribe think I am wise. But\nthis time they might not believe that what I say is wise. Go into the\nhills with your troubled thoughts. Think calmly in the quiet woods, far\naway from us. Only in this way can your heart give you the true answer\nthat all of nature has been given to man that he may give food and\nshelter to those he loves and to himself.\u201d Then Nantesi left as quickly\nas he had come.\n\nThe following morning, many in the tribe watched the lonely figure of\nLong Moose leaving the village, as he headed toward the distant hills.\nAt last, after three weeks had passed, all eyes were turned toward the\nfar end of the village. Entering the camp, a fine buck upon his\nshoulders, was Long Moose standing taller than ever before. His clothes\nwere tattered and torn, but there was a proud smile on his face.\n\nGoing straight to his sister\u2019s house, Long Moose set the fat buck at his\nsister\u2019s feet without a word. Smiling, he put one hand on her shoulder\nas she stared at him in surprise. Many of the villagers crowded around\nasking questions, but Long Moose said nothing and looked over their\nheads for Nantesi. Then he saw the old man sitting contentedly before\nhis home, looking kindly in his direction. Walking over to where the old\nbrave sat, Long Moose asked if he could talk with him. Nantesi rose\nslowly, and greeting Long Moose warmly, invited the young man into his\nhome. When both were seated, Nantesi, as before, waited for Long Moose\nto speak.\n\n\u201cNantesi, my friend, for a long time I have been away from my tribe. As\nyou said would happen, my mind is no longer troubled. Up in the hills I\nmade a campsite for myself. I lived on nuts and berries and plants and\nthe cool water of the mountain streams. Each night I wrapped myself in\nmy blanket and slept a troubled sleep.\n\n\u201cBut three nights ago, when I had finished my evening prayer, I rolled\nmyself in my blanket and rested my head upon a soft bed of pine needles.\nSleep came suddenly, and for the first time in three weeks I slept\npeacefully until the moon had risen high in the sky. I awoke with a\nstart knowing I had the answer that you had said I would find in the\nforest.\n\n\u201cSuddenly, I knew that I had watched the very creatures that I love\nstruggle with each other for life here in the forests and in the fields\nand the streams. I had never thought that this was wrong. Right at this\nvery moment, the struggle for life is going on in many parts of the\nforest. Before the sun brings the dawn of a new day, many of our forest\ncreatures will have died because others must live. The strongest or the\nwisest live. Now I knew what I had hidden from myself that if some wild\ncreatures did not die to provide food for others, many of the same\nanimals that I love so much would die. I knew that I should not kill\njust for the sake of killing. The animals themselves kill only when they\nare hungry or their lives are in danger. I, too, could follow their\nexample and be a good brave.\n\n\u201cThe truth had come to me from life itself. I sat up and gazed into the\nfire trying to decide whether I had been dreaming. Suddenly my heart was\nhappy once again. I went back to sleep and in the morning started my\ntrip back to the village. Halfway here I came upon a buck. My aim was\ngood. I have brought fresh meat for my sister to cook and store away,\nand a hide for her to make into a new dress. I shall go out again\ntomorrow and bring back my share for the tribe.\n\n\u201cI have found the answer I had been searching for. Now I can return to\nmy tribe with pride. That is my story, Nantesi, and I wanted to tell you\nfirst about it. It is good to be back. It is good to be a Powhatan.\u201d\n\nNantesi smiled across at his young friend. \u201cIt is good to have you back.\nWelcome, brave!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n               HOW A FISHING TRIP TAUGHT LOYALTY TO A BOY\n\n\nIt was a bright morning in the village of the Iroquois. Maseca, the\nlittle Indian brave, awoke to the sound of the birds of the woodland.\nToday Maseca and Chincho were going fishing and that was always a great\nadventure, for they never knew exactly what would happen as they strode\nthrough the forest or out along the wild streams.\n\nMaseca gathered up his fishing gear and he carefully went over it all to\nsee that it was in good shape. Then he sat down to eat some food his\nmother had prepared for him. But he was impatient to get under way. So\nhe arose and, stuffing some dry deer meat into his pouch, started off in\nsearch of Chincho.\n\nBecause Chincho was a little older than the other children with whom he\nand Maseca played, he would sometimes be the bully in the group. But\nonly on rare occasions did he bully Maseca. Such an occasion occurred\nwhen he boasted to everyone that he could beat Maseca in a foot race.\nMaseca had accepted the challenge and had beaten the older boy quite\nbadly. Since then, even though Chincho and Maseca had been close\nfriends, Chincho would let jealousy get the best of him and thought of\nways to teach Maseca a lesson for having beaten him in a foot race.\n\nSometimes Chincho even found himself wishing that Maseca would break his\nleg or suffer some other injury which would make him a cripple. But\nwhenever these thoughts entered his mind, Chincho would drive them out,\nand dream about the many wonderful times he and Maseca had had together,\nwandering through the forests and fishing in the streams.\n\nOn this bright morning Chincho bolted the last of his breakfast as he\nheard the hurrying footsteps of Maseca approaching his father\u2019s wigwam.\nPlacing his deer meat in a leather pouch which his mother had made for\nhim and gathering up his fishing gear, Chincho quickly left the wigwam\nto join Maseca and together they swiftly trotted off through the forest.\nThey wanted to be the first ones to the stream and get the best spots\nfor fishing. They did not speak as they trotted, for they knew that that\nwould only shorten their wind and their speed, and that the other boys\nof the village might get there before them. Finally, they reached the\nstream and settled down to catch the lazy fish that swam unaware of the\npresence of the two boys.\n\nEarly in the afternoon, having caught several good-sized fish, they\ndecided to hang their catch in a tree and do a little exploring\nupstream. So they started out in a direction they had never gone before,\nremembering the warnings of the elders to walk softly and not too far\nfrom familiar ground, because one could get lost very easily in the\ngreen forest. This was especially true in the summer when the leaves\noften hid landmarks that would be easy to remember.\n\nAs they traveled farther and farther upstream, gazing at all the\nbeauties of nature around them, Chincho suddenly stopped and threw\nhimself flat on the ground behind a big birch tree. Maseca, not knowing\nthe reason, but realizing that Chincho was not playing a game, did the\nsame thing. Maseca started to speak but Chincho motioned for him to\nremain silent. Then Chincho pointed up ahead. About a hundred paces\nahead standing in a little clearing taking a drink from the stream was a\ntremendous buck deer. Maseca had never seen so large a deer and he could\nnot help gasping in surprise. Chincho turned and frowned at him and\nMaseca quickly stifled all other exclamations. Then Chincho crawled\nclose to Maseca.\n\n\u201cMaseca,\u201d he whispered, \u201cdo you think we could get near enough to that\ndeer to kill him? Wouldn\u2019t it be wonderful to bring that buck back to\nthe village?\u201d\n\nMaseca nodded that he thought it a wonderful idea and they agreed\nquickly that they would try to take the big deer as a prize. After\nmaking sure that the wind was blowing toward them, carrying their scent\naway from the deer, they began to move quietly and slowly on their\nstomachs toward the unsuspecting deer. Chincho rose to his knees and,\nfitting a new arrow to his bow, stopped some thirty paces short of the\ndeer, drew back on the bowstring, and let the arrow fly. The boys heard\nthe arrow whistle as it flew and the thud as it struck its target. But\nChincho\u2019s aim had not been accurate. The deer bounded away, the arrow\nsticking in his side but not in a vital place.\n\nChincho knew that he must obey the law of his tribe regarding any animal\na brave has wounded. He must track the wounded deer until he either came\nupon him dead or could get close enough to make the kill. Long ago the\ntribe had ruled wisely that it was cruel to let a wounded animal wander\nthe forest in pain, possibly suffering so much that it would injure\nother animals, and possibly dying from loss of blood or from a sickness\nfrom the wound. Chincho was tempted not to follow the deer into the\nunknown woods, when he felt Maseca\u2019s gaze upon him.\n\n\u201cChincho, you do not plan to leave without finding the wounded deer. It\nis the law of our tribe.\u201d\n\nChincho looked guilty and said, \u201cIt is not a bad wound. The arrow barely\nscratched him. He will be all right. Come, let us return to the village\nbefore it is dark.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d Maseca insisted, \u201cwe must follow the deer until we bring him down.\nYou must not leave a wounded animal to suffer. It is the law.\u201d\n\nChincho knew that Maseca was right, and yet in his heart he was afraid.\nSo he tried to excuse his cowardice by saying, \u201cBut it is also the law\nof our tribe that we shall not wander too far from the familiar parts of\nour land. We could become lost here in the green forest. We should turn\nback.\u201d As he started to turn, Chincho saw a challenging look in Maseca\u2019s\neyes and he waited as Maseca spoke.\n\n\u201cYou may return to the village claiming that the law says one should not\nwander too far, but I will follow the deer and make sure of his death. I\nwill mark my trail plainly so that by night or by day I can follow it\nback to my starting place. Go, Chincho. Return to your father\u2019s home and\nsee if you can sleep peacefully when you think of the deer you have\nwounded.\u201d\n\nEven while he was speaking, Maseca realized that his friend\u2019s fear was\nvery great, and that it would be a mistake to force Chincho to follow\nthe buck. Maseca would have to worry as much about calming Chincho\u2019s\nfear as he would have to worry about finding the way back for both of\nthem.\n\nChincho thought that Maseca would laugh at him and insisted now on going\nwith Maseca to trail the deer. So they started to follow the drops of\nblood they found on the plants as they went through the forest. Maseca\nbroke branches and cut slices of bark from the sides of trees to mark\nthe path they were taking.\n\nFor awhile the big buck had run straight ahead as fast as he could in\nspite of the wound. Then the crushed grass showed where he had lain down\nto rest for a moment. But the grass was rising up straight again, which\ntold the boys that the deer had not rested long, sensing the danger\nclose by. Soon they saw fewer blood spots, and they knew that the blood\nwas starting to clot. Now, Maseca knew the deer could live for some time\nyet.\n\n\u201cIt grows late,\u201d he warned Chincho. \u201cWe must hurry if we are to catch up\nwith the deer and claim our kill. We have only a short while left before\nthe sun will sink.\u201d\n\nJust at that moment Chincho saw something off to the side of the trail,\nlying half-hidden in the brush. It was brown. As Chincho looked more\nclosely, he saw it moving rhythmically as an animal does in breathing.\nHe touched Maseca lightly on the shoulder and pointed toward the brush.\nThey both realized that this must be the wounded buck. Just as they were\ntrying to decide what to do, the deer made up their minds for them. With\na bellow, he leaped from his hiding place and headed straight for\nChincho. Chincho stood rooted to the spot with fright. His eyes bulged\nas he saw the huge beast, his antlers held low in attack, bearing down\nupon him. Maseca raised his bow, and with all the courage and calmness\nhe could muster, drew back and let go the string. As his arrow whished\nstraight toward the onrushing buck, Maseca knew that his aim had been\nstraight. As the arrow struck, the deer leaped into the air toward\nChincho. The buck\u2019s action was so quick that Chincho failed to move in\ntime. As it fell, one of its antlers cut deeply into Chincho\u2019s leg. The\nboy gasped in pain and slumped to the ground, next to the dead buck.\n\nMaseca ran quickly to his side and held his head in his arms. Then he\nlooked down at the nasty wound in Chincho\u2019s leg and saw the blood\npouring out. Hurriedly, he gathered some large leaves, wet them in a\nnearby stream, and placed them against the wound. Then he pulled a\nleather thong from his leggings and used it to bind the leaves in place.\nWhen he saw that the wound had nearly stopped bleeding, he spoke quietly\nto Chincho.\n\n\u201cI must go for help, Chincho. You must lie still and quiet until I\nreturn.\u201d With that Maseca pulled up all the strength that was left in\nhis tired body and started running at top speed along the trail he had\nmarked.\n\nAs the sun sank behind the hills of the quiet valley, Chincho prayed\nthat Maseca would hurry. The pain was getting worse and, though the\nblood had stopped flowing from the wound, Chincho was beginning to lose\nstrength. Suddenly, from down the trail, the boy heard the voices of\nmany braves. Then he heard his father shouting his name.\n\n\u201cOver here! Over here!\u201d Chincho called weakly. His father ran to him and\nknelt at his son\u2019s side. Soon Chincho was surrounded by many of the\nolder braves who looked first at him and then at the dead buck. He\nsearched among the faces for that of his friend.\n\n\u201cWhere is Maseca?\u201d he asked his father.\n\n\u201cBack in the village resting, my son,\u201d his father said softly. \u201cYou see,\nMaseca ran so fast through the forest to seek help for you that he\ncaught his foot in a root and twisted his leg badly. He wouldn\u2019t stop\neven though he was barely able to hobble into camp. He had just enough\nstrength left to tell us where you were before he fainted.\u201d\n\nChincho began to feel very guilty about the many times he had hoped that\nMaseca would be injured some day just because Maseca had beaten him in\nthe foot race.\n\n\u201cHe will be well again soon, won\u2019t he, father? He will be able to run as\nfast as before?\u201d His father smiled down at Chincho.\n\n\u201cIs that what you want, my son?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cOh, yes, father. He must be well again. Because he won the foot race\nfairly, I have often wished that he would be hurt. Now that it has\nreally happened, I am sorry. I will never wish harm for any friend\nagain. Only then will I be a true son to my father and a true Iroquois\nbrave.\u201d\n\nWhile Chincho and his father were talking, the other braves cut two\nsaplings and tied branches across them to make a stretcher to carry the\nboy. Chincho\u2019s father held his son\u2019s hand as the other braves lifted the\nboy onto the stretcher.\n\n\u201cYou have spoken wisely, my son. Do not worry. Maseca will soon be well\nenough to race and hunt and fish again with you.\u201d\n\nChincho smiled up at his father and turned his head to look proudly at\nthe large buck that two braves were carrying, hung by its feet from a\nsapling stretched across their shoulders.\n\nThe next night there was a special council fire. Two young braves were\nlying on stretchers, side by side, at the place of honor. At their\nsides, stood their fathers. Then the Chief told the tribe about the\nbravery and hunting skill and strength of these two boys. \u201cThey will be\ngreat braves, worthy of the Iroquois nation,\u201d he said solemnly.\n\nChincho\u2019s and Maseca\u2019s fathers glanced proudly down at their sons.\n\n\n\n\n                        LITTLE BEAR\u2019S FIRST HUNT\n\n\nLittle Bear opened his eyes and looked around his wickiup home. As the\nsleep left his eyes, he noticed that his father\u2019s bed was empty and that\nhe was alone. Quickly he threw off his buffalo robe and ran to the door\nof the wickiup. Pushing aside the deerskin he looked out into the small\nApache camp.\n\nThere was quite a bit of activity. Everyone was hurrying about. Although\nit was still very early, the cooking fires were burning brightly, and\nthe women of the tribe were busy preparing a hot meal. Then he\nremembered that today was the day of the big hunt.\n\nLittle Bear ran quickly through the village searching for his father,\nSwift Eagle. Finally after asking several of his friends, he was told\nthat his father could probably be found at the corral. Soon he saw his\nfather looking over the horses. Swift Eagle was telling young braves\nwhich horses to select for his use on the hunt.\n\n\u201cFather,\u201d called Little Bear, \u201cwhy did you not waken me when the dawn\ncame? There has been much excitement since the sun first broke through\nthe night, but you did not wake me.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy son, I wanted you to rest, for today is the day of the big hunt.\nSoon the warriors will be gathering and we will be ready to leave for\nthe feeding grounds of the great buffalo. Now I must check the horses,\nfor we must take only the young and the strong. This will be a long and\nhard Journey.\u201d\n\nLittle Bear suddenly realized that this was to be a real test for him.\nWhen a young Apache is considered a young brave, he is taken on his\nfirst big buffalo hunt along with the older warriors of the tribe. He\nmust prove himself worthy of being called a hunter. Little Bear had\nwaited a long time for this great day. He felt his heart beating a\nlittle faster than usual and he was filled with excitement and a little\nfear. Little Bear\u2019s fear left when his father placed his hand upon his\nson\u2019s shoulder and said, \u201cBe not afraid, my son, for you were born an\nApache and Apaches fear nothing. You will make a great hunter, and a\ntrue Apache.\u201d\n\nTogether they walked back to their wickiup where Little Bear\u2019s mother\nhad prepared a fine breakfast. When they had all eaten, they heard that\nthe hunting party was beginning to form. Soon all was in readiness, and\nthe great hunting party rode out from the village. The scouts had\nreported that a rather large herd of buffalo had stopped to graze only\nhalf a day\u2019s ride from their camp. So it was for this herd that the\nhunting party had made its plans.\n\nAs they rode along, Little Bear began to think of how he would make his\nfirst kill of buffalo, the largest of the wild game hunted by the\nApaches. Little Bear had hunted before but only for rabbits and other\nsmall game. This was to be his day of triumph, and he was excited. Soon\nthe caravan of hunters halted to rest and replenish their water supply\nfrom a spring near by. The scouts were sent ahead once again to see if\nthe herd had shifted position.\n\nAs Swift Eagle and his son sat by the cool spring, Little Bear stared\ntoward the horizon hoping to be the first of the party to see the\nreturning scouts. His father had been watching him with a kindly eye,\nand said, \u201cDo not be too eager, my son. When excitement grows within the\nbody, the hand becomes unsteady. You must control our body and your\nmind, or you will find that your aim will not be true. Your arrow,\ninstead of striking its mark, will do nothing but chew up the dust of\nthe prairie.\u201d\n\nLittle Bear listened quietly to his father; as so many times before, he\nrealized the wisdom in his father\u2019s words.\n\nThere was little conversation for a while, until the scouts returned to\nreport that the herd had not moved and that a short ride would bring the\nparty to within striking distance. The hunting party moved on until the\nsignal was passed that the herd was just over the next rise.\nInstructions were given and the party quickly spread out into an\nattacking formation, each brave hoping to have the best spot to ride\ndown the buffalo herd. As soon as everyone was in position, they waited\nfor the next signal of the leader.\n\nLittle Bear could feel the excitement mounting in his body and,\nremembering the words of his father, fought off the tenseness that was\nfilling his arms and legs. The rise in front of him, which separated the\nhunting party from the herd, seemed to be very far away. Just as Little\nBear felt he could not control his pony or himself any longer, the\nsignal was given. The braves, with shouts rising from their throats,\nraced over the rise. Soon there was a mixture of running, frightened\nbuffalo, and riding, yelling warrior hunters, and clouds of dust that\nrose from the hundreds of hoofs churning the prairie.\n\nLittle Bear drew an arrow from his quiver. Following the patient\nteaching of his father, he calmly placed the arrow to the bow string.\nLeaning forward on the neck of his pony, holding tight with his knees\npressed against his pony\u2019s sides, he peered into the dust and quickly\nspotted his quarry. A large bull buffalo was lumbering along a little\nwide of the herd. Carefully taking aim, Little Bear let go his arrow.\nThe last thing he saw before the dust welled up again to block his sight\nwas his arrow protruding from the side of a stumbling buffalo.\n\nLittle Bear swerved his pony rapidly away from the herd. When the pony\nwas able to check his forward speed, pony and rider withdrew to the side\nof the battleground to watch the rest of the hunt in safety. As the herd\ndisappeared across the prairie, the members of the hunting party turned\ntheir horses and began the ride back to where the herd had been grazing.\nWhen the dust had cleared, Little Bear saw scattered across the prairie\nthe bodies of many buffalo which had fallen before the accurate shooting\nof the hunters. Each brave would be able to tell his kill, for each\narrow bore the mark of its owner.\n\nLittle Bear galloped toward the spot where he thought his buffalo had\nfallen. While he rode, his heart beat very fast. He tried to show little\nexcitement as he drew near to a group of hunters who stood looking down\nat an object upon the ground. As Little Bear drew close, he slowed his\npony. His father turned and smiled. Dismounting, Little Bear walked to\nhis father\u2019s side. Lying on the ground at the feet of the older braves\nwas a bull buffalo of tremendous size. And there was the arrow of Little\nBear exactly where the arrow of a good hunter should be. He had hit the\nbuffalo in a vital spot.\n\nSwift Eagle placed his arm across the shoulders of his son. Amid the\nmany grunts and exclamations of approval coming from the warrior\nhunters, Little Bear heard the deep calm, proud voice of his father.\n\n\u201cYou have done well, my son. This is a fine buffalo, one which we are\nsure will prove to be the largest one killed this day. The many hours\nspent in teaching you were not wasted. This you have proven today. You\nwill return to our village a hero and tell of your exploits at the\ncouncil tonight. No longer will you have to stay behind when the hunters\ngo in search of food. Today you have become a hunter and earned the\nright to ride with the hunting party. Your father is proud.\u201d\n\nAnd so the procession, after attending the buffalo and stripping the\nhides and packing the fresh meat for the return trek, headed for home.\nAt the front of the party rode Swift Eagle and Little Bear, a proud\nfather and an even prouder son. Today the young brave had succeeded in\nhis first hunt.\n\n\n\n\n                    CRYING EAGLE SEES A GREAT BATTLE\n\n\nIt was a dark winter evening in the small Iroquois village. The cries of\nthe wolf echoed in the forest as Great Eagle, war leader of the\nIroquois, was preparing for bed. He stopped to take a last look for the\nnight at his young son, Crying Eagle, and smiled at his boy who slept so\npeacefully. As he pulled the warm robe up around his son\u2019s neck to keep\nthe cold from seeping in and disturbing his sleep, he thought to\nhimself,\n\n\u201cHow lucky I am to have been blessed with such a son. Truly, he will be\na leader among his people. Not because he is the son of Great Eagle, war\nchief of the Iroquois, but because he will be tall and strong and brave\nand will learn well the ways of the tribe. Soon he will be ready to be a\nleader and when that day comes, I will be proud to stand forth and say,\n\u2018This is my son.\u2019\u201d\n\nGreat Eagle slept warm and soundly that night and arose with the dawn of\nthe next day. Today his son was to go on a trek with him to learn the\nways of the wild game in winter time.\n\nGreat Eagle moved to his son\u2019s bed and called softly to him, \u201cCome, my\nson, for we have a long way to travel and much to do today.\u201d\n\nCrying Eagle got up quickly, put on his warm winter clothes, and sat\nwith his father at breakfast. As soon as breakfast was over, they\ngathered their weapons and left the protection of the Iroquois village\nand headed toward the forest. As they walked along the trail, Great\nEagle pointed out different signs. Here the snow had been scraped by a\ndeer nosing for anything green under the snow. There was a squirrel nest\nbulging with its store of winter food. And everywhere there were the\ntracks of many wolves. This had been a hard winter, and the hungry\nwolves were moving in packs to seek out easy prey. Many animals would\nnot find enough food to keep them at full strength. Unless one were very\ncareful, escape from an attack by these forest marauders would be\nimpossible.\n\nCrying Eagle began to get tired and his father motioned toward a small\nglen in the forest off to the side of the trail. There were some fallen\nlogs upon which they could sit and have their lunch of jerked venison\nand water. As they sat eating slowly, Great Eagle watched the forest\naround them for any signs of game. But all was quiet except for the\nsinging of the few winter birds that lived there, even in the coldest\nweather. Suddenly, they heard the crackling of some dry timber in the\ndistance and Great Eagle raised his head.\n\n\u201cA buck leaping through the brush,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cHow can you tell, father?\u201d\n\n\u201cListen, my son! You will discover that there is a moment of silence\nbetween each crackling of brush. That tells you that whatever makes the\nnoise is leaping, and the heavy crashing of brush tells you that the\nanimal is large. Because it leaps, you know it is not a bear. So we can\nbe almost sure that it is a buck.\u201d\n\nJust as Great Eagle stopped speaking, they saw a large buck moving in\nlong leaps among the brush and small trees. Suddenly, he stopped and\nsniffed the air. Great Eagle and his son stood perfectly still. The buck\nlooked directly toward them. The breeze was blowing toward the buck and\nhe had caught their scent. Crying Eagle raised his bow but felt his\nfather\u2019s hand upon his shoulder.\n\n\u201cNo, my son. The buck is truly beautiful. But our wigwam is full of\nvenison, and we have enough fine clothes to last for a long time. We do\nnot kill the forest animals unless we really need to. Truly, I know how\nmuch you want to make a kill and tell your friends of the fine buck your\nsteady hand brought down, but that must wait for another day. We are\nhere to learn the way animals live during the winter, so that when you\nmust hunt for your family, you will find it easy.\u201d\n\nThe buck seemed to wait for Great Eagle to speak with his son. Then he\nleaped away through the forest. Great Eagle and his son spent the rest\nof the afternoon studying other signs of wild life. As the sun began to\nsink low in the west, Great Eagle turned and started on the trail for\nhome. After they had gone a ways, Great Eagle halted and motioned for\nhis son to be still. Together the two Indians crouched low and Great\nEagle pointed through the trees. There, only three hundred paces away in\na clearing, stood a large buck. Off to the right of the buck stood a\nbeautiful brown doe and further on through the trees was another buck,\nmoving slowly forward through the trees.\n\n\u201cWhy do we stop, father?\u201d asked Crying Eagle, still crouching low in the\nsnow.\n\n\u201cBecause, son, I believe that we are about to see something very rarely\nseen by humans. The buck in the clearing is standing guard over his\nbride, the doe on our right. The buck coming through the trees is young\nand wants the doe, too. So he is challenging the old buck to a duel. The\nwinner will get the doe. In a moment they will face each other in the\nclearing. They will meet head on and the battle will be on. The buck\nthat gives up first and turns from the battle will be the loser, and the\nother will claim his bride.\u201d\n\nSoon, as Great Eagle had said, the younger buck entered the clearing.\nThe two faced each other, the younger pawing at the ground while the\nolder stood surveying this young challenger of his right to the doe, who\nlay watching them calmly from the brush to the side of the clearing.\nThen the two bucks began to circle. They stopped and almost at once the\nyoung one charged. The older buck met the attack head on and there was a\nloud crash as their antlers met and locked. They pushed and pulled and\nwrenched until suddenly their antlers were free. They were almost\nequally matched, for even though the younger buck seemed faster, the\nolder was a veteran of many such battles and knew more tricks in\nfighting.\n\nAgain they locked horns but unlocked quickly this time. Then the older\nbuck\u2019s antlers slashed into the side of the young buck. Back and forth\nthe battle waged and then, as suddenly as it had started, it was over.\nThe young buck had had enough. He tossed his head into the air and\nleaped off into the forest, to lick his wounds and wait for another doe.\nThe old buck walked with what looked like pride to his doe. She rose to\nher feet and, side by side, they began pushing their noses into the snow\nto smell out food.\n\n\u201cCome,\u201d said Great Eagle, \u201clet us leave them in peace. You have seen one\nof the great events in the life of wild animals. Remember it well for\nyou may be called upon to defend the persons and things you love, even\nwhen you think the enemy is stronger. Remember how strength alone is not\nenough. You must know how to fight well in order to win.\u201d\n\nCrying Eagle was thinking about each word his father had spoken as they\nheaded home. They moved rapidly because they wanted to reach the village\nbefore dark. Soon through the trees they could see the flickering of\nmany campfires. In a few moments they were in the camp and at home. A\nhot meal of stew was waiting for them, and father and son ate heartily.\nWhen they had finished, Crying Eagle spoke to his father.\n\n\u201cMy father, you opened my eyes today to many new things. I hope that I\nhave learned my lesson well and will always obey your teaching.\u201d\n\nCrying Eagle kept his promise well. Some years later there was trouble\nbetween his village and the neighboring tribes. While the young bucks\nshouted for blood and the scalps of their neighbors, Crying Eagle called\nfor peace and talk. Like his father in battle, he was a brave warrior,\nbut where talk around the council fire could save lives, Crying Eagle\nwas a great leader and peacemaker.\n\nCrying Eagle lived to a very old age, but he never forgot that walk\nthrough the winter forest with his father Chief Great Eagle, war chief\nof the mighty Iroquois.\n\n\n  Based on a story told to the author by John Fitch, Vermont farmer,\n  1937.\n\n\n\n\n                    SPOTTED TAIL AND THE GHOST WOLF\n\n\nThe Mohawk village of bark houses nestled along the river, and all was\npeace and contentment in the village. Spotted Tail and his family lived\nin peace and contentment in the village, for they were a happy people.\nThe hunting and fishing were good and there was little sickness among\nthe people of his tribe and all was made so that the people would be\nhappy.\n\nWhen young Spotted Tail had reached his fifteenth summer, something\nhappened to his tribe. Suddenly the game of the forest became scarce.\nThe deer began to disappear and even the smallest of game was becoming\nhard to find. This concerned the council, for never before had this\nhappened to their hunting grounds. And then one day while the warriors\nwere busy preparing to go out on the hunt, a young Mohawk warrior\nstaggered into the camp. Blood dripped from his body and as he reached\nthe center of the village he collapsed.\n\nEager hands lifted him and carried him to his house and when his wounds\nhad been bathed the great chief of the Mohawks came to talk with him.\n\n\u201cWhat has happened to you, my brother? Surely this is the work of some\ngreat savage beast that you have encountered in the green forest.\u201d\n\n\u201cO Great Chief, my companion and I had been following the tracks of a\ndeer and feeling we were quite lucky to have come upon such a find.\nSuddenly as we trotted along the trail following the deer there was a\nhorrible snarling from off to the side of the trail. We stopped and\nlooked toward the side of the trail, and there before our very eyes was\na pack of ferocious-looking wolves. Before we could even draw our\nbowstrings they were upon us. My companion and I fought them, but soon\nthey had dragged my companion to the ground. They began to fight among\nthemselves over one of their wounded comrades, and it was then that I\ncrawled off into the brush and when I saw my chance I ran as fast as I\ncould toward our village. I could hear the snarls of the pack behind me\nbut I ran as fast as my legs could carry me and soon I heard them no\nmore. But one thing I will always remember is the leader of the pack, a\nwhite wolf of tremendous size. He had a beautiful white coat and was\nmuch larger than the rest of the pack. I am tired, I must rest now.\u201d\n\nAnd with that the warrior closed his eyes and slept.\n\nThe chief immediately called a council of his warriors and among them\nwas Spotted Tail\u2019s father. Now the reason for the lack of game was\nknown. The winter further north had been very severe and so the wolf\npack had come further south seeking food. But now that they had been\nroaming so free for so long they decided to stay.\n\nThe chief rose before the council and said:\n\n\u201cWe must set out on the hunt immediately, but we must hunt this pack of\nwolves and destroy them before they cause all the deer to disappear. If\nwe fail, our smoke racks will become empty and our people will starve.\u201d\n\nSo party after party of warriors were sent out in search of the wolf\npack, but they always returned disappointed; for they had often come\nupon the pack but never had been able to get close enough to do any real\ndamage.\n\nFinally Sleeping Water, one of the young warriors, Suggested that\ninstead of going in large parties they ought to go out in pairs or three\nat a time and when sighting the pack send word to a larger hunting party\nand they in turn could surround and destroy the pack.\n\nThe council approved of this method and so the warriors began to go out\nin pairs. It was now that Spotted Tail began his adventure which was to\nbe spoken of in the lodges for many moons to come.\n\nSpotted Tail was chosen by Sleeping Water to go as his companion, and\nthe two braves started on the hunt. They ranged far and wide and finally\npicked up the trail of the pack. Sleeping Water knelt by the tracks of\nthe wolves and could tell that they were fairly fresh tracks.\n\nQuickly the two braves trotted along the trail in pursuit of the pack\nand soon through the trees ahead Sleeping Water spotted the pack moving\nstealthily through the trees as if stalking an animal. Turning to\nSpotted Tail he said, \u201cSpotted Tail, you will keep the pack in sight and\nfollow them as they move, marking your trail. I will return and fetch a\nlarge hunting party and we shall destroy this pack of wolves. You are\nnot afraid to keep watch?\u201d\n\nSpotted Tail felt it a great honor to be asked to do such an important\njob and he told Sleeping Water that he would keep close watch on the\npack and if he moved he would mark his trail well.\n\nWhen Sleeping Water departed, Spotted Tail kept close watch on the pack\nas it milled around. Evidently the hunt they were on was ended, for many\nof the wolves were circling in the snow and finding resting places.\n\nIt was fast growing dark and Spotted Tail hoped that they would not\ndecide to move in the dark or he would surely lose them before the dawn.\nThen he saw him\u2014the giant white leader of the pack\u2014standing off to one\nside of the pack as if on guard. He was truly a majestic animal, fully\nhalf a foot taller at the shoulder than the other wolves and his coat\nwas a shimmering white as pure as the snow.\n\nAs night settled, a bright moon came out and the night was shattered by\nthe baying of the wolves at the moon.\n\nOn a rock pinnacle overlooking the wolves\u2019 bedding ground, the great\nwhite leader stood guard, his eyes never still, moving from side to side\nas he watched for any approaching danger. Spotted Tail remained awake as\nlong as he could, but soon his eyes felt very tired. He was about to\ndrop off to sleep when he noticed the pack stirring. He gazed out into\nthe shadows of the night and the leader seemed to be staring right\nthrough the brush and trees into Spotted Tail\u2019s hiding place.\n\nThen Spotted Tail saw the reason for the movement: a deer had wandered\nto within a short distance of the wolves, and now the pack was preparing\nto kill this unsuspecting victim.\n\nThe leader seemed to bark instructions and suddenly the pack was up and\ncircling the deer. There was a mad rush and suddenly the excitement was\nover, the booty was shared, and the pack settled down once again.\n\nSpotted Tail breathed a sigh of relief, for the pack in chasing the deer\nhad come too close for comfort to his hiding place in the thick brush.\nDawn was fast approaching, and now the pack was on the move once again.\nSpotted Tail followed as close as he dared, making sure that he kept\ndownwind from these lean hungry wolves that had caused death and\nstarvation to come to his People. Then he got an idea.\n\nIf he could get a good shot in and wound or even kill the leader, it\nmight have the same effect as if a chief died, the pack would be without\na leader and might be so disorganized that the hunters from his tribe,\nwho he was sure were fast approaching, would be able to make easy work\nof the rest of the pack.\n\nThen the opportunity came his way. There standing off to the side of the\npack was the large white leader. Spotted Tail settled himself upon one\nknee in the snow and drawing careful aim with his bow, he let fly. The\narrow seemed to go right through the great beast and he leaped high in\nthe air. Spotted Tail was about to shout of his great shot to the\nheavens when he saw that the wolf had come to rest on all fours and was\nturned now in his direction, his teeth bared and a terrible snarl coming\nfrom deep within his throat.\n\nGathered behind the great white wolf like an army, was the rest of the\npack, snarling and waiting for the orders from their leader, but the\nleader seemed to warn them away\u2014this was his kill\u2014and slowly began\nmoving toward Spotted Tail.\n\nSpotted Tail stood firm and placed another arrow to his bowstring. He\nfired again, and the arrow again seemed to go straight to its mark but\nstill the beast kept moving forward. Now the wolf began to run in a\nsteady loping trot toward the Indian and suddenly he was leaping.\n\nSpotted Tail drew his knife, but in mid-air the wolf seemed to stop and\ntry to turn and return from whence he had come, and then the body was\ncrashing to the ground, an arrow quivering in his side. Then there were\nhowls and yells and cries from many points of the forest and arrows came\nflying into the wolf pack. Beast after beast fell under the onslaught of\ndeadly shafts being fired by revenge-seeking Mohawk warriors until\nsuddenly the whole pack lay dead in the quiet of the winter forest.\n\nIt all happened so quickly that before Spotted Tail realized what had\nhappened, Sleeping Water was lifting him from the snow smiling.\n\n\u201cYou have done well, my young brother, you have been brave this day. You\nleft very clear signs for our party to follow and because of that we\nwere able to wipe out this pack of beasts which have killed so much\ngame.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut the leader of the pack\u2014I fired an arrow into him and it went right\nthrough him. Twice I saw this happen. He must have been a ghost and yet\nI saw his body hit the ground with the arrows of my brothers. How do you\nexplain this, Sleeping Water?\u201d\n\n\u201cCome, Spotted Tail, I will show you.\u201d Together they walked to where the\ngreat beast lay.\n\n\u201cYou see, his coat was such a pure white that it blended with the snow\nand when you fired it seemed as though you hit him but actually you\nmissed. It is no shame, for it was a long and a difficult shot and when\nyou fired a second time as he was moving toward you, the sun on the snow\ncaused reflection to make you misjudge your shot.\n\n\u201cWe observed all this from our hiding places, for we came upon you just\nas you were preparing to make your first shot. But, please, Spotted\nTail, do not take a chance like that again. It is very foolish to try\nsomething so dangerous when you are alone and especially when you knew\nthat help was on the way. But this adventure has ended well, and you\nwill have much to tell in the medicine lodge tonight, of the great ghost\nwolf that hunted these lands.\u201d\n\nAnd so the pack was destroyed and soon the game returned once again to\nthe hunting ground of the Mohawk and once again all was peaceful and\nhappy along the Osage River.\n\n\n  This story was told to the author by Jim Nutley of the Canadian Forest\n  Ranger Service.\n\n\n\n\n                               3. CUSTOMS\n\n\n\n\n                           THE TRIBES GATHER\n\n\nThe Cree were plains Indians. Today their village was full of activity.\nA hunting party had just returned after a very successful hunt. The\nbraves were already around the great council fire, telling of their\nexploits. Among these warriors was Slow Tongue, whose bravery and\ncourage among the Cree was never questioned.\n\nWhen all the celebrating was over, Slow Tongue returned to his tepee and\nhis family. His young son, Swift Hawk, had waited up for him and, with\npride in his eyes, he looked up into his father\u2019s face and said, \u201cI am\nvery proud to have you for my father.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy young son, it is long past your bedtime and you should have closed\nyour ears to the night noises of the prairie many hours ago. But I must\nalso say that I am proud to have you as a son and tomorrow we shall talk\nand I shall tell you all about the hunt.\u201d Slow Tongue turned to leave\nhis son\u2019s side when he heard a noise at the entrance of his tepee.\n\n\u201cSlow Tongue,\u201d a voice called quietly, \u201cit is I, Seeing Bear. Come, I\nmust speak with you.\u201d\n\nSlow Tongue left the tepee. \u201cWhy do you call me from my tepee so late in\nthe night, Sleeping Bear,\u201d he asked. \u201cI am tired and my buffalo robe\nbeckons to me to come and wrap myself in its warm folds, for my body\naches.\u201d\n\n\u201cLook, Slow Tongue! Look to the north! At first I thought the heat of\nthe day had made me see things that do not exist. But now I am sure it\nhas not. Look and tell me what you see.\u201d\n\nSlow Tongue turned his head to the north and gazed out into the darkness\nof the night. Far in the distance he saw a red glow which disappeared,\nappeared again, and disappeared many times.\n\n\u201cWhat can it mean, Slow Tongue?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is a message, Seeing Bear. The fire signal tells that the tribes of\nthe plains are gathering for the Sun Dance. Truly this is great news.\nTomorrow we must break camp and leave for the northern meadow of the\nBlue Star, for it is there that the great celebrations will be held. You\ngo to the southern part of the village and I will go to the northern\npart, and we will spread the word. It is late and many are asleep, but\nsurely this is news for which they will be glad to be awakened.\u201d\n\nThe next morning there was great excitement in the Cree village. The\ngathering for the Sun Dance not only meant gathering to celebrate the\ngreatest religious ceremony of the plains Indians, but it also meant\nthat it would be a time for great feasts, mock battles, ceremonial\nhunts, and the recounting of the past year\u2019s experience with many old\nfriends. And, of course, the men looked forward to smoking the\nceremonial pipes which was also a part of this great occasion.\n\nThe tribe had soon broken down its village and packed and the great\nprocession headed north toward the meadow of the Blue Star.\n\nFor two days and two nights the Cree village moved northward. Their\nprogress was slow but steady, and there was much gaiety. There was much\nto look forward to, and many of the younger braves could hardly be kept\nfrom rushing on ahead of the tribe.\n\nSoon other tribes began to join the Cree in their trek north. In all\ndirections smoke signals could be seen, sent up by eager messengers\nreporting the movements of the tribes as they converged on the sacred\ngrounds.\n\nIt was very clear to Swift Hawk now that friend and enemy were walking\nside by side. This was one time during the year when the burning desire\nto strike out at your enemy was replaced by a stronger desire to do\nworship together in the hope of a good year to come.\n\nSoon the meadow of the Blue Star was reached, and the tribe of Swift\nHawk chose a place to set its village in the great circle with the\ntribe\u2019s sacred tepee as its center. Campfires began to burn merrily, and\nthe smell of cooking food filled the air. Old and young warriors walked\nabout to renew old acquaintances and talk about what had happened during\nthe past year. Dancers could be seen here and there practicing seriously\nfor the time of the great ceremony.\n\nSoon word spread through the encampment that there were to be riding\ncontests at the far west side of the meadow on the following day. These\ncontests would be open to young braves who had made their first buffalo\nkill during the last year. This made Swift Hawk leap and shout for joy.\nJust last month he had brought down his first buffalo. This meant he\ncould enter the riding contest. For many years now Swift Hawk had\nwatched the contests from afar. Each year he promised himself that next\nyear he would enter and win. Each year his father told him to be patient\nand that his time would come.\n\nIt was a very difficult contest to test the skills of the young\nwarriors. Each boy was to start his ride from the top of a hill that\nsloped sharply down into the meadow. At every one-hundred-yard point\nalong a twisting path down the steep slope, for a distance of five\nhundred yards, were four sets of poles, two poles to each set. Each set\nwas driven in the ground a buffalo\u2019s length apart until they stood\nbetween four and five feet above ground. Between these two poles a\nbuffalo hide was stretched to look like a buffalo running directly\ntoward the sloping path, his flank toward the young warriors as they\nrode down.\n\nEach young brave was allowed a bow of his choice, four arrows, and a\nquiver. The brave, when given the signal to go, would race down the\nslope at full speed. Drawing an arrow from the quiver and bending his\nbody down under the neck of his pony and holding on with his feet, he\nwould aim his arrow under the neck of the pony and shoot the arrow into\nthe buffalo hide. He would do this with each of the four arrows.\n\nSuch a contest would surely test the strength and courage of any young\nbrave. But young Indians were brought up to fear little and to welcome a\ntest like this. For this reason it was no surprise to the great\nchieftains when a rather large group of young braves gathered at the\nstarting point the next morning. Each boy sat astride a fine looking\npony, usually the gift of his father or some other leading member of the\ntribe. Each boy had his bow, his quiver, and four very special arrows\nwhich had been worked over and cared for like a pet or one of the\nfamily.\n\nFinal instructions were given to the young braves, and the riding\ncontest was on! There was a great cheer from all who were watching as\neach rider left the starting point. This was a friendly match among boys\nfrom many tribes that often fought each other the rest of the year. Down\nthe steep slope a lone warrior could be seen stationed at each buffalo\nhide. Here he could not only retrieve arrows but help to judge the young\nbraves as they rode by and fired at the target.\n\nSoon it was Swift Hawk\u2019s turn. Remembering all that his father had\ntaught him, he dug his heels into his pony\u2019s sides and started his fast\nand dangerous ride. Carefully he drew an arrow from the quiver; then\nbending under the pony\u2019s neck, he placed the arrow to the bow, and as\nthe target came into view, Swift Hawk let his arrow fly! He heard the\nplunk as the arrow struck the hide. With his head still under the pony\u2019s\nneck and riding so hard, he could hardly have seen where it had landed.\nBut a loud cheer told him that he had made a good shot. Down the steep,\nwinding course, Swift Hawk swiftly shot his arrows at the three other\ntargets, and went back toward the starting point.\n\nAs he reached the hilltop he heard a great shout go up. Looking down the\ncourse he saw a young Crow brave just turning his pony to return to the\nstarting point. The loud cheer meant that he had ridden well and made\nmany good hits.\n\nOne by one each of the other young braves made his attempt but none\ncould equal the riding and skill of the young Crow Indian. And so it was\nwhen the last contestant had made his ride and fired no better than the\nrest that the Crow brave was announced as the winner. Swift Hawk was one\nof the first to reach his side and congratulate him on his victory. Deep\nin his heart, Swift Hawk was sad. But he was also very happy for this\nyoung brave. Surely the young man had deserved to win; and, above all,\nSwift Hawk realized how happy the young brave and his family must be\nthat he had won.\n\nThe contest over, Swift Hawk returned to his home and his father,\ndisappointed but not unhappy now. There would be other contests, and\nthis was a time of celebration and joy. His father found him sitting\nbeside a tree stump.\n\n\u201cYou did very well, my son,\u201d Slow Tongue said, placing his hands upon\nSwift Hawk\u2019s shoulders. \u201cThe Crow boy who won did just a little bit\nbetter, but all the Cree are proud of you. There will be other contests\nand many games. Soon your turn will come. But even if it should not,\nremember what I have told you. As long as you play fair with your fellow\nbraves and obey the rules, there is nothing to be ashamed of when you\nlose to someone who plays fair and has great skill.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you, father, I shall always remember that.\u201d\n\nGames and new contests were beginning. Just as Swift Hawk\u2019s father had\ntold him, his time would come and sooner than he expected. In the foot\nrace he ran much faster than any of his fellow braves, winning easily.\nSwift Hawk was as good a winner as he had been a good loser, boasting to\nno one about his victory.\n\n\n\n\n                     SINGING EAGLE\u2019S FIRST CLOTHES\n\n\nThe Huron tribe were a rather typical tribe of the Eastern woodlands.\nThey were a hunting and fishing tribe, and when their villages were\nbuilt they were built to last for a long time.\n\nIn this particular village of the Hurons, there lived a young boy by the\nname of Singing Eagle. Now as was the custom among most of the tribes of\nthat area, a young Indian child did not own any clothes at all until he\nreached the age of ten.\n\nThis particular day was to be a great one for Singing Eagle, but when he\nwoke that late summer morning, it was just another day for him.\n\nAfter eating his breakfast, he dashed away to play with the other\nchildren. Meanwhile back at the wigwam, Singing Eagle\u2019s mother, Early\nDawn, was very busy indeed. For many days and nights she had been\nworking quite hard making Singing Eagle his first real set of clothing.\n\nSinging Eagle\u2019s father had hunted the big brown buck early last spring\nand his long chase had finally been rewarded, when he was able to shoot\nand kill a very fine large buck. Carefully skinning the buck, he had\nreturned both the skin and the meat to his wigwam, where his wife\nimmediately set to work tanning the skin in preparation for making it\ninto a winter outfit for young Singing Eagle.\n\nWhen the skin had been carefully tanned, Singing Eagle\u2019s mother had\nfashioned from it a pair of leggings. The leggings of the woodland\nIndian were made in matched pairs. They covered the whole leg and fitted\nrather snugly and were held up with a thong fastened to the waistbelt.\nThe buckskin was sewn together with threads of sinew.\n\nThe shirt, which Singing Eagle\u2019s mother was so proud of, had long\nsleeves and would reach to Singing Eagle\u2019s knees, but above all the\nshirt was beautifully decorated with painted pictures. When Singing\nEagle grew up, the paintings would be upon his future shirts and\nbeadwork would also be added. The shirt was of buckskin.\n\nFinally Singing Eagle\u2019s mother proudly held up, for her husband to see,\nthe beautiful moccasins. The moccasins of the woodland Indian were\nfashioned from one piece of skin and were soft-soled and often these too\nwere decorated with beadwork. Here Singing Eagle\u2019s mother had decided\nnot to wait until her son grew any more, but had put a beautiful beaded\ndesign on the toe of each moccasin. This was to be a truly wonderful\nday.\n\nAfter lunch, Singing Eagle lay down to rest, for he had been playing\nvery hard that morning with the other children. When he awoke, he looked\naround and his eyes fairly jumped from his head. There at the foot of\nhis bed was his first suit of clothing. Quickly he grasped them to him\nand hugged them, feeling how soft and pliable they were, following the\nmany days of work.\n\nQuickly he slipped into the clothes and when he was completely dressed,\nran from the wigwam to find his father and show him his beautiful\nclothes. Soon he found his father at the edge of the village talking\nwith two other braves of the tribe. All excited, he pulled at his\nfather\u2019s sleeve until his father turned and noticing the clothes,\nquickly changed his expression from anger to one of surprise.\n\n\u201cHow handsome you look, my son. Your mother has done a fine job on your\nclothes. I wish that my shirts were as beautiful as the one you now wear\nupon your back. You look very much like a man now, my son.\u201d\n\nSinging Eagle was very proud that his father had noticed his clothes and\ngiven him such fine compliments. But time was wasting. As was customary\nwhen a young Indian boy received his first full set of clothing to wear,\nthe rest of the day was spent in showing off his new clothes to his many\nfriends. And so that day, in a matter of a couple of hours, the whole\nHuron village knew that Singing Eagle had his first real Indian suit,\nmade from a fine buck that his father had shot just for him.\n\n\n\n\n                             THE NEW TEPEE\n\n\nThe Blackfoot village was all astir to greet the new day. It was late in\nthe springtime, and the great hunters of the tribe had been off to hunt\nthe buffalo. Word had just reached the village that the hunt was over\nand the hunting party was on the way home.\n\nThis made Little Bird very happy, for she knew that her husband, Big Red\nBear, would be returning to the tepee and that there would be much\ncelebrating in the tribe. Everything must be made ready to greet the\nhunters.\n\nThe women of the village began dashing around preparing for the arrival\nof the hunting party. There was much to be done and much work lay ahead,\nnow that the buffalo had been killed. The meat must be stored and some\nof it smoked, and the hides must be turned into new tepee covers and\nrobes. All this would take place after the celebration, but still the\nwomen of the tribe knew they had a long job ahead.\n\nThe news was good. The hunt had been successful, and many buffalo had\nfallen before the weapons of the hunters. The buffalo had a good winter\nand were not thin or ragged. The grass had been full-grown and rich.\nEnough rain had fallen to provide the food and water necessary to make\nthe buffalo fat and a good target for expert bowmen.\n\nSoon all was in readiness and everyone waited impatiently for the first\nsigns of the returning hunters. And then the signal came! A young brave\non a shaggy brown pony came dashing through the village, announcing the\narrival of the hunters.\n\nEveryone was out to greet them and shout thanks and praise. Husbands and\nwives, fathers and children greeted each other warmly. The tribe was\nfilled with joy.\n\nNight came swiftly. Before long the beating drums told the people that\nthe dancing and feasting was to begin. This celebration often lasted all\nnight and sometimes into the next day; then as dancers tired, they would\nwander off to their tepees for the first really peaceful sleep since the\nhunting party had left the village.\n\nLittle Bird and her husband enjoyed the great feast and celebration. The\nnext day Little Bird set to work on the buffalo skins for her family\ntepee. It had been a hard winter and the weather had damaged many\nBlackfoot homes. There were more than enough skins brought back by the\nhunters, so that those tepee coverings that had become worn and tattered\ncould be replaced. So Little Bird set to work with the women of the\ntribe who were busy preparing and sewing together the buffalo hides to\nmake new covers for the tepees.\n\nOne day Little Bird learned that a new tepee was to be built in the\nvillage. The old tepee of the chief had been damaged so badly by the\nwinter snow and ice, and the poles had become so rotted, that the tribe\nagreed to build him a new tepee. The building of a new tepee was\nimportant because everybody in the tribe helped to make it. All the\nfriends and neighbors would be invited to attend a great feast and when\nthe feast was over, the women would begin sewing the skins together.\n\nLittle Bird and her husband went to the feast. When it was over, Little\nBird sat down with the rest of the women and, taking up her bone needle,\nbegan to sew two buffalo hides together. The cutting of the skins had\nbeen entrusted to Slow Water, the wife of Black Fox, the tribe\u2019s best\nhunter, since she had great skill in judging the number of skins needed\nby their size and shape. They used no patterns, so only a woman with\nthis kind of skill was asked to do the cutting.\n\nAs the sewing continued and the tepee walls began to take shape, even\nmore whispering went on around Little Bird. When Little Bird asked one\nof her friends what it was all about, her friend would only say, \u201cBe\npatient, Little Bird, for soon we shall all know what they have been\nwhispering about.\u201d\n\nThe next day the women who had been working on the skins came to the\ntepee of Little Bird. Because her husband was away, Little Bird invited\nthe women to sit and talk. There was a great deal of laughter as the\nwomen sat down. Slow Water, the skillful cutter, had been chosen to\nspeak to Little Bird for all of them.\n\n\u201cLittle Bird,\u201d she began, \u201cwe are here to ask you to do something for\nour tribe. You always have a smile for everyone wherever you go in the\nvillage. As you know, we must choose someone who is always cheerful to\nwork on the smoke flaps for the new tepee. We are here to ask you,\nLittle Bird, to work on the smoke flaps of the new tepee, so that your\nhappy spirit will be woven into the flap and the smoke will depart from\nthe tepee evenly and smoothly.\u201d\n\nLittle Bird smiled. Her heart was happy. This was truly a great honor.\nNow she understood why all the whispering had been going on the last\ncouple of days.\n\n\u201cI will be happy to help sew the smoke flaps of the new tepee. It is a\ngreat honor for which I thank you from the bottom of my heart.\u201d\n\nAnd some say that as long as that tepee stood, the chief never had to\nworry about the smoke rising out of the tepee easily, even on stormy,\nwindy nights. The Indians believed that the happy spirit of Little Bird\nreally lived in that flap.\n\n\n\n\n                      LITTLE DOVE LEARNS TO WEAVE\n\n\nWhen Little Dove, a Winnebago baby girl, was born she had everything a\nnew-born baby could ask for. First of all, her father was chief of the\nWinnebagos, and her mother was considered one of the most beautiful\nwomen in the tribe.\n\nThere were many relatives who came to view the new child and left many\nprecious gifts for her.\n\nWhen she was born, Little Dove was strapped to a cradle board and\ncarried by her mother in this fashion. Each day her mother would unwrap\nher and clean her body all over and massage her little limbs. Then she\nwas wrapped once again on the board, and life continued this way until\nthe baby was able to walk.\n\nShe was always fed when she was hungry and was never but a few feet from\nher mother\u2019s side. But soon Little Dove began to walk and so she left\nthe cradle board and began to run and play with the other children in\nthe out of doors.\n\nEveryone was affectionate and indulgent toward the girl as Indians\nalways were toward their children. Soon, however, they realized that\nLittle Dove was beginning to grow up. Little Dove was already ten\nsummers old, when her mother called her to the side of their home to\ntalk with her.\n\n\u201cLittle Dove,\u201d she commenced, \u201cyou must start to prepare for your life\nlater on as a wife and a mother. If you are to be a good wife, you must\nlearn the work that all Indian women must do.\u201d\n\nMost Indian girls welcomed this advice from their mothers, but Little\nDove was different. Because she was the chief\u2019s daughter some people had\ngiven her the idea that she would be waited upon for the rest of her\nlife\u2014if not by her mother or other women of the tribe, then eventually\nby her husband. When she told this to her mother, her mother tried to\nexplain, but Little Dove did not want to listen and simply walked away.\n\nSoft Feather, her mother, was very much concerned and went to talk to\nher husband. But just as many fathers do even today, the chief said,\n\n\u201cBe patient, she is young and she will learn.\u201d\n\nSoft Feather was quite disturbed and each day she would ask Little Dove\nto come and begin to learn, but each day Little Dove would run off to\nplay with the younger children while the older children were busy\nlearning the work that goes with adult life.\n\nOne day young Little Dove noticed an Indian boy that she had seen\nseveral times sitting by himself shaping a bow.\n\n\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d she asked.\n\n\u201cI am shaping a bow so that when I marry I will have a fine weapon with\nwhich to bring down the running deer.\u201d\n\nFor a long while Little Dove sat with the young boy, and nothing more\nwas said. Finally the young brave rose and, bidding good-bye to Little\nDove, started for his home.\n\nLittle Dove was now twelve and each day she would see the young boy at\nwork or play. Finally she went to her mother.\n\n\u201cMother, the young boy who has the pretty belt and bone-handled knife,\nwho is he?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat, my daughter, is your father\u2019s best friend\u2019s son, Straight Arrow.\nWhy, do you like him especially?\u201d\n\n\u201cI like him a lot.\u201d\n\nSeveral weeks passed, and one day as Little Dove was idling her time\naway dangling her feet in a stream, young Straight Arrow came to the\nwater\u2019s edge to wash some dirt from his arms and legs. He had been\nworking in the garden with his father and now was going to clean up.\nLittle Dove looked directly at him and said,\n\n\u201cAre you planning on taking a wife very soon, Straight Arrow?\u201d\n\n\u201cI suppose so, Little Dove, for I am almost sixteen and my father said\nthat I should be married now.\u201d\n\n\u201cI too am planning to be married soon,\u201d said Little Dove.\n\n\u201cCan you cook, or sew, or weave baskets?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I cannot do those things. Will I have to?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, I do not know about you but any girl that I marry must be able to\ndo that and lots more. Well, I must be going now. It is time for lunch\nand I am very hungry and my sister is a very good cook.\u201d\n\nWith that, Straight Arrow left the side of the stream and he left behind\na very angry Little Dove.\n\nLittle Dove rushed home and told her mother what had happened. When she\nhad finished blurting out her story, her mother said,\n\n\u201cAnd now what do you want me to do about it, my Little Dove?\u201d\n\n\u201cMother, will you teach me to weave baskets and sew and cook?\u201d\n\nSo the lessons began that very afternoon. The cooking was easy but when\nit came to the weaving, that was a little more difficult and it was a\nlong time before Little Dove could weave a basket that looked like a\nbasket.\n\nFirst, she and her mother would gather some thin ash and linden trees.\nThese had to be straight and free of knots. They they would strip them\nof the bark. These they pounded until they came apart in long splints.\nThen these were dyed and woven into baskets. Also Little Dove learned\nhow to make shredded basswood fibers. These were made almost the same\nway except that they were made into a strong thread by twisting them and\nrolling them against the thigh of one\u2019s leg. These threads were used to\nweave belts and tump lines and square bags.\n\nSoon Little Dove had become quite expert at cooking and sewing and\nweaving, and once again she looked for Straight Arrow. She found him one\nday seated by a small stream that ran near the village. She sat down and\nbegan throwing pebbles into the stream.\n\n\u201cI have learned to cook and to weave and to sew, Straight Arrow,\u201d she\nsaid rather quickly.\n\n\u201cThat is good,\u201d he answered, \u201cfor now you will make someone a good\nwife.\u201d With that he rose and walked slowly back to the village. Little\nDove sat and cried. When she could cry no longer she sat and looked into\nthe water until it was dark, and then she returned to the village. Her\nmother was waiting for her.\n\n\u201cYour father wishes to speak with you, Little Dove.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, my father, you sent for me?\u201d\n\n\u201cLittle Dove, today a young brave came to see me. He wants you for his\nwife and he has offered me many fine horses. I think he will make you a\ngood husband, so in four moons\u2019 time you will be married, my daughter.\u201d\n\nLittle Dove felt her heart sink.\n\n\u201cWho is it that has asked to marry me, father?\u201d\n\n\u201cStraight Arrow, son of Big Bow, my daughter, for today you told him you\ncould weave.\u201d\n\nFather and daughter smiled at each other, and then Little Dove left to\ntalk with her mother and tell her how wrong a foolish young Indian girl\ncould be.\n\n\n\n\n                           RED CLOUD\u2019S DREAM\n\n\nRed Cloud was a young Algonquin lad who played and romped in his village\nalong with the other young Indian braves and girls. He was a tall Indian\nfor his age and quite good looking.\n\nAs was the custom among the Algonquins, however, no child, boy or girl,\nwould be considered mature until he or she had a dream in which the\npowers of nature promised success and courage in his or her adult life.\n\nRed Cloud entered adolescence and he knew that the time was fast\napproaching when he would be required to spend many lonely nights in the\nforest, fasting and waiting, until the Thunderbird, the Sun, or other\npowers of nature had spoken to him.\n\nEach day Red Cloud would awake and expect his father to call him to\ninform him that today was the day. But many days passed, and still Great\nCloud did not call for his son. Soon with the excitement of the games\nand the learning of lessons from his father concerning the use of\nweapons and tracking, the problem of coming into maturity left the mind\nof Red Cloud and going off alone into the forest was the farthest thing\nfrom his mind.\n\nEach day in the beginning as he had padded along the trail with his\nfather he had expected to be told of the ordeal he must go through, but\nas each day passed and nothing was said, Red Cloud began to look forward\nto his lessons and to forget even the possibility of anything else on\nthese daily walks.\n\nSeveral months passed, and Red Cloud became quite a good hunter and\ntracker and his ability with the bow was unchallenged. His father was\nvery proud of him and each day as they returned along the trail, Great\nCloud walked with his arm lovingly across the shoulders of his son.\n\nOne afternoon when they had returned from tracking a deer, Great Cloud\nsummoned Red Cloud to his wigwam. Red Cloud thought that he might have\ndone something on the hunt which displeased his father, but he entered\nthe wigwam walking straight and proud as his father had taught him.\nGreat Cloud motioned for his son to be seated and when he had done so,\nGreat Cloud began to speak.\n\n\u201cMy son, in your dreams have any of the powers of nature appeared to you\npromising success and courage in your adult life? Now think hard, for\nthis is very important.\u201d\n\nThen and only then did Red Cloud realize that the time had come for him\nto be put to the test. Now he realized that his father was asking him\nwhether he was a mature Indian brave or whether he was still a child.\n\n\u201cNo, father, I have had no dream in which the powers of nature\nappeared.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen you know, my son, what you have to do,\u201d answered Great Cloud.\n\u201cThese many weeks you have probably wondered why I have not called you\nto me before. It was because I felt that you were not ready to bear the\nordeal of spending many lonely nights in the forest alone. When one\nretires to the deep green of the forest to await the voice of the\nThunderbird or the Sun or other powers of nature, one must go alone with\njust his weapons. Your education has been such that you would not have\nbeen able to survive in the forest very long before now, and that is why\nI have so carefully trained you in the many ways of nature and the\nforest these past few weeks. As you know, before you may be considered a\nmature Indian in the Algonquin tribe you must first hear the voice of\none of the powers of nature promising you courage and success in your\nadult life. Are you now prepared to go into the great forest and endure\nthis ordeal?\u201d\n\nRed Cloud hesitated, for he knew that his answer must be a\nstraightforward one and honest, for truth was a sacred thing to the\nIndians.\n\n\u201cO my father, I must be truthful, for so you have taught me in my\nyounger days. I have listened and watched patiently each day as I\ntrotted at your heels along the trail and I have locked away in my heart\nand in my mind all the careful little bits of information you have given\nto me which would make me a boy worthy to be called the son of Great\nCloud. The forest has been a friendly place to me, for I have spent many\nhappy hours there with you. Now I am faced with a decision which I must\nmake here and now, and all I can say to you, father, is that I, Red\nCloud, your son, am ready to go into the great forest to await the word\nfrom the powers of nature.\u201d\n\nGreat Cloud placed his hands upon the shoulders of his son and smiling\nat him said, \u201cYou have spoken well, my son. Tomorrow you shall leave for\nthe forest and look for a place where you will not be disturbed. Take\nwith you your weapons and your blanket, but no other goods such as food,\nfor you must fast while you await the dream.\u201d\n\nWith that Red Cloud departed from the wigwam to prepare for his journey\nthe following morning.\n\nThere was no sleep for the young Red Cloud that evening, as he thought\nof his coming trip into the big forest. Finally the early light of dawn\npeeked through the door of the wigwam and before most of the village was\neven astir, Red Cloud was up from his bed and had gathered his precious\nweapons and his blanket for the trip.\n\nHe bade good-bye to his mother, Morning Star, and his father, Great\nCloud, and started for the forest.\n\nIt was a beautiful morning. The bright sun shone down through the leaves\nof the great green trees of the forest and the spring flowers were all\nin gay bloom, dressed in their finest colors of reds, blues, yellows,\npurples, and oranges. As he trotted along the trail Red Cloud could hear\noverhead the many different calls and songs of the forest birds.\nOccasionally there was a rustle along the side of the trail or a rabbit\nwould scamper across the path of Red Cloud.\n\nOnce through the branch of a low-hanging birch tree, Red Cloud saw the\nmagnificent body of a full-grown buck with six points. Oh, how he\nregretted that he was not upon a hunting trip, for wouldn\u2019t that buck\nhave made a beautiful trophy to bring back to the village?\n\nThe buck, too, seemed to be aware of the reason for Red Cloud\u2019s journey,\nfor though the boy moved carefully he did stir the leaves as he walked\nand though the buck turned his majestic head he did not move from his\nspot in the glen of the forest.\n\nRed Cloud smiled to himself, recalling words of his father, \u201cSometimes\nthe wild animals seem to sense the reason for your journey and fear not\nthe approach of a warrior who is not on a hunt.\u201d At the time Red Cloud\nhad not thought much about the statement but here beside the trail it\nhad been proved to him by the actions of the majestic buck.\n\nSoon Red Cloud felt that he had journeyed deep enough into the forest\nalong the well-known trails, so he turned from the path to go into the\nforest where no trail was known to him. It was not easy going, for he\nhad to cut small brush from his path. Occasionally he would take a small\npiece of bark from the side of a tree to mark the direction he had taken\nin order to find his way back to the main trail.\n\nSoon he came to a stream and stooped to drink of the cool refreshing\nwater. As he stood up once again he gazed up through the opening in the\ntrees and noticed that evening was fast approaching and soon it would be\ndark. So he moved on more rapidly and he noticed that his direction was\ntaking him up the side of a small ridge. Finally, tired and realizing\nthat darkness would soon be upon him, Red Cloud decided to stop and make\nhis camp. He found that where he had chosen to stop, there was a small\nformation of rocks which provided a natural shelter from the cool\nevening breezes.\n\nWithin the shelter of these rocks he built himself a small fire and\nthen, wrapping his blanket around him, settled down to sleep through the\ncomforting night, hoping as all boys do that the dream would come to him\non this, his first night and that he could return to the warmth and\nshelter of his friendly wigwam and his family on the following day. But\nalso Red Cloud was prepared to spend many days, if the need arose and\nmany nights, for he had been taught endurance by his father.\n\nThe night passed quickly, and suddenly Red Cloud opened his eyes to the\nrays of the sun and a new day. Climbing from under the folds of his\nblanket he realized that he was quite thirsty and hungry. Water he could\nseek and drink, but he realized that until he had the dream he was to\npartake of no food regardless of how long he must wait. Unless, of\ncourse, he desired to return to the village and report that the spirits\nhad not spoken to him in a dream and then as was the custom of his tribe\nhe would be considered a poor unfortunate person with little hope of\nsuccess in life. So Red Cloud put the thoughts of food from his mind and\nstarted in search of water.\n\nIn the great forest one did not have to look too far for water because\nall through the great forest there ran many streams of clear cool water.\nSo it was not long before Red Cloud found such a stream and, after\nsplashing the icy cold water in his face to chase the sleep from his\neyes, he drank deeply until his thirst was satisfied. Then turning from\nthe stream he started back toward his camp.\n\nWhen he arrived back at his blanket, he spread it on the ground and then\nlay down to gaze up into the sky through the openings in the trees. He\npassed an hour or more making wonderful pictures in his mind from the\nformation of clouds that floated overhead across the heavens. Billowy\nwhite puffs of smoke they seemed to be, and Red Cloud marveled at how\nsoft and pure they looked. But soon his restless heart made him rise\nfrom the blanket and he decided to explore. He started for the top of\nthe ridge many miles away and when he had reached there he knelt,\nturning his head toward the heavens and raising his arms. And so as if\nreaching for the sun he made his prayers to the great Wakanda.\n\nWhen he had knelt in this position for an hour or more he rose to start\ndown the ridge toward his campsite again, planning to go in another\ndirection from the campsite and eventually explore the whole surrounding\narea. It was then that he noticed a slight stirring in the brush.\nQuickly Red Cloud dropped behind a shelter of rock and watched the spot\nin the brush. He did not know what to expect, for this part of the\nforest was strange to him and he did not know what might be hidden in\nthe brush. Then as he watched the brush he realized that the slight\nbreeze that was blowing would be carrying his scent right toward\nwhatever was concealed in the patch of brush.\n\nThen he saw it was a tremendous brown bear which was six feet tall on\nits hind feet. Evidently the bear had been eating blueberries from the\nbushes which covered the side of the ridge and had suddenly become aware\nof the presence of someone or something which was foreign to him. The\nbear was now raised up on his hind paws in order to look over the tops\nof the bushes and see if he could discover this thing which had invaded\nhis feeding grounds.\n\nRed Cloud crouched even lower behind the rock, for he knew that a brown\nbear could be very mean, especially when he was hungry. Then Red Cloud\nthought of his weapons. In seeking water he had left his weapons at the\ncampsite and had nothing with him but his hunting knife, which he felt\nwould do him little good against a mad full-grown brown bear. So the\nbest thing he could do was to attempt to circle the bear and get\ndownwind from him so that the bear could no longer smell him. But he\nmust do it by keeping out of sight.\n\nSlowly Red Cloud edged himself out from behind the rock, keeping his\nbody pressed close to the ground. Before he started to move he noticed\nthat the bear had settled down to feeding once again. The breeze had\ndied down but there was always the danger of a quick gust again and Red\nCloud realized he was still in a dangerous position. He hugged the\nground as hard as he could and continued to squirm away from and around\nthis dangerous bear.\n\nThen Red Cloud was aware of another danger. Having gone without food for\nalmost two whole days, he was not the strong lad that he would have been\nwhen eating two hearty meals a day. He wondered, if the bear did see\nhim, whether he would be able to run fast enough to get away from the\nbear. But getting downwind was the most important thing at this time, so\nRed Cloud continued to crawl and the rough stones on the forest floor\ncut through his shirt and into his skin, scraping it raw; but the more\nit hurt the harder Red Cloud pressed his body against the friendly\nearth.\n\nHe slowly raised his head and realized that he was now almost completely\ndownwind from the bear and that the big fellow had gone back to munching\nthe berries. For what seemed like hours, Red Cloud lay quietly in hiding\nbehind a great oak tree, not daring to look out for fear the bear would\nbe looking around just at the time he peeked out from behind the tree.\n\nAnd then it happened. Red Cloud had been lying so still, afraid to move,\nthat suddenly he felt his leg go numb and he realized that his leg had\ngone to sleep. He moved it slightly to bring circulation and life back\ninto it and in so doing he dislodged a fairly large stone which began\nits noisy fall down the side of the ridge and as it rolled it would\nclick against other stones and they too would join the miniature\nlandslide. Red Cloud huddled behind the tree and then he heard a low\ngrowl. He decided he had better take a chance and glance from behind the\ntree, and as he did his heart leapt, for the bear was looking almost\nright at him. The bear let out another terrible growl, and then from\nabove where Red Cloud lay in hiding, the young brave heard another\ngrowl.\n\nSlowly turning his head so that he could look up the ridge, he saw the\nreason for the bear\u2019s sudden anger. His berry patch had been invaded by\nanother large brown bear who was now growling out a challenge. If either\nbear had spotted Red Cloud, he was forgotten now, for they had eyes only\nfor each other and possession of the berry patch was the prize which\nthey both sought.\n\nWith mighty growls they dropped to all fours and charged at each other.\nRed Cloud, at first fascinated by this battle between two creatures of\nthe forest, stood rooted to his hiding place, but then thought more\nwisely of it and taking the chance offered him by the two bears being\ninvolved in a battle to the death, ran as swiftly as he could down the\nridge and away from the danger that threatened his very life.\n\nHe did not stop running until he had reached his campsite miles away and\nthen, throwing himself flat on the ground, thanked the great Wakanda for\nsparing him from this danger which had threatened and for bringing him\nsafely to his campsite.\n\nOnce again he offered his prayers to the powers of nature and then,\nwrapping himself in his blanket and building up the fire, he settled\ndown for the night.\n\nIt was during the warm sleep of that evening brought on by the fatigue\nof his day\u2019s adventure that Red Cloud had his dream. In his dream the\ngreat Thunderbird appeared to him telling him that he would have much\ncourage added to the courage already in his heart and that as an adult\nin the tribe he would have a great deal of success in all he attempted.\nUpon awakening at the first rays of the dawn, Red Cloud felt suddenly\nrefreshed. He had been visited in his dreams and now could return to the\nvillage.\n\nGathering his weapons he put out the embers of the fire he had made and\nscattered the dead ashes. Then with a light heart and a quick step he\nstarted back upon the path he had blazed until he reached the main\ntrail. There he quickened his step and just as dusk was beginning to\nfall, entered the village, being welcomed warmly by his many friends.\nHis father and several of the lesser chiefs were at the door of his\nfather\u2019s wigwam and that evening a council was held at the central\nlodge.\n\nThere Red Cloud rose before the male members of his tribe and recounted\nhis adventures in the great forest, closing by repeating his dream. As\nhe finished there were many grunts of approval and words of praise.\n\nBut Great Cloud said nothing, and Red Cloud wondered about this until he\nlooked into the eyes of his great father; and there he saw the fire of\npride burning brightly and in his heart he was very happy. Together\nfather and son left the central lodge that evening, and true to the\ndream, Red Cloud grew in the tribe to become one of its greatest\nwarriors.\n\n\n  This story is based upon an incident in the life of Red Cloud, an\n  Algonquin warrior, as told to the author by John Fitch, a farmer from\n  Vermont.\n\n\n\n\n                    BROKEN TOOTH AND THE WAR BONNET\n\n\nThe Apache warriors had been waiting a long time for this revenge upon\nthe maurauding Kiowas and now the time had come. The leader of the\nApache band raised his hand and the attack was on. The Apache war party\nswept down the hillside into the midst of the Kiowa camp. The camp had\nbeen caught off guard and the raiding Apaches were making short work of\nthe few Kiowa braves who would stand and fight.\n\nBroken Tooth, one of the most honored warriors of the Apache tribe, rode\ndown to a Kiowa brave and touched him with his coup stick. Then he rode\non a short ways, turned abruptly and sent an arrow into the Kiowa\u2019s\nchest.\n\nThe battle was short and furious. The Apache raiders withdrew from the\nvillage and slowly returned home to count their coup and to sing of\ntheir victory at the great council. As they rode, Broken Tooth was\nthinking ahead to the great council that night. After this raid today a\ngreat event would take place in his tepee on the morrow.\n\nThe party entered the camp and there was much rejoicing. Finally, the\nevening meal was eaten and the word was sent out that the council would\nmeet to hear the deeds of the day.\n\nWhen all the men of the tribe had gathered in the council lodge, they\nrose one by one to recount their deeds of the day. Finally, Broken Tooth\nrose and told of his riding down upon the Kiowa warrior and touching him\nwith his coup stick. He then related his other exploits of the day. The\ngreat chief rose from his place and then he spoke, \u201cBroken Tooth, you\nhave been a brave warrior and you have earned many honors. Today you\nhave added even more honors for your brave deeds.\u201d\n\nThe council then broke up, but the following day word was passed that\nBroken Tooth was on that day going to make a new headdress. As was the\ncustom, the men of the tribe gathered that afternoon in the tepee of\nBroken Tooth and all his feathers were spread upon the ground. They were\nthen sorted according to size, and the making of the headdress began. As\neach feather was being prepared for the headdress, Broken Tooth\nrecounted for the men the story of the deed that had won him that\nfeather. The men would listen and smoke and grunt approval after each\nstory. Finally, the bonnet was finished and there was no more beautiful\npiece of handiwork in the whole village.\n\nThe following day there were reports from the scouts that the Arapaho\nwere banding together and would be attacking in force. The Apaches\ngathered their warriors and rode forth to meet the enemy. A large plain\nbetween the two villages was picked as the place of battle and the\ntribes met in both hand-to-hand and long-range battle. It was a\nhard-fought battle and soon both tribes withdrew, bearing their dead and\nwounded.\n\nAmong the dead was Broken Tooth. As his body was borne back to the\nApache village many praised the beauty of the war bonnet which had been\nworn so proudly by its owner for a single day.\n\n\n\n\n                      GREY SQUIRREL HEARS HIS NAME\n\n\nThe Oneidas were a tribe of the Iroquois Nation which had swept north to\ninvade the lands of the Algonquins, spreading death and destruction.\nAfter having beaten all the surrounding Algonquin tribes badly, the\nIroquois tribes fell to fighting among themselves\u2014the Onondagas,\nMohawks, Cayugas, and Senecas, as well as the Oneidas. This constant\nbloodshed in the Mohawk valley in time weakened the tribes so that they\nwere always in danger of attack from the revenge-seeking Algonquins.\n\nIt was during this unhappy time that a young brave, Grey Squirrel, lived\namong the Oneida people. He was not an unusual Indian. He was of average\nbuild with average good looks and average abilities. He took part in\nonly the things the average young man in his tribe enjoyed\u2014hunting,\nfishing, trapping, and doing all the things they did. However, there was\none difference that set Grey Squirrel aside from his brothers of the\ntribe: Grey Squirrel had never heard his name spoken by the chiefs of\nthe tribe. All the other braves of his age had either heard the chiefs\ncall their names while on the hunt, at a tribal ceremony, or while\nwalking in the woods or swimming in the stream.\n\nSo Grey Squirrel began to wonder whether he had ever done anything\nwhich, in the eyes of the chiefs, made him unworthy. He had fought in\ngreat battles, but he had never been cowardly. So cowardice could not be\nthe reason. He had never failed to hunt well, to keep his wigwam warm\nand sturdy, and to see that there was enough food for all the family. He\ncould see no way in which he had been unworthy of the chiefs\u2019 notice.\nOften Grey Squirrel would walk by the quiet stream and ponder the reason\nfor his being a brave forgotten by the chiefs.\n\nAs Grey Squirrel\u2019s heart grew troubled, he sought the wise advice of his\nfather, Grey Owl. One evening, he approached his father\u2019s wigwam and\nasked if he might speak with him about something which tormented his\nmind. Grey Owl invited him into his home and they both sat cross-legged\naround the small fire in the center of the wigwam. There was a long\nperiod of silence and then Grey Owl spoke.\n\n\u201cWhat is it that troubles you so deeply, my son? I have often watched\nyou wander from the village to the near-by stream and sit and ponder. I\nhave watched you return with a downcast look from the hunt or battle\nwhen you should have been joyful that your bow had proven straight and\ntrue in whatever task you set for it.\u201d His father paused. \u201cSpeak, my\nson, unburden your heart to your father who has loved you and guided you\nfrom babyhood to fine young manhood.\u201d\n\nGrey Squirrel looked long at his father and as he watched his father\u2019s\neyes, his face softened and he said, \u201cO wise and kind father, many years\nI walked the forest trails at your heels carefully watching every move,\nimitating all that you taught me to the best of my ability. Many, many\nhours we spent together beneath the sheltering branches of the towering\noak trees, listening with our ears to the voices of the forest. You\ntaught me how to listen and what to listen for, so that my ears have\ngrown very keen. Today the deer may not tread the forest floor that I do\nnot hear, nor the rabbit scurry for cover that I cannot uncover the\nentrance to his home, nor the bluebird set his wings for flight that I\ncannot immediately see his starting place. And yet, dear father, there\nis one sound I have listened for and have not heard.\u201d\n\nGrey Owl had been listening calmly to all that his young son had to say.\nSurprise crossed his face with his son\u2019s last words, and then a gentle\nsmile came upon his lips. \u201cTell me, Grey Squirrel, what is this sound\nyou listen so hard for but cannot hear?\u201d\n\n\u201cO father,\u201d Grey Squirrel said, \u201cI have listened for the voices of our\ngreat chiefs calling my name, but to this day I have not heard them. Am\nI not in favor with those who watch over our tribe and guide our feet\nalong the safe paths? Tell me, father, why do I not hear my name spoken\nby them? I have listened along the forest trails or in the din of\nbattle. I have lain awake in the quiet of my wigwam listening for just a\nwhisper. All the other braves of our village are proud that they have\nheard their names repeated by the chiefs. I alone have not. What is\nwrong, father? I have come to you to seek your wise answer.\u201d\n\nGrey Owl lowered his eyes to the ground as he searched his thoughts for\nthe right reply. Then he lifted his head slowly and studied his son\u2019s\nface. He began to speak slowly and kindly. \u201cMy son, you have made one\nvery great mistake. Without having meant to do so, you have done the one\nthing which could have prevented you from hearing the chiefs call your\nname.\u201d\n\n\u201cTell me, father,\u201d Grey Squirrel said impatiently, \u201ctell me what it is!\u201d\n\nGrey Owl rose and walked behind his son. Placing his hands upon the\nyoung man\u2019s shoulders, he said, \u201cBecause you have walked in search of\ntheir praise you have spent many hours expecting to hear them praise\nyou. Do not listen so hard, my son. Live your life the best you know\nhow. One day you shall be rewarded by hearing the voices of the chiefs\nwho watch over our tribe. Do not be troubled any longer. Return to your\nwigwam and your family and continue to be a good husband and father. If\nyou allow it to worry you greatly, it will soon hurt your whole life.\nYou are young, my son. You have not been forgotten.\u201d\n\nGrey Squirrel rose then, and faced his father. \u201cFather,\u201d he said, \u201cyour\nwords are of little comfort. But I will follow your advice, for it has\nbeen wise and good through the years of my youth.\u201d With that, Grey\nSquirrel turned and left his father\u2019s wigwam.\n\nHe returned to his own home and was greeted warmly by his good wife,\nMorning Star, who had prepared a fine meal for him. All through his\ndinner, Grey Squirrel thought carefully about his father\u2019s words. But\nwhen he went to bed that evening, he decided that he should drive these\ntroubled thoughts from his mind. The weeks that followed were very\npleasant for Grey Squirrel. The hunting and fishing were good.\nEverything was going well. The people of the village saw the sudden\nchange in Grey Squirrel and the fact that he no longer appeared worried.\nGrey Squirrel felt better, greeting each new day happily.\n\nOne day Grey Squirrel shouldered his bow and chose his best arrows.\nBidding his family good-bye, he started toward the forest to hunt for\nfresh meat for his family. He trotted easily along the forest trail,\nstopping now and then to study the ground and look for signs of moving\ngame.\n\nHe had been on the trail for a while when he came to a narrow stream.\nStooping to drink of the fresh, cool water, he stopped with his hand\nhalfway to his mouth. He blinked his eyes and looked again into the\nstream, not moving a muscle. There, in a quiet pool next to his\nreflection was that of the head and antlers of a beautiful deer. Slowly\nthe brave lifted his head until he was looking straight into the eyes of\na magnificent buck standing directly across the stream, almost within\nreach. As Grey Squirrel straightened up slowly, the buck shied a little\nand backed off. Many thoughts passed through Grey Squirrel\u2019s head, but\nthe one which puzzled him most was why the buck shied only a little and\nthen stood and watched him without any sign of fear after that.\n\nGrey Squirrel lowered a hand slowly to reach for his bow which he had\nplaced upon the ground as he was kneeling to drink. Grasping the bow\nfirmly, he fitted an arrow onto the bow string and took careful aim. The\ngreat buck\u2019s eyes stayed his hand from releasing the arrow and made him\nlower the bow. His mind told Grey Squirrel that this buck would provide\ngood food, but his heart told him to stop. Then he noticed that the deer\nwas favoring his right hoof and realized that the buck had an injury.\nThe leg just above the hoof was swollen to almost twice its normal size.\nGrey Squirrel dropped his bow and arrow to the ground, and with careful\nand even steps, waded across the stream toward the buck.\n\nThe animal suddenly turned as if to spring into the forest, but his leg\ncollapsed under him and he fell to the ground. Grey Squirrel guessed\nthat the deer must have already used up his strength in escaping from\nwhatever had caused the injury, had come to the stream to bathe the\ninjured leg, and could go no further. Now the buck was struggling to\nrise and Grey Squirrel jumped quickly to his side. Firmly but gently,\nthe Indian placed one knee against the buck\u2019s side, one hand on the\nanimal\u2019s chest, the other on the buck\u2019s neck to hold him steady. The\nanimal was frightened and trembled. Grey Squirrel spoke softly to the\nbuck and began to stroke its side, each time managing to bring his hand\na little closer to the injured hoof. Finally the buck seemed to sigh and\nrelaxed as though he understood that this man wanted to help him.\n\nGrey Squirrel leaned over to look at the injured leg more closely. The\nbuck apparently had run into some heavy brambles and a large thorn had\nlodged in the soft part of the leg just above the hoof, which had become\ninfected and had begun to fester. Grey Squirrel took his knife from his\nbelt and pressed the point of the blade into the flesh beside the thorn.\nThe buck\u2019s leg quivered slightly. Then the thorn and a misty fluid\nspurted from the wound. Grey Squirrel took wet leaves and mud from the\nbed of the stream and laid them over the wound. All through this\noperation the buck lay still, allowing Grey Squirrel to do as he\npleased. The animal continued to lie there quietly as though waiting for\nany more help the Indian might gave him.\n\nGrey Squirrel went back to the stream and, cupping his hands, brought\nsome cool water for the animal. The buck drank it eagerly. A long time\npassed while Grey Squirrel kept vigil over the resting buck.\nOccasionally as he moved to another position, the buck would follow him\nwith his eyes; when Grey Squirrel settled down again, the buck would put\nhis head back on the earth and he too would rest again. Finally, dusk\ndrew near and it began to darken in the forest. As if by signal, the\nbuck arose, tested his injured leg, glanced at Grey Squirrel, and\nstarted for the protection of the dense trees. Grey Squirrel called and\nthe buck stopped at the edge of the woods and turned to look back. He\ncocked his head to one side as if to say \u201cthank you,\u201d and then moved\ninto the thick woods and out of sight.\n\nGrey Squirrel suddenly became angry with himself and shouted aloud,\n\u201cWhat a fool you are, Grey Squirrel! There, before you, was food for\nyour family for a whole week. But you let the buck make you feel sorry\nfor him. You cared for his injury, and now he has left you empty-handed\nafter a whole day of hunting, with only the story of a deer who let you\npet him\u2014as if anyone would believe you! You are a fool, Grey Squirrel!\u201d\n\nThen there was a loud rustling near by. All of a sudden, Grey Squirrel\nheard a voice, calling his name.\n\n\u201cGrey Squirrel!\u201d the voice boomed, echoing in the forest. \u201cDon\u2019t be\nangry with yourself. I witnessed what you did today. Your tribe will\nhonor you. It takes courage to travel in the forests alone in search of\nfood. But it takes greater courage to forget to be a hunter when his\nprey is so easy a target because of an injury. You sacrificed time and\nfood for your family\u2019s table to help the injured buck. If you had killed\nthe animal, you would have felt cowardly. Return to our village, hold\nyour head high, and tell of your deed today. Do not worry if they do not\nbelieve you at first. Your heart is happy for your kindness. Go, Grey\nSquirrel, it grows late. I will ask the chiefs to hear your story at the\ncouncil fire tonight.\u201d\n\nIn quiet wonder, Grey Squirrel stood gazing at Strong Heart, the great\nwar chief of the Oneidas, who stepped out of the woods only a few paces\nfrom the spot where the buck had stopped briefly to gaze back at him.\nLifting his bow from the ground, Grey Squirrel started back to his\nfamily and his wigwam. In his heart were a warmth and peace that he had\nnever felt before.\n\n\n\n\n                               4. HEROISM\n\n\n\n\n                       LITTLE FAWN AND THE WOLVES\n\n\nIt had been a very poor hunting year for the Choctaw Tribe. Little Fawn,\ndaughter of Wolf\u2019s Tooth, sat in her wigwam, thinking about her hunger.\nNot just Little Fawn, but everyone in the village was beginning to feel\nthe pangs of hunger. One month still remained before the ice would thaw\nin the lakes, and the fish would begin to swim again, and the young\ngreen sprouts of grass would burst through the earth and draw the game\nback to the hunting ground. A grave decision had to be made. When the\nCouncil had gathered, Wolf\u2019s Tooth rose up and spoke.\n\n\u201cWe need food. If we are not to starve, we must organize a strong\nhunting party, and travel south to seek out the animals that have\nwandered from our hunting grounds.\u201d\n\nThere were many grunts of approval. The decision was made that a great\nhunting party would leave the following day for the south. There was\nmuch dancing and preparation for the hunt. Tough hickory bows were\ntested again and again for weak spots. Sinew cords that were old or\nmight have weak spots were cast aside, and new ones strung on the\nhickory bows. Knives and tomahawks were made ready. The tension mounted\nuntil dawn when the hunting party started from the village toward the\nsouth.\n\nLittle Fawn gazed slowly around the encampment and immediately noticed\nthat all the strong young braves were gone. All that remained were the\nold men, the sick, the women and children. This bothered Little Fawn,\nuntil she thought to herself, \u201cWhat could happen? Nothing. We will be\nsafe as long as we stay in our village.\u201d\n\nBefore the men left on the trip, they had been so confident they would\nbring back home an ample supply of meat that they gave their families\nextra rations of meat and greens which they had been guarding well. Some\nof the families were careful and, though given plenty, still used the\nextra food sparingly; but many of the families could not resist the\ntemptation to feast, and built up fires to cook the extra meat and\ngreens. It was just this mistake that nearly cost many of the remaining\nChoctaw people their lives.\n\nJust as the families were sitting down to eat, a howl echoed from out of\nthe forest and then another and another from different directions. The\nwomen became frightened and some of the children began to cry. Some of\nthe men began to cry too, because they realized that they were old and\nsick and could give little help to the women and children against the\ndanger that was now just outside their village.\n\nHow well they knew the sounds which came from the forests on the edge of\nthe camp! The wolves were hungry, for their hunting season had been a\npoor one too. These lean and starving savage beasts had been drawn to\nthe outskirts of the village by the smell of the large quantities of\nmeat cooking in the many vessels throughout the village. The howling\ncontinued, and it grew louder as many more voices joined the circle of\nwolves slowly closing in on the village.\n\nFood and hunger were forgotten by the older squaws as they hurried to\ncarry their children to the comparative safety of the wigwam. Suddenly,\nall were stricken with panic except Little Fawn. Though her little heart\npounded in her breast, Little Fawn searched her mind for a solution to\nthis threat of death to her people. She ran quickly to her home and\nthere found her younger brother, Flying Squirrel, crouched in the corner\nof the wigwam, shaking with fear. Slowly she explained to him that he\nmust stop shaking and listen carefully. Though only a young boy, she\ntold him, he must now become a man. He must leave immediately upon the\ntrail of the hunting party to bring help to the village while she,\nLittle Fawn, stayed behind to do whatever she could to help her people.\n\nFlying Squirrel knew the job he must do. So he immediately set out upon\nthe trail of the hunting party, helped by the bright moon and driven on\nby thoughts of his brave young sister who was staying behind to face\nthis howling menace of a pack of wolves. Both fear and courage lent\nwings to his feet as he sped through the circle of wolves and down the\ntrail in pursuit of the hunting party.\n\nMeanwhile, Little Fawn called two other young Indian girls to her and\nexplained that the only reason the wolves were staying as far from the\nvillage was their fear of the many fires which still burned brightly in\nthe village.\n\n\u201cSo,\u201d Little Fawn said, \u201cit is our job to keep those fires burning all\nnight, and to make torches and light them on the edge of the village to\nkeep the wolves away.\u201d Reluctantly the girls agreed, and fires were\nbuilt up. The three girls made torches of pine knots and placed them in\na wide circle at the edge of the village.\n\nAll night they kept the fires burning, and all night the howling of the\nwolves kept up. With the coming of dawn, however, the wolves scurried\nback into the forest. Only then did the girls who had helped Little Fawn\ndecide to take a much needed rest. But Little Fawn could not rest\nbecause she was so worried about her little brother, Flying Squirrel. At\njust about this time, he reached the hunting party and, after explaining\nwhat had happened, collapsed in the arms of his father.\n\nWolf\u2019s Tooth chose a half dozen warriors and immediately started home\nfor the village which was almost a full day\u2019s journey away.\n\nBack at the village, Little Fawn was busy gathering wood for the fires\nthat coming evening. Soon many willing hands were helping in this task.\nAs the day wore on, Little Fawn anxiously watched the south trail for\nsigns of the returning warriors. As the sun began to set, Little Fawn\nbegan to wonder if Flying Squirrel had been able to reach Wolf\u2019s Tooth\nand his band. Little Fawn knew that the wolves would be back after the\nsun set.\n\nIt grew dark fast. Little Fawn went to look at the many torches around\nthe village, lighting any that had gone out and preparing once again for\nthe long wait. As she reached to set another torch ablaze, she heard a\nlow, threatening growl almost beside her. Turning slowly around, Little\nFawn found she was gazing into the sharp eyes of a hungry wolf who must\nhave followed her right to this spot. Little Fawn drew back in fear\nuntil her back pressed against a hickory tree as the wolf crouched to\nspring. There was no escape and Little Fawn faced the wolf trembling.\nThe wolf leaped. There was the sudden twang of a bowstring. A howl of\nagony came from the throat of the wolf as the arrow struck home. The\nrescue party had arrived just in time. Wolf\u2019s Tooth\u2019s arrow had found\nits mark. The rescue party killed most of the wolves and drove off the\nrest of the pack. All the next day Little Fawn and her brother, Flying\nSquirrel, were thanked and praised by her tribe.\n\nWolf Tooth told them: \u201cI am very proud of my children. My son moves even\nmore swiftly than a flying squirrel. My daughter may be as gentle as a\nlittle fawn, but she is braver than a pack of wolves.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                               THE ISLAND\n\n\nWhite Eagle was a young Iroquois boy. His favorite friend was Shining\nStar, a young Indian girl from his tribe. The small village in which\nthey lived stood on the shore of a large and beautiful lake that could\nbecome very dangerous in a sudden storm.\n\nScattered in the lake were many small islands. When parents were sure\nthat their children could handle the tribe\u2019s canoes safely in the lake,\nthey allowed them to explore these islands. A favorite sport of White\nEagle and Shining Star was to paddle to one of these islands to search\nfor berries and other wild fruit.\n\nOne sunny summer day, White Eagle and Shining Star decided to take a\ncanoe trip to one of the islands farthest from their village. As far as\nWhite Eagle knew, the island they planned to visit was at the other end\nof the long lake. Excitedly, the two children went down to the shore and\nset out on their adventure across the calm, blue lake. They enjoyed\npaddling in the sun because its beams seemed to warm them to their\nhearts.\n\nThey had been paddling gaily and laughing a great deal for some time\nwhen Shining Star suddenly turned to White Eagle with an unhappy look on\nher pretty face.\n\n\u201cWhite Eagle,\u201d she said sadly, \u201cI am getting tired. I think we should\nvisit one of the islands nearer home. I don\u2019t think I can help you\npaddle all the way across this great lake and back again.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d said White Eagle kindly, \u201cthere is an island over there\nthat we have never visited before. We will go ashore there and hunt for\nberries.\u201d\n\nWithout saying any more, the children turned their canoe and headed for\nthe island about one hundred paces away. Soon their canoe was scraping\nbottom on a sand bar that seemed to lead from the island into the water.\nStepping from the canoe, White Eagle steadied it while Shining Star\nstepped ashore. Finally, he pulled the canoe up onto the shore so that\nit would not be carried away from the island into the lake and leave\nthem stranded. Then, hand in hand, the children began to explore.\n\nNow these islands were not small and, if one were not careful, he could\nreally get lost for a little while. So the children were careful to mark\ntheir trail with broken branches as they went. In their eagerness to\nexplore this island they forgot what they had actually come for.\n\n\u201cWe have never been on this island before,\u201d said White Eagle. \u201cAt least,\nI don\u2019t remember having been on it before now.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d answered Shining Star. \u201cWe have never been here before.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, the only thing to do is look around.\u201d Maybe White Eagle was\nthinking of himself as an Indian warrior when he added, \u201cLet\u2019s see if we\ncan find any enemies.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, don\u2019t be silly, White Eagle! We won\u2019t find any enemies on this\nisland,\u201d Shining Star said, laughing and forgetting how tired she had\nbeen.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t fool yourself, Shining Star. My father tells me that sometimes\nthe enemy will set up camp on an island near a village to keep watch on\nthe tribe. Then when they feel that the village is off guard, they\nattack.\u201d\n\nWhite Eagle said this with such a serious face that Shining Star became\nfrightened. \u201cLet\u2019s go home, White Eagle, I\u2019m afraid.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t be silly, little one, I was only fooling.\u201d (Now he played the\npart of a warrior again.) \u201cThere is probably no living thing upon this\nisland but ourselves. Come on! We\u2019re wasting time. Let\u2019s start\nexploring.\u201d\n\nThe two children continued to investigate the island, always making sure\nthat they were leaving a plain trail so that they could return to their\ncanoe in safety. After several hours, they decided that there were no\nberries on this island so they might as well return home. They turned\naround and started back for the shore, trying to follow their trail\ncarefully.\n\nSooner than he had expected, White Eagle could see the lake waters, but\nwhen they reached the shore he realized that this was not where they had\nlanded. And there was no canoe. Looking out across the water, White\nEagle knew that they were on another side of the island. Perhaps they\nhad followed a fresh trail someone else had left.\n\nShining Star seated herself on a log about ten paces from the shore to\nrest and wait for White Eagle to make a decision.\n\n\u201cCome, Shining Star,\u201d he said confidently, \u201cwe will walk along the shore\nuntil we reach our canoe.\u201d\n\nSo taking hands once again, the children started along the shore of the\nisland. Suddenly, the sky became black, a strong wind came up, and dark\nstorm clouds started moving in over the lake.\n\n\u201cHurry, Shining Star!\u201d he said with just a touch of fear in his voice.\n\u201cA storm is coming over the lake. We must hurry if we are to reach home\nbefore the waves get so high that we can\u2019t paddle our canoe.\u201d\n\nShining Star started to run, but stumbled and fell, twisting her ankle.\nShe cried out in pain and White Eagle knelt by her side.\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve hurt my ankle,\u201d Shining Star told him, holding back her tears.\n\nWhite Eagle lifted the young girl in his arms and started carrying her.\nSoon they reached the place where the canoe was beached. Placing her\ngently into the canoe, White Eagle shoved the canoe into the water and\nclimbed inside.\n\nThe sky had become very dark. They could hear thunder and see flashes of\nlightning across the lake. Rain was beginning to fall fast. Now even\nWhite Eagle was afraid, but he tried his best to hide his fear from\nShining Star. Using all the strength he could muster, he paddled\nfuriously toward home, but the winds now were pounding the light canoe\nand seemed to drive him further and further from their village. Shining\nStar lay quietly in the bow of the canoe. She was too brave an Indian\ngirl to cry but her eyes, peering through the driving rain toward White\nEagle\u2019s face, pleaded with him to get them safely home.\n\nAnd then, without warning, a great gust of wind caught the bow of the\ncanoe and swung it hard. White Eagle leaned in the opposite direction to\nbalance the canoe. Suddenly, the wind shifted. Before White Eagle had a\nchance to turn the bow into the wind, it caught the canoe again and,\nwith a loud swish, turned it over into the lake.\n\nAmidst his surprise and confusion White Eagle\u2019s first thought was for\nShining Star. He heard the girl sputtering and coughing. He looked to\nsee her head just appearing above the water beside the canoe. Reaching\nhis hand out, he grasped her arm and pulled her to him. Then grasping\nthe underside of the overturned canoe, he pulled Shining Star so that\nher arms rested on the canoe and she was able to grasp the keel.\n\nThus the two children hung on for what seemed like hours but actually\nwas only a few minutes. The water was cold. White Eagle began to shiver,\nnot so much because the water was cold, but because the rain was colder\nand the biting wind made it even worse.\n\nAnd then as quickly as the storm had come, it was gone. White Eagle\ntried, but did not have the strength to hold on to Shining Star and turn\nthe canoe. Just when he was giving up any chance of getting to shore,\nstrong hands gripped his arms. It was then that White Eagle realized\nthat he was losing consciousness. Everything went black.\n\nWhen he finally woke, he found that he was in his bed in his own wigwam.\nHis mother was kneeling by him with a cup of hot broth. Slowly he\nsipped. And then he could hold back no longer.\n\n\u201cMy mother, what of Shining Star?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe is all right, my son. You have done well this day. It was feared\nthat you children would be caught in the storm, so your father and\nShining Star\u2019s father set forth in their canoes and reached you both\njust as you were slipping from the canoe. You are a brave lad, White\nEagle, and your father is proud as is the father of Shining Star. You\nsaved her life and she was brave, as you were.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                           A NEW BOW FOR TANI\n\n\nTani was a small Cherokee lad who lived during the great Hundred Years\u2019\nWar between the Northern and Southern tribes. When he was twelve years\nold, Tani\u2019s only wish was to own a bow like his father\u2019s\u2014a strong\nhickory bow with a stout hide thong and a quiver of straight strong\narrows.\n\nEach time he would approach his father about owning such a bow, his\nfather would laugh, and placing his hand on his son\u2019s head, tell him in\na kindly voice that he was still a little too young to handle a\nman-sized hickory bow. This always made Tani feel a little sad because,\nbeing a boy of twelve, he thought he was man enough to own one.\n\nOne day Tani\u2019s father called Tani to him and told him they would be\ngoing on a hunting trip and asked if he would like to go along. Tani was\noverjoyed and all he could think about for the next three days was the\nforthcoming trip with his father. When the time finally arrived, Tani\nprepared for the trip just as his father did and noticed his father\nplace war paint on his face and chest and arms. Tani said good-bye to\nall, and when he said good-bye to his mother he noticed she was crying.\nHe did not understand, for his father had not told him that the hunting\ntrip they were going on was to seek out Talitanigska, one of the great\nCherokee Chieftains, and report to him the movements of a large band of\nSeneca Indians. This was a very dangerous journey, for the Seneca\nIndians were deadly enemies of the Cherokee Tribe.\n\nAs Tani and his father traveled swiftly along the back paths of the vast\nforests toward the encampment of Talitanigska, one thought kept rushing\nthrough the little brave\u2019s mind: What great adventure was his father\nleading him into? Tani soon learned the answer to this question. That\nevening, as Tani and his father were seated at a small guarded fire off\nto the side of the trail, Tani\u2019s father told him the nature of their\ntask.\n\nThe little brave\u2019s heart pounded as he learned the reason for their\njourney. That night as they rolled in their blankets and slept, Tani\ndreamed of many Seneca Indians attacking his father and himself and of\nhis standing back to back with his father, beating off the attackers.\n\nWhen the dawn broke, Tani and his father were on their way. They were\ncareful to avoid any soft earth that might leave signs for roving\nSenecas to find and follow.\n\nAbout midafternoon Tani\u2019s father turned into a shallow stream and\nstarted north against the current. Suddenly, his father slipped and fell\nheavily head first into the stream. Tani reached his father\u2019s side and\nfound his father could not stand. He helped him ashore and seated him\nagainst the trunk of a tree on the bank. A gash was red with blood\nacross the forehead of Tani\u2019s father. Tani saw that his father\u2019s ankle\nwas badly twisted. Not a word was spoken, but Tani built a small fire\nand made his father as comfortable as possible.\n\nFor several hours as the sun slowly sank behind the hills, Tani\u2019s father\nworried about the situation he and his son were in. He was tired and he\nmust have dozed, for he woke with a start as he felt his bow being\nlifted from his fingers. He watched in silence as Tani fitted an arrow\nto the bow, pulled back the string and let fly. The arrow buried itself\nin a near-by bush. There was a thud, followed by a terrifying scream. A\nSeneca sprang up and fell dead across the path. Tani rushed forward and,\nhaving made sure their enemy was dead, returned to his father\u2019s side.\nWithout a word he continued his sleepless watch.\n\nThe night passed without incident but as dawn approached, Tani heard a\nrustle in the near-by bush. He raised his bow ready to fire, but\nrecognized the head feathers of his Cherokee brothers and let the bow\ndrop to the ground. He leaped forward with a happy cry. The two braves\nwere from Talitanigska\u2019s camp. They quickly made a sling hammock to\ncarry Tani\u2019s father and soon the four of them set forth for the great\nChieftain\u2019s camp.\n\nOnce safely within the camp, Tani\u2019s father was well cared for and soon\nwas able to stand once again on his injured foot. Two weeks after their\narrival at Talitanigska\u2019s camp a great council fire was held to\ncelebrate the victory of the Cherokees over their enemies, the Senecas.\nAs the festivities came to a close, Talitanigska stepped to the center\nof the ring and asked that Tani step forward. Then, in front of the\ngreat Cherokee Chieftains, Talitanigska took his stout hickory bow from\nhis shoulder and placed it in Tani\u2019s hands.\n\n\u201cThis is for you, Tani,\u201d he said, \u201cfor you are a great brave and now a\nman among men. You stood full of courage in the face of great danger.\nBecause of your quick thinking, you saved your father\u2019s life and made it\npossible for your father to bring me the valuable information. This\ninformation helped our fellow tribesmen to meet and defeat the Senecas,\nour enemies.\u201d\n\nTani did not know what to say; but the following morning, as he and his\nfather prepared to leave, he stepped in front of Chief Talitanigska and\nthanked him for the gift. He said he would always cherish the great\nhickory bow and remember the great kindness shown him by one of the\ngreat Chiefs of the Cherokee nation. Tani had his bow, just like his\nfather\u2019s. There was no happier brave alive as he tramped closely behind\nhis father on the path home.\n\n\n\n\n                  SINGING WATERS AND THE MEDICINE WELL\n\n\nSinging Waters\u2019 work as an Indian maiden in the Teton-Dakota tribe was\ntypical of the work of Indian maidens across the continent. Each year\nshe would make new clothing for her family and each day of the year she\nwould cook and do the many little things that were the duty of a good\nIndian squaw. The work was hard but Singing Waters did not mind, for she\nloved her husband and her children and was very happy and proud to be\nable to help them.\n\nWhen she found that she had some free time, Singing Waters would join\nthe other women of the tribe to boast about her husband\u2019s great deeds on\nthe hunt and in battle. This was a favorite pastime of all the squaws.\nThey would spend many hours throughout the years to talk, over and over\nagain about the adventures of their braves. Each time they would repeat\nthe stories with even more enthusiasm.\n\nOne day, all the tribe\u2019s braves had left to hunt down a great buffalo\nherd for food and clothing for the tribe. Singing Waters was seated in\nfront of her tepee, teaching her two daughters how to cook, when the\nmorning sky grew suddenly very black. A great quiet fell upon the\nvillage. Even the dogs that seemed to spend their day barking for no\ngood reason were silent. Singing Waters heard only the wind as it\nwhispered through the village.\n\nThen from the distance, there came a rumble that seemed to come slowly\nnearer and nearer to the village. Singing Waters realized quickly that a\ndust storm was heading for her village. The other squaws had heard it,\ntoo, and were rushing to gather their children into their tepees and\nbind the skins across the entrances as tightly as they could. The dogs\nwhimpered and scattered for whatever shelter they could find. The\nvillage did not have to wait long, for the winds were soon lashing\nagainst the tepees, straining their fastenings, and the dust was\nwhipping through the village like a flood tide rushing over the rocks on\nthe seashore.\n\nThe dust reached into every opening in Singing Waters\u2019 tepee. It wasn\u2019t\nlong before a fine coating of it covered everything and everyone inside.\nHer two daughters huddled close to her, crying slightly because of their\nfear of the storm. But soon the wind blew out of the village, and the\nlast dust clouds settled to the ground. One by one the flaps of the\ntepees swung back. Mothers, children and old men began to come out. They\nfound that many things, left outside in the haste of escaping from the\nstorm, were covered with coats of light brown dust. Everyone began\ncleaning up the village and sweeping away the dust which had piled up\nagainst the sides of the tepees.\n\nWhile this was happening a young boy, named Fat Buffalo because he was\nshort and very fat, came running through the village, crying that his\nmother was lost. Singing Waters halted him and shook him a little to\nmake him stop his screaming. When he had quieted, she was able to learn\nthat Brown Fawn, the boy\u2019s mother, had left the tepee early that morning\nto seek fresh water. She had been gone only a little while when the\nstorm struck. Now she was not back in the tepee and Fat Buffalo was\nfrightened.\n\nSinging Waters was worried, but did not tell Fat Buffalo. She knew that\nan Indian woman out in such a storm might easily fall under the stinging\npelting of the sand, only to be smothered by it. She might never be\nfound unless, years later, new storms should blow away the dust and\nreveal the dry bones of a skeleton and a few bits of her clothing.\nThough Singing Waters felt panic in her heart, she quieted herself and\nspoke calmly to Fat Buffalo.\n\n\u201cGo back to your tepee, Fat Buffalo, and wait. Your mother probably\nfound shelter from the storm. Now that it has stopped she will be home\nsoon. If it will make you feel better, I will go and look for her.\nReturn now to your tepee. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if your mother were\nthere already.\u201d\n\nHow Singing Waters hoped that Brown Fawn was back in the village by now!\nIt would be almost an impossible task to find her here on the plains if\nshe were dead or even hurt. First, Singing Waters would not know in\nwhich direction to start. The water hole that she and most of the tribe\nused was to the south, but there were many water holes in many\ndirections from the village. Singing Waters decided that she should go\nto Brown Fawn\u2019s tepee and find out if anyone else in the family knew in\nwhich direction she had gone.\n\nAfter warning her two daughters to stay close to home, saying that she\nwould be back shortly, Singing Waters ran swiftly through the village.\nReaching Brown Fawn\u2019s tepee, she opened the tent flap and stepped\ninside. As her eyes grew used to the darkness, she saw Fat Buffalo\nkneeling in the far corner of the tepee, crying. Approaching slowly,\nSinging Waters saw that there was someone else in the tepee and that Fat\nBuffalo was kneeling next to that person. As she drew near, her heart\nwas happy, for she thought that Brown Fawn had returned and was\ncomforting Fat Buffalo. She was about to turn and leave when she\nsuddenly realized that this woman was not Brown Fawn, but Fat Buffalo\u2019s\ngrandmother, Little Otter, who held the boy\u2019s head on her lap.\n\nSinging Waters approached quietly and spoke softly to Little Otter. \u201cHas\nBrown Fawn returned yet with the water?\u201d she asked with slight hope in\nher voice.\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Little Otter, \u201cand it was because of me that she went in\nsearch of water. We have some water here in the tepee. But I have not\nbeen feeling well, and Brown Fawn thought that herbs brewed in fresh\nspring water from the rocks on the near-by hills might make a tea which\nwould help my sickness to leave.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut,\u201d said Singing Waters, \u201cthe hills where the streams flow are many\nmiles from here. If Brown Fawn left when the sun rose, then she might\njust have reached the spring when the storm came. She is probably on her\nway back to the village right now.\u201d\n\nThe sad news about Brown Fawn soon reached everyone in the village. Many\nanxious eyes watched the trail that led from the hills. Each person\nhoped to be first to catch sight of Brown Fawn and bring happiness to\nLittle Otter and Fat Buffalo.\n\nLater that afternoon, Singing Waters came once again to Brown Fawn\u2019s\ntepee. She talked quietly with Little Otter and then hurried back to her\ntepee and placed a warm buffalo jacket across her shoulders. Then taking\nher two little daughters, she went to her sister\u2019s tepee and asked if\nshe might leave the children there for supper while she went in search\nof Brown Fawn. Her sister looked at her and asked, \u201cWhy do you not wait\nuntil the warriors return? They should be coming any time now, and they\ncould go in search of Brown Fawn! You have two little children to think\nabout.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said Singing Waters, \u201cI have two little children to think about,\nbut we do not know when the warriors will be back. If the hunting is\ngood they may not return for another week. Brown Fawn may not be too far\nfrom the village.\u201d Nothing Singing Waters\u2019 sister could say to her would\nchange her mind. So she set out from the village toward the mountain\nspring known to the members of her tribe as the medicine well. It was\ngetting late in the day, and Singing Waters knew that she must hurry if\nshe were to reach the medicine well before sunset. She knew the trail\nwell. As a girl she had followed it many times, for there always seemed\nto be some sickness in her village.\n\nSinging Waters finally came in sight of the ridge beyond which lay the\nmedicine well, still having found no trace of Brown Fawn. Tirelessly,\nshe trotted on until she had climbed the ridge and had worked her way to\nthe place from which the water flowed into the medicine well. As Singing\nWaters approached the medicine well, she called Brown Fawn\u2019s name\nsoftly, but heard no answer. Then she began to call more loudly.\nSuddenly, from far ahead she heard a voice answer. Now Singing Waters\nbegan to run, for she feared that Brown Fawn was in serious trouble. She\nran until she reached the side of the medicine well, but still did not\nsee Brown Fawn. Then she called again and the voice answered. \u201cHelp me,\nI am over here.\u201d\n\nThe voice was coming from beyond the medicine well. Singing Waters ran\non further; then she stopped and called again. The voice replied again,\nand Singing Waters knew that she was closer. Brown Fawn\u2019s voice seemed\nto be coming from just behind a rise ahead of her. She ran swiftly to\nthe top of the rise, and there she found a water bag. As she looked down\nthe side of the rise through the gathering gloom she could make out\nBrown Fawn\u2019s figure down the side of the hill. She sat leaning against a\nboulder, and she called out to Singing Waters to help her. Singing\nWaters slipped and slid in her haste down the side of the hill until she\nwas at the side of Brown Fawn. Brown Fawn was so glad to see her that\nshe cried, great tears rolling down her now pale cheeks.\n\nSinging Waters could see that Brown Fawn had twisted her ankle. As she\nbegan to lift the injured woman, Singing Waters asked her how she had\nhurt herself and how she had escaped the storm. Brown Fawn told how she\nhad reached the medicine well just as the dust storm had broken. After\nfilling her water bag, she had turned quickly to go and had fallen,\ntwisting her ankle. When she was once again able to rise, putting her\nweight on her other ankle, she found that she had lost all sense of\ndirection and had started hobbling in the wrong direction.\n\n\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you lie down among the rocks until the storm passed?\u201d\nSinging Waters asked.\n\n\u201cI wanted to rest,\u201d Brown Fawn replied, \u201cbut then I would think of my\nmother and son and I felt I must return to her and Fat Buffalo\nimmediately with the medicine water.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut,\u201d said Singing Waters, \u201cyou are safe now. Now we must return to the\nvillage while there is still a little light or we may become lost out\nhere on the prairie far away from the warmth of our tepees. Come, Brown\nFawn, lean upon me and I will help you to walk.\u201d\n\nSo Brown Fawn placed her arm across Singing Waters\u2019 shoulders. Together\nthey slowly started back to the village. It was dark by the time they\nhad reached the fringe of the village, but bright fires had been lighted\nto show them the way home. There was much rejoicing as Singing Waters\nentered the village half carrying Brown Fawn. Gentle hands grasped Brown\nFawn and placed her gently upon the buffalo robe in her tepee. Soon her\neyelids flickered and she opened them wide, looking around for a face\nwhich meant much to her. But Singing Waters had returned to her own home\nand her children and was recounting for them the adventure she had just\nhad. They smiled, knowing that their mother was a woman of great\ncourage. They were very proud.\n\n\n\n\n                 THE WAR THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED\n\n\nLittle Turtle was a young Comanche who lived happily with his mother,\nfather, and two older brothers on the great prairies. His father was\nwell respected by the tribe, above all for having three sons who would\ngrow to manhood and bring honor to the Comanche name.\n\nEach day was a new adventure for Little Turtle and he welcomed each dawn\nwith great excitement. He never knew just what was planned for him or\nwhat the other children of the village would decide to do, but he was\nalways ready to take part in whatever would happen.\n\nFor some time now, Little Turtle, who had just turned ten, had been in\nthe complete charge of his father. On certain days his father would take\nhim far from the village to hunt and learn how to stalk wild game and\nfind their signs. He learned his lessons well. At night in the tepee, he\nwould sit next to his father because he was the youngest, and he would\nlisten carefully while his father explained many things a young brave\nmust know to become a strong and great Comanche warrior.\n\nBecause the Comanche village had been at peace for the last three years,\nLittle Turtle had only love in his heart for everyone he knew or met.\nSometimes his brothers and his father would speak to him of the hated\nApache and Kiowa and the many reasons the Comanches had for hating them.\nBut this meant very little to the lad. He never let such thoughts of war\nspoil his fun.\n\nOne evening after the three boys were asleep, Little Turtle\u2019s father\nspoke with his mother.\n\n\u201cBlue Star,\u201d he said, \u201cfor many days now I have talked to our youngest\nson of the Apaches and the Kiowas, but he does not seem to understand. I\nhave told him of their many cruel ways and about our warriors who have\nfallen under the arrow and the tomahawk of the Apaches and the Kiowas.\nStill he refuses to speak harshly of such neighbors. Maybe Little Turtle\nis right. Maybe I am wrong in hating these neighbors to the north. You\nare wise, Blue Star. Your advice is often sought. Tell me now what I\nshould teach our son. Shall I teach him to hate the horse stealers from\nthe north? Or shall I not speak even their names in our daily talks?\u201d\n\nBlue Star thought for a moment and then said, \u201cMy husband and great\nwarrior of the Comanches, hatred is a word which Little Turtle will\nlearn soon enough. Now he is young and innocent. He enjoys the coming of\neach new day for the adventures that it will bring in his world of\ndreams. He is a happy child and to us a very wonderful boy. Do we want\nto change this wonderful boy to a grown warrior filled with hate? He\nknows nothing but love. Possibly peace will be a long time upon our\nvillage. We, his parents, would not want to spoil that happy world in\nwhich he lives.\u201d\n\nGreat Hawk thought long about his wife\u2019s words. Then he left the tepee\nto walk alone and solve this problem which lay so heavily upon his\nheart. Since his early days, Great Hawk had been taught to hate the\nApaches and the Kiowas. His own father had lost his life in a battle\nwith the Apaches. His brother\u2019s hair now hung from the tepee of Grey\nWolf, the Kiowa chieftain who sat at the head of the council lodge. And\nGrey Wolf was a cruel leader of a tribe that always looked for enemies\nto kill.\n\nGreat Hawk knew that he had strong personal reasons for hating the\ntribes to the north. But was it right for him to think of punishing his\nson for not hating them, too, in the way he did? Until he had talked\nwith Blue Star, he had planned to question his son tomorrow about the\nApaches and Kiowas, and if his son did not show a growing hatred toward\nthem, then he would punish him. But now he was not sure. No, he would\nwait and be patient. After all, as Blue Star had said, there had been\npeace for three years now. Thoughts of war were kept alive only by the\nyoung bucks of the tribe who were eager for battle and glory. War was\nfar from the minds of the older and wiser men of the tribe. They knew\nthat peace had brought them prosperity and happiness, but war made them\npoor and brought them hunger and pain and the death of friends.\n\nGreat Hawk began thinking about Crooked Leg, one of the chieftains. He\nwas the only member of the council of Comanche chieftains who was not\nhappy that war had not come again.\n\nEarly in his youth Crooked Leg had fallen into the hands of the Kiowas\nand had been tortured badly. When his body was found being dragged by a\nKiowa pony that had been turned loose, he had been beaten and twisted so\nbadly that he lay close to death for many months. He had lived, but his\nleg had never healed straight. He always rose in pain and could never\nrun again. Crooked Leg had stayed behind in the village during all later\nbattles. His hate for the Kiowa had grown until he now thought about it\nall the time. At council meetings, he would always argue that the\nComanches should once again take to the warpath against the Apaches and\nKiowas. Each time he spoke, only a few council members would agree with\nhim. So Crooked Leg was asked to be quiet while the council talked about\ntribal business. But the young bucks who thirsted for the taste of\nbattle would carry his words through the village after each council\nmeeting. For many days, the village would talk for war and against war.\nSoon the wise council members would win out, the bucks would quiet down,\nand Crooked Leg would be left to grumble in his tepee alone and\nforgotten for awhile.\n\nCrooked Leg\u2019s life had a lesson for Great Hawk. As he was returning to\nhis tepee, he promised himself that he would not speak of hatred again\nto his son. He must not allow hatred to run his life as it had run\nCrooked Leg\u2019s. If he did, even his friends might forget him and he would\nbe of little use to anyone.\n\nThe following day promised little peace. Dawn brought a roaring storm\nthat smashed at the Comanche village. The pounding rain had soon churned\nthe ground into deep mud. Families remained indoors and fathers sat\naround their fires teaching sons how to make stout bows and straight\narrows, knives, tomahawks, and other handmade tools a young brave needs\nto survive. Great Hawk used the time to talk to Little Turtle of the\ngreat powers of nature and peace and the Comanche people.\n\n\u201cAs you grow,\u201d he told Little Turtle, \u201cremember to stay straight and\ntrue and do all things that are right, and you shall live a rich and\nhappy life in our tribe. The Comanches have been favored greatly. We\nhave lived in peace for the past three years and though it has been very\ndry, we have never been without water. Now the sky has opened and\nallowed the rains to fall so that we have water for our families and our\nhorses. We have not suffered from great thirst since the great drought\nvisited our land when we were last at war. After two years the supply of\nwater was so small that our people were dying more from the great thirst\nthan from the arrows of the enemy. Before long our chiefs sat down in\ncouncil with our enemies to smoke the peace pipe. Now peace reigns over\nour people and they have plenty of food and water.\u201d\n\nLittle Turtle had listened carefully while his father was speaking, then\nturned to his mother and said, \u201cMother, I am a very lucky boy to be a\nComanche and to have such a wonderful family. I have a strong, wise, and\nkind father. You have cared for me as a baby and given me good food so\nthat my bones would grow strong and straight. And I have two brothers of\nwhom I am very proud.\u201d\n\nBlue Star smiled happily and began to make lunch. While the family was\neating, the rain stopped. Soon the sun broke through the dark clouds and\nbegan to dry the earth. In the middle of the afternoon, Great Hawk rose\nand touched his son upon the shoulder.\n\n\u201cCome, Little Turtle,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is time you learned to ride a horse.\nWe will go to my string of ponies and pick one that you may ride and\ncall your own. If you are to go on the hunt and take part in the many\nother riding events in the village, you must learn to ride well.\u201d\n\nLittle Turtle\u2019s heart leaped excitedly. He had been looking forward to\nthe day his father would teach him to ride. Slowly Great Hawk and his\nson walked to where the tribe\u2019s ponies were kept tied. Great Hawk began\nto look amongst the herd for a special pinto pony he had planned to give\nLittle Turtle. It was small but strong and could run for a long time\nwithout getting winded. Great Hawk saw quickly that something was wrong.\nHe began counting and discovered that three of his string, including the\npinto, were gone. At first he thought that the storm had frightened them\nand they had broken loose from the main line which held the whole\nstring. But as he reached the main line where the three ponies should\nhave been tied, he saw the dangling ends of ropes that had been cut by a\nknife.\n\nThe pony guard must have left the herd to seek shelter during the storm.\nSo it was easy for someone to steal his three ponies. Without thinking\nof Little Turtle, Great Hawk knelt in the mud to look closely at the\nclear tracks that the thieves had left. He rose to his feet quickly.\n\n\u201cThe Apaches have stolen my ponies!\u201d he cried out defiantly. \u201cI shall\nride after them and bring the ponies back even if blood must be shed!\u201d\n\nThen he remembered Little Turtle. \u201cGo, Little Turtle,\u201d he ordered.\n\u201cReturn to the tepee and explain to your mother what I must do. The\nApaches have stolen three of my best ponies. I must ride fast to catch\nup with them before they get too far into the hills. I shall not rest\nuntil the ponies are back in our village or the scalps of the Apache\nthieves hang in our tepee.\u201d\n\nThen Great Hawk jumped onto a pony and sped off toward the hills.\n\nLittle Turtle ran home and told his mother and brothers what had\nhappened.\n\nLittle Turtle\u2019s brothers had been two of the young bucks who had agreed\nwith Crooked Leg\u2019s war talk. So they rushed out of the tepee, happy for\nthis chance to fight. They stopped outside their tepee just long enough\nto pick up their weapons and shout the news to other young bucks of the\ntribe. Many of the young braves rallied quickly, grabbed their weapons,\nand dashed toward their ponies. This was just what Great Hawk had wanted\nto prevent. He thought that if he could overtake the thieves he would be\nable to bring them back as prisoners. Then the council of chieftains\nwould decide how their stealing should be punished.\n\nOnly three Indians\u2014not a large Apache band\u2014were fleeing with the ponies.\nGreat Hawk saw this clearly from the tracks he was following. He thought\nit might be three young Apache bucks who wanted to start trouble and had\nturned to stealing horses as a way of making the Comanches angry enough\nto fight. He must hurry, for if he did not reach the thieves before they\ngot to the safety of the hills, he would have to report their escape to\nthe council. Even the older Comanche chieftains probably would decide\nthat war was the only answer.\n\nWhen he reached the base of the hills, Great Hawk lost the trail of the\nthieves in the rocks. Slowly, he turned his mount and started for the\nvillage. This would now mean war. Great Hawk turned back toward the\nhills. Shaking his fist at the Apaches\u2019 stronghold, he swore vengeance\nupon them. As he headed for home again, he met the war party of young\nComanche bucks, led by his two sons.\n\n\u201cWait!\u201d he said, raising his hand. \u201cWhy do you ride so hard?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe ride to avenge the theft of your horses,\u201d Great Hawk\u2019s oldest son\nreplied. \u201cWe will catch the Apache party and soak the foothills with\ntheir blood. No matter how many they are, we shall defeat them!\u201d\n\n\u201cWait!\u201d Great Hawk pleaded. \u201cThere were only three men. They are already\nin the hills. We will lose many men if we try to attack them here. We do\nnot know this ground, but the Apaches know it well. We must take this\nproblem to our council.\u201d\n\nJust as Great Hawk spoke of the council, Crooked Leg rode out from\namidst the young warriors. Great Hawk had not seen the old warrior who\nrode up close to Great Hawk.\n\n\u201cOut of the way, old and weak one,\u201d Crooked Leg screamed. \u201cYou are\nafraid of these thieving vultures who steal from us under cover of a\ngreat storm. We are not afraid and we will go on until we find them. We\nhave sat back too long getting fat and lazy on the buffalo meat. We have\nclosed our eyes to the Apaches\u2019 great war plans against our village!\u201d\n\nThere were many shouts of approval from the young bucks, who were\nstarting to move about impatiently.\n\n\u201cWait!\u201d shouted Great Hawk above the yelling of the young Comanche\nbraves. \u201cThis long-planned war plan against our village was carried out\nby just three braves, as the trail will show you. They did not attack.\nThey killed no one. They only stole three horses. This was no attack by\nthe Apache tribe. It was probably the work of three young bucks, like\nmany of you here, who could not be held back. They went off on their own\nto try to stir up trouble between our two tribes. They baited the trap\nand you are riding right into it. What has happened here must be settled\nby our council. Do not let Crooked Leg drive you into something you will\nregret the rest of your lives\u2014if you live to regret it!\u201d\n\nThe young men grew quiet as Great Hawk was speaking.\n\n\u201cAnd now I speak directly to my two sons,\u201d he continued. \u201cI, your\nfather, order you to return with me to our tepee.\u201d\n\nBut the fire that Crooked Leg had been building for so long burst into\nflame again as he urged the young bucks to go on. They surged forward\ntoward the hills. Great Hawk was forced to rein his pony aside to avoid\nbeing run into. He knew that if Crooked Leg succeeded in clashing with\nthe Apaches, he, Great Hawk, would lose importance in the tribe. But if\nCrooked Leg were defeated at the hands of the Apaches, the council would\ndeliver fair judgment and punishment.\n\nThe young Comanche men had never fought before and might be defeated\neasily. So for the sake of his sons, Great Hawk turned his pony and fell\nin with the young bucks. When they saw that he had joined them, they\nurged their ponies ahead at a faster pace.\n\nSoon they were deep in the hills of the Apaches. The party halted, and\nGreat Hawk moved to the front. Grasping the bridle on Crooked Leg\u2019s pony\nhe swung the animal around sharply.\n\n\u201cYou will ride no farther,\u201d he told the old warrior. \u201cI command you to\ngo back to our village now. We have no idea where the horse thieves are.\nYou are willing to gamble the lives of these brave young Comanches to\nsatisfy a hate that burns deeply in your heart and mind.\u201d\n\nWhile Crooked Leg watched him angrily, Great Hawk spoke to the young\nmen.\n\n\u201cYour wish to see justice done is good,\u201d he began. \u201cBut the Apache has\ngreat strength, even greater here in his own home. We are few and most\nof us have never fought. If we fight here, our scalps will hang in the\ntepee of the Apaches before nightfall. Do not follow Crooked Leg any\nlonger. What he suggests can bring only death to yourselves and much\nsadness to your families. We must return to the council and seek the\nwise advice of our chieftains.\u201d\n\nGreat Hawk could see that his words were beginning to have an effect. He\ncontinued talking to the young bucks until their ranks began to break as\na few turned their mounts toward home. Others followed, and Crooked Leg\nstarted screaming at them to come back and follow him to glory in the\ndefeat of the Apaches. Then, just as the last few braves were heading\nback down the trail, the hills suddenly bristled with Apache warriors,\neach aiming an arrow at a young Comanche brave. As Great Hawk looked\nslowly around, he saw that there were twenty times more Apache than\nComanche warriors.\n\nThe Comanche party was stunned. No one moved. Then one brave made a grab\nfor his tomahawk. Great Hawk slapped his arm, saying, \u201cDo not be a fool.\nYou would be dead before your hand touched the tomahawk handle. Right\nnow at least a dozen arrows are aimed at your body. Your tepee will be\nunhappy tonight if you are so foolish.\u201d\n\nThen Great Hawk rode out a little apart from the rest of the band.\nRaising his empty hands, he called to the Apaches.\n\n\u201cWho among you is the leader, for it is with him that I wish to talk?\u201d\n\nA tall, strong brave stepped from behind a boulder and made his way to\nthe circle of warriors.\n\n\u201cI, Maskan, am leader here,\u201d he said. \u201cWhy do you ride into our lands in\nsuch haste and with such anger on your faces?\u201d\n\nThen Great Hawk explained the events that had led up to this moment.\nWhen he finished, the Apache leader signaled, and three young Kiowa\nbucks were dragged from behind the boulders into plain sight of the\nComanche party.\n\n\u201cThese,\u201d said Maskan, \u201care the three who stole your horses and ours.\nTheir blood has run hot with the desire for adventure. So all alone,\nthey set out last evening to invade your land and ours to steal horses.\nWe have waited for them here among the rocks. We have watched you from\nthe time they were taken by our warriors. You who seem to lead here have\nspoken wisely. The Kiowas will be punished as all Kiowa are in the\nApache nation. We have your horses. They will be yours again. We ask you\nto go in peace from these hills. You have come in anger. Now you can\nleave in friendship. The older men of your tribe and ours know the\ntrouble we are having with our young braves who want the glory of\nbattle. One day war will come when the chieftains who want it are strong\nenough to convince the council. That day is not far away. But now return\nin peace to your village.\u201d\n\nMaskan turned and started for the boulder before Great Hawk could thank\nhim. Maskan told his braves to bring out the stolen horses. At that\nmoment Crooked Leg slipped his tomahawk from his belt and sent it\nsailing toward the Apache leader. It landed with a thud in the middle of\nMaskan\u2019s back. Maskan cried out and fell to the ground, rolling in the\ndust. Immediately, Crooked Leg\u2019s body was filled with arrows as shaft\nafter shaft whined through the air. War whoops split the air as the\nComanches rose to attack the Apaches who dodged behind the rocks that\nhad sheltered them before.\n\nGreat Hawk realized that it would be useless to attempt any talk of\npeace now. With a sinking feeling in his heart he, too, joined the\nbattle, struggling to reach his two sons. The great numbers of Apaches,\nwell protected by large boulders, made the victory easy for them. The\nyoung Comanches fell under the hail of Apache arrows, and their war\ncries became screams of pain.\n\nThen Great Hawk yelled to the warriors to retreat. The riddled band\nrushed toward their village. Sixteen young Comanche braves lay dead on\nthe ground and seven strong Indian ponies were dead or dying. It was a\nragged, tired, and bloody war party that entered the Comanche village\nthat night. Badly beaten, their spirit defeated, they understood now\nthat war was not as glorious as they had thought. As Great Hawk entered\nhis tepee alone, Blue Star greeted him warmly but with fright in her\neyes.\n\n\u201cWhere are our two sons, Great Hawk?\u201d she asked. Great Hawk looked at\nhis wife and then at Little Turtle.\n\n\u201cLittle Turtle, you have never learned to hate and you know nothing of\nwar. Now both hatred and war must shatter your world of dreams. Your two\nbrothers lie out there in the foothills, killed by sharp, well-aimed\nApache arrows. They and fourteen others will no longer walk this earth\nwith us. Among them lies Crooked Leg, who is to blame for these deaths\ntoday. Many Apaches and Comanches will yet die in a battle that never\nshould have begun.\u201d\n\nFrom that day forward, Little Turtle left his dream world and walked in\nthe real world of warring tribes, learning to hate his tribe\u2019s enemies,\nto fight and revenge the death of his brothers.\n\nThe war continued for some time. Many Apache and Comanche braves were\nkilled and injured. The council of Comanche chieftains met to discuss\nbetter ways of fighting the Apaches. Great Hawk, who had led so many\nattacks against the Apaches, stood in the council to speak. As he spoke,\nLittle Turtle listened from just outside the lodge where he lay hidden.\n\n\u201cI, Great Hawk, have fought many battles with the Apaches. I am tired\nbut I will fight as long as we must. Before this war started, I had\ngreat hate in my heart for the Apaches and Kiowas, as many of you know.\nI tried to teach this to my son. I know now how wrong I was. My son\ncould not bring himself to hate someone or something he had not seen and\nwho had done him no harm. On that unhappy day which could have ended\npeacefully, Crooked Leg sent a tomahawk into the back of Maskan, a brave\nand fair-minded warrior who tried to keep the peace. Then the war\nstarted. Two of my sons fell dead at my side, but still I fought on.\nWhen we who were left managed to escape with our lives and return to our\nvillage, I had to break the sad news to my family. Yet from that moment\nI held no hate for the Apaches.\n\n\u201cMy oldest boys had gone from our village to follow Crooked Leg, a man\nwhose whole life has been one of hate. They died because of that hate,\nthough they died bravely, fighting as Comanches should. But now my\nyoungest son has learned to hate as his brothers did and I am worried\ndeeply. War comes with hate and is worse than disease or drought. The\nComanches have always fought honorably, but Crooked Leg\u2019s act will\nalways dishonor our tribe. We cannot seek peace until we have cleansed\nour hearts of hate. We must do this for the happiness and well-being of\nour children and their children.\u201d\n\nThe council was silent for several moments after Great Hawk had spoken.\nThen one of the head chiefs rose slowly and looked directly at Great\nHawk. \u201cYou have spoken wisely, Great Hawk,\u201d he began. \u201cWe must think\nthis over carefully. If we want peace, it must be genuine and honorable.\nLet us go back to our tepees. Let us call the council to meet in two\nsuns and make our decision then.\u201d\n\nWhen Great Hawk returned to his tepee, his son was waiting for him,\nhaving run ahead.\n\n\u201cDo not be troubled, father,\u201d Little Turtle said, \u201cfor I have driven the\nhate from my heart. I hope this war will end soon and that there will be\nno room in anyone\u2019s heart for hate. For hate eats men\u2019s hearts and makes\nthem like Crooked Leg, unhappy and selfish and cruel, bringing death and\nsorrow to those around them. These things are not for the Comanches.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                   LITTLE HORSE AND THE PAINTED ARROW\n\n\nLittle Horse was a member of the proud and courageous Delaware tribe. He\ngrew up in his tribe among a people who were peaceful. They hunted and\nfished and sang and danced and celebrated much as most tribes did in the\nvery early days, but there was to come a time when all was not peace and\ncontentment.\n\nLittle Horse had been well trained by his father, Running Bear, and he\nhad taken his lessons as a young boy very seriously. Though he had\npracticed very hard, he had never become very good with the bow and\narrow or the tomahawk. But he had become very good at using and throwing\nthe traditional hunting knife which was his proudest possession.\n\nIt was spring in the valley of the Delawares and day followed day with\nthe peaceful and warm sun shining down upon the village in which Little\nHorse lived. Occasionally the soft rains would descend on the forest and\nhillside making everything wet and a rich green color. All was happiness\nin the village until that fateful day when Little Horse decided to take\nhis long trip.\n\nShouldering his stout bow and a quiver of arrows he started out along\nthe forest trail. He desired to go to the upper end of the valley and\nsearch out some wild turkey which he had heard many of the returning\nhunters speak about. The fact that the place where these turkeys lived\nwas almost a day\u2019s journey from his village did not seem to bother him,\nfor he had placed in his food pouch enough dried venison and he would\nhave berries and nuts along the way.\n\nAs he walked along, he looked from side to side watching for signs of\nwild game, not wanting to kill any so close to home but wanting to test\nhis senses of hearing and sight which had been trained by his father so\npatiently.\n\nOnce in a while, Little Horse would stop in his journey to partake of\nsome fresh water or just to rest on a moss patch under some large tree\nand think about the wonders of nature and the wonderful peace in his\ntribe.\n\nThen he would rise and continue his journey which took him further and\nfurther from home with each step. And not realizing it, he had soon\ncrossed into the land of the Iroquois, for his particular tribe had\ntheir village close to the line which separated the lands of the\nDelawares from the hunting grounds of the Iroquois.\n\nThis talk of tribal lands and borders did not mean much to Little Horse,\nalthough he had heard his father speak quite often of the Iroquois; and\nthough he had been told never to wander too far from the village, he\nfelt he was grown up enough by this time to take care of himself. One\nother thing which meant very little to Little Horse was the fact that in\nthis period, neighboring tribes were often at war with each other, for\nwar between tribes was rather common among the American Indians.\nStealing and quarreling among individuals and trespassing upon hunting\ngrounds were but a few reasons for this constant state of war and\nfeuding. But to a young lad like Little Horse, who was so wrapped up in\nhis desire to hunt the elusive turkey, war and fighting were the\nfurthest things from his mind.\n\nMeanwhile Running Bear, back at the village, was asking about for his\nson, for today he was to have taken him fishing in the great lake. No\none seemed to know where the boy was until Running Bear asked a group of\nchildren playing on the edge of the village, and one of them replied\nthat he had seen Little Horse with his food pouch at his belt and his\nbow over his shoulder trotting up the trail that led to the north and\ninto the land of the Iroquois.\n\nFear gripped Running Bear\u2019s heart. Just that morning one of the hunters\nhad returned from the forest to tell of having found three Iroquois\npainted arrows stuck in the ground in a row, which was a sign of open\nwarfare and he had the three arrows gripped in his hand which had been\nfound close by to the village. This could mean but one thing. For some\nreason the Iroquois had been aroused, and now no Delaware would be safe\nalone any great distance from the home encampment. As long as this open\nwarfare lasted, now they would have to travel in groups.\n\nRunning Bear feared for his son. So Running Bear gathered a few of his\nfriends, and in a group they started up the trail toward the land of the\nIroquois, hoping that Little Horse had not gone too far after all.\n\nBut they were to be sadly disappointed, for Little Horse at this moment\nwas deep in Iroquois territory on the trail of wild turkey.\n\nAs Little Horse walked silently along the forest trails, he suddenly\nrealized that it had become very quiet. He stopped to listen for the\nsong of the birds but he heard none. He even found it so quiet that the\nbreeze sounded like a windstorm. Someone or something else was near by,\nfor only for that reason would all the forest creatures grow silent.\n\nThen he heard the call of one solitary bird ahead and off to the left.\nAnd then behind him to the right he heard a similar call and then Little\nHorse knew.\n\nIt came upon him suddenly like a thundering in his ears. He realized\nthat he was no longer in Delaware country, for this was the call of the\nIroquois which his father had taught to him. But what had he to fear?\nThe Delawares and the Iroquois were not at war, and so he boldly\nshouldered his bow and turned to start for home down the trail. But\nbefore he had taken two steps there was a loud whooping from many\ndirections and before Little Horse could do anything, he was surrounded\nand his arms pinned by four husky Iroquois braves. One of them\nbrandishing a shining knife was about to take the boy\u2019s life when\nanother brave stepped from the brush and spoke, \u201cPut down your knife.\nThis Delaware is tall, but he is only a boy.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut he is still a Delaware,\u201d cried the brave, holding the knife close\nto the heart of Little Horse.\n\n\u201cNo matter, he is young and strong. We will take him back to the village\nwith us. We have not had much sport these days of late. This young one\nwill make a fair game for us. We will have him run the gauntlet to see\nwhether he will be permitted to live. I, Crooked Hand, have spoken.\u201d\n\nLittle Horse then realized that Crooked Hand must be some sort of leader\nin the tribe, for there was no more argument. The arms of Little Horse\nwere then tightly bound behind him and he was roughly shoved along the\ntrail toward the village from whence these warriors had come. His\nweapons had been gathered, and one of the braves carried these as the\nparty trotted easily along the trail, pressing Little Horse before them.\n\nIt was not too long after this that Running Bear and his rescue party\narrived at the place where the struggle had taken place. It was soon\nevident to all the braves in the party that Little Horse had been taken\nprisoner, for once past the marks of the struggle, it was easy to pick\nout the markings of his moccasins in the soft earth of the trail and\nLittle Horse had made sure to come down heavily on his feet in order to\nleave a trail plain enough for any who might follow to see.\n\nRunning Bear and his party pressed forward, going more stealthily now,\nfor they were deep in the territory of the Iroquois and from all signs\nquite close to the village. Suddenly Running Bear stopped and signaled\nthe party to flatten themselves upon the ground. Through the trees he\nhad seen the feather of an Iroquois and, hardly daring to breathe, they\nwaited. Detection now would mean almost certain death, for they were\ntired from their long race through the forest and the Iroquois, being\nclose to home and fresh, would have made easy victims of the Delawares.\n\nThe lone Iroquois brave had stopped and looked around and then\nsatisfying himself that nothing out of the ordinary was around had\ncontinued along the trail in pursuit of the rest of his party which had\nLittle Horse captive.\n\nRunning Bear, when he felt it was safe, gathered his friends about him\nand then spoke in a whisper.\n\n\u201cWe will wait until it is dark and then I will approach the village and\nsee if it would be possible for us to rescue Little Horse and return to\nour village. It is very late and surely he will not be in danger\ntonight, for the thieving Iroquois will go into council to decide what\nto do with him. He is definitely a prisoner and most likely since he is\nyoung and strong but yet a boy they will make him run the gauntlet\ntomorrow as a test as to whether he will be permitted to live or must\ndie.\u201d\n\nWhen darkness fell, Running Bear slipped through the forest to the edge\nof the Iroquois village and there, hidden in the brush, he was able to\nview the happenings in the village. He noticed one particular wigwam\nbeing well guarded and this he presumed was where Little Horse was being\nheld prisoner. Then as his eyes wandered about the village he noticed a\nnumber of older men entering the large council lodge.\n\nThis was a fairly large village of the Iroquois, and Running Bear felt\nthat it would be useless for his small band to attempt a rescue of\nLittle Horse.\n\nSuddenly he heard a slight rustling to the side of the trail and peering\ninto the darkness he saw the figure of a brave approaching the trail. He\nwaited and when the brave was almost upon him he reached out and\nthrowing his arms around the throat of the Iroquois he drove his knife\ninto the brave\u2019s heart.\n\nWithout a sound the Iroquois slipped to the ground. Running Bear turned\nand fled back through the forest. They must leave the land quickly, for\nas soon as the dead brave was discovered a large party would be sent to\nlook for the killers. So as soon as Running Bear had returned to his\nfriends they made a hasty retreat from the vicinity of the village and,\nrunning at a steady pace, returned to their village to report the\nfindings. Running Bear planned to gather a large force and the following\nevening they would attack the Iroquois village and seek to rescue Little\nHorse.\n\nMeanwhile Little Horse sat in the wigwam of the Iroquois village\nawaiting the decision of the council and it was not long in coming. Soon\na rather tall Iroquois brave entered and standing in the doorway he\ninformed Little Horse that the council had agreed to spare his life if\ntomorrow he could prove himself worthy of the gift of life by running\nthe gauntlet.\n\nWhen the sun was directly overhead he would be placed at the head of two\nrows of Iroquois and at a given signal would run the gauntlet of war\nclubs prepared for him.\n\nIt would be ridiculous to say that Little Horse was not frightened, for\nat this particular time Little Horse was a very scared little brave. He\nhad known nothing but comfort and warmth and friendliness since the day\nhe was born, and the loving care and kindness of his family and friends\nhad been his only contact with Indian life. Here in the village of a\ntribe which he had not thought to be hostile, he suddenly found himself\na prisoner and about to be forced to run the gauntlet of war clubs.\n\nHe had heard a great deal about the gauntlet from his father who had\nwitnessed the gauntlet and had told of his experience as one of the line\nof braves making up the gauntlet when they dealt with some of their\nprisoners.\n\nLittle Horse was afraid, and his fear kept him from resting his body for\nthe coming ordeal. Then in the midst of this fear which gripped his\nheart, Little Horse remembered the words of his father.\n\n\u201cMy son,\u201d Running Bear had said to him one day, \u201cif ever you should find\nyourself in trouble or in danger, remember that you are a Delaware and\nthe Delawares are a strong and proud people. Rest as much as you can,\nforce your body to relax so that you may be prepared for whatever ordeal\nyou must face. You have been taught every skill possible except the\nskill of courage. This you must have in your heart and if courage abides\nin your heart as the beaver in the stream, then fear can be overcome and\none can consider himself prepared for any hardship which may lie ahead.\u201d\n\nRemembering those words was great comfort to Little Horse and again and\nagain he kept repeating them to himself. Soon the chill that seemed to\nbe in his body left him and the cold fear that gripped his heart\nreleased its hold and he was calm once again. When his body relaxed and\nhis mind was at ease, Little Horse slept.\n\nNo sense to worry over what tomorrow will bring, but remember the words\nof Running Bear. Twice more he repeated the words of his father to\nhimself and with that he was asleep.\n\nHe had not been asleep long when the door of the wigwam was darkened by\ntwo of the braves who had aided in his capture that afternoon. As they\nviewed the boy asleep on the floor, the taller of the two spoke.\n\n\u201cHe sleeps. Look how calm his face is. Notice the slight smile upon his\nlips. This is the sign of a growing warrior. Courage burns deep in his\nheart. For even now, knowing that tomorrow he may have to die, he sleeps\nthe peaceful sleep of a baby. This lad can be no more than fifteen and\nyet he is tall and strong and he had a good face. For many moons we have\nbeen at peace with our brothers the Delawares and now war and\nbloodshed.\u201d The other brave shook his head and, looking at the lad, he\nspoke.\n\n\u201cIf you had not been present when he was captured, his hair would now be\nhanging from the wigwam of the vicious one. He has the blood of several\nDelawares upon his hands now and one more would only have added to his\ngreatness even if it were only the scalp of a boy.\n\n\u201cMasi is a ruthless brave. Ever since he was beaten in battle by the\nbrave Delaware, Running Bear, he has carried hatred in his heart for the\nDelawares. Their having sent hunting parties into the land of the\nIroquois and taken game from our hunting grounds was all the excuse that\nwas needed. And so our tribes are at war, and it will not cease until\nmany are dead and there is much sadness in the wigwams of both tribes.\u201d\nWith these words, the warriors withdrew from the door.\n\nLittle Horse had heard all and pondered the words of the Iroquois. He\nhad not known that any of their tribe had invaded the hunting grounds of\nthe Iroquois unless it had been himself. This troubled him, but he\npushed the thoughts from his mind and slept once again. Because of his\ntraining he slept soundly and as dawn broke through the greyness he\nawoke feeling quite hungry and thirsty.\n\nThe guards at his door looked in, and soon food and drink were brought\nto him. He ate hungrily and drank long of the cool water and when he had\nfinished, his guards stepped forward and once again bound his wrists.\nHowever, they took him outside the wigwam and allowed him to walk up and\ndown for a short while to give his muscles exercise. The morning passed\nquickly and soon it was time.\n\nLittle Horse felt the old fear once again returning to his breast and\nnow there was nothing he could do to force it back. As the guards\napproached they noticed Little Horse looking upward as if to speak with\nsomeone and it was true, for Little Horse was calling upon the powers of\nnature to give him strength at this hour of trial.\n\nHis guards approached him and, grasping his arms, dragged him from the\nwigwam, for now fear had gripped the heart of Little Horse and he fought\nthe hands of the Iroquois which held his arms in firm grip and he fought\nthe tough thongs which bound his wrists. But twist and turn as he would,\nit did no good and soon he was standing before the elders of the tribe.\n\nAcross the center of the village he saw the gauntlet of tall powerful\nbraves begin to form and his legs trembled slightly. The elders talked\namong themselves, and then one old man stepped forward and spoke to\nLittle Horse.\n\n\u201cYour tribe has invaded the lands of the Iroquois in seeking wild game\nand in doing so they have broken the law of the tribes. If they had\nstayed on their own ground there would have been no need for war. But\nfor the Iroquois to do nothing when their neighbor invades the sacred\nhunting ground would be as if we shouted through the forest that we were\nweak and afraid of the Delawares. You have been captured on our land and\nas an example to all Delawares you will be made to run the gauntlet. If\nyou do so successfully your life will be spared, but if not the war\nclubs my braves now hold shall beat your body till it blends with the\ndirt of the forest floor and you are no more. Are you ready for the\nordeal?\u201d\n\nLittle Horse held his head high and looking straight into the eyes of\nthe elder warrior, he said, \u201cI know not of any of our braves that\ninvaded your hunting grounds unless it was myself. In pursuit of the\nwild turkey, I ran quickly along the trail and was in the land of the\nIroquois before I realized. I did not think that the great Iroquois\nwould miss one little wild turkey.\u201d\n\nThe old warrior looked stern and then he said, \u201cIt is not you but other\nbraves of your tribe who have entered our grounds, but you and I are not\nhere to argue, for I will not even discuss it, the law has been broken\nand war has been declared. Already the blood of one of our warriors had\nbeen spilled on the very edge of our camp.\u201d\n\nWith this statement the heart of Little Horse beat just a little faster,\nfor if one of the Iroquois had died close to the village then the\nDelawares must have followed and there was still hope that he would be\nrescued.\n\n\u201cI am ready for the gauntlet,\u201d Little Horse said.\n\nWith that he was dragged to the head of the two lines. He looked down\nthe two long rows of warriors standing like statues with war clubs\nraised, each one hoping that his blow would be the one that would deal\ndeath to this Delaware. Then the signal was given, and Little Horse took\na deep breath and started running with top speed. As he ran he ducked\nfrom side to side and hesitated, forcing one blow to come down too soon\nor miss entirely. Halfway down the line he had not fared too badly, but\nas he came to the second half he was thrown a little off stride and\ncould not duck so many of the blows. Several landed rather solidly upon\nhis back and shoulders and arms and he began to feel weak, but with a\nlast spurt of speed he reached the end of the line just as the club of\nMasi glanced off the side of his head. Instead of slumping to the ground\nbetween the two rows, Little Horse fell forward clear of the line and as\nMasi raised his club to strike again the elder stepped forward and\nraising his arms he said,\n\n\u201cCease, Masi, for the boy is clear of the gauntlet. He has received\nquite a beating, but breath still stirs in his body. He is a brave lad\nand has earned the right to live.\u201d\n\nLittle Horse was then carried to a wigwam where his bruises were cared\nfor. Food and water were brought and he was made comfortable. The tall\nwarrior that had prevented his death upon the trail entered the wigwam\nand spoke with Little Horse.\n\n\u201cO my brave young man, you have proved to be quite courageous this day,\nand the Iroquois admire the courage of even their enemies. You will rest\nnow and when you are well we will talk.\u201d\n\nWith that he left the wigwam, and sudden darkness came once again to\nLittle Horse as he fell unconscious.\n\nMeanwhile Running Bear had gathered quite a force of Delawares and was\napproaching the village from the south. Advance scouts who had been near\nthe village of the Iroquois throughout the day reported the gauntlet and\nthe exact location where they had placed the boy.\n\nRunning Bear swiftly gave his orders and the band advanced at a quicker\npace, spreading out so that by the late afternoon a strong semicircle of\nDelaware braves surrounded the Iroquois stronghold.\n\nAt a given signal from Running Bear, the attack was on. The attack was\nsuch that the Iroquois were caught completely by surprise. Though the\nband of attacking Delawares was much smaller than the number of Iroquois\nin the village, they swooped into the village to surprise the guards\nsurrounding the wigwam of Little Horse.\n\nThey rushed in and gathering the body of the still unconscious boy they\nrushed out again and into the forest, and were away before the Iroquois\nhad gathered themselves together. By the time the Iroquois were ready to\ndo battle, the Delawares had left, leaving the bodies of four Iroquois\nand two of their own attacking party dead upon the ground surrounding\nthe wigwam where Little Horse had been held captive.\n\nOnce the rescue had been accomplished the attacking Delawares did not\nwait to join in battle with the now furious Iroquois but sped swiftly\ntoward the south and the safety and security of their own village. They\ntraveled at a very fast pace and though it was growing dark it was not\nlong before they had placed many miles between themselves and the\nvillage of the Iroquois.\n\nOnward through the night and into the next day they pressed until soon\nthey could see the smoke of the Delaware village. They arrived in the\nmiddle of the village among the welcoming shouts of their friends and\nfamilies who had awaited their return with growing anxiety.\n\nWithout a moment\u2019s hesitation, Little Horse was placed in the warmth and\nseclusion of his father\u2019s wigwam and when his hurts had been attended\nto, his father knelt by his side to add what comfort he could, and to\nadd his praise to the courage of the boy. He promised that he, Running\nBear, would not rest until he had paid back the Iroquois for the\ninjuries they had inflicted upon his son.\n\n\u201cNow rest, my son,\u201d Running Bear said, \u201cand when you have rested and\neaten we shall talk some more.\u201d Running Bear turned to leave but Little\nHorse placed his hand upon his arm and bade him stay.\n\n\u201cWait, my father, for there is something I must tell you. While at the\nvillage of our neighbors the Iroquois I learned why it was that they had\ndeclared war upon the Delawares. It was reported to them that the\nDelawares had invaded their hunting ground and made off with many kills.\nThis being a breach of the peace between the tribes, they had no choice\nbut to declare that war existed between their own tribe and that of the\nDelawares.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is a serious matter, my son,\u201d said Running Bear, \u201cfor we have had\nplenty of food on our own land and I see no reason for any of our braves\ngoing into the land of the Iroquois to hunt. But this matter is of grave\nimportance and we must hold a council immediately, for the Iroquois are\nprobably at this very moment preparing a great dance, since tomorrow\nthey will no doubt move to attack our village.\u201d\n\nWith that, Running Bear left his wigwam and calling the elder braves\ntogether, they immediately went into council. After telling the council\nall that his son had reported to him, Running Bear asked that the tribe\nbe assembled and told of the situation that existed. The council agreed\nand very shortly the whole tribe was gathered in the center of the ring\nand one of the elders rose to speak.\n\n\u201cThe Iroquois have declared war, and Little Horse tells us that the\nreason for this is that some of our braves have invaded their hunting\ngrounds to kill the swift deer. If this is true we have done the\nIroquois a grave injustice. The forest and fields of our land have\nyielded us much food this past year and I see no reason for having left\nour lands to hunt elsewhere. Who among you has caused the wrath of the\nIroquois to be brought down upon our heads?\u201d\n\nOne at a time the leaders of the families stepped forward to deny that\nthey had left the sacred hunting grounds of the Delawares until all had\nspoken. When no one had accepted the guilt, Running Bear rose and spoke.\n\n\u201cIf no one of our village has violated the sacred lands of the Iroquois,\nwe have committed no crime. Of this I must speak further. For at this\nmoment the Iroquois are probably on their way to our village to seek\nrevenge for our attack last night. I will take with me two warriors and\nwithout weapons we shall go to speak of peace with our neighbors, the\nIroquois.\n\n\u201cAlready seven brave young men are dead, and my own son lies hurt and\nbleeding in my wigwam. In order to prevent the shed of further blood, I\nmust go to meet the oncoming Iroquois with only talk of peace.\nSomewhere, somehow, an injustice has been done, and we must right this\nwrong before peace can once more prevail over our land.\u201d\n\nWith that, Running Bear selected two stout warriors and leaving their\nweapons behind they proceeded at a steady pace back up the path toward\nthe Iroquois country. They traveled swiftly and many hours later Running\nBear suggested they stop and rest.\n\nAs the three warriors rested at the side of the trail, they were\nsuddenly surrounded by many Iroquois braves. Their arms were tightly\nbound and menacing motions with tomahawk and knife were made. But the\nsame warrior that had prevented the death of Little Horse stepped\nforward and, raising his arm for silence, he spoke to Running Bear.\n\n\u201cYou appear to be the leader of this small party and I ask you why you\ncome to the land of the Iroquois without arms when open war exists?\u201d\n\nRunning Bear spoke loud and clear for the whole Iroquois war party to\nhear. \u201cI, Running Bear, with my two fellow warriors come in peace to\nspeak with the council of the great Iroquois. As you can see, we carry\nno arms and we rested in the open along the trail, hoping that we would\nfind our Iroquois neighbors before they and the Delawares shed each\nother\u2019s blood once again.\u201d\n\nThe Iroquois brave said nothing, but having the wrists of the three\nDelawares bound they were herded along the trail back to the camp of the\nIroquois.\n\nAs the party entered the camp they could hear much moaning and crying\nfrom the families of the Iroquois that had been slain and also they\nobserved the menacing looks as the people of the village crowded around\nthe party, pressing ever closer hoping for a reason to swing a club or a\ntomahawk or drive a knife deep into the head or hearts of these\nDelawares who so boldly approached the village without arms.\n\nBut the tall leader of the war party guided them safely to a wigwam\nwhere they were placed under heavy guard until the council lodge had\nbeen prepared for the great council.\n\nWhen the elders and wise men of the tribe had gathered, the prisoners\nwere led before them. Running Bear spoke briefly of their mission and\nthen in a loud clear voice he said,\n\n\u201cThe Delawares have sworn to their chiefs that none among our village\nhave invaded the hunting grounds of the Iroquois and therefore there is\nno need for war between us.\u201d\n\nThere was some hushed conversation and then one of the elders spoke to a\nguard at the door. \u201cSummon the warrior known as Masi.\u201d Masi was brought\nto the council and the elder who had summoned him spoke.\n\n\u201cMasi, it was you who reported to the council of the thievery of the\nDelaware and it was you who brought to our council the entrails of a\ndeer to prove before the council your story of having seen the hunting\nparty of Delawares invade our lands and kill much wild game. Now tell\nthese warriors who come to us from the Delawares that you have seen this\nwith your own eyes.\u201d\n\nMasi spoke and told of having seen a hunting party of some fifteen\nbraves of the Delawares stalk, kill, and strip the carcasses of several\ndeer and take several wild turkey and other wild game. When he had\nfinished, the council looked first at Masi and then at Running Bear. The\nelder was about to speak once more when the tall warrior who had saved\nthe life of Little Horse stepped forward and spoke to the council.\n\n\u201cI do not know why,\u201d he said, \u201cbut my heart tells me the Delaware speaks\ntruth. For many weeks now Masi has brooded over the death of his sister,\nand his mind has not been quite right since she died of the great\nsickness. We know that Masi has been a great warrior, but ask him once\nagain to repeat what he saw. For when he first told his story the\nhunting party of Delawares were six in number. Suddenly they have\nincreased to number fifteen.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, yes,\u201d cried Masi, \u201cand there have been many, many more since that\nday. If we are not careful they will be in our village in one more sun\nand we shall all be murdered in our sleep.\u201d\n\nWith that, Masi began to scream and he threw himself upon the ground,\ntearing at the ground and bemoaning the death of his young sister whom\nhe had loved dearly. He was truly a grief-stricken brave gone mad.\n\nThe elder who seemed to be a leader in the council stepped forward then\nand placing his hands upon the shoulders of Running Bear, he said,\n\u201cThere has been a great wrong done here, and we must sit and smoke the\npeacepipe together. We ask forgiveness, for we have wronged each other\ngreatly. Once again peace shall exist between the Iroquois and the\nDelawares and let us not allow anything to break that peace. Brothers we\nhave been in the past, and brothers we will be again. Come sit with us\nand we shall smoke the pipe.\u201d\n\nWith that, the peacepipe was passed from hand to hand and when all had\nsmoked, food and drink were brought. Then there was much rejoicing as\nthe village was told of the results of the council meeting. Loaded down\nwith gifts, Running Bear and his two warriors returned to their village\nwith the word of peace.\n\nAfter telling of the good news, Running Bear went to his wigwam where he\nfound Little Horse now able to sit up and partake of solid food. He\nseated himself next to his son and once again praised him for the\ncourage he had showed and explained to him how important the information\nhe had brought had been\u2014how he, Running Bear, was able through talk with\nthe council of Iroquois to bring about peace between the Delawares and\nthe Iroquois.\n\n\n\n\n                     FALLING WATER EARNS A FEATHER\n\n\nFalling Water came galloping into the Dakota-Sioux camp on his brand-new\npony. The pony had been a present from his uncle, Walking Bear, one of\nthe leaders of the tribe. Proudly Falling Water rode it up and down\nthrough the camp so all the other young braves could see what a\nbeautiful pony he had. When he felt that everyone had seen the pony he\nrode swiftly back to the tepee of his father and dismounting ran to show\nhis father the fine gift.\n\nOne Horn, so named because he had lost an ear in a battle with a band of\nShoshone braves a few years ago, stepped from the tepee and admired this\nfine gift.\n\n\u201cIt is a strong pony and a young one, my son. Treat it well, for a horse\ncan be your best friend.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, father, I will take good care of the pony and I will ride him on\nthe hunt. I am now a man and with my own weapons and my own horse, I can\nnow go on the hunt.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, my son. In fact tomorrow your uncle is leading a hunting party in\nsearch of the buffalo, for it is almost time for the big buffalo hunt.\nSo see to your weapons and be sure you are ready for the great hunt.\u201d\n\nFalling Water rushed into the tepee and the rest of the day he spent\nworking on his weapons in preparation for the hunt. He was sixteen now\nand considered a man but until now he had not been on any of the big\nhunts, for he had been sick the season of the hunt last year and now he\nwas well and strong and prepared to ride with the best of them.\n\nThe following morning, Walking Bear gathered the warriors about him and\nmade sure that all were prepared for the trip ahead.\n\n\u201cWe will divide into three groups and go in different directions. When\nthe sun has crossed the great sky twice we will meet where the\nWhispering River flows. There we will compare what each group has found,\nand the largest herd shall become our target. Let me warn you each and\nevery one that though we are hunting buffalo, we must be ever aware that\nour enemies the Shoshones are all about us and we must be on guard that\nthese jackals do not add our scalps to their belts. Calling Hawk, you\nwill lead one party, Speaks Like Thunder, you will lead the second\nparty, and I will lead the third. Good hunting, and may we all meet with\nour hair still upon our heads, come the end of the second day.\u201d\n\nSo it was that Falling Water, in Calling Hawk\u2019s party, was off on an\nadventure that was to earn him his first feathers for bravery.\n\nCalling Hawk led his party to the west, for scouts had reported a fine\nherd of buffalo moving in that direction. The party moved steadily along\nkeeping their eyes alert for signs of dust clouds that would signify a\nmoving herd or horsemen. One or two braves were sent ahead to sweep wide\nof the main party to see what they could possibly find. From time to\ntime these scouts would ride back to the main party and two more would\ntake their place.\n\nThe first day ended with no sight of buffalo or of marauding Shoshones,\nand the group made camp in a small clump of trees.\n\nThe following morning after a breakfast of pemmican they were on their\nway once again.\n\nIt was late in the morning when a scout riding hard brought his pony to\na halt in front of Calling Hawk. He reported that he had spotted a herd\nof buffalo about a quarter of a mile ahead of the group. And so the\nparty quickened its pace and soon came to the top of a rise. There below\nit on the prairie was a fine large herd of buffalo. They were not moving\nand therefore no dust cloud had been seen.\n\nCalling Hawk asked two of the braves to remain and keep watch on the\nherd while the others continued to the Whispering River which was but a\nshort distance ahead, there to join with Walking Bear and make their\nreport.\n\nUnknown to Calling Hawk and his party, the herd had also been seen by a\nhunting party of Shoshones, slightly larger than the Dakota-Sioux party,\nand also at the same time they had seen the party of Calling Hawk. As\nthe Sioux moved toward the river, the Shoshones moved parallel awaiting\nthe best place to attack.\n\nAnd now it was Falling Water\u2019s turn to ride scout and he moved out from\nthe party. He rode hard to get a long lead on the party and then began\nto move steadily to the side of the group and ever toward the river.\nSoon he felt it was time to return to the group.\n\nIt was getting late in the afternoon, and as he turned to return he saw\nto the north a small cloud of dust. Urging his horse to the top of a\nnear-by rise he slid from his back and, crawling to the very edge,\npeered over into the valley below. There he saw a sight which made his\nblood run hot.\n\nA band of perhaps twenty Shoshones were riding hard toward the\nunsuspecting Sioux party which was about twelve in number. Quickly\nmounting his horse, Falling Water rode like the wind back toward his\nbrothers. Finally coming over a slight hill he saw the party moving\nslowly forward. Then he began to shout his warning of Shoshones and\nCalling Hawk called his party to a halt.\n\nFalling Water galloped up and reported what he had seen. Quickly the\nSioux formed a line and drawing their weapons they moved forward to meet\nthe Shoshones.\n\nSoon the Sioux saw the oncoming enemy and urged their horses to even\ngreater speed.\n\nThe two groups clashed, and there was a mixture of rearing horses and\nscreaming men. Knives flashed and arrows swished through the air, some\nflying harmlessly or some thudding into flesh.\n\nFalling Water, right in the middle, rode toward a large Shoshone buck.\nAs he did, a knife thrust slashed his arm and he dropped his weapons,\nbut now he was too close to the Shoshone to stop the forward move of his\nhorse. Ducking under the slashing knife of the Shoshone warrior, he\nplaced his hand upon the brave\u2019s shoulder and pushed. The brave was\nthrown off balance and almost lost his seat and, while he was trying to\nregain his seat, Falling Water dashed to the outer circle.\n\nSoon the fight was over and twelve Shoshones and three Sioux lay dead\nupon the ground while a badly beaten group of Shoshones beat a hasty\nretreat into the distance. The felled warriors were placed across their\nhorses\u2019 backs, and the group continued to their meeting place.\n\nWhen Calling Hawk reported to Walking Bear their fight with the\nShoshone, Walking Bear ordered a return to the village.\n\nWhen the party entered the village the people were immediately aware of\nwhat had happened because of the bodies and the Shoshone scalps hanging\nfrom the belts of several warriors.\n\nThat evening a council was held, and Falling Water rose to report to the\ncouncil of his great deed of courage. He had rushed in and touched an\nenemy while still alive. When he had finished, Walking Bear said,\n\n\u201cAre there any here that were witnesses to this event?\u201d\n\nCalling Hawk stepped forward and in very descriptive words retold the\nevent. The others told their stories of bravery and then Falling Water\nwas called before the chief, his uncle.\n\n\u201cI am very proud of you, my brother\u2019s son. You have proven yourself a\ngreat warrior this day and for that you shall be privileged to wear two\neagle feathers.\u201d\n\nThere were many shouts of praise and approval, and Falling Water felt a\nwarm glow as his father placed his hands across his shoulders and said,\n\u201cI am proud of you, my son.\u201d\n\nToday Falling Water had earned his first feathers.\n\n\n\n\n                          THE RACE WITH DEATH\n\n\nIn the high range of mountains lived the great and powerful Apaches. For\nmany, many years the war between the Long Knives and the Apaches had\nbeen waging back and forth.\n\nThe Long Knives, as the white men\u2019s cavalry were known in those days,\nhad at last worked out a treaty with the Apaches and all was peaceful\nfor the time being. With the coming of peace to the Apaches, the return\nof normal family life was slowly but surely noticed by the younger of\nthe warriors.\n\nThere was more time now to teach the young braves their lessons, and the\nwomen were happier than they had been. For the past few years all the\ntalk had been of war and killing, but now conversation turned to other\ntopics. Of course there were a few young bucks who still chanted for\nwar, but the wiser chiefs desired to stay at peace for as long as was\npossible.\n\nOne evening some of the older chiefs were seated around the fire smoking\nand talking to pass the evening hours away when their attention was\ncalled to Chief Running Dog, one of the older chiefs of the tribe, who\nhad been sitting quietly in the circle not saying much but gazing off\ninto the night as if he were looking for something.\n\nTwisted Wolf spoke. \u201cWhat do you look for, friend Running Dog? Do you\nsee something in the distance with those old eyes that the rest of us\nshould be looking for?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, Twisted Wolf, I do not look for anything in the present, but rather\nI am looking far into the past, to a time when I was just a small boy\nand there had been peace and happiness in our tribe for many years.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy should you think about the past now, old one? Is there something\nparticular that you are trying to recall?\u201d\n\nRunning Dog laughed, \u201cOh, I do not have to think too hard to recall what\nI want to think about. Something happened when I was a young boy that I\nshall long remember. Some of you should remember this one adventure too,\nfor some of you were just about my age at the time.\u201d\n\n\u201cTell us,\u201d they cried, \u201ctell us what adventure you recall as a boy.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Chief Running Dog, \u201cthe story I remember is one which my\nfather liked to call the Race of Death. But I do not want to bore you\nwith tales of my childhood. They are only memories of an old man who\nlives in a world of dreams.\u201d\n\n\u201cNow, Running Dog, do you want us to coax you? I have never known you to\nneed prompting to tell a story. Why do you need coaxing at this time?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, it is not a funny story and to me at the time it was not a very\nnice experience to go through. Just recalling it brings back some of the\nfears which filled my heart at the time. But, if it is your desire, then\nI shall tell you the story. Fill your pipes and settle back, because it\nis quite a long story and we will be here at the fire for some time\nuntil I have finished. But remember that I warned you. If you get bored,\nit is your own fault, for you have asked for this story.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo not ramble, Running Dog. Get on with the story.\u201d\n\nSo it was that Running Dog, old Apache warrior, told his story that\nevening on the plateau of Apache country around a blazing council fire\nwith his friends there to relive the experience of his childhood once\nagain.\n\n\u201cIt was many years ago,\u201d Running Dog began. \u201cThe Apache village in which\nI lived had a very long and difficult time of sickness. Many of our\nnumber had died of the great coughing sickness which the Long Knives\ncall pneumonia, but it seemed that at last the sickness was leaving us\nand our people were returning to a time of good health and prosperity.\nThere was much mourning for loved ones, but our family had been very\nlucky. My father and mother had both survived the epidemic and I, their\nonly son, had been well all through the siege of sickness.\n\n\u201cThe sick continued to get well and little by little the tribe returned\nto its normal activity. Once again the contests and games took place and\nthere was much joy at the ceremonial dances and feasts.\n\n\u201cIt was just after one of these feasts that my friend White Cloud and I\ndecided to take a hunting trip into the far hills. We sought the\npermission of our fathers, and packing some food and blankets we placed\nthese upon a pack horse and started off for the distant high mountains.\n\n\u201cWhat exactly we were going to hunt we did not know, but we were so\nexcited about the prospect of living by ourselves for a few days that\nthe problem of what to hunt did not seem to bother us too much at the\ntime.\n\n\u201cOne thing my father had cautioned me about. \u2018My son, Running Dog,\u2019 he\nsaid, \u2018on your trip be aware of any strangers. Not too far to the north\nis the land of the Kiowas and they have been seen recently in this area.\nJust a few scattered here and there, but you and your friend White Cloud\nare riding two very fine ponies; and the Kiowas, I am sure, would like\nnothing better than to return to their village in the possession of\nthree more very fine Apache horses, for their very life is one of horse\nstealing. The pack horse you take is just as strong and fast as the\nother two, so be careful and do not get careless on your trip. You are\nold enough now to realize the dangers an Apache faces in this country.\n\n\u201c\u2018Besides the wandering Kiowas you had best be alert to the cats that\nroam the rock ledges. Keep your bow and arrow handy and make sure your\nhand is steady, for you will get but one chance to stop the wild leap of\na mountain lion if he chooses to spring. Now I must bid you good-bye. I\nhave asked the gods to protect you and your friend White Cloud. May they\nguide you safely to a successful hunt and a safe return to your homes\nand your families. I will ride part way and see you on your way. Come, I\nwill get my horse.\u2019\u201d\n\nSo the two boys, along with Running Dog\u2019s father, rode to the edge of\nthe camp and a little way farther on, where Running Dog\u2019s father bade\nthem a fond good-bye once again and turned to return to the village.\n\nThe two boys waved until they were out of sight and then concentrated on\nthe long trip they felt they must make before they would enter good\nhunting territory. As they rode they kept careful watch along the trail\nfor signs of anyone having recently been there.\n\nOccasionally they saw signs where Indian ponies had been but these were\nall many days old. They found evidence too of wild game, but at no time\ndid they catch sight of anything more than a rabbit or two.\n\nAfter traveling most of the day and stopping only for lunch the two boys\ndecided to halt and make camp for the night. They found a beautiful spot\nnear a water hole and after staking their horses out they unrolled their\nblankets and prepared the evening meal. In the darkness they could hear\nthe coyote baying at the moon and Running Dog remarked how sad and\nplaintive was the call of the coyote. White Cloud agreed, \u201cYes, Running\nDog, it is quite a sad sound, but after all the coyote is a very lonely\nanimal. You too would not feel much like laughing if you had to spend\nall of your life alone without friends.\u201d\n\nThe two boys laughed and then wrapping themselves in their blankets were\nsoon fast asleep.\n\nThe following morning the boys rose and after eating breakfast, packed\ntheir equipment once again and were soon on the trail, traveling ever\nnorthward. Soon they had entered land that was not at all familiar to\nthem, but they began to notice plentiful signs of game and so they kept\neagerly onward.\n\n\u201cLook,\u201d cried Running Dog, \u201cpony tracks, and they are fresh. Not too\nlong ago Indian ponies passed this way. In fact I would say they are not\nmore than a day old. See, it has been damp here and the impression of\nthe ponies\u2019 hoofs has not had time to harden through. I wonder though,\nWhite Cloud, why our brothers would be this far north?\u201d\n\nWhite Cloud thought for a moment and then he said, \u201cBut, Running Dog,\nyou do not think that we are the only ones off on a hunting party. These\nare probably the tracks of some of our men who are also seeking game and\nhave come this far north in search of it.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat may be true, White Cloud; on the other hand, these may be the hoof\nprints of Kiowa ponies and if so then we are much further north than I\nfigured and are now in Kiowa territory. That is not a healthy place to\nbe.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat should we do, Running Dog?\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not know. For if we are in the land of the Kiowas we should turn\nand return to our own land; but if we are not and these are the tracks\nof friendly Apaches we would be silly to turn back, for only now have\nthe signs of game become plentiful. The problem is whether we should\nstay and take our chances or return empty-handed with our tails between\nour legs.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are older, Running Dog, you make the decision.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right then, we shall stay and take our chances. I have seen many\nsigns of deer and we shall find ourselves a large buck to kill before we\nreturn to our village. But come, it is getting late. Let us find a good\nplace to camp.\u201d\n\nThe two young braves traveled a little farther on, and then when they\nboth agreed that an ideal place was not to be located, they settled for\na small clump of trees nestled in a gully. There was water not too far\ndistant, and about two hundred yards from where they camped, there was a\nlarge mass of rock ledges that rose up from the ground, eventually\ngrowing into a cliff. In among these boulders and rock ledges they were\nable to find a source of water, and so they decided to make this their\nbase of operations.\n\nTo the west of where they camped they had seen a small woodland and\nswamp area which they figured would make a good hunting place for wild\ngame. The boys went about setting up their camping ground and when they\nhad completed the task at hand they settled down to going over their\nhunting equipment.\n\nThe two boys having checked their bows and arrows went off to attempt to\nfind some fresh meat for supper. White Cloud headed for the woodlands to\nthe west and Running Dog started for the rock formation to the north.\nAfter about two hours of hunting and searching, Running Dog returned to\nthe campsite empty-handed, but soon he saw his friend White Cloud riding\nlike the wind toward the camp.\n\nSlung over his horse\u2019s neck was an object that flopped loosely back and\nforth as he rose. Soon he was in the camp and swinging down from his\npony\u2019s back he placed a plump young rabbit on the ground in front of\nRunning Dog and smiled, saying, \u201cHere, little friend, is our dinner for\ntonight.\u201d\n\nSoon the fire was blazing, and the two boys settled down to a delicious\nmeal of roast rabbit. When they had finished their dinner they rolled up\nin their blankets and were soon asleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long\nday, for they were determined to track down some large game and make\ntheir kill, for their supplies were running low and they must start the\nreturn trip to the village the following afternoon.\n\nThe night passed without incident and when the dawn broke it was raining\nslightly. The two boys looked at the heavens frowning, but in about a\nhalf hour the sky had cleared and the sun shone through again.\n\nThe boys started off for the woodland and their big game hunt. They had\nnot gone very far when Running Dog glanced up toward the high rock\nformations. He did not know what caused him to look in that direction,\nbut suddenly he stopped and called to White Cloud who had been riding a\nlittle ahead, anxious to reach the woods.\n\n\u201cWait, White Cloud. Look, look to the north, beyond that formation of\nrocks.\u201d\n\nWhite Cloud turned and gazed in the direction Running Dog pointed. There\nrising above the rock formation were puffs of smoke. \u201cMaybe it is the\ncampfire of another hunting party, Running Dog?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Running Dog, \u201cthat is not campfire, those are Kiowa smoke\nsignals. I will try to make them out.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you sure they are Kiowa smoke signals, Running Do?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh yes, White Cloud, many moons ago my father taught me of the Kiowa\nsmoke signals. Though all tribes use this method the Kiowas have a\ndefinite series of signals before their message. Look, White Cloud. See\nthat series of short puffs of smoke? That is peculiar only to the\nKiowas. Let me see if I can make out what they are sending.\u201d\n\nThe two boys sat astride their ponies watching the signals of smoke rise\nin the distance. Running Dog studied the signals as diligently as he\ncould and seeking back into his memory for everything his father had\ntaught him about smoke signals.\n\nThen he turned to White Cloud, \u201cCome, my friend, we must hurry. Those\nsignals are to a band of Kiowas to the south that we are here in their\nhunting grounds and therefore have broken the law of the Kiowa and must\ndie. They are calling to this band to bring our scalps on their war\nlances triumphantly to the village. We must hurry, White Cloud. There is\nno telling how long that message has been playing in the sky. We did not\nnotice it until now but that does not mean that it has not been sent\nbefore just now. We must ride to camp and take our other horse and start\nfor home.\u201d\n\nThe two boys wheeled their ponies about and sped back for the camp. They\nentered the camp and quickly gathering their possessions together they\nput them aboard the pack horse and climbing upon their own ponies they\nstarted swiftly southward. They rode steadily for about an hour, and\nthen Running Dog pulled up his pony.\n\n\u201cWait, White Cloud, we are doing just what they wish us to do. We are\nrunning and we have a long hard trip to make. Besides, that signal was\nevidently for a band to the south of our camp. If we are not careful we\nshall find that we have ridden right into a trap. Let us plan our trip\nmore carefully. First we must stay away from the main trails. We must\ntake to the foothills and work our way south that way. It will take us\nlonger, but there will be less chance of being ambushed, I believe, if\nwe stay away from the well-used main trails. The Kiowas are a very\ntricky people and we would be in a trap before we knew it. They will be\nsure to be covering the water holes for they know we must have water. As\nfar as I know there are but three between here and our village. How much\nwater do you have in your pouch?\u201d\n\n\u201cMy pouch is about empty, Running Dog, but surely we will find water\nelsewhere than at the three water holes.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere is a good chance that we will, but I do not want to count on it.\nAfter all, our hunters are the ones that are familiar with this land. We\nare strangers here and not acquainted with the good and bad points.\nCome, our horses have rested. We will leave the main trail now and\ncontinue cross country. It is going to be a hard journey, White Cloud,\nbut we are racing death.\u201d\n\nWith that the two boys steered their ponies from the main trail and\nbegan to travel in a southeasterly direction. Here there was no clear\ntrail, and they had only the uncanny sense of a homing pigeon to guide\nthem. They pushed their ponies easily for the first couple of hours, but\nfinally the steady pace began to tell and they had to come to a stop.\n\nThey had entered a green valley and as they rode they noticed an\nabundance of game. \u201cToo bad that we are in a race,\u201d remarked White\nCloud, \u201cfor here is a paradise of game.\u201d Running Dog said nothing, and\nthe two boys brought their ponies to a stop. They stepped from their\nponies and rested, allowing the horses to crop grass.\n\nAs they lay there, White Cloud glanced back in the direction from which\nthey had come. Again he could see the ominous puffs of smoke rising from\nbehind the small hills that separated them from the main band of Kiowas.\n\nAfter resting a short while and allowing their ponies to blow, they\nmounted again and continued their gallop toward their village and\nsecurity. Night was approaching now and the boys were glad for they knew\nthat they could travel much more swiftly at night because it would be\ncooler. Besides, they knew that the Kiowas would not attack unless they\nwere sure they could kill both the boys.\n\nThey rode more swiftly now, and suddenly Running Dog\u2019s pony whinnied\naloud and swerved to one side. Running Dog tried to pull him back but\nthe pony galloped off in a slightly different direction from the one in\nwhich they had been traveling. Then Running Dog understood why, for\nsuddenly he heard the hoofs of his horse splashing. The horse had found\nwater. What a break! The boys threw themselves from their horses and lay\nflat in the water. Suddenly Running Dog lifted himself from the water\nand grasping White Cloud\u2019s arm he said:\n\n\u201cWe are foolish. Suppose they are watching this water hole. We sit here\nlike two fat frogs waiting for the hook. Come quickly, we must leave\nthis place.\u201d The two boys mounted once again and rode on. Suddenly the\npack horse stumbled and fell. The boys stopped their ponies and returned\nto the side of the pack horse. \u201cHe will be all right,\u201d said White Cloud,\n\u201che is just winded.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe must leave him,\u201d said Running Dog. \u201cWe cannot wait for him to regain\nhis breath and his strength. We must ride.\u201d\n\nNow the two boys could travel a little faster without the pack horse to\nslow them down, although they hated the thought of leaving a pony for\nthe blood-thirsty Kiowas. Finally they brought their ponies to a halt\nand dismounted.\n\n\u201cWe must rest several hours or our ponies will die underneath us. Try to\nsleep, White Cloud. I will stand guard. I will wake you in a short time\nand then I will sleep. Do not worry, I am tired, but my eyes and ears\nare sharp.\u201d\n\nWhite Cloud was exhausted and in a matter of seconds he was asleep.\nRunning Dog kept careful watch and a short time later he wakened White\nCloud. Then Running Dog slept and shortly just as dawn was breaking\nWhite Cloud shook his friend and the two thrust some dried venison into\ntheir mouths to chew and each one taking a long drink of water they\nmounted and were soon on their way once again.\n\nThey had been riding for about an hour when Running Dog glanced back in\nthe direction they had just come and there on a hillside a few miles\nback he saw a small band of Kiowas. They were evidently looking for\nsomething or someone.\n\nIt was not a puzzle to Running Dog long, for he saw the band of Kiowas\nbreak from the hillside in their direction. \u201cThey have seen us, White\nCloud! Ride as you have never ridden before. We are near to our land,\nbut it is still a hard ride and the worst is yet to come. I cannot be\nsure if that is a band that is pursuing us or whether it is the band\nfrom the south. In any case, we must keep going. Ride, White Cloud, ride\nfor your life.\u201d\n\nThe two ponies thundered on. Soon they had entered a series of hills.\nThe second day was fast drawing to a close. Then it happened.\n\nWhite Cloud\u2019s pony caught his foot in a gopher hole, and down went pony\nand rider.\n\nRunning Dog pulled his pony to a halt and rode back to where his friend\nhad fallen. Both boy and pony were down. The pony had evidently a broken\nleg and White Cloud had hit his head upon a stone and was unconscious.\nRunning Dog took his knife and put the horse out of his misery and then\nhe dragged his friend to the shelter of a rock and poured some water on\nhis face. Soon White Cloud shook his head.\n\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d\n\n\u201cYour horse stumbled. I have had to use my knife on him, his leg was\nbroken. But how do you feel?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I am a little dizzy and very tired. But go, Running Dog, you must\nride to the village for help.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, White Cloud, I must do that, but I am lost. I do not know where we\nare and the sky is black tonight. We must stay here until dawn. My pony\nis all done in anyway. He would not get very far tonight. We will rest.\nI will stand guard first.\u201d\n\nWith that, Running Dog moved off to a small crevice of rock and settled\ndown to keep watch. But the grind had been too much even for him, and\nbefore too long his head hung low upon his chest and both boys slept.\n\nSuddenly Running Dog woke with a start, hands of steel were holding his\narms and legs, pinning him where he sat. He struggled and then he heard\na familiar voice, \u201cWhy do you struggle so hard, my son?\u201d\n\n\u201cFather, it is you. Oh father, I am so glad to see you. But tell me, how\ndid you find us?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Running Dog\u2019s father, \u201cwe too have eyes and saw the Kiowa\nsignals while off gathering some horses that had strayed. We rode to\nmeet the invader, for we knew that they would have come far into Apache\nterritory to catch those that they pursued. So we rode to attack the\nband. We were able to defeat them and send them running for their homes,\nbut before that we were able to learn from one of their dying braves\nthat you, their quarry, had ridden in this direction.\n\n\u201cI am sorry we were holding you when you awoke but you are mighty fast\nwith the knife and I did not want to take the chance of being killed by\nmy own son.\u201d\n\nThey laughed and then the party returned without further incident to the\nsafety of their village.\n\n                            * * * * * * * *\n\n\u201cHere my story ends,\u201d said Running Dog, \u201cbut I shall long remember the\nevents of that Race with Death.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                               THE STORM\n\n\nIn the Algonquin tribe, Masequah had grown to manhood through the many\nwinters and summers that his tribe lived in peace. He was a very tall,\nstrong and good-looking Indian brave. He was bravest of all in battle, a\ngood hunter, and a good husband to his wife, Senan, and their son, Pyan.\nMasequah was very proud of his son. As the baby grew, his mother no\nlonger had to carry him upon her back. Soon Masequah was able to walk\nhand in hand with Pyan through the forest.\n\nAs his son grew older, Masequah began to train him for manhood. One day\nMasequah and Pyan stepped into a canoe and paddled across the wide lake\nto look for berries and nuts. Pyan was now seven years of age, and his\ntraining had begun in earnest. While they were on the other shore, a\ngreat storm arose, and the wind brought huge angry waves to the lake.\nMasequah feared that their light canoe would be broken by the waves. He\ntold Pyan that it would be much safer to stay where they were until\nmorning.\n\nThey found a small cove that would give them some shelter. Then they\nstarted hunting for food, while the rain beat down on them. Pyan spotted\ntwo rabbits, and his father shot both of them. Then they went back to\nthe cove, found dry wood, and built a fire to cook the rabbits. Masequah\nand Pyan settled themselves as comfortably as they could for the long\nnight.\n\nThe winds began to blow even harder and the rain began to fall more\nheavily. Pyan snuggled closer to his father\u2019s side to keep warm. As the\nwarrior looked at his son, he saw fear in his son\u2019s eyes. Masequah had\ntaught his son that Indians were never afraid, but suddenly he realized\nthat lessons were not enough. Even an Indian needed to understand the\nthing he feared in order to drive fear away.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid, Pyan,\u201d he said kindly. \u201cThe rain that falls around us\nbrings strength to food we have planted and to the trees in the forest.\nAt the worst, it can only wet us. We are too wise to battle the wind on\nthe lake. The bright bolts of lightning could not strike us here easily\nin this cove, and the thunder is only a loud noise like a war drum.\nThere is nothing to fear.\u201d\n\nAs Masequah watched his son\u2019s face in the flickering light of the fire,\nhe knew that his words had been of little comfort. \u201cI want to go home,\u201d\nsaid Pyan, \u201cI want my mother and the warmth of my bed. I am afraid.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid, Pyan,\u201d Masequah said, \u201cyour father is with you.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan you stop the lightning?\u201d asked Pyan. \u201cCan you stop the rain? That\nwill stop my fear. The wind that is blowing so strong frightens me.\u201d\n\nMasequah picked up his son and carried him to the shelter of a cave and\nafter placing his son in the cave he said, \u201cWait, I shall return. I must\nget an answer to your questions.\u201d Masequah walked to the edge of the\nlake and, facing straight into the wind, shouted, \u201cO great storm, tell\nme what answers I should give my son! He is afraid and I have told him\nnot to be afraid. The wind, the lightning, and the rain frighten him and\nhe wants to return to his home. To try to paddle our light canoe across\nthe rough waters of the lake could mean death for my son and me. I am\nnot afraid to die, but my son is young and his whole life lies before\nhim. Tell me what I can do to stop his fear. He has asked me to stop the\nrain and the wind. This I cannot do, but you, great storm, hear a\nfather\u2019s plea and blow away from our land!\u201d\n\nMasequah shivered, for the storm seemed to be getting worse. He turned\nfrom the lake and walked back to the cave. Taking his son\u2019s hand, he\nsaid, \u201cPyan, come, follow your father. We are going home.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, father,\u201d said Pyan, \u201cthe winds and the rain and the lightning have\nnot stopped. The water is rough and our canoe is light. We will be\ndrowned.\u201d\n\nPyan held back as his father took his hand. His father spoke kindly and\nfirmly: \u201cCome, Pyan, do not be afraid. Your father will protect you.\u201d\n\nAs they reached the shore Pyan began to tremble and felt heartsick\nbecause he was cowardly while his father was so brave. Pyan stepped into\nthe canoe and his father followed. Masequah pointed to the sky.\n\n\u201cLook, Pyan, the sky is beginning to brighten. Now the storm will halt\nlong enough for us to reach the safety of our village.\u201d\n\nThere was a blinding flash of lightning and a loud clap of thunder. The\nrain stopped suddenly, the winds died down, and the waves on the lake\nbecame calm. Masequah pushed the canoe from the shore and paddled\nswiftly across the lake.\n\nWhen they reached home, Pyan told his mother excitedly how the storm had\nstopped when his father ordered it to halt. Pyan\u2019s mother turned slowly\nto Masequah.\n\n\u201cMy husband,\u201d she said with wonder in her voice, \u201cuntil just now as you\nand Pyan arrived, the storm hasn\u2019t paused once tonight.\u201d\n\nFor many years until Masequah\u2019s death, the members of his tribe looked\nupon Masequah as a brave gifted with mysterious powers. They would tell\nof a hunting party that had reached the lake at the same time that\nMasequah and Pyan had started for home; the hunters had been whipped by\nthe raging storm while they stood on a hill top overlooking the lake;\nsuddenly they had seen the storm stop and the lake below them grow calm;\nand then they had watched a small canoe, with a man and a boy in it,\nglide swiftly across the peaceful waters. To them it was a miracle, but\nMasequah knew better.\n\nMasequah would always deny that he had any mysterious powers. Over and\nover again, he would remind his friends that no storm covers all the\nearth, and that every storm has its edges just as the lake does, or like\nthe shadow of a fleecy cloud on a sunny day.\n\nNo matter how often he told them that the edge of the storm had moved\naway from the lake, most of his friends still insisted that it was a\nmiracle. Even Pyan, who believed that his father was wise and truthful,\nsometimes wondered.\n\n\n  This story was told to the author by Barney Mason, a Canadian Scout,\n  who had learned it from living descendants of the Algonquin Tribe.\n\n\n\n\n                              5. CHARACTER\n\n\n\n\n                     SLEEPING BEAR MAKES A MISTAKE\n\n\nThe Montagnais village of the great Northern forest was large with many\nfine wigwams. The village had been built in a meadow near a great lake,\nand the smell of woodfires was always in the air, as the smoke curled\nskyward from each wigwam. It was a busy time of year for the Montagnais\nbecause winter would soon be upon them. Families were repairing their\nhomes and making new clothing for the winter months.\n\nIt was on one of these busy days that Bald Eagle informed his family\nthat he believed they should build a new wigwam. So the work was\norganized. First Bald Eagle selected a good place to build it. Then he\nscratched lines on the ground to show where the frame would be set.\nHaving cut saplings and put them in place, bending the ends to make\narches for the roof, he bound them together with withes made from a\npeeled basswood sapling about three fingers thick that bent very easily.\nThe making of these withes had fallen to Sleeping Bear, Bald Eagle\u2019s\nson. It is about this job that our story is concerned.\n\nWhen Sleeping Bear was asked to make the withes, he was proud. This was\nthe first time his father had ever asked him to do such an important\njob. Dashing off into the forest, he came upon a young basswood sapling\nabout three fingers thick. Taking his knife from its beaded sheath, he\nproceeded to cut the sapling. The flint blade of his knife did a very\nneat job and he soon had the young sapling down and trimmed.\n\nThen Sleeping Bear set to work to strip the bark from the sapling. When\nhe had all the bark peeled away, he dashed home to show his father what\ngood work he had done.\n\nBald Eagle smiled. \u201cThat is fine, my son, but now we must have the\nwithes to tie the ends of the frame together.\u201d\n\nSleeping Bear squatted upon the ground and began to cut thin strips from\nthe basswood. He worked very carefully until he had cut a very, very\nthin strip from the sapling. Then he cut another and another, until he\nhad a good supply. Picking them all up, he walked to where his father\nwas working and proudly he said:\n\n\u201cHere, father, are the strips you can use for withes.\u201d\n\nWithout looking up, Bald Eagle said, \u201cThat is fine, my son. How many\nhave you cut for me?\u201d\n\n\u201cI have cut about thirty,\u201d said Sleeping Bear.\n\nBald Eagle looked up. Reaching toward his son\u2019s outstretched hands, he\ngrasped the basswood strips.\n\n\u201cThese will make very fine fishing lines, my son, but they are much too\nthin for withes. You must make them thicker, so that they will hold the\nframe in the position we want.\u201d Handing the strips back to Sleeping\nBear, Bald Eagle smiled and continued to work upon the frame of the\nwigwam.\n\nSadly, Sleeping Bear turned and headed back into the forest to find more\nbasswood saplings. As he walked along, he was not thinking about the\nbasswood, but about how foolish he had felt when his father told him\nthat the strips he had cut were too thin. He kicked at the pebbles and\nwas very angry with himself. He did not realize that he had walked quite\na distance from the village, until suddenly it got very dark.\n\nLooking up, Sleeping Bear realized that he was close to the swamp area\nand that he must have come quite a distance. Slowly, he turned and\nstarted back along the trail looking to either side for basswood\nsaplings. Finally, he saw two or three set back in the forest a short\nway. Leaving the trail, he reached the saplings and started to cut them\ndown and trim them. He had out two when there was a low growl behind\nhim. Turning, he saw a bear standing on his hind feet and testing the\nair for scent with his snout.\n\nSleeping Bear was suddenly very frightened. Crouching low to the ground,\nhe began to edge his way toward the path again. Soon he reached the\npath. Then he began to run until he was safe in the camp once again.\nDashing up to his father he stood a minute catching his breath, and then\nhe blurted out the story of the bear.\n\nBald Eagle put his arm around his son\u2019s shoulders and said:\n\n\u201cYou see how much trouble can be brought on by one foolish mistake? If\nyou had watched your father carefully, you would have known how to make\na withe the right thickness. Because you were angry, you did not look\nfor basswood saplings close to home, but wandered deep into the forest\nand almost became the dinner of brother bear. Rushing to escape the\nbear, you left your basswood saplings behind. So the task of making\nwithes begins all over again. Be careful, my son, that when you do\nsomething, you do it right, or if you make a mistake, you do not waste\ntime brooding over it. Better to accept it and go forth to do the job\nbetter.\u201d\n\nAnd so Sleeping Bear learned a great lesson that day.\n\n\n\n\n                       THE LESSON OF THE ELM TREE\n\n\nA small Cherokee lad by the name of White Eagle lived with his father\nand mother on the shores of a large lake in the Appalachian Mountains.\nHe was a lad of about eleven years. His father, Great Eagle, was known\nin the tribe as one of the bravest of warriors. In this Cherokee tribe\nthere was much talk of war with other tribes, and the tribe\u2019s highest\nhonors and respect always went to the bravest and most daring warrior.\n\nNot many suns away lived another woodlands tribe, the Eries. This story\nconcerns a young captive from this Erie tribe and White Eagle, the\nCherokee boy.\n\nVery rarely did any tribe go so far afield in its hunting, but this one\nwinter food was very scarce for the Cherokees and they traveled quite a\ndistance north in search of additional game. They moved into the hunting\ngrounds of the Iroquois, quickly made their kills, and started for home.\nOn their way, they came upon an Erie boy whom Great Eagle decided to\nbring home to his tepee as a brother to his son.\n\nThe Cherokee tribe lived in a sentry-patrolled, fortified village. When\nLittle Frog, as the Erie lad was called, first saw the village, he was\nfrightened. He realized that he was near the entire tribe of fearful\nCherokees whose wars his father had often recounted to him. Great Eagle\nsensed the boy\u2019s fear and laid his hand gently on his shoulder. Great\nEagle took him to his home and introduced him to White Eagle. White\nEagle was pleased to have a boy of his own age to play with in his own\nwigwam. That night there was much dancing and merry-making to celebrate\nthe successful hunting raid into the Iroquois lands.\n\nThe following morning Great Eagle roused the boys to tell them that\ntoday they would go in search of small game to improve their shooting\nability. Each boy was given a small amount of food, and they started off\nfor the forest with Great Eagle. Little Frog began to look upon Great\nEagle as his father and felt happy. His own father had been killed in an\nearly tribal raid.\n\nAs they padded through the forest, they could hear the cry of wild birds\nand every now and then the snapping of a twig. Great Eagle signaled with\nhis hand for the two youngsters to wait. Then he moved off to the side\nto investigate the noise; but once again he returned to the trail,\nindicating that the game they were after was not to be seen.\n\nWhen the sun had risen high in the heavens, Great Eagle decided they\nwould sit and rest and eat some food. As they were eating, Little Frog\nasked White Eagle, \u201cDo you often travel with your father?\u201d White Eagle\nreplied, \u201cRight now I am being trained by my father to become a great\nwarrior.\u201d\n\nThe Erie boy was very much impressed with this and thought of himself\nhow wonderful it would be if he had a father. White Eagle then asked\nLittle Frog, \u201cDo you miss your village and your people?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d Little\nFrog replied, \u201cbecause in my village I was not wanted by anyone. My\nfather had been killed in battle. My mother died of a great sickness and\nI was cast out of my father\u2019s wigwam by a new brave. I was made to work\nfor myself to get food and to live as best I could.\u201d White Eagle\nrealized then how lucky he was to have such a fine warrior father as\nGreat Eagle.\n\nAfter drinking some water to wash down the dried deer meat, Great Eagle\narose and the boys stood up quickly, and they started forward. The brave\nsignaled the boys to follow him more softly now. Little Eagle noticed\nthat they were approaching a stream where beaver had built their dams\nand homes. As they approached the stream, Great Eagle pointed to the\nbrush where the boys should wait while he looked about for the beaver.\nNot having seen any, Great Eagle returned to where the boys were hidden\nand told them they would start back to the village and search for wild\nturkeys and rabbits. White Eagle felt a slight disappointment at not\nhaving been able to try out his new arrows on the beaver, but he trusted\nthe wisdom of his father. So he and Little Frog returned along the trail\nwith Great Eagle.\n\nWhen they had almost reached the edge of the forest, Great Eagle stopped\nand pointed into the brush at the side of the trail. There, crouching in\nhiding, was a small cotton-tail rabbit. Quickly, White Eagle raised his\nbow and let fly an arrow. The rabbit took one leap and fell dead. White\nEagle was so excited that he danced up and down, shouting at the top of\nhis lungs that he had made his kill. Great Eagle quieted his son and\nthen looked slowly in Little Frog\u2019s direction. Approaching the rabbit,\nGreat Eagle noticed that two arrows had struck it. He knew that Little\nFrog must have shot his arrow at the same time as White Eagle. White\nEagle and Little Frog began to argue about whose arrow had really killed\nthe rabbit. Naturally, each claimed that his arrow had made the kill.\n\nGreat Eagle was at a loss as to just what to do. He was always fair in\nhis decisions and did not want to favor one boy over the other,\nespecially because it involved his son. So Great Eagle said, \u201cLet us\nagree; say that each of your arrows shared in killing the rabbit, for I\ncan see that you are both like stubborn elm trees\u2014and you are both\nbetter with your bows than I had thought.\u201d\n\nWith that, Great Eagle picked up the rabbit and put it in his pouch and\nthe three of them started for home. Both boys seemed quite happy now\nthat Great Eagle had made the decision. However, that night Little Frog\nleaned over in his bed and tapped White Eagle\u2019s shoulder. \u201cWhite Eagle,\u201d\nhe said, \u201cwhat does your father mean when he says we are like the\nstubborn elm?\u201d \u201cTomorrow morning,\u201d said White Eagle, \u201cI will show you\nwhat my father meant.\u201d With that the boys went to sleep.\n\nThe following morning when they arose, Little Frog was impatient to\nlearn why Great Eagle had called them stubborn like the elm, and he\nquickly reminded White Eagle of his promise of the night before. Hand in\nhand, they started for the great forest. As they went along, White Eagle\nkept breaking branches of the different trees along the way. Little Frog\nwas imitating White Eagle as they walked until they came upon a small\nyoung elm tree. White Eagle did his best to break the elm tree, but all\nit did was bend. Then Little Frog tried to help him break the tree; but\ndespite their weight and strength, it still only bent.\n\nJust then they heard a voice behind them and Great Eagle stepped up and\nplaced his hands on the shoulders of both boys.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d he said, \u201cyou have found the reason why I called you stubborn as\nthe elm. Many, many of the trees of the forest can be broken and forced\nto the earth. But the elm tree will bend and not break unless the\nstrength of several braves is put upon it. So it is with two proud young\nIndian boys who both believe they are right, putting their equal\nstrength against each other in an argument. Neither gives way, just as\nthe elm will not give away. If I attempted to add my strength on either\nside of the argument, the other might have bent to the earth like the\nelm if we all put our weight upon it. So remember this tree. As long as\nyou believe honestly that you are right, you can be strong and straight\nlike the elm tree; but once you leave the path of truth and wisdom you\nbecome weak and brittle, and your enemy can bow you to the ground in\nshame and defeat.\u201d\n\n\n  This story was told to the author by James Ariga, a boy of part\n  Cherokee blood, at the Ten Mile River Scout Reservation in the year\n  1947.\n\n\n\n\n                                THE RACE\n\n\nWinter had come to the many Indian villages in the northeastern\nwoodlands, and with it, the snow, the wind, and the cold. The winter was\nso severe that even the strongest braves hesitated to wander far from\ntheir villages, knowing that death could overtake an adventurous brave\nif a sudden blizzard should catch him far from familiar ground.\n\nThis story is about two such adventurous young Oneida Indians that\nwinter. Naltan and Ceysoda were outstanding young boys of their tribe.\nTime and time again before winter set in, they had taken part in the\ngames and contests of the tribe, and one or the other had won each time.\nThis had continued until the other young boys in the village decided\nthat Naltan and Ceysoda were just too good for them, and that something\nmust be done to prevent their running away with all the prizes.\n\nSo one fall day, when they were sure that Ceysoda and Naltan were not\naround, all the youngsters gathered to discuss a plan. On the following\nday, there were to be foot races in the village. The group plotted that\nat the start of the foot race, two of the faster young braves would trip\nNaltan and Ceysoda so that they would fall and thus be put out of the\nrace. The boys who had tripped them would be scored out of the race,\ntoo, but at least they would have the satisfaction of knowing that\nsomeone besides Naltan and Ceysoda would win the foot race for a change.\n\nJust at that moment they saw Naltan coming around one of the wigwams,\nand they all started walking away in different directions. Naltan walked\nup to one of the leaders of the group and asked:\n\n\u201cWhat have I missed, friend Beartooth? Ceysoda and I have been busy\nrepairing and sharpening our hunting weapons. We did not know that there\nwas to be a meeting of all the boys of the village.\u201d\n\nBeartooth was quick to recover from his surprise and then in a very calm\nvoice said:\n\n\u201cOh, Naltan, that was no meeting of all the boys. It was merely a few of\nus talking about the foot races tomorrow and the weather. It has been\nvery cold, and soon winter will be here with her snow and winds and\nbitter cold. Tomorrow we are going to have the foot races. So we were\ntalking about who we thought would be victorious.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you think there are any among you who can defeat Ceysoda and me in\nthe foot race, Beartooth? If you do, you had better forget about it,\u201d\nNaltan boasted. \u201cCeysoda and I will win the race tomorrow, as we always\ndo.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe shall see,\u201d said Beartooth with a note of warning in his voice. \u201cWe\nshall see.\u201d Then he turned and walked away from Naltan toward his\nfather\u2019s wigwam.\n\nNaltan shrugged his shoulders and, thinking no more about it, dashed off\nto find Ceysoda. He looked all around the camp and finally found him\npracticing with his bow and arrow a short distance from the village.\nNaltan told him what Beartooth had said. Ceysoda was silent for a few\nmoments, thinking.\n\n\u201cNaltan, my friend,\u201d he said, \u201cI have a strange feeling that our\nbrothers plot against us. I have no good reason for feeling this way,\nbut I can\u2019t help it. For some reason our friends have planned a way to\nmake us lose the race. What it is and how I know I cannot tell you, but\nthe feeling is upon me.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are foolish, Ceysoda. The fact that we have won many contests and\ngames from our friends surely wouldn\u2019t give them a reason to plot any\nharm.\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not say that they want to harm us; but in some way they will try\nto make sure we do not win the foot races tomorrow. Wait and see,\nNaltan.\u201d\n\nThe two boys spoke no further and soon it was time to return to their\nwigwams for the evening meal. When Naltan and his father had finished\neating, Naltan told his father that he would like to get his advice. So\nfather and son sat down by the blazing coals of the fire in the middle\nof their wigwam.\n\n\u201cFather,\u201d Naltan began, \u201ctoday Ceysoda told me that our friends were\nplanning some trick to make us lose in the foot race tomorrow. He also\nsaid that he did not know why he had this feeling, but he did have it.\nSurely, father, our friends would not try to harm us?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, my son, I do not believe that your friends would want to harm you,\nbut is there any reason that you would have to believe that what your\nfriend Ceysoda tells you might be true?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, father, there isn\u2019t anything\u2014yes, wait a minute! There might be.\nLate this afternoon when Ceysoda and I had finished working on our bows,\nI went down to Beartooth\u2019s wigwam to borrow some thongs for my\nmoccasins. Just as I reached the small clearing near Beartooth\u2019s home, I\nsaw almost all of our friends gathered together talking; but when they\nsaw me they scattered, each one heading for his own home. When I\nquestioned Beartooth about it, he said that they had been talking about\nthe coming winter and the foot races tomorrow, and had just finished\nwhen I arrived.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, do not worry about it, my son. Whoever is strongest and fastest\nwill win tomorrow. It will soon be time for bed. Go out and play for a\nlittle while, but when your mother calls, come to bed, for you will need\nyour rest for the foot races.\u201d With that Naltan\u2019s father rose to leave.\n\n\u201cYou know, father, my thoughts became so confused when I saw the crowd\nof boys that I forgot to ask Beartooth for the thongs. I will go down\nnow before he goes to sleep so that I may work a little more on my bow\ntonight before I go to sleep.\u201d\n\nNaltan left his home and walked quickly to Beartooth\u2019s home. As he\nneared Beartooth\u2019s wigwam he heard voices. Beartooth was talking to one\nof the other young braves. \u201cYes, that\u2019s right,\u201d he was saying, \u201cmake\nsure that you are next to Naltan at the start of the race tomorrow. When\nthe signal is given, pretend to trip so that you will fall against\nNaltan and tumble him to the ground. I will do the same to Ceysoda. Then\nwe can be sure that someone else will win the race.\u201d\n\nNaltan decided that he did not need the extra thong that night, but\nhurried to see his friend, Ceysoda. Reaching the wigwam where he lived,\nhe called until Ceysoda came to the entrance.\n\n\u201cWhat do you want, Naltan? It is late and I am tired. I was just about\nto go to bed.\u201d\n\n\u201cCeysoda, I have discovered what our friends plan for us tomorrow.\u201d\nNaltan repeated what he had heard at Beartooth\u2019s wigwam. When he had\nfinished, he waited to see how Ceysoda would take the news. He did not\nhave to wait long, for suddenly Ceysoda\u2019s face took on an angry look.\n\u201cThose crawling mud worms,\u201d he cried. \u201cHave they become so jealous\nbecause they cannot win at the games and contests that they have to use\ntrickery against us? I knew that the feeling I had was a true one. Now\nwe know exactly what they are going to do. But how can we prevent this\nfrom happening tomorrow, Naltan?\u201d\n\n\u201cI have a plan,\u201d said Naltan. \u201cTomorrow when we line up for the race we\nwill ask that the others be given a slight lead over us because we have\nwon so many races. We should be able to tell by what they say to that\nwhether or not they would still try to carry out such a plan.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is a very good idea, Naltan,\u201d said Ceysoda, yawning. \u201cNow I must\nsay goodnight, for I am tired, and we have some hard running ahead of us\ntomorrow.\u201d\n\nThe boys said goodnight. Ceysoda turned back into his wigwam and Naltan\nstarted to go home to his own bed. On the way, he wondered whether he\nshould tell his father what had happened. He decided to handle this in\nhis own way, without the help of any adults.\n\nThe following day was very crisp and cool. Off to the northwest clouds\nwarned that a snowstorm might be building up. But everyone was too\nexcited to take much notice of anything besides the preparations going\non all around for the big foot race. Fathers and sons together made the\nfinal inspection of the boys\u2019 clothing for the big race. The boys\u2019\nmoccasins especially were looked over carefully for any weak spots where\nthe leather might break. A torn moccasin could mean lost time and a lost\nrace.\n\nAt last, the call went up through the village for all who were entering\nthe race to gather at the starting line just outside the village on the\nborder of a great meadow. The young boys gathered, joined by their proud\nfathers, each of whom hoped that his son would cross the finish line\nfirst and win the beautiful bone-handled hunting knife which the tribe\u2019s\nmedicine man had offered as the first prize.\n\nWhen all the contestants had gathered at the starting line, the warrior\nin charge of the race began to give instructions. He called for the\nattention of all the runners. At that moment, Ceysoda and Naltan stepped\nforward and asked that they be allowed to start ten paces behind the\nothers so that this could be a more even race. There were many shouts\nfrom the other boys that Ceysoda and Naltan were only boasting. They\nsaid that they wanted the two boys to start with them. If Ceysoda and\nNaltan won the race, all well and good! But if they had to start back\nand lost the race then someone would always complain that it was not an\neven race. The warrior in charge then made his decision.\n\n\u201cI believe,\u201d he said, \u201cthat Naltan and Ceysoda are being very fair. So\nfar they have won all foot races by a great margin. Now they offer to\nstart late in order to give every one of you a better chance to win. I\nhave no doubt that many of you have been practicing hard for this event,\nbut these two have been practicing just as hard. So it would be a very\nunfair race unless I did give them a handicap to even up the chances for\nyou all.\u201d\n\nBeartooth knew that if they argued against this ruling, suspicion might\nbe aroused. So he bade his friends be quiet and line up again for the\nrace.\n\nThe course for the race this year had been chosen very carefully. The\nboys were to run across the meadow and into the woods up the game trail\nuntil they reached the blaze marked on a fallen birch. Then they were to\nturn off the trail and head east until they came to the singing rock.\nThat, Naltan knew, was the rock from which water trickled during and\nafter a heavy rain, and made an unusual, almost tinkling sound. At the\nrock the boys would turn south, break from the forest, cross the meadow,\nand head for home. The first one to cross the finish line would be\ndeclared the winner and receive the coveted hunting knife.\n\nThe instructions were clear. The boys waited eagerly. When the warrior\nhad made sure that all were lined up correctly, he gave them the\nstarting signal. Instead of leaping forward, the racers began to mill\naround. Then several boys broke from the group and started to run along\nthe course. Five young Indian braves, including Beartooth, Naltan, and\nCeysoda, could be seen lying on the ground. Naltan and Ceysoda leaped\nquickly to their feet and began running. They had already lost a great\ndeal of valuable ground, but the desire to win this race now burned\nespecially bright in their hearts. They ran swiftly across the meadow in\npursuit of the fast-disappearing figures of the leading braves, while\nothers trailed behind them.\n\nAs they reached the woods, they began to overtake the other boys one at\na time, because the running became harder as they got deeper into the\nwoods. There were rocks and branches to hinder their way, and the\nfooting was often unsure. As the two boys reached the blazed birch tree\nthey turned eastward and continued swiftly on their way. They soon\npassed more of the young braves. As they reached the singing rock and\nturned for home only two boys were still between them and the finish\nline. When they broke into the open and reached the meadow, the gap\nbetween the boys narrowed rapidly, and they were greeted by cheers. It\nwas clear to all that Naltan and Ceysoda would overtake the two leaders.\nThe cheering grew louder when, with a sudden burst of speed, Naltan and\nCeysoda passed them and sped across the finish line at exactly the same\nmoment. They were declared winners in a tied race, and each was given a\nbeautiful knife.\n\nAfter the award was made, Naltan looked around for Beartooth, but could\nnot find him. On the way home, Naltan asked his father if he had seen\nBeartooth.\n\n\u201cWhy, my son,\u201d his father said, \u201che was standing close to me as you and\nCeysoda broke from the woods into the meadow on the last part of the\nrace. Then he disappeared. Why are you so concerned. When you had picked\nyourself up from the ground and started after the other boys, the\nwarrior in charge of the race spoke to Beartooth. Beartooth confessed\nhis plan which, it seems, did not work out successfully. He will be\npunished for his plot. There is no need for you to be worried.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I am worried, father, for there is no need to punish Beartooth.\nWhat he did was wrong, but I am sure he is sorry. And after all, no harm\nwas done. I will go to him and speak with him and show him that I am not\nangry. Then I will talk to the warrior who started the race?\u201d\n\nNaltan left his father and went to Beartooth\u2019s house. He called to his\nfriend but there was no answer. When he called again, Beartooth\u2019s mother\ncame out of the wigwam and told him that her son had not returned from\nthe foot race.\n\n\u201cBut all the contestants have finished in the race and are home by now.\nWhere could Beartooth have gone? I will look for him.\u201d\n\nNaltan left to find Ceysoda, who was showing his beautiful knife proudly\nto his many friends.\n\n\u201cCeysoda,\u201d Naltan called as he drew near. \u201cCome, I must talk with you.\u201d\nWhen he finished telling Ceysoda about Beartooth\u2019s not returning home,\nthe two boys went in search of him. They looked all through the village\nbut could not find him anywhere. They asked all the children but they\nhad not seen him. Finally, they found the boy to whom Beartooth had\nspoken about the plot and who was to have helped him. At first the boy\ndenied knowing anything about where Beartooth might be; but finally\nafter continued questioning from Naltan, the boy told them.\n\n\u201cBeartooth was afraid when the warrior at the racing field told him that\nhe would have to be punished. So while everyone was milling around and\nshouting at the end of the race, he stole off and ran into the wood. He\nfeared not only the punishment of the warrior and council, but also the\npunishment that you and Ceysoda would bring down upon him for playing\nsuch a trick.\u201d\n\nWhile they were talking, a few snowflakes began to fall.\n\n\u201cCome,\u201d said Naltan, \u201cwe must go after him quickly. From the looks of\nthe sky and this snow, there will be a heavy storm. Beartooth has had\nlittle experience with snow. His days alone in the forest have been few.\nIf we do not go after him, he may be lost in the storm and threatened by\nthe wild animals of the forest.\u201d\n\n\u201cI cannot go,\u201d the boy answered. \u201cMy father would not allow it. Besides,\nhow would we know where to look?\u201d\n\nThe boys stepped back and stared at the boy. \u201cYou are a coward,\u201d Naltan\nsaid angrily. \u201cI cannot waste time arguing with you. Come, Ceysoda, we\nmust leave immediately.\u201d\n\nWithout further words, the two friends turned and started for the\nforest. The snow was beginning to fall faster and thicker now. As they\nreached the forest, they stopped to choose the most likely trail that\nBeartooth would follow. The race had tired Ceysoda, and he was breathing\nheavily now.\n\n\u201cWait, Naltan,\u201d he pleaded. \u201cThe boy was right. How would we know which\ndirection Beartooth would take? Besides, at the rate this snow is\nfalling any trace of him would be covered. Is it wise to go on?\u201d\n\n\u201cWise or not, Ceysoda, we must go on. Beartooth must be found. Not\nknowing the forest too well, he would probably travel the main trail\ntoward the north. We will go in that direction. If we hurry, we may be\nable to pick up a sign of his route before the snow has a chance to\ncover it completely, and reach him before he goes too far.\u201d\n\nThe boys spoke no further but hurried up the trail to the north, keeping\ntheir eyes toward the ground to look for signs of the boy\u2019s having\npassed that way. Soon Naltan stopped and pointed to a place in the trail\nwhere the snow had been disturbed.\n\n\u201cHe must have fallen here. See the way the snow has been pushed aside.\nCome, quickly, Ceysoda, he cannot be too far ahead.\u201d The two boys\ncontinued swiftly on the trail. Soon they were able to make out signs of\nfresh moccasin prints in the snow. But just when they felt they were\ngetting close, the wind began to blow harder, sweeping along the trail\nand covering any tracks or other signs that they might have found. The\nboys had been traveling at a fast pace for some time, when Ceysoda\nstopped suddenly.\n\n\u201cWait, Naltan, I must rest,\u201d he said. \u201cI am tired. I cannot go on\nwithout rest. Just for a moment let me catch my breath. Surely Beartooth\nwill not continue without rest, too, and we will lose no ground by\nstopping for a short while.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right,\u201d said Naltan, \u201cbut just for a moment. The day is growing\nlate.\u201d The two boys squatted down by the side of the trail and breathed\ndeeply to get their wind back again. Suddenly, Nathan gazed up through\nthe trees and then, stretching his hands out in front of him, he said,\n\u201cCeysoda, my friend, look! It has stopped snowing. We are in luck. But\nwe must hurry even so, because the storm will no longer slow Beartooth\u2019s\npace.\u201d\n\nThe two boys rose and sped on up the trail. Truly they were in luck, for\nsoon they came upon a place in the snow where someone had stopped to\nrest at the side of the trail. The prints of small moccasins were plain\nin the snow and led straight up the trail. Now the boys increased their\nefforts, for they knew they must be close. Suddenly, the tracks stopped\nand turned off the trail into the thick woods. This puzzled Naltan, but\nhe turned to follow them. The two boys began finding the going a little\nrougher. Suddenly, they found that they not only were following moccasin\ntracks, but another set of tracks now appeared not far behind the boy\u2019s.\nThese were the tracks of a bear!\n\nThe bear, Naltan thought, must have been late in going into hibernation\nfor the winter because he had not found enough food. Now a delicious\nmorsel of warm-blooded food was on the trail ahead of him. Now Naltan\nunderstood why Beartooth had left the trail; he must have seen the bear\nahead on the trail and turned off to escape him. But the hear was not\ngoing to be avoided so easily. Naltan suddenly stopped and turned to\nCeysoda.\n\n\u201cWhat shall we do if we do come upon the bear and Beartooth?\u201d he asked.\n\u201cWe are not armed with our bows and arrows. We could hardly defend\nourselves against such a worthy opponent as a bear. Two young Indians\nsuch as we, no matter how brave, would be easy prey for a large bear.\nYet we must go on and see if there is any help we can give. To turn back\nnow would certainly mark us as cowards.\u201d\n\nCeysoda did not like the idea of fighting a full-grown bear; yet he\nliked less the thought of turning his back on danger and returning to\nthe village to meet his friends\u2019 ridicule and his father\u2019s anger for\nhaving been so cowardly. They would have trouble enough as it was, for\nhaving left the village without letting their parents or friends know\nwhere they had gone. Naltan\u2019s voice swung his thoughts back to his\npresent plight.\n\n\u201cI have an idea, Ceysoda. Between us we have two knives. Let us cut a\ncouple of stout saplings to use as spears if we should need them. At\nleast we will have some chance, even if it is not a very good one,\nagainst the bear.\u201d\n\nSo the two boys immediately began cutting stout saplings to hack into\ncrude spears\u2014poor weapons against an angry bear, but the best the boys\ncould think of at the moment. When they sharpened the points on their\nspears, they continued following the very clear trail in the snow. They\ndid not travel as fast now because they sensed a danger lurking ahead of\nthem. They did not know just how far ahead the bear was, whether he was\nstill following Beartooth, or whether he had discovered them. In fact,\nat this very moment, he might be awaiting them, hidden among the rocks\nup ahead, which they could plainly see now as they watched the forest in\nfront of them cautiously while following the tracks carefully in the\nsnow.\n\nThey were continuing their anxious march in silence when they were\nstartled by a sound that echoed through the forest, a sound all too\nfamiliar to them\u2014the growl of an angry bear. It had come from in front\nand to the right of them. So the boys went on with even more caution.\nSuddenly, Naltan signaled to Ceysoda and the two boys crouched low to\nthe ground. Ahead of them, about a hundred paces, the natural trail they\nhad been following came to an end in a boxlike formation of rocks. The\nrocks reached almost straight up to the height of an elm tree. On top of\nthis enclosure stood the bear and about ten feet below him on a ledge\nsticking out from the rocks was Beartooth. Behind the bear the boys\nnoticed that the rocks continued to rise and they figured that they had\ncome upon almost a dead end. Beartooth, Naltan figured, had reached the\ndead end and panic-stricken because of the bear, had either fallen or\njumped to the ledge. For the moment he was safe, for the bear did not\nwant to chance jumping to the ledge and there was no way that he could\nclimb down. Suddenly he turned to the side and calmly walked around and\ndown beside the wall until he was once again on the forest floor. He\ntrotted to a spot directly beneath where the boy lay and studied the\nsituation, trying to figure a way to get at this thing that had invaded\nthe privacy of his forest at a time when he had been almost mad with\nhunger.\n\nThe wind was blowing into the faces of the boys so they knew for the\ntime being they were safe because the bear could not smell them, but if\nthe wind should shift they would then be in trouble, for the bear would\nturn his attention to them. This also gave them time to think and work\nout a plan. Suddenly Ceysoda touched Naltan\u2019s shoulder.\n\n\u201cMy brother,\u201d he said, \u201che moved. Beartooth moved; he is alive. We must\ndo something.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said Naltan, \u201cfor in his present situation he\nmight fall from the ledge and then it would be all over. If we can\nsomehow drive the bear off, we could then rescue Beartooth and return to\nthe village.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is a good idea, Naltan, but tell me, friend, how do we get\nBeartooth off the ledge once we have chased the bear away, if we can\nchase him away?\u201d\n\nThis was a serious problem, for the boys had nothing they could use as a\nrope and, besides, Naltan could for the moment think of no way to get\nrid of the bear.\n\nJust then the boys noticed Beartooth moving again, but this time he\nrolled even closer to the ledge. Without thinking, Ceysoda stood\nstraight up and shouted at Beartooth. \u201cLook out, Beartooth, you are\nright at the edge of the ledge. Look out, you will fall.\u201d\n\nThen Ceysoda realized what he had done, and he stood frozen as the bear\nturned and raising himself on his hind legs, emitting a terrible growl,\nstarted for the boys. Ceysoda\u2019s shouts had roused Beartooth and he\nworked his way back from the edge of the ledge close to the wall and\nsafety. Meanwhile the bear was increasing his speed toward the two boys.\nThe boys stood almost frozen with fear, but suddenly they were able to\nshake off the paralysis that had gripped them, and both boys drew their\nrustic spears in front of them to await the charge of the bear who was\ncoming ever closer.\n\nNaltan stepped slightly in front of Ceysoda in order to take the brunt\nof the attack, but Ceysoda would have none of it and edged up right next\nto Naltan. By this time the bear was almost upon them and with a\nterrifying snarl came rushing the last few yards.\n\nNaltan and Ceysoda, with the ends of the spears jammed into the ground\nheld fast as the bear rushed right into the sharp points. The bear\nstopped in his tracks as if suddenly he had forgotten something and then\nwith an agonizing snarl fell over dead, the two spears protruding from\nhis body. Immediately Naltan and Ceysoda ran forward to the base of the\nledge. Climbing to the top above Beartooth, the boys cut a long stout\nstaff and lowered the end to Beartooth who grasped it and was pulled to\nsafety. Then swiftly the three boys started for the village. On the way,\neach in turn told their story.\n\nFirst Beartooth told of how he had run away and how he had been chased\nto the top of the rock formation by the bear and, in trying to avoid\nhim, had fallen. The two boys told how they had followed Beartooth to\nbring him back and of their coming upon the bear and their narrow\nescape.\n\nWhen they reached the warmth and security of their village again, Naltan\nand Ceysoda went with Beartooth to his wigwam and there assured him that\nthey had no desire to punish him in any way for his trickery of that\nmorning. \u201cWhat you did was wrong, but what has happened to you today we\nfirmly believe is punishment enough. Let us forget the incidents of this\nday. We are still friends and friends we must remain, for only through\nunity and friendship will we grow into strong good Oneida warriors.\u201d\n\nBeartooth smiled and thanked his two friends, and he continued to smile\nas Naltan and Ceysoda walked off arm in arm toward their homes and large\nsuppers that awaited the returning heroes.\n\n\n\n\n                   LITTLE THUNDERBIRD TELLS THE TRUTH\n\n\nThe Blackfoot tribe was on the move. The buffalo had begun to search for\nnew pasture. So the tribe had packed all its tepees on the travois and\nwere moving to follow the herd. Their lives depended upon these prairie\nbeasts, and they did not dare to be too far from them. For two days the\nherd moved until it found enough grass and water, and then it milled\naround and started to graze. How long or how short a time they would\nstay in this new place, no one knew; but here the tribe must make its\ncamp until the buffalo forced them to move again.\n\nAs soon as his family\u2019s tepee was set up, Little Thunderbird wandered\noff in search of some excitement. He was a Blackfoot lad who seemed to\nbe able to get into trouble no matter where he was\u2014like the day he cut\nthe string on his father\u2019s bow, or the day he burned a hole in his\nmother\u2019s new dress. These are only samples of the kinds of mischief\nThunderbird got himself into. So today he planned to stay far from his\nhome until mealtime and in that way keep out of trouble.\n\nSkipping through the village, he saw some of his friends throwing stones\nto see who could throw the farthest, and he ran up to them to ask if he\ncould play. His friends told him to get in line and wait his turn. Soon\nhe was throwing stones along with the other children. After they had\nplayed this game for a while, the children decided to play Follow the\nLeader. There was a great deal of talk about who would be leader for the\ngame. Finally, one of the older boys was chosen, and he led off by\ndodging through a rack of drying buffalo meat.\n\nAfter everyone had run through the rack, the leader headed for the\nstrings of ponies which were picketed out on the edge of the village.\nHere he ducked under the lines of many ponies that reared and whinnied\nfrom fright as the shouting youths leaped past them one after another.\nThis kept on until one of the braves who was guarding the ponies chased\nthe boys back into the village. The leader ran over boulders, danced\nbetween tepees, and did many other stunts which each boy repeated until\nfinally the leader sat down, tired out. All the other boys admitted they\nwere tired, too, and the group sat around talking about their fathers\u2019\ngreat deeds.\n\nSoon it was Little Thunderbird\u2019s turn and he stood and walked to the\ncenter of the circle, the way the big braves did in council. Then he\nraised his hands for silence from the group.\n\n\u201cMy father is the greatest of Blackfoot warriors,\u201d Thunderbird began.\n\u201cOne day, while he was out on a hunt with some other braves of the\ntribe, he spotted a mountain lion. They were high in the hills and they\nhad been looking for some ponies that had strayed from the herd. When my\nfather saw the mountain lion, he spoke with the other braves and they\ndecided to kill the beast. As you know, the mountain lion preys upon our\npony herds. By killing this one, that would be one less lion to worry\nabout. My father looked around the circle of braves and asked who would\ngo with him to kill the lion. The braves talked a great deal and at last\ntwo of them stepped forward and said that they would go.\n\n\u201cSlowly the three men began the climb into the hills. The lion had seen\nthem coming and headed for higher ground. But finally he came to a solid\nwall and could climb no farther. My father stepped forward and drew his\nbow and shot an arrow toward the lion. He missed and the lion started\ntoward him, snarling. The other braves turned and ran for their lives.\nThere was no time to shoot another arrow, so my father drew his knife\nand waited for the lion\u2019s charge.\n\n\u201cThe beast leaped, and my father caught the lion on his knife. Again and\nagain, he plunged the knife into the lion. The fight ended quickly. The\nlion lay dead at my father\u2019s feet. My father had not even been\nscratched. Dancing around his victim, my father cut the lion\u2019s tail off\nand placed it in his pouch. Then he caught up with the other braves\nfarther down the trail, and they continued on the hunt for the ponies.\n\n\u201cAfter they found the ponies and brought them back to the village, my\nfather told the council of his brave fight and held the tail of the lion\non high for all to see. For his courage, he was allowed to wear another\nfeather in his headdress. Now he is really a brave worthy of honor from\nall. But the two who deserted him were cowards and do not deserve to be\nmembers of our tribe.\u201d\n\nWhen Little Thunderbird had finished, he seated himself in the circle\nonce again. He was proud of the way the other boys listened to his story\nand the way they talked of his father as a great brave. Little\nThunderbird enjoyed the attention he was getting, but in his heart he\nwas troubled. He had made up the whole story. There was no truth at all\nin it. Then the test came.\n\n\u201cTake us to see the lion\u2019s tail, Little Thunderbird,\u201d one of the boys\nsaid. \u201cWe want to see the lion\u2019s tail.\u201d And the rest of the boys took up\nthe cry.\n\nNow what was Little Thunderbird to do? But he decided to bluff it out\nanyway. He led the boys to his father\u2019s tepee. When they got there, he\nsearched hurriedly for something that looked like a lion\u2019s tail. But he\ncould not find anything. The boys began to get angry.\n\n\u201cYou lied to us, Little Thunderbird,\u201d one of them said. \u201cYour father\nnever killed a lion, and he is not the greatest brave in the tribe!\u201d\n\nThe other boys agreed. They ran out, leaving Little Thunderbird standing\nat the entrance to his father\u2019s tepee. Suddenly, Little Thunderbird felt\nvery much alone. In the next few days, he began to feel even more lonely\nbecause the other boys would not play with him or speak to him. This\nwent on, until one day Little Thunderbird refused to leave the tepee.\nHis mother asked him if he felt sick, and he told her he was \u201cjust a\nlittle tired.\u201d But Little Thunderbird\u2019s mother knew that something must\nbe wrong and so she talked with her husband about it.\n\n\u201cI know what is wrong, my dear wife. My friends have told me of Little\nThunderbird\u2019s tale to the other boys one day about the brave deed of his\nfather, the greatest warrior the Blackfoot have ever known. When they\nasked Little Thunderbird to prove the story, he could not. He had lied\nto his friends and his conscience is punishing him.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut can\u2019t you help him?\u201d the boy\u2019s mother pleaded.\n\n\u201cThere is nothing I can do. Many moons ago I taught my son the strength\nof truth. He does not have to lie now. If he is not proud of his father,\nlet him say so. I am not ashamed that I have not done something great\nand have not done something very brave. I have done no more and no less\nthan most of the braves of the tribe. Surely I am not the greatest\nwarrior in the tribe, and I have never given Little Thunderbird any\nreason to say that I am. The boys will not make fun of him if he tells\nthe truth. They know that their fathers are like me. The boys will\nprobably praise him if he admits that he lied.\u201d\n\nLittle Thunderbird lay just inside the tepee and had heard his father\nspeaking with his mother. Rising from his bed, he ran out of the tepee\nand headed through the village to find his friends. His parents\nunderstood and did not try to call him back. Finally, he found them,\nonce again seated in a council circle like the men of the tribe. When\nthey saw him coming, the tallest arose from his place and stopped Little\nThunderbird before he could reach the circle.\n\n\u201cWhat is it you want here, teller of lies?\u201d he asked angrily. \u201cWe do not\nwant you for a friend. Go from this place. There is none here that you\ncould call a friend.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait, let me speak,\u201d Little Thunderbird begged. \u201cI have something\nimportant to say and I want to be heard.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right, speak,\u201d the tall lad said, \u201cbut be brief\u2014and none of your\nlies!\u201d\n\nLittle Thunderbird stepped to the center of the circle. He was about to\nraise his arms for silence as he had done before, but he thought better\nof it and waited until the boys were quiet once again.\n\n\u201cThe last time I stood before you I told you of my father\u2019s brave deed\nin fighting a mountain lion.\u201d The boys began to laugh, but Little\nThunderbird went on. \u201cI lied to you. My father is a brave man but he has\nnever had to fight a mountain lion. My father taught me to tell the\ntruth when I was very young. He trusted that I would, and I have broken\nthat trust. But I have learned my lesson. Lies can bring nothing but\nhurt to the liar and to all who trust him. If we speak with a straight\ntongue, our friends will believe in us and trust us. I ask you now to\ntrust me. I will never lie again. Your friendship means too much to me.\u201d\n\nThe tall boy rose from the circle. The other boys watched him closely to\nsee what he would do. Everyone was very quiet.\n\n\u201cHere truly is a brave Blackfoot,\u201d the tall boy said. \u201cIt took real\ncourage for Little Thunderbird to come before this council and admit he\nwas wrong.\u201d He paused and looked at Little Thunderbird. \u201cI offer you my\nhand in friendship once again. Come, take your place in the council.\u201d\n\nLittle Thunderbird smiled and took his place. A short distance from the\ncircle, a tall brave smiled, too. Little Thunderbird\u2019s father had been\nsure to speak loudly so that his voice would be heard by the young boy\ninside the tepee.\n\n\n  Based on an idea from a story told to the author by Mr. Walter\n  Elliott.\n\n\n\n\n                       THE PRIZE NO ONE COULD SEE\n\n\nThe dawn came slowly as the sun tried to fight its way through the mist\nthat hung in the valleys. The spring had been cool, and for nearly a\nmoon rain had been drenching the ground. By midmorning, the sun had\nburned away the haze, and its rays beat down upon the little Kickapoo\nvillage, warming and drying everything that had been wet and cold for so\nlong.\n\nWhen Little Snapping Turtle walked from his father\u2019s wigwam and saw the\nbright sun and the blue skies, he called to his father who was still\ninside.\n\n\u201cFather, father, come here! See, the sun has won. The storm clouds have\nrun from the battle with the sun. Once again we have light and warmth.\nIs this not a good reason for a celebration?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, my son, it is reason enough for you and your friends to celebrate.\nBut we should be glad for the rain we have had because it makes the\nforest green and gives the streams new strength and makes the lakes rise\nso that all the animals may drink. Of course, it has also kept the young\nbraves in their houses, so now that the sun is out again we should have\na celebration.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat shall we do, father? Can we go on a hunt or a fishing trip? Can\nwe, father?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, my son, there is not time for that yet. Now that the sun is with us\nagain, there is much gardening to do right here in the village. But late\nthis afternoon we shall have a race to see who has lost the most speed\nduring this lazy vacation. Go to the other young braves in the tribe and\ntell them that I, Big Snapping Turtle, Medicine Man of the Kickapoo\ntribe, will give a fine belt and knife as a prize to the young brave who\nwins the race this afternoon.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat kind of a race will it be, father?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, it would not be fair to tell you, my young son, for then you would\nhave an advantage over the other young braves. Just spread the news and\nthis afternoon we will gather in the meadow for the race.\u201d\n\nEagerly Little Snapping Turtle ran to tell all the young boys to gather\nin the meadow north of the village late in the afternoon for a race. He\nalso told them about the prize that any young brave would want. Most of\nthe boys he talked to were working hard in the gardens to make up for\ntime lost during the rain. But they stopped long enough to listen\nexcitedly to the news Little Snapping Turtle brought. All of them said\nthey would be there, and then went back to work. The rain had been good\nfor the seed, but it had also been good for the weeds. When Little\nSnapping Turtle got back home, he went to work cheerfully with his\nfather in their garden to clear out the weeds.\n\nFinally the time neared for the big contest, and the young boys began to\ngather in the meadow. Soon every boy in the village was present, and Big\nSnapping Turtle stepped to the front to explain the rules.\n\nHe first gave each boy a small container made of birch bark. After this\nhad been done, Big Snapping Turtle signaled for all to be quiet.\n\n\u201cA quarter of a mile from here there are several small lakes,\u201d he said.\n\u201cIn one of those lakes, as you know, there are some very small fish.\nEach of you has a container. At the signal you will run to that lake and\ntrap a small fish. Making sure to keep the fish in the container, you\nwill run back to the meadow. The first boy to return with a fish still\nalive in the container will win the race. Then after the prize has been\nawarded, we will put all the fish you caught into the stream that runs\nthrough our village so that they can swim to the great lake to the\nsouth.\u201d\n\nThe boys waited impatiently for the signal. When it was given, they\nshouted and laughed as they raced toward the lake that held the small\nfish. Little Snapping Turtle soon was far ahead of the other young boys.\nWhen he reached the lake shore, he waded knee deep into the lake and\nplaced his container halfway under and then stood perfectly still,\nwaiting for the curious little fish to swim into the trap.\n\nAs he stood there quietly, peering at the sandy bottom, several of the\nothers arrived and began to follow his lead. Soon there were fifteen or\ntwenty of them spread out near the shore standing motionless waiting for\nthe fish. Now and then a boy would shout that he had made a catch only\nto find that the fish had escaped.\n\nFinally patience rewarded Little Snapping Turtle. With a flick of his\nwrist, Little Snapping Turtle scooped his container into the water. When\nhe looked into it, he discovered that he had trapped two fish instead of\none. Quickly he waded toward shore and he saw that two boys had also\ntrapped their fish and were on the way back to the meadow. He stopped\nonly a moment to tear a large leaf from a plant that grew along the lake\nshore. Then he wrapped it tightly over the mouth of the container and\nstarted running again.\n\nThe two boys were running swiftly ahead of him along the trail, each\nwith a container in his hand. Suddenly, one of the boys slipped and fell\nand his container and fish went flying off into the brush. Now only one\nboy, Crying Hawk, stood between Little Snapping Turtle and victory.\nUsing all the strength he had, he began to catch up with the young boy\nahead of him.\n\nAs he began to pass Crying Hawk, he noticed that the boy was limping.\nLooking at the boy\u2019s feet, he saw that Crying Hawk\u2019s moccasins were\nloose, and he guessed that a pebble must have fallen into one of them.\nThe boy stopped to take the pebble out. As he did, Little Snapping\nTurtle sped by him. Turning to look at Crying Hawk, Little Snapping\nTurtle found that the boy had just sat down and was crying. He stopped\nand went back to him.\n\n\u201cWhat is the trouble, Crying Hawk?\u201d Little Snapping Turtle asked kindly.\n\n\u201cI thought that for once I could win a game and own a new knife and\nbelt. But a pebble has cut my foot, and I cannot hope to win now. I was\nlucky enough to catch my fish first and I thought that I had a good head\nstart. But as it always has happened, an accident will make me lose the\nrace. I will never be a winner. Don\u2019t wait for me, Little Snapping\nTurtle. If you stay with me any longer, the other boys will catch up\nwith you.\u201d\n\nThen Little Snapping Turtle remembered that Crying Hawk had never won\nany contest. He was a little slower than the other boys, and not so\nskilled as many of them. He, Little Snapping Turtle, had won many\ncontests and many prizes. Quickly he took off his own new doeskin\nmoccasins and slipped them onto Crying Hawk\u2019s feet.\n\n\u201cThese will protect your feet,\u201d he told Crying Hawk. \u201cRun quickly now,\nfor you still have a chance. Take my container, too. I have sealed a\nleaf tightly over the top and little water will spill. Today you will\nwin the race.\u201d\n\nCrying Hawk started to complain, but Little Snapping Turtle silenced\nhim. He pulled the other boy to his feet and, shoving the container into\nhis hand, sent him on his way. With the new moccasins, the boy ran more\neasily and soon was out of sight. Little Snapping Turtle picked up\nCrying Hawk\u2019s container and put his feet into the ill-fitting moccasins.\nHe trotted slowly after Crying Hawk, keeping just far enough behind to\nmake sure the boy would win.\n\nHe heard several pairs of feet moving swiftly along the trail just in\nback of him. From here to the meadow, the trail narrowed and only one\nboy could use it at one time. So Little Snapping Turtle kept his slow\npace and kept the others from passing Crying Hawk. Little Snapping\nTurtle could see the clearing now and he sped toward the meadow. There\nhe saw Crying Hawk standing proudly next to Little Snapping Turtle\u2019s\nfather. He ran up to Crying Hawk.\n\n\u201cSay nothing of what happened on the trail,\u201d he whispered. \u201cYou have run\na good race, Crying Hawk.\u201d\n\nSoon all the boys were back and the inspection of the containers began.\nWhen Big Snapping Turtle had seen all of them, he stepped to the front\nand declared Crying Hawk the winner. Everyone cheered as the boy\nreceived the knife and belt from the smiling Medicine Man. Then they all\nstarted back toward the village to place the fish in the stream and then\ngo home.\n\nAs Little Snapping Turtle and his father walked along the trail, the\nMedicine Man asked, \u201cWhere did you get that container, my son?\u201d\n\nLittle Snapping Turtle blushed as he looked up at his father, but his\nfather smiled. \u201cIt is well, my son. I knew each container that I had\ngiven out and at the end of the race you did not have the one you had\nstarted with. I also noticed the beautiful moccasins that Crying Hawk\nwas wearing. I discovered, too, how big my son\u2019s heart really is. Today\nyou lost a race, but the happiness you won is the best possible prize.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                      THE MYSTERIOUS PONY RAIDERS\n\n\nAmong the American Indians truth was respected as most sacred. Parents\ntook great pains to teach their children that above all else, a good\nIndian was one who had honor and spoke nothing but the truth, or, as the\nIndians would say, spoke with a straight tongue. It is about the power\nof truth that this story is told.\n\nThe Blackfoot Indians were a wandering tribe of the Western plains.\nTheir very lives depended upon the great buffalo herds. From the buffalo\nmeat and hides, the Blackfeet were able to get their food, skins for\nclothing, and their tepees; and from the head, horns, and tail,\ndecorations for costume and headdress.\n\nBlackfoot villages were always moving, since they were set up near the\ngrazing herds of buffalo. When the herd moved, the whole tribe would tie\nits belongings onto travois drawn by horses, and move with the buffalo\nuntil the animals stopped once again to graze where there was more\nprairie grass.\n\nYoung Deerfoot, the son of a great warrior of the Blackfeet, Sleeping\nBear, prided himself on being one of the strongest of the tribe\u2019s young\nbraves. While growing into young manhood, he had won many honors in his\ntribe as a warrior and a great hunter. Blind Dog was another young brave\nabout Deerfoot\u2019s age. The son of Black Dog, he also had become quite\nfamous among the Blackfeet for his honors in war and hunting.\n\nBoth young braves were guarding the tribe\u2019s horses, one very warm summer\nevening as the chiefs of the Blackfeet were gathered in the center of\nthe village around the blazing campfires. The chiefs had met to talk of\ntribal problems and to plan ahead for fall and winter. At this time,\nlife had been unusually peaceful on the plains. There had been some\nhorse stealing and a few occasional skirmishes among small parties of\nraiders from different tribes. Outside of that, there had not been much\nexcitement.\n\nAs the chiefs sat around the fire, Blind Dog and Deerfoot were taking\ntheir job of standing guard over the horses very seriously. The quiet\nwas broken by a noise off to one side of the herd of horses. Deerfoot\nsignaled silently to Blind Dog to draw near so that they might speak.\nWhen Blind Dog had reached Deerfoot\u2019s side the two crouched low behind\nthe horses, and Deerfoot whispered that he had heard a noise slightly to\nthe west of the herd.\n\nThe two braves crept forward on their hands and knees, keeping the\nhorses between themselves and whatever had made the noise. The horses\nbegan moving uneasily as the two young braves drew closer to the spot\nfrom which the noise had come.\n\nDeerfoot stopped abruptly. He slapped Blind Dog\u2019s shoulder and began to\nlaugh. Not two paces from them was a small mongrel dog which had\nwandered down among the horses seeking a cool place in which to lie and\nrest for a while. When Blind Dog saw what had amused Deerfoot so much,\nhe laughed too, because they had been so alarmed by a dog.\n\n\u201cIf it were not so quiet tonight,\u201d Deerfoot remarked, \u201cwe would not have\nbeen so worried by anything so unimportant as a puppy.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d Blind Dog agreed, \u201cit has been much too quiet. We have not had\nmuch excitement. Things have been far too peaceful.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you wish to have a war on your hands, Blind Dog?\u201d Deerfoot asked\nwith a smile.\n\n\u201cWell, it would be a very welcome change from horse herd duty at night,\nand repairing bridles and broken weapons in the daytime.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are getting restless, my friend.\u201d Deerfoot spoke soberly now. \u201cThat\nis not good. When one gets restless, one becomes careless. That can be\ndangerous.\u201d\n\nAt first, Blind Dog refused to be serious. \u201cOh, do not worry, Deerfoot.\nI may have become restless, but I will never become careless.\u201d Then he\nadded gravely, \u201cTo become careless even for a moment might mean death to\na warrior like myself. There is many a brave in other tribes who would\nlove to see my scalp hanging from his tepee pole. But I like the feel of\nmy scalp right where it is. Anyway, nothing\u2014not even a puppy\u2014will ever\ncatch me off guard.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo not be so sure of yourself, Blind Dog. Being so sure can make any\nbrave careless. You must always be alert. It may seem too peaceful to us\nhere now, but even the quiet shadows of this very night could conceal\nour enemies. As we sit here talking noisily about not being careless,\nthey could be stealing some of our best horses. Let us go back to our\nguard posts so that we can watch the herd as we should.\u201d\n\nDeerfoot and Blind Dog mounted their horses and had started to circle\nthe herd to see that nothing had disturbed the horses. When they had\nfinished checking and had dismounted, Blind Dog complained that he felt\nill.\n\n\u201cSince we have just checked the herd and everything is all right,\u201d\nDeerfoot said, \u201cwhy don\u2019t you return to the village, Blind Dog, and go\nto your tepee? It is almost time for the other guards to take our\nplaces. I can stand guard alone for that short time.\u201d\n\nBlind Dog said that he should not leave his friend, but with Deerfoot\u2019s\nurging, he finally agreed and walked slowly back toward the village.\nArriving at his tepee, he found that his father must still be at the\ncouncil meeting. The night air had become chilly and he wrapped himself\nin a warm buffalo robe and curled up in the corner of the tepee. Blind\nDog was just about to fall off to sleep when he heard men shouting\nexcitedly and horses snorting and pounding their hoofs. He struggled out\nof the robe and stepped outside of the tepee in time to see several\nchieftains break from the council ring and head toward the horses.\n\nAs they reached the edge of the herd, they called out for the guard but\nthere was no response. They called again and again, but their only\nanswer was the stomping of horses and the frightened neighing of ponies.\nIt was very dark and it was some time before the chieftains discovered\nthat about six of their finest animals were missing. Where were the\nguards, they wondered, and how had the horses gotten loose? Then someone\nnoticed Blind Dog and called to him.\n\n\u201cBlind Dog, were you not on watch with Deerfoot? What did you see? What\nhappened? Who raided our herd?\u201d\n\nBlind Dog looked at Great Owl and his father, Black Dog, who stood\nwaiting for his answer. Just then they heard the clopping of a single\npony\u2019s hoofs. Peering into the darkness, they could make out the figure\nof a lone horseman riding wildly toward the standing group. As the rider\ncame nearer, Blind Dog saw that it was his friend. Deerfoot jumped from\nhis pony and stood, breathless and bleeding, before the chieftains,\nwaiting for silence so that he could report what had happened. When\neveryone was quiet, Deerfoot began his story. For the moment, Blind Dog\nwas forgotten.\n\n\u201cBlind Dog and I were on guard here at the horse herd,\u201d Deerfoot said,\n\u201cwhen we heard a strange noise. We found that it was only a stray dog\nthat had wandered down here to the horse herd. We went back to our guard\nposts and settled down again, keeping careful watch.\n\n\u201cAfter some time had passed, I heard another noise much like the dog had\nmade so I did not pay any attention. Suddenly, the horses became uneasy.\nWhen I went to see what the trouble was, I was struck a blow on the side\nof my head. It was not too hard a blow and only made me a little dizzy.\nAs I shook off the shadows from my brain, I spotted a small group of\nwarriors who were cutting some of our best ponies loose from the herd.\nThen I called for Blind Dog and started after the raiders. By the time I\nhad reached the place the raiders had been, they were already heading\nback into the night, driving several of our ponies before them. I\nquickly mounted a pony and started to chase the thieves, but I lost them\nin the darkness. Perhaps I was closer to them than I realized because\nthey let some of the stolen ponies go. I have been able to round up some\nof the ponies, but I believe there are still a few missing. I will mount\nup again and start after them immediately.\u201d\n\nBut Chief Great Owl stopped Deerfoot with a wave of his hand and said,\n\u201cNo, Deerfoot, let some of the other braves round them up. You are hurt\nand need rest. But first we must speak with Blind Dog. Who has seen\nBlind Dog?\u201d\n\nWithout any hesitation, Blind Dog stepped from the circle of braves and\nstood next to Deerfoot.\n\n\u201cYou summoned me, Chief Great Owl?\u201d he asked politely.\n\n\u201cBlind Dog, were you on herd guard duty tonight with Deerfoot?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, Great Chief, I was.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen Deerfoot called you to assist him, why did you not answer?\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause I was not where I could hear Deerfoot.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere were you then?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen Deerfoot called for help, I was in my tepee just about to go off\nto sleep.\u201d\n\nGreat Owl glared at Blind Dog. \u201cDo you mean that you had left your guard\npost to sleep in your tepee, leaving Deerfoot here alone to watch the\nherd?\u201d\n\nBlack Dog waited for his son to answer. \u201cSpeak, my son,\u201d he pleaded.\n\u201cTell Great Owl that you did not desert your friend and leave him alone\non duty.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am sorry, father, but what he says is true. I was not at my guard\npost when the raiders came in the night. I did neglect my duty and for\nthat I shall take proper punishment.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy son,\u201d Black Dog said with great sorrow in his voice, \u201cdo you know\nwhat you are saying? You are admitting that you have shirked your duty.\nIs guarding the herd not important to the whole tribe?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, father, it is very important. I am ashamed of what I have done.\u201d\n\nGreat Owl ordered Blind Dog to be held under guard until the council\nshould decide his punishment.\n\nQuietly, Blind Dog went with the guards. He glanced back toward\nDeerfoot, but Deerfoot would not meet his gaze. Dropping his head upon\nhis chest, Blind Dog was troubled that Deerfoot had avoided looking at\nhim. He was worried, too, about why Deerfoot had not told the rest of\nthe story\u2014how Deerfoot had insisted that he go to his tepee when he had\nfelt ill. Then he guessed that Deerfoot must have had a good reason, so\nBlind Dog would not change his friend\u2019s story unless he really had to.\nHe vowed, however, that he would try to speak with Deerfoot and discover\nfor himself just why Deerfoot had not told them the whole story.\n\nThe tepee in which Blind Dog was held under guard was close to the\ncenter of the village where the council had met. Suddenly, he heard many\nvoices talking excitedly and realized that the council had gathered\nagain. What had been a calm council before had now become an angry group\nof men seeking revenge upon the horse stealers. He heard Deerfoot\nrepeating his story and the chieftains questioning him closely. Above\nall they wanted to know of what tribe the raiders were members. Then he\ncould hear Deerfoot reply vaguely, \u201cIt was dark and I was still confused\nfrom the blow upon my head. I would not want to accuse any tribe unless\nI were sure. But who could be this close to us?\u201d\n\nMany of the chiefs shook their heads in doubt, but Sleeping Bear rose to\nplead for war, repeating by his own son\u2019s account of the stealing of\nfine horses by a neighboring tribe.\n\nCrouched in the tepee, Blind Dog realized now why Deerfoot had not told\nthe complete story. Rushing to the entrance of the tepee, he begged the\nguards to take him before Chief Great Owl and the council. One of the\nguards ran to the council and reported the prisoner\u2019s mysterious\nrequest. Chief Great Owl said that Blind Dog should be permitted to\nenter the council ring and speak to the council.\n\nWith head held high, Blind Dog stepped to the center of the ring and\ngazed around at the unfriendly eyes which peered at him from faces of\nstone. Finally Blind Dog spoke.\n\n\u201cSince I was but a tiny boy holding tightly to my father\u2019s hand so that\nI would not stumble, I have been taught to respect the property of\nothers. I have been taught to honor my parents and the elders of our\ntribe. I have been taught to learn well the many things a good brave\nshould learn. Above all, I have learned the power of truth.\n\n\u201cMy father has told me many times that I would never gain by telling a\nlie. I have seen the truth of this often. Now, more strongly than ever,\nI see the power that truth can have. I wondered a while ago why Deerfoot\nhad not told the whole story, but now I know.\n\n\u201cYes, we were on guard duty together, as he told you, and we did hear a\nnoise after that of the dog. We circled the herd to see that all was\nwell. Upon returning to our starting place, I told Deerfoot that I was\nnot feeling well. I had suddenly become chilled and sick to my stomach.\nDeerfoot reminded me that it was almost time for us to be relieved, but\nthat I should go immediately to my tepee to rest. He said that he would\nbe glad to stand guard alone. I realized that what I did then was wrong,\nbut I felt so sick that I followed Deerfoot\u2019s suggestion and went to my\nfather\u2019s tepee. There I rolled myself in a buffalo blanket and lay in\npain for some time until I, too, heard Deerfoot\u2019s shouts and the\nhoofbeats of the horses running away from our camp.\n\n\u201cI, too, rushed to the herd and reached there a short time before most\nof you. I looked around quickly for signs that would show how many\nraiders there had been. But oh, Great Chieftain, there were no tracks of\nany ponies other than our own.\n\n\u201cDeerfoot has used this story to try to arouse our tribe to a war. He\nthirsts for the excitement that fighting would bring him. Now I am sure\nthat Deerfoot ran those ponies off himself in order to cause a war\nbetween our tribe and our nearest neighbors. If I am lying now, punish\nme doubly; but if I am right, let the punishment fall where it belongs,\neven upon my friend.\u201d\n\nGreat Owl rose and called upon Deerfoot to defend himself. All eyes were\nturned in his direction as Deerfoot rose to face Blind Dog.\n\n\u201cOh, Great Chief,\u201d said Deerfoot, \u201call that Blind Dog has told you is\ntrue. I sent him from the herd and I ran the ponies off into the night.\nI made the wound that you see on my head. We had no raiders in our camp\ntonight. Blind Dog has just taught me the true meaning of loyalty to my\ntribe.\n\n\u201cThe fact that he was placed under guard and was to be punished made\nlittle difference to him. But when he discovered that my plan was to\nhurt more than him and me, he spoke out for what he believed was the\ntruth. Yes, I had hoped to force our tribe into war. I hoped that I\nmight be honored for bravery in war, even though I would sacrifice the\nhonor and friendship of my boyhood companion, Blind Dog, and many of our\nbraves might be killed in useless fighting. To make myself once again a\nman in Blind Dog\u2019s sight, let me repeat his words. \u2018I am ashamed of what\nI have done.\u2019 Let the council punish me so that I will not forget again\nthe sacredness of truth and friendship and loyalty to my tribe.\u201d\n\n\n  The incident around which this story is woven was told to the author\n  by Sam Carpin, trapper, hunter, and former member of the Butte,\n  Montana, Police Force.\n\n\n\n\n                             THE CANOE RACE\n\n\nLong Bow for many moons had been the champion of the canoe racers in the\nOttawa village and had accepted every challenge that had ever come his\nway.\n\nFrom the time he was a young boy he had spent many hours upon the waters\nof the great lake practicing his canoeing until he felt there wasn\u2019t\nanother boy in the tribe that could come at all close to beating him in\na fair race.\n\nSoon the great hunt was upon them, and the warriors gathered their\nweapons and headed north to hunt the elusive deer. Whenever they went\noff on these hunts Black Rock, a short husky young warrior, always could\nbe seen as the constant companion of Long Bow.\n\nAs the hunting party trotted along the woodland trail getting farther\nand farther from the village, Black Rock and Long Bow would hold\nconversation in sentences with very few words.\n\n\u201cI think we will have a good hunt, Long Bow.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, Black Rock, for the signs of deer in this area are many.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe have had a good year, and if the gods bless us we will have another\ngood year.\u201d\n\n\u201cSoon the winter will be upon us and we must wait a long time for the\nspring.\u201d\n\n\u201cLong Bow, you speak of the winter when here it is just late spring.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt will be a long summer for me.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy so, friend Long Bow?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt used to be that during the summer when we held our games and\ncontests there would be excitement and thrills.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre there still not excitement and thrills for you?\u201d\n\n\u201cBlack Rock, my friend, I have become so skilled that there are none\nleft in our tribe who give me any competition.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is not a wise way to talk, Long Bow. One must never set himself\nabove all others; that can be said only by the council.\u201d\n\nAs they continued along the trail, Black Rock said no more to his\nfriend, and Long Bow did not seem concerned that his friend offered no\nmore conversation.\n\nSoon they both forgot about the talk, for the hunting party had begun to\nsplit up in search of the game. For the next few hours the party made\nmany fine shots and then it was time to return to the village.\n\nEach of the two braves had a fine buck strung upon a pole between them\nas they walked easily along the trail homeward. Once again Black Rock\nand Long Bow were a team.\n\nNow the excitement of the hunt was over and the catch was good, and all\nthe braves were feeling very good about their success. And so as a\nresult there was much talk and laughing and joking about the misses and\nsuccessful shots. Long Bow noticed that Black Rock was especially quiet\nas they walked along the trail.\n\n\u201cBlack Rock, my friend, what makes your tongue so still? You have made a\nfine kill this day and there will be much fresh meat for the village,\nyet you walk with a heavy step and your voice is still.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am silent for a good reason, Long Bow my friend, for I fear that if I\nspeak my heart will speak rather than my lips.\u201d\n\nLong Bow said nothing for a long while, trying to figure out what Black\nRock meant by such a statement. Finally the leader of the hunt called a\nhalt and the warriors placed their heavy burdens upon the ground and\nseated themselves under the shade trees to rest and drink of the water\npouches before the journey homeward.\n\nAs Black Rock and Long Bow sat beneath a tree, Long Bow chanced a\nquestion of his friend.\n\n\u201cWhat did you mean, friend Black Rock, that your heart would speak\nrather than your lips?\u201d\n\n\u201cAs we approached the hunting grounds, my friend, you said that your\nsummer would not be enjoyable because there was no competition for you.\nWould the fact that you are among your people not give you joy enough?\nMust there always be competition or contests to make your blood run\nfast?\u201d\n\n\u201cBlack Rock, you are one who can be contented with every-day living in\nour village. I cannot, and the yearly games and contests I have always\nlooked forward to with great anticipation; but for the past three years\nthere has been no competition among the braves, especially in the king\nof contests, the canoe race. Eagerly the young braves have met me on the\nlake, but I am so skilled that no one has been able to come even close\nto winning in the canoe race.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is not a good way to feel, friend Long Bow, so I guess it is time\nthat someone told you so. I, Black Rock, will challenge you upon the\nlake and then we shall see if there is no competition left in the\nvillage.\u201d\n\nNow Long Bow had never raced against his friend Black Rock, for Black\nRock had never entered the canoe race, leaving the glory to his friend\nLong Bow. He also knew that Black Rock was considered a good man in a\ncanoe but not good enough to defeat the great Long Bow.\n\n\u201cThen this is a challenge, friend Black Rock?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, Long Bow, when the moon is full, on the following dawn we shall\nman our canoes on the great blue water. We shall race and see who best\nhandles the canoe.\u201d\n\nLong Bow laughed. \u201cOh, Black Rock, are you serious? Do you really think\nthat you can beat your friend Long Bow in a canoe race?\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not know, Long Bow, but someone has to try.\u201d\n\nThe leader called, and the men picked up their burdens and continued on\ntheir way home.\n\nIn the days that followed, whenever Long Bow had no work to do he could\nbe found out on the lake paddling up and down the shore line practicing\nhard for the coming event. Black Rock on the other hand very rarely\nwould be seen in a canoe unless he were fishing or trapping.\n\nWord had spread swiftly through the village about the canoe race, and\nthe excitement was growing as each night the moon appeared more full.\nFinally the moon was full and that night there was a great celebration\nin the camp in preparation for the big event.\n\nMany of the braves were making wagers as to who would win, and there\neven were some hot words; but the men realized that this was to be a\nfriendly challenge. Suddenly one of the braves realized that Black Rock\nwas nowhere to be seen. This was unheard of the night before a great\ncontest and they looked high and low but could find no trace of him.\nFinally one of the men thought to ask his wife who had been sitting\nquietly off to one side.\n\n\u201cHe has taken a walk before retiring. He said that he wished to be alone\nthis night.\u201d\n\nBlack Rock was alone. He had walked to a small glen a short way from the\ncamp, and there if one had come he would have seen a young warrior\nkneeling talking to someone although no other person could be seen.\n\n\u201cO, Great Manitou, who guides the lives of all red men, give me strength\ntomorrow to wield a strong and sure paddle. Carry my canoe swiftly\nacross the waters and on to victory. Not for the glory that it will\nbring me but to wipe from the heart of my friend Long Bow his feeling\nthat he is above the other men of the tribe. If he can be made to see\nright again, as a good Ottawa brave should, this is all that I ask.\u201d\n\nWhen he had finished Black Rock rose and returned to his home. The\ncelebrating was still going on, but quietly Black Rock said good-night\nto his wife and wrapped himself in his blanket and was soon asleep. He\nhad been troubled, but his walk and his prayer had eased his mind, for\nnow he knew that it rested with the great spirits.\n\nThe following day dawned bright and clear, and before the sun had risen\nvery far in the heavens the lake shore was crowded with eager spectators\nwaiting for the start of the race.\n\nThe rules were outlined to the two warriors and then each took his\nposition along the shore, standing in their respective canoes. About a\nmile down the shore of the lake a warrior stood with a gayly colored\ncoup stick. This was the point which would indicate the finish line. The\nsignal was given, and the two men bent to the task.\n\nThe crowd cheered as the two canoes sped down the shore line, neither\none getting far ahead before the other would pull alongside. As they\nneared the finish line, the watchers on the shore could see the muscles\nof the two men striving in their backs and shoulders.\n\nFinally the finish line was just a few yards away, and with a mighty\nsurge, Black Rock drove his canoe across the finish line first.\n\nThere was a mixed chorus of groans and cheers as the men returned to the\nstarting point and beached their canoes. The crowd milled around Black\nRock as he stepped ashore, but he raised his arms for silence.\n\n\u201cLong Bow has lost the race this day, but let no man say that he is not\na good man with the canoe; for there are none among us who to this day\nhave been able to defeat him. I shake the hand of my brother Long Bow\nand to him I say, it was a great race and I have won, but it was a close\nrace and if we raced again I might not be so lucky.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, Black Rock, it was not luck this day that won the race, but rather\na strong back being helped by a true loyal heart. I know now why you\nchallenged me and I could not have won if you had tied one hand behind\nyour back. I have been selfish and ungrateful for the many friends and\ngood things that have been showered upon me. I have lost this battle of\nthe canoes, but it has helped me win a battle with myself. I thank you,\nBlack Rock, for bringing a straying warrior once again into the camp of\ngood Ottawas.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                       STANDING FAWN MAKES A DOLL\n\n\nWhen the excitement was over in Flying Arrow\u2019s wigwam and all the\nShawnee had returned to their own homes to sit and talk of the birth of\na new son to Flying Arrow, Standing Fawn, daughter to Flying Arrow,\nwandered off from the wickiup to think about this thing that had\nhappened.\n\nUntil this day, little Standing Fawn had been the center of attention in\nthe home of her mother and father and also when they went to visit\nfriends; but now a new baby boy had been born, and everyone was very\nexcited. When Standing Fawn had come running to tell her mother how she\nhad helped her grandmother to dry rabbit skins and to make furry ropes\nfor blankets her mother had said how nice that was, but went right back\nto taking care of the little boy Indian that now held the place of honor\nin the home of Flying Arrow.\n\nThis Standing Fawn could not understand, but for the time being she did\nnot think about it any more but went to join the other girls that were\ngathering nuts. The girls had to hurry so that they gathered enough nuts\nfor the tribal families before the squirrels got them all.\n\nThe walnut and butternut hulls were used for dyeing quills and so many,\nmany nuts had to be gathered that soon the baskets were bulging with\nthese and beechnuts, hazelnuts, and hickory nuts. When the task was over\nStanding Fawn returned home to her father and mother and her little\nbrother.\n\nAs she entered the wickiup she could hear her mother singing softly to\nthe new baby. There against the wall was the carrying case for the baby\nwhich Standing Fawn had helped her mother to make. That was fun working\nwith her mother, but now mother was busy with the new baby and so\nStanding Fawn felt that she was no longer loved.\n\nAfter supper, she crawled into her warm blankets and was soon asleep,\nbut she awakened a short time later as the new baby cried for food. The\ncrying continued until he was fed and then Standing Fawn was asleep once\nagain.\n\nFor many weeks there was a great deal of work to be done with the new\nbaby in the house, and Standing Fawn found that more and more she was\nasked to carry on the duties that her mother had done before this time.\n\nWhen friends came to visit, they still had a smile and warm pat on the\nhead for Standing Fawn, but most of the attention was given to her\nlittle brother, or so it seemed to Standing Fawn.\n\nOne night the little baby was very restless and did a lot of crying.\nStanding Fawn did not sleep well that night and in the morning when she\nrose to stir the coals for the morning fire and prepare to cook the\nbreakfast she was feeling very cross. Her mother called to her from the\nwickiup.\n\n\u201cStanding Fawn, will you go to the stream and fetch some fresh water and\nheat it for me, please?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, mother, I will go, but I am so tired,\u201d Standing Fawn heard herself\nanswer. \u201cToday I would like to go to grandmother\u2019s to help her with the\nquills if I may.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, Standing Fawn, I need your help here today.\u201d\n\n\u201cI want to go to grandmother\u2019s today.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right, Standing Fawn, you may go to grandmother\u2019s today. I will\nmanage alone.\u201d\n\nSo after Standing Fawn had fetched the water she skipped merrily on her\nway to join her grandmother who was busy this winter in making fancy\nquill work upon moccasins and leggings, knife sheaths, and anything else\nthat needed bright decoration.\n\n\u201cWelcome, Standing Fawn, you have not been to see your grandmother for a\nlong time. I was beginning to think that you had forgotten old Granny.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, grandmother, it is just that with the new baby I have been kept so\nbusy that I have not been able to leave home for very long at all. I\nwish the new boy had never come to our home.\u201d With that Standing Fawn\nkicked her foot at some soft rabbit hides that lay on the floor of the\nwickiup, more angry at herself than anything else.\n\n\u201cNow, now,\u201d said her grandmother. \u201cThat is no way to feel, especially\nabout a little boy who was not able to choose whether he would come to\nthe house of your father or not. He is very small and he does not\nunderstand if you are angry with him, but he does understand love and\nattention.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, grandmother, and he is getting plenty of that from everyone who\ncomes to our house. Since he has come I have been very unhappy, and I\nshouldn\u2019t be unhappy, should I, grandmother?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, Standing Fawn, that is not the right feeling to have in your heart.\nLet me explain something to you as best I can.\n\n\u201cWhen you were born your father was disappointed, for you were a girl\nand he had hoped so for a warrior son, but he loved you as much as if\nyou were a boy; for, as your mother said to him, your daughter will bear\nmany sons. Your parents loved you and cherished you and did everything\nthey could to make your life a happy and pleasant one. When your mother\nwas heavy with child you were a great help to her around the wickiup.\nWhen your brother was born, there was much excitement in the village,\nfor it was a boy and now your father had a warrior son and a beautiful\ndaughter.\n\n\u201cFor this he was very thankful and went to the hills to thank the great\nspirit for blessing his home so. When he returned there was great\nrejoicing once again just as there was when you were born, but then the\nwork started just as when you were born, and your mother had no one to\nhelp her when you were a very small baby, but now she had you and she\ndepends a great deal upon you to help her with your little brother. Soon\nhe will be big and strong and you will be very proud to be called his\nsister. But now he is small and needs your love and attention.\u201d\n\n\u201cI understand, grandmother, and I have been a very foolish girl. I will\ntry to make up to my brother for this feeling I have had in my heart\nthat is bad.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am glad, granddaughter, to hear you say that. Now you had best run\nalong, for your mother will be needing help this day.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, my grandmother, but first I have something I must do.\u201d So Standing\nFawn strolled off to a corner of her grandmother\u2019s wickiup and there she\ngathered some items into her lap and began working busily at something.\nSoon it was finished and she rose and saying good-bye to her\ngrandmother, walked back to her own wickiup. Her mother was busy\npreparing supper, for the project Standing Fawn worked on had taken most\nof the day.\n\n\u201cWell, my daughter, did you have a nice day with your grandmother?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh yes, mother, a very nice day.\u201d Standing Fawn was sure to keep her\nhands behind her back so that her mother could not see what she held.\n\nFinally she excused herself and ran into the wickiup. There where he\nusually hung was her baby brother in his cradleboard, warm and sleeping.\nTo the large cradle loop above his head, Standing Fawn hung a dainty\nlittle doll, all dressed in buckskin, that she had been so busy making\nthat day. Next to the doll she placed a very small bow and arrows and\ntiny moccasins. Just at that moment her father entered the wickiup.\n\n\u201cSee, father, what I have made for my little brother, who will one day\nbe a great warrior. When he sees this doll it will make him want to run\nfast and shoot straight and carry himself as a warrior should.\u201d\n\nAs Standing Fawn talked her mother had entered and was standing next to\nher father.\n\nFlying Arrow motioned for his daughter to come to him and then kneeling\non the ground and placing his hands upon his daughter\u2019s shoulders he\nsaid:\n\n\u201cSurely, my daughter, if he were not destined to be a great warrior he\nwould not be blessed with such a fine and beautiful sister. I am a very\nproud man to have such a wonderful family.\u201d\n\nStanding Fawn looked at her mother, and her mother was smiling. And\ninside, Standing Fawn felt all warm and good.\n\n\n\n\n                         BLACK CLOUD REMEMBERS\n\n\nIt had been many weeks since the Seneca hunting party had seen the\nfriendly smoke of their own village and as they lay among the pines,\nresting now, they were thinking of how it would be in their village when\nthey returned the following day to speak of their success on the hunt.\nTheir catch was large and there would be much dancing and celebration\nwhen they did return.\n\nBlack Cloud, leader of the hunting party, lay stretched out beneath the\nboughs of a large pine and gazed up through the branches at the clear\nsky lighted this evening by a bright full moon. The heavens were filled\nwith stars, and this would mean a good clear day for travel when dawn\nfinally broke upon the forest.\n\nThe party had traveled far in search of food but their labors were not\nin vain for they were returning loaded down with good fresh meat for\ntheir tribe.\n\nThe trip had been an exciting one from the standpoint of the hunt, but\nnow the excitement was over and the warriors were tired. A half day\u2019s\njourney lay between them and their homes, and they were eager to start\nthe next morning.\n\nThe canoes had been pulled up the side of the lake and rigged for\nshelter in case of rain but all the party were sleeping in the open. As\nBlack Cloud lay gazing at the stars he remembered back to his days as a\nboy when he had made his first hunting trip with his father.\n\n\u201cCome, father, hurry, we must get started!\u201d Little Black Cloud had\ncalled as he waited at the beach for his father to join him. His father\nfinally arrived and, approving of the canoe which his son had chosen, he\nturned it upright and pushed it into the lake. They loaded their packs\nand hunting weapons and soon Black Cloud was seated in the middle of the\ncanoe as his father pushed from shore.\n\n\u201cWhere are we going to hunt, father?\u201d asked Little Black Cloud.\n\n\u201cWell, my son, I thought that we would try Bear Lake; for many of our\nwarriors have reported fine deer around Bear Lake, and you saw the two\nbeauties that were brought to the camp last week.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, father, they were beautiful bucks, and I hope we are as\nfortunate.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe have a hard long journey ahead, my son, and so pull hard upon the\npaddle; for we must reach the upper end of the lake before nightfall.\nThere we will make camp and tomorrow we shall carry our canoe to the\nupper lake known as Bear Lake. It is quite a distance and though it may\nseem close it will take us some time to reach our destination.\u201d\n\nFather and son pulled upon the paddles, and soon the canoe was moving\nsteadily forward toward the upper end of the lake. As the craft skimmed\nthrough the water, Little Black Cloud\u2019s father pointed out the many\nsigns of wild game that could be seen along the shore.\n\nHere was evidence of where brother beaver had been at work cutting logs\nor here was a grey muddy hole near the lake\u2019s edge to which the forest\nanimals came to drink. Always the canoe was kept near the shoreline, for\nthis made the trip more interesting since there was much to see.\n\nAs noon approached, Little Black Cloud\u2019s father directed the canoe in to\nthe shore and beached it in a small cove. Father and son stepped ashore\nand pulled the canoe up after them. Near by there were some fine berry\nbushes and, walking inland a short way, they came upon a clear swift\nflowing stream. They picked some berries and, seating themselves near\nthe stream, they made a meal of some fried venison they had brought with\nthem, berries, and water. After eating they relaxed for a few moments\nand then the two walked back to the lake edge and climbing aboard their\ncanoe once again were soon continuing their journey up the lake shore.\n\nIt was near dark when they reached the top of the lake. Little Black\nCloud\u2019s father guided the canoe into a small stream leading from the\nlake and, calling to his son to stop paddling, he guided the canoe\nsoftly against the shore of the stream. The two Indians stepped from\ntheir canoe and then, lifting the canoe from the water, set it upon the\nshore.\n\n\u201cWe shall make camp here for the night, my son. You will gather some\nwood and I will see if I can catch us some fish for our supper. I shall\nnot be gone long and there will still be plenty of daylight.\u201d Saying\nthis, Little Black Cloud\u2019s father took up his fishing line and bone hook\nand a bright spinner and started back through the woods for the lake\nshore.\n\nLittle Black Cloud meanwhile started busily preparing camp and gathering\nwood for a fire. In an hour his father was back carrying a fine fish and\nsoon they were having fresh fish steaks broiled on green sticks. These\nthey flavored with some sugar, which they always carried, and washed it\ndown with fresh water.\n\n\u201cAnd now, my son, we must sleep, for in the morning we have a long walk\nahead to reach the Bear Lake.\u201d\n\nFather and son rolled into their blankets and the night noises around\nthem provided a lullaby.\n\nWhen dawn broke, Little Black Cloud found that his father had been up\nfor some time and that breakfast was ready and waiting.\n\nFollowing a hearty breakfast, Little Black Cloud picked up his pack. His\nfather strapped his own pack upon his back and, balancing the light\nbirch bark canoe upon his head, led the way through the forest toward\nthe lake. The woodland Indians often had to make portages like this in\norder to reach their final destination.\n\nAfter traveling for some time in this manner, Little Black Cloud noticed\na clear space among the trees ahead. His father seemed to sense what he\nwas thinking, for he called to his son, \u201cThat is Bear Lake just ahead.\nIt was given that name many moons ago by our people, for it used to be\nthe home of many bears who lived and thrived here, but when our people\ndiscovered that many fine fish lived in these waters they had to drive\nthe bears off in order to make the fishing grounds safe for our people.\n\n\u201cSince the disappearance of the bears the deer have flocked to the\nshores of this fine lake, and now whenever fresh meat is needed a small\nparty of us come to the lake and in a short time we have enough meat for\nthe needs of our people.\u201d\n\nSoon the two had reached the shores of Bear Lake and, looking out upon\nthe calm waters, Little Black Cloud said, \u201cMy, how peaceful the waters\nlook, father. It seems as though nothing or no one had ever visited\nthese shores before.\u201d\n\nThen a short distance down the shore there was a rustling in the brush\nand a splash, and soon the head of a doe would be seen bending to drink,\nand then another and another; and then the eight-pointed head of a buck\ncould be seen a short distance beyond the does.\n\n\u201cLook, father, look. How many deer are there?\u201d Little Black Cloud was\nvery excited, for never before had he seen such a large number of deer\nin one place at the same time.\n\n\u201cCome, my son, we must leave our gear here and go in pursuit of the fine\ndeer. They abide all along these shores and back away from the lakes in\nthe shaded glens and the open meadows. It may not be as easy to catch\nthem as it is to see them.\u201d\n\nOnce again the canoe was placed in the water, and father and son set off\nto hunt the deer. They moved quietly down the shore, but no sooner had\nthey reached a spot near enough to fire an arrow when the deer would\nturn and disappear into the woodlands. For several hours they paddled\nthe shore but try as they might to approach the deer quietly the animals\nwould turn as if warned and, with a flick of their tails, were deep in\nthe woods by the time the canoe was within striking distance.\n\nSoon dusk was drawing nigh, and the two turned their canoe to return to\nwhere they had left their gear.\n\n\u201cCome,\u201d said Little Black Cloud\u2019s father, \u201cwe will have some supper and\nwhen it is dark we shall hunt again.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, father, how can you hunt when it is dark? You cannot see the\ndeer.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will show you, my son. First we must gather some pine knots.\u201d\n\nAnd so the supper was prepared and two very hungry Indians feasted and\nthen sat back to allow the food to settle. Finally the father rose and\ntaking his boy by the hand they wandered into the woods to gather pine\nknots. Finally they had gathered about ten pine knots and these they\nplaced in the bottom of the canoe.\n\nThen Little Black Cloud\u2019s father made an attachment on the front of the\ncanoe which would hold a burning pine knot. It was getting dark faster\nnow, and so the two Indians loaded their weapons into the canoe and then\nstrapping a piece of birch bark to the bow of the canoe to act as a\nreflector they pushed away from shore after lighting a pine knot and\nplacing it in the holder which contained sand so the fire would not burn\nthe canoe. It was then that Little Black Cloud was able to see why his\nfather wanted the pine knots.\n\nAs they skimmed along the shore, the deer would see the light and be\nattracted by it to the shore. This would then make them easy targets,\nfor their bodies would then be outlined on the shore.\n\nSlowly the canoe moved along the shore until Little Black Cloud\u2019s father\nmotioned for him to stop paddling. Placing his paddle in the bottom of\nthe canoe, Little Black Cloud took his bow and arrow and stood waiting.\nSoon the flash of a pair of eyes was seen and then Little Black Cloud\nfired.\n\nThere was a splash and all was still. They steered the canoe toward the\nplace they had seen the deer and there lay a small buck. This was placed\nin the canoe and they moved on.\n\nLittle Black Cloud shot another deer that night, and then father and son\nreturned to camp to skin and dress the two deer.\n\nThe following day they returned to the lake where they had started and\nwere soon paddling down the lake shore for home. Little Black Cloud\u2019s\nfather decided not to stop that evening and so continued paddling\nswiftly until the friendly fires of the village were in sight. He\nbeached the canoe, and a proud father and a very tired young Indian boy\nentered the village that night with two fine specimens of deer.\n\nBlack Cloud sighed as he lay under the pine. Yes, these were fond\nmemories he had of the days when he was a youth.\n\nBut soon he would be doing the same thing his father had done twelve\nsummers ago for when he returned to the village the next day, he did not\nknow that his wife would be waiting for him with a new-born baby son, a\nboy who would some day paddle swiftly along the lake shore with his\nfather.\n\n\n\n\n                     THE MIRACLE OF THE PINE GROVE\n\n\nThe drums beat slowly. A cloud of sadness hung over the Iroquois\nvillage. People moved slowly about their tasks. Even the pets of the\nvillage seemed to have lost their playfulness. The little children were\nplaying quietly at sitting games, rather than the usual noisy running\ngames that they liked so well.\n\nAs Little Rock, a young Iroquois warrior, rode into the village with a\ndead buck slung across his pony, he became suddenly aware of the great\nfeeling of sadness that was upon his village. Instead of hearing the\nusual gay greetings from the people of the tribe, Little Rock noticed\nthat when he looked at them they would shake their heads and turn slowly\naway. Little Rock feared that great trouble had come and wanted to know\nwhat it was. So he dug his heels into his pony\u2019s sides and sped toward\nhis father\u2019s wigwam. As he drew near, he saw a number of people gathered\nclose to the entrance. The drums boomed slowly and sadly. As Little Rock\ncame nearer his friend, Little Red Cloud, stopped him.\n\n\u201cWait, Little Rock!\u201d his friend warned gently. \u201cDo not go to your father\nnow. The Medicine Man is with him.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is the trouble with my father?\u201d\n\n\u201cDo not worry, Little Rock. Great Rock is a great and strong Chief. He\nwill be all right.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs my friend, Little Red Cloud, I ask you once again. What is the\nmatter with my father? It cannot be so simple, when half the tribe\ngathers outside the entrance to my father\u2019s wigwam. They usually come to\ntalk or seek advice, but now they are silent and their faces are sad.\nTell me, Little Red Cloud, what is wrong?\u201d\n\nLittle Rock could not wait for an answer. He jumped from his pony and\nran swiftly toward his father\u2019s wigwam. He was met at the entrance by\nhis mother.\n\n\u201cWait, Little Rock! Do not come in yet. Tall Spear is making medicine\nfor your father. He is very ill.\u201d\n\n\u201cI must go to him. He may need me.\u201d\n\nJust then the Medicine Man joined Little Rock\u2019s mother.\n\n\u201cYour father is asking for you, Little Rock,\u201d the old man said. \u201cYou can\nsee him now.\u201d\n\nLittle Rock stepped inside the wigwam and found his father lying on the\ngreat buffalo robe, his head propped up. Great Rock\u2019s face looked drawn\nand tired and he breathed with great difficulty. As Little Rock knelt\nbeside his father, the sick man\u2019s eyes opened wide.\n\n\u201cMy son, you have returned.\u201d Great Rock spoke slowly as though each word\npained him greatly. \u201cDid you have a good hunt?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, my father. There was much game and I was able to bring a really\nfine buck back to our village. He will give us much fine meat, and his\nskin will make you a fine shirt.\u201d\n\nGreat Rock closed his eyes for a few moments while Little Rock, his\nmother, and the Medicine Man waited anxiously in silence. Then Great\nRock opened his eyes, wet his lips, and started speaking with great\neffort again.\n\n\u201cThat is good, my son. You have learned the ways of the forest well.\nThis was your first trip alone into the great forest, yet you have\ntracked down a fine buck.\u201d The old chief seemed more tired than before.\n\nLittle Rock reached for a bowl of soup near by and spooned some of this\nto his father\u2019s lips. The old man started to sip the soup slowly. Then\nhe raised his hand weakly.\n\n\u201cMy son, your father is old. Last night this sickness came upon me. I\nfeel that the time is growing near when I shall journey to the Happy\nHunting Grounds. I have raised you to be a warrior in our tribe. I have\ntaught you the way of the bear and the way of the fox. You will have to\nbe the man of the family now and provide for your mother.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, my father,\u201d said Little Rock, \u201cyou must not leave us now. Our\ntribe and all the Iroquois need you now more than ever before. There is\ntrouble among the tribes. Soon the Great Council will meet. If your seat\nat the Council is taken by one who is not so wise, the trouble among our\ntribes will continue and become greater. You must get well, father, for\nmuch depends upon you.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere are others as wise, my son. My voice is but a small breeze in a\nbig windstorm. The men who lead our tribes are wise in the ways of\npeace. They will make good decisions. Of that I am certain. But now\nleave me, my son, for I wish to be alone. I am tired and I must rest for\nthe final journey.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, my father, I will go now, but it is not to pine and weep, as the\nothers do. I know you will get well. Tall Spear will make strong\nmedicine. I have no fear.\u201d\n\nLittle Rock left the wigwam and, without saying a word to anyone, he\nmounted his pony and rode swiftly from the village. For many hours he\nrode until it was nearly dark. Then he stopped his pony in a pine grove.\nLeaving the pony to graze, he walked deep into the grove until he came\nto a place where an opening in the trees allowed the last rays of light\nto stream in.\n\nUnder the spreading branches of a great pine tree, Little Rock knelt and\nstarted digging with his knife to root up some plants. When he had\ngathered a handful of roots, he arose. He walked toward a stream and\nnear it he picked some berries from a bush. He dropped the roots and\nberries into a small leather pouch and rode back to the village. He\nthrust the pouch into his mother\u2019s hand and asked her to brew the roots\nquickly in some fresh water.\n\nWhen the broth had been bubbling for a short time, Little Rock grasped\nthe gourd from the fire and carried it toward the wigwam where his\nfather lay ill with fever. As he approached the wigwam, Tall Spear\nstopped him.\n\n\u201cLittle Rock, what is it you carry in the gourd?\u201d the Medicine Man\nasked.\n\n\u201cMany moons ago, my father and I traveled deep into the forest. Finally\nwe came to a large pine grove. Deep within the pine grove, my father\npointed out certain roots and berries that grew there and nowhere else\nnear our village. He told me that those berries and roots would make\nstrong medicine for anyone sick with hotness of the skin. When I spoke\nwith my father, I remembered those roots and berries. I thought that a\nbroth made from them might save his life. So I have brought them to his\nwigwam.\u201d\n\nThe Medicine Man grasped the gourd and was about to turn away when\nLittle Rock seized his arm.\n\n\u201cMake him drink, Tall Spear. Tell him this is broth made from the plants\nin the pine grove. He will understand and he will drink.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will give him the medicine and I will tell him. You have done well,\nLittle Rock. Your respect for your father\u2019s wisdom is very great.\u201d\n\nWith that the Medicine Man disappeared inside the wigwam, and Little\nRock sat upon the ground to wait. Soon Tall Spear came out again.\n\n\u201cYour father has sipped the broth. He told me to clasp your hand as he\nwould in thanks for bringing the roots. He is resting now. All we can do\nis wait.\u201d\n\nAs time went by, Little Rock became drowsy and soon could keep his eyes\nopen no longer. As he fell asleep, the old Medicine Man took his blanket\nand wrapped it around the young brave\u2019s shoulders.\n\nA new day was dawning as Little Rock awoke. He looked quickly toward the\nentrance of the wigwam. Suddenly Tall Spear appeared, his face looking\ncheerful.\n\n\u201cYour father is asking for you. He is weak but he will not die. He will\nsit at the Council soon to decide for peace. Go to him and go with your\nhead held high, for you have much to be proud of this day.\u201d\n\nLittle Rock entered the wigwam and hurried to his father\u2019s side. At that\nmoment his father reached out his hand and Little Rock bent down to take\nit. The eyes of father and son met in silence. No words were needed to\ntell how much more closely their lives were tied together.\n\nTall Spear stepped quickly outside. It seemed only a moment to the men\ninside the wigwam when they heard the voices of their Oneida brothers\nspeaking loudly and happily again.\n\n\n\n\n                      CROOKED ARROW FINDS A FRIEND\n\n\nBlack Hawk was a young Shawnee brave who lived in the earliest days of\nthe American Indian. Black Hawk had been raised in his village by his\nfather, Tall Hawk, who was very proud of him.\n\nTall Hawk had very carefully taught Black Hawk all there was to know\nabout hunting, fishing, stalking, and all the other necessary ways of\nforest and stream.\n\nEach year, Tall Hawk would look at his son growing and exclaim to his\nwife, Soft Bird, \u201cSee how tall and strong he grows. Surely he is the\nmost handsome brave in our village. Not only is he handsome but brave\nand strong as well; he will bring much honor and glory to his father.\u201d\nAt this Soft Bird nodded, for she knew how much Tall Hawk thought of his\nson.\n\nIt was late spring, and the Shawnee were preparing to take the trail of\nthe wild fish and game. It was time they began thinking of new skins for\nclothing and housing and food for their families. Each father who had a\nson, carefully trained his son for just this day.\n\nFinally all was in readiness and the great hunting party, after bidding\ngood-bye to their friends and loved ones, took the trail to the north\nwhere scouts had earlier reported seeing herd of deer. Perhaps this\nwould be easier than they had thought, but as they traveled onward, Tall\nHawk began to realize that they were quite a long way from the village.\n\nHe signaled for the party to stop and called two of the leader warriors\nto him. \u201cWe have traveled far from our village. Do you think it wise\nthat we go on? Surely along the way we have seen many single deer, but\nnowhere have we seen signs of a herd or a large number. This territory\nwhich we now enter is the home and hunting grounds of the Conestogas. We\nmust leave here, for we are on land that does not belong to us.\u201d\n\nTall Hawk was turning to speak to the others of the party when one of\nthe warriors interrupted him. \u201cYes, this is Conestoga country, but we\nare to stop now because of a few woodland weasels that call this their\nland?\u201d\n\n\u201cBut it is their land and we shall do just that, turn around and go\nback. Such foolishness this day could bring the angry Conestogas down on\nour heads in a very short space of time and we would be badly\noutnumbered. Our party is not too strong, and any attack upon us here in\nunfamiliar territory would mean that many lives would be lost.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you afraid, Tall Hawk? Does your stomach swim and your heart\nflutter like a bird? Surely the Conestogas do not concern you?\u201d\n\n\u201cOne Conestoga against one Shawnee, or even two Conestogas against one\nShawnee, and I would not in the least be afraid, for the gods know that\none good Shawnee brave could hold his own against any two Conestogas.\nBut we are on their home grounds. Any attack by a large force of\nConestogas and any one of us would be lucky to live. No, foolish one, we\nshall turn and go back in the direction we came. We shall search\nelsewhere for the elusive deer.\u201d\n\nWith that, Tall Hawk turned to the hunting party and repeated what had\ngone on between himself and the other two braves. There were some grunts\nfrom braves who disagreed with Tall Hawk, but for the most part they\nwere willing to return.\n\nAs the party turned to go back down the trail, one of the scouts who had\nbeen sent ahead came running into the circle to report that a large band\nof Conestogas were heading for just that place and they would be better\noff to start immediately for the home village. Tall Hawk gave the\nsignal, and the hunting party turned quickly and trotted south toward\nthe village.\n\nIt was fully a day\u2019s journey and they had no rest. The long grind began\nto tell upon their numbers. When they would falter and were about to\ncollapse, Tall Hawk could be heard to shout, \u201cKeep running, fools! Do\nyou wish your hair to grace the home of one of our Conestoga neighbors?\u201d\n\nThis threat served its purpose, and the braves who were tiring suddenly\nfound fresh strength and would continue the grueling run.\n\nSoon they reached their own hunting grounds and were safe on the other\nside when the Conestogas broke from the cover of the forest and into the\nmeadow which separated the hunting grounds of the two tribes.\n\nSuddenly the leader of the Conestogas raised his hand, and the band of\nbraves with him stopped running and listened. The chief explained that\nthey had reached the border and could go no further. And so the score\nwas equal. Black Hawk was proud of his father, for once again he had\nproved to his fellow braves that he was a wise man.\n\nThe hunting party slowed down a bit now and, after traveling about two\nmiles, they camped for the night. They were tired and after a hasty\nsupper they fell off to sleep one by one until all but the guards were\nsound asleep. Black Hawk was soon sound asleep as well, but Tall Hawk\nlay awake thinking.\n\nWhy did they not sight the deer before they reached the land of the\nConestogas? Surely the scouts that had reported the deer herd to the\nvillage had not imagined seeing so many deer, or had they? And why had\nthe chase taken them into Conestoga land? Over and over he asked himself\nthese questions until he could not stay awake any longer and finally he\nwas asleep with the rest of the party.\n\nThe next morning after breakfast the party continued on its trek, this\ntime turning westward. Soon they came to a large lake and Tall Hawk\ndivided the party, requesting some of them to remain here and fish and\nthe others to continue on around the lake in search of game. Black Hawk\nwas among those chosen to stay and fish and he was very happy about it.\nHe saw that he was the only young brave allowed to stay with the fishing\nparty and he felt it was because he was such a good fisherman.\n\nWhen the hunting party had finally gone out of sight, Red Hand, the\nsecond in command, gathered the group and explained to them their\nmission. This lake should have plenty of fish, and so they would spend\nthe next day and night here fishing and in the morning of the second day\nreturn to their village, as they hoped, with a successful catch of fish\nfrom the beautiful lake.\n\nRed Hand led the way down the shore of the lake to where the last\nfishing party had hidden the canoes. Then, asking the party to team up\nin pairs, he slipped a pouch from his shoulder and gave out fishing\nequipment to each brave. When each one had received his equipment, Red\nHand said, \u201cWe shall fish the lake for one day and we shall rest on\nshore for one night. On the dawn of the second day the hunting party\nwill return and we shall all leave for our homes together. Let us pray\nthat the gods will smile favorably upon us this day and that our catch\nwill be a large one. Good luck to all of you, and may your lines be\nheavy with fish when you return.\u201d\n\nWith these words ringing in their ears the Indians rushed to the canoes\nand pushed off into the quiet blue waters of this great lake. Black Hawk\nhad chosen as his partner an older brave of the tribe by the name of\nCrooked Arrow. Perhaps it seemed strange that Black Hawk should choose\nhis partner because he was so young, but Crooked Arrow very rarely spoke\nand many of the Indians of the tribe did not like him. Why they did not\nlike him, Black Hawk did not know. He did know that Crooked Arrow was\nnot very good-looking and that he was a little fatter than most of the\nother men of the tribe. But, aside from that, Black Hawk could see no\nreason for not liking him and so had asked him if he would be Black\nHawk\u2019s partner in the fishing trip.\n\nCrooked Arrow had shaken his head and without saying a word had followed\nBlack Hawk to the canoes and helped him lift one into the lake. The\nother braves had laughed at Black Hawk when they saw him choose Crooked\nArrow as his partner, but Red Hand had motioned them to be quiet and\nstop making fun of the boy.\n\nWhen the instructions had been given out and the equipment distributed\namong the braves, Black Hawk and Crooked Arrow stepped into their canoe\nand pushed away from the shore. They dipped their paddles softly into\nthe lake and the canoe glided quietly across the waters.\n\nSoon they had pulled away from the other canoe and Crooked Arrow who had\ntaken the stern of the canoe, was steering the canoe for a point of land\nabout a half a mile down the lake shore. Black Hawk turned to him and\nasked, \u201cWhy do you steer for that part of the lake, Crooked Arrow? I\nshould think that that section of lake over to the eastward would be\nbetter.\u201d\n\n\u201cCrooked Arrow knows where the fish are, little Black Hawk.\u201d\n\nHe said nothing more but pulled strongly with his paddle and the canoe\nfairly skimmed across the water. Black Hawk thought to himself that they\nwould probably have gone even faster if he, Black Hawk, had removed his\npaddle from the water, for he could not keep up with Crooked Arrow\u2019s\nstroke and was causing a backwash with his paddle by dragging it through\nthe water.\n\nFinally Crooked Arrow said, \u201cMy little friend, dip your paddle deep and\npull strongly back toward the stern of the canoe. When you have\ncompleted the stroke, draw your paddle completely from the water and\nreach it forward high in the air before placing it in the water again.\u201d\n\nBlack Hawk followed his instructions, and soon he found that the\npaddling was a lot easier by using that technique than the way he had\nbeen trying to paddle. He had been concentrating so hard on his paddling\nthat he did not realize that they were soon to the place where Crooked\nArrow said that they would be sure to catch some fish.\n\nCrooked Arrow motioned for Black Hawk to throw his line overboard, which\nhe did, and with that Crooked Arrow slowed down the canoe to an even,\nsmooth pace which would take them just past the small jutting of land.\n\nBlack Hawk could see his own lure shining in the water. As the lure came\nparallel with the jutting land there was a great swirl of water, and the\nfight was on.\n\nA very large fish had grasped the lure in his mouth and it was now a\nfight between the boy and the fish. It was a huge bass that was\nthreshing around in the water and soon it was obvious that Black Hawk\nwould be the victor. With some swift overhand strokes he had pulled the\nfish up to the side of the canoe. Then with a thrust of his arm, Crooked\nArrow speared the fish with his fish spear and brought him safely\naboard. He was a beautiful big bass and Black Hawk was so proud he\nnearly tipped over the canoe in his excitement to see the fish.\n\n\u201cBe not so excited, my young friend. It is a nice-sized fish, but the\nday is young and we must catch many, many more.\u201d Black Hawk cast his\nlure in again, and soon the episode was repeated. Back and forth Crooked\nArrow paddled near the jutting land and fish after fish fell victim to\nthe line of Black Hawk and the spear of Crooked Arrow.\n\nSoon shadows began to gather and Crooked Arrow turned the bow of the\ncanoe toward the place they had started from. Black Hawk paddled even\nharder now going home, for he was very proud. There in the bottom of the\ncanoe, all nicely strung on an improvised leather loop, were twelve\nplump large fish.\n\nWhen they reached the shore, Black Hawk with his fish in hand dashed\nashore to report his success to Red Hand. Red Hand looked with pride\nupon the catch Black Hawk held up to show him and then he said, \u201cMy, but\nthat is a fine catch of fish. Did you catch them all by yourself?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh no,\u201d said Black Hawk, \u201cCrooked Arrow and I both caught them. They\nwould strike at my line and when I pulled them to the side of the boat,\nCrooked Arrow would spear them and bring them on board. Oh, what an\nexciting trip we have had. How did the others make out, or are we the\nfirst to return?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, you are the first to return, but remember you were not too far\nfrom the landing place. The others will be here shortly. Sit down and we\nwill smoke and rest while we wait for the others.\u201d\n\nThey sat down and waited. Soon the other canoes, one by one, would slip\nup to the shore, and the braves would leap out and triumphantly tell Red\nHand of their catch. Soon the last of the canoes had been beached and\nthe last of the fish carefully packed away for the journey home the\nfollowing morning.\n\nThe braves had a supper of delicious fresh lake bass and after they had\nsat around the fire telling of their adventures on the lake they all\nturned in for the night. Soon the fire had burned to just ashes and all\nthe braves slept peacefully in the quiet of the night.\n\nIt had been a long day on the lake in the sun, and now the quiet spring\nbreezes through the trees overhead sang a soft lullaby along the lake\nshore. When it had been quiet for a long time, Black Hawk sat up and\nnoticed that Crooked Arrow was gone from where he lay down to sleep.\n\nBlack Hawk looked around and then suddenly he glanced toward the lake.\nThere he saw Crooked Arrow standing quiet. Black Hawk rose and quietly\nslipped down toward the lake and to where Crooked Arrow was standing.\nApproaching the lakeside, Black Hawk respected the brave, Crooked Arrow,\nand when he had reached a point about five yards from the brave he\nstopped. He could barely hear Crooked Arrow and then he knew that\nCrooked Arrow was thanking someone.\n\n\u201cFinally, O Great Spirit, I, Crooked Arrow, humbly thank you for sending\nto me a friend, this boy, Black Hawk, who asked me to go with him on the\nfishing trip. For this I am thankful and also I am thankful that you\nsent the fish of the lake to his hook so that his catch was a large one.\nYou have been very kind to Crooked Arrow this day and I will not forget.\nI have never known my family, but from this day forth I shall look upon\nBlack Hawk as if he were my son. I know he has a father, a good and\nwonderful man, but I am sure he will not mind if I remain close to him,\nfor his kindness to me this day has brought great joy to my heart. Thank\nyou once again, O Great Spirit.\u201d\n\nCrooked Arrow turned and walked slowly back to where he had been\nsleeping and lay down once again. Either he did not look or did not\nparticularly notice that Black Hawk was missing from his place upon the\nground.\n\nFor a long time Black Hawk sat by the side of the lake thinking about\nwhat Crooked Arrow had been saying. Suddenly he realized what had\nhappened here. He had made a friend, a very close friend, and it made\nhis heart warm. Slowly he too returned to where he had slept and, lying\ndown once again, was soon fast asleep.\n\nDawn broke bright and warm upon the lake and soon all the Indians were\nastir.\n\nThey all ate a hearty breakfast and as they were packing the remainder\nof the equipment and safely storing the canoes away once again, the\nfirst of the hunting party arrived.\n\nThey too had a very successful hunt, and Black Hawk counted five very\nplump bucks being carried by the hunting party.\n\nSome of the braves were quick to point out to him that the largest buck\nhad been brought down with an arrow from the bow of Tall Hawk and this\nmade Black Hawk very proud of his father. The party started on the\nreturn trip to the village and it was a happy group which entered the\ncircle of homes to be greeted warmly by friends and family who viewed\nthe fine food supply with a great deal of laughter and joy. The party\nsoon dispersed, each one returning to his own home.\n\nWhen Black Hawk and his father returned to their home there was a fine\nmeal awaiting them; and the rest of the family, his mother and two\nsisters, greeted the two hunters with praise for their success which had\npreceded them to their home by the little braves\u2019 spreading the word\nthrough the village of the success of the hunters, especially Tall Hawk\nand his son Black Hawk, the great fisherman.\n\nAfter supper, Black Hawk stepped out of his home and wandered through\nthe village greeting his many friends and talking with them of the\nadventures he had just been through.\n\nFinally Black Hawk had been to almost all his friends when he noticed\none rather shabby wigwam set off from the rest on the far side of the\nvillage. Slowly puzzling a little bit about this, he wandered toward the\nwigwam. He saw one of his playmates, Walking Bird, and he stopped to ask\nwho lived in the wigwam in the distance.\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d said Walking Bird, \u201cthat is the home of Crooked Arrow. He lives\noff by himself like that, for he seems to enjoy being by himself. He is\na strange sort of man and he very rarely comes out of his wigwam to\nparticipate in the activities of the tribe, except when there is a\nhunting or a fishing party or a tribal celebration. Was not he on the\nsame trip with you?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, he was, and I think I shall pay him a visit.\u201d\n\nQuickly Black Hawk approached the wigwam of Crooked Arrow and when he\nhad reached the flap that served as a door he called out and asked if he\nmight enter.\n\n\u201cCome in, come in, my friend, Black Hawk,\u201d called Crooked Arrow.\n\nThe boy entered and Crooked Arrow rose to greet him.\n\n\u201cIt is very kind of you to come and see me.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs it not the thing to do for friends to visit one another?\u201d asked\nBlack Hawk. \u201cWhy do you live here by yourself? Have you no family?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, Black Hawk, Crooked Arrow has no family, and I have liked living\nhere on the edge of the village. It is quiet and I get much time to work\non my tools for fishing and hunting. I like it here.\u201d\n\nBlack Hawk stayed until it was quite late and he noticed that Crooked\nArrow talked on and on about many, many things. Finally it was getting\nvery late and Black Hawk rose to leave.\n\n\u201cCome again, little Black Hawk. My wigwam is always open to my good\nfriend. The next time you come we will have another fine talk.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you, friend Crooked Arrow. I shall return often for you have been\na good friend.\u201d\n\nWith that, Black Hawk turned and walked to his own wigwam. As he\napproached his home he noticed his father just leaving. When Tall Hawk\nsaw his son, he stopped and called to him. \u201cBlack Hawk, my son, where\nhave you been? It is quite late and your mother was getting quite\nconcerned.\u201d\n\n\u201cI was visiting with a friend, my father, a very good friend.\u201d It was\nthen that Black Hawk spoke with his father about the events on the\nfishing trip and about how Crooked Arrow had knelt at the lakeside and\nthanked the Great Spirit for his friend, Black Hawk.\n\nHis father listened attentively and then when Black Hawk had finished he\nsaid, \u201cMy son, I am very proud of you. You have done a great and\ngenerous thing. Crooked Arrow has been a lonely person. You have brought\nmuch joy to his life. To have a friend is a wonderful thing.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, my father, if this is such a wonderful thing, why has no one\nbefriended him before? Why does he still live alone on the edge of the\ntribe? Why is he alone on the hunt though he is with many braves?\u201d\n\n\u201cHe is not an easy person to talk to, my son. You, a boy, have spoken to\nhim as an equal; this has meant much to him. The rest of us should be\nashamed. We have been so busy that we have not taken time out to look at\nwhat is around us. It has taken a young Indian boy to bring to our\nattention this lack of concern for a fellow member of the tribe. If he\nhad been a worthless brave who had sought pity and help from others, the\ntreatment he had been given would have been what he deserved.\u201d\n\nBut in thinking back, Tall Hawk realized that Crooked Arrow had always\ncarried his share of the responsibility in the tribe.\n\nWhen a hunting party was forming, he always volunteered; when a battle\nwas in progress, Crooked Arrow was always found to be in the middle.\nWhen there was distasteful jobs to be done around the village or a new\nlodge to be built or some repairs needed or someone to stand night\nwatch, Crooked Arrow would always be among the first to volunteer.\n\nYes, thought Tall Hawk, here is a man who has been treated with scorn\nwho should have been treated with honor by his fellow braves.\n\nThe following day after giving much thought to the question, Tall Hawk\nwent to consult with the leaders of the village.\n\nAfter many hours, a delegation was formed and they proceeded to the\nwigwam of Crooked Arrow. The fat ugly warrior stepped from his wigwam\nand suddenly his eyes grew a little wild until he saw in the delegation\nBlack Hawk, his friend.\n\n\u201cWhy have you come to the humble wigwam of Crooked Arrow?\u201d he asked of\nthe leaders. \u201cWhat have I done to cause you to come? If I have done\nwrong tell me and I shall do all in my power to make it right.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Tall Hawk, \u201cIt is we who have done wrong. We come to invite\nyou to rebuild your wigwam within the village circle. There is a fine\nplace right next to mine, and I would consider it an honor if you would\nbuild there and become my neighbor. My son has told me quite a bit about\nyou and I can see now where we have been very unfair in the way we have\nneglected making you a part of our tribe. Come, become a part of our\nfamily. Share our fires and our food and we shall talk together of the\ngreat hunts. This we ask you to do as a sign that you will forgive us\nfor this wrong which has existed so long.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I will come, but listen. You have done me no wrong. I have been\nhappy living here on the edge of the village, watching the children play\nand taking part in the hunt. I have had a good life. I have never known\nwhat real friendship was from the time I was a little boy going from one\nto the other begging for food to keep me going. But Black Hawk has\nbrought the meaning of friendship to my heart, and for that reason I\nhave desired these last few days to live closer to my people. Yes, I\nwill come. With gladness in my heart, I will come.\u201d\n\nThe group turned and started for the center of the village to proclaim\nwhat had just happened; and, as they walked, a small boy, Black Hawk,\nand a not so ugly, fat, young man could be seen walking hand in hand\u2014a\ncertain lightness in their step that had not been there before.\n\n\n\n\n                     THE BOY AND THE WARRIOR CHIEF\n\n\nFlying Owl was a very happy little Seneca brave. He had all he could\nwish for. His father was a very brave and honored member of the tribe.\nHis mother was kind and made the best-tasting dishes of food for him\nwhen he was hungry. His sister and he would quarrel now and then, but\nmost of the time they played and lived together very happily.\n\nTheir home was strong and warm in the winter and cool in the summer.\nThere were always many nice clothes to wear and plenty to eat. Flying\nOwl was learning from his father every day about the ways of the forest\nand the stream. When anyone watched Flying Owl at play, he would think,\n\u201cNow there is a lucky and happy little boy. I wonder if he knows how\nfortunate he is.\u201d But Flying Owl was a rare little Indian brave, for he\ndid realize how lucky he was. When he was still young, Flying Owl gladly\nshared his toys and other things with his friends. For this reason he\nwas very much liked by both the braves and women and by the other boys\nand girls of the tribe.\n\nOne bright summer day, Flying Owl rose early from his bed and looked out\nat the bright warm sun shining down on the green forest and the\nblue-green lake at the edge of their village. He thought to himself,\n\u201cWhat a wonderful day this is to go fishing. Only a short way from our\nhome is the beautiful little hidden lake which my father has shown me.\nSurely there must be big fish in that lake. If I could catch some of\nthem all by myself, my father would be proud of me and we would have a\ndelicious supper this evening.\u201d\n\nSo without any delay, Flying Owl gathered together his fishing tackle\nwhich he and his father had made with such care during the cold winter\nnights. Flying Owl was often allowed to go off by himself on short trips\nlike this, so long as he did not go too far or stay away from his home\nafter dark. He packed his fishing gear and some food and started out,\nwaving good-bye to his mother and sister who stood at the entrance to\ntheir wigwam. His mother called to remind him to be back in time for\nsupper. Flying Owl shouted that he not only would be back before supper\nbut would bring their supper home with him. Then his mother and sister\nwatched him trotting from the village until he was out of sight.\n\nFlying Owl ran gaily along the forest paths, thinking that the many wild\ncreatures had been awake since dawn. Now they were scurrying through the\nbrush and the tree tops, enjoying the warm sunshine and cool breezes\nwhich blew gently through the forest. Flying Owl\u2019s heart felt very\nhappy. It was good to be alive, discovering new wonders of nature here\nin the forest instead of playing in the village that he knew too well.\nAnd he thought, \u201cPerhaps some great adventure is waiting for me here in\nthe green forest!\u201d\n\nHe hurried on, impatient to reach the secret lake and catch the many\nlarge fish that he was sure were there. At the pace he was keeping, it\nwas not long before he saw, through an opening in the trees, the\nblue-green, shimmering waters of the lake. Running faster, he reached\nthe lake shore quickly and stopped a moment to look out across the\nwaters and wonder where he would find the best place to fish.\n\nHe saw a tree that had fallen out into the lake, and decided to stand on\nthe end of the log in the lake. He cast his line into the water and\nsettled down to await the first nibble. He did not have to wait long.\nThere was a sharp tug upon his line and he felt the line go taut in his\nhands. In fact, it had come so suddenly that Flying Owl was almost\nthrown off balance. Bracing the heels of his moccasins against the curve\nof the log, he started pulling at the line and brought in a fine fat\nfish. The catch now lay on the bank next to him and he was ready to cast\nagain. In only a few moments, he felt another sharp tug and soon had\nlanded another plump fish. \u201cThis is really fun!\u201d Flying Owl said aloud.\n\nJust then he heard a movement behind him. Turning quickly, he saw a tall\nhandsome Indian brave dressed in the costume of the Woodland Indians,\nwearing the headdress of a chieftain. Flying Owl was startled, but the\ntall brave reached out his hand in friendship.\n\n\u201cDo not be afraid, Flying Owl,\u201d he said. \u201cI will not hurt you.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho are you?\u201d Flying Owl asked as he looked up at the brave. \u201cI do not\nrecognize you as a member of our tribe. How do you know my name?\u201d\n\nThe brave smiled, stepped closer, and said, \u201cOh, I know your name\nbecause I _am_ of your tribe. I remember you as a baby who looked so\nmuch like his father whom I knew well.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I do not ever remember seeing you and I thought I knew everyone. If\nyou are one of our tribe, I should know you, and above all because you\nare wearing the headdress of our Chief. Surely all, even the children,\nknow our great Chieftains.\u201d\n\nThe brave drew closer until he was no more than a pace from Flying Owl.\nThen he took a small deerskin jacket from his shoulders, laid it on the\nground, and sat cross-legged upon it, facing the boy. \u201cMy name is Bear\nClaw and I am truly your Chief. If you do not believe me, you may ask\nany question you wish about our tribe, and I will give you the answer.\u201d\n\nFlying Owl accepted the challenge and began to question the tall brave\ncarefully until he was sure that the man was telling the truth. Still he\nhad never seen or heard of him.\n\n\u201cSurely,\u201d the chieftain said, \u201cyou must know now that I am one of your\ntribe. But let me ask you a few questions. You have been asking me many,\nand now it is my turn.\u201d He waited with a laughing sparkle in his eyes\nwhile Flying Owl watched his face closely. \u201cWhat reason would you have\nfor questioning me, Bear Claw?\u201d Flying Owl asked.\n\n\u201cI would merely like to ask why you came to the still lake on such a\nbeautiful summer day,\u201d replied the brave, not taking his eyes from the\nboy for one moment.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Flying Owl, \u201cI thought it would be fun if I came here today\nand caught enough fish for my mother to cook for our supper.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d said Bear Claw smiling, \u201cthat is a very good reason. Please do not\nlet me stop your fishing.\u201d Then Bear Claw stretched out on the bank of\nthe lake and lay gazing up through the trees at the bright blue sky.\n\nFlying Owl hesitated, thinking about this strong brave\u2019s strange\nbehavior. Then he remembered the fish he must catch and how he must\nreturn home before dark. So he cast his line into the water again and\nalmost immediately caught another large fish. This he placed with the\nother two and went on fishing until he soon had a good catch. Seeing the\nsun sinking lower in the afternoon sky, he knew that he must hurry to\nreach the village in time for his mother to cook the fish for supper.\n\nTaking a stout birch branch, he ran one end of the branch through the\ngills of the fish to carry his catch over his shoulder. As he turned to\nsay good-bye to the brave who had kept him company at the lakeside, he\nwas surprised to find him gone. Beneath the tree, he saw only the\nflattened fir needles where the brave had lain watching him. He looked\nall around and could find no further trace of him. Flying Owl moved even\nfaster toward home, because now he certainly had a great deal to tell\nhis friends. He reached home in plenty of time before supper and handed\nthe fish to his mother, telling her that, like his father, he had\nbrought their meal for the evening. His mother was very proud and told\nhim so. Then she asked, \u201cDid you have any strange and wonderful\nadventures today, my little Flying Owl?\u201d\n\nThe boy was just about to blurt out that he had, when he decided that he\nshould wait to tell his father first about everything that had happened.\nSo all he said was, \u201cWe will talk later, mother. I have much to tell\nyou.\u201d\n\nImpatient now to break the news to his father, he went outside to look\nfor him. Flying Owl found him talking with another brave and waited\nrespectfully until his father had finished and was starting home.\nPlanting himself in front of his father, Flying Owl began to tell his\nstory, but he was speaking so fast that his father could hardly\nunderstand him.\n\n\u201cWait, my son! You must speak more slowly. I want to hear about\neverything that happened to you today, but your words tumble out so\nswiftly that my brain can\u2019t make any sense of them. Now start from the\nbeginning again.\u201d\n\nFlying Owl took a deep breath and began slowly this time to tell his\nfather all about his adventure at the great still lake in the deep\nforest. As he talked, his father\u2019s face looked more and more puzzled.\nWhen Flying Owl had finished, his father put one hand on his son\u2019s\nshoulder, and they started for the wigwam. Nothing more was said about\nthe adventure until they reached home. While Flying Owl was washing, his\nfather turned to his mother and asked her what she thought of their\nson\u2019s story.\n\n\u201cHe has not told me about it yet. He wanted to wait until he found you\nand tell you first.\u201d\n\nWhen the family had begun eating the supper of fish Flying Owl had\ncaught, the young brave told his story once again for his mother\u2019s\nbenefit. When he had ended it, his parents looked at each other and\nsmiled and said no more about it.\n\nWhen the children had gone to bed, Flying Owl\u2019s mother said to her\nhusband, \u201cSurely you do not believe this story that Flying Owl has told\nus. It must be something he imagined. He probably had a dull day and\nbelieved that he had to think up some adventure to tell his father.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said her husband, \u201cthat is not the reason, for the catching of\nmany sweet fish would be enough of a story. There is something more\nbehind this and I must find out what it is. How would he know Bear\nClaw\u2019s name? He was only a baby when the great chief vanished. Tomorrow\nI will go with the boy and see for myself this place where he says he\nmet Bear Claw.\u201d\n\nThe next morning, Flying Owl\u2019s father remarked to his son that it was\nsuch a nice day that they ought to go fishing once again at the still\nlake. Surely if there were more fish like those they had eaten the night\nbefore, they should try to make another large catch and share them with\nother families in the village. Flying Owl was thrilled with the thought\nof going fishing with his father and gathered his gear together quickly.\nFather and son started off together into the forest, traveling at a\nslower pace than Flying Owl had gone the day before. It was almost\nmid-day when they reached the side of the lake. Flying Owl\u2019s father\nsuggested that they eat lunch before they began fishing. When they were\nthrough eating, Flying Owl\u2019s father looked at the boy curiously.\n\n\u201cMy son, show me where you saw this Seneca Chief yesterday.\u201d\n\n\u201cCertainly, father,\u201d Flying Owl said confidently.\n\nHe took his father\u2019s hand and walked back to the fir tree under which\nthe warrior had rested. They both looked carefully at the ground.\n\n\u201cI see no signs of where a person lay under this tree, my son,\u201d Flying\nOwl\u2019s father finally said. \u201cAre you sure that you saw a Seneca Chief\nwhen you were here yesterday?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh yes, father, I know I did. We can\u2019t find any trace of the spot he\nlay on because the fir needles have risen again like the grass on which\na deer has lain. Surely you don\u2019t believe that I would lie to you,\nfather?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, my son. I do not believe you would, but I know of no one by the\nname of Bear Claw who lives in our village. Perhaps one of our\nunfriendly neighbors was playing a trick on you, or maybe your\nimagination wanted a little adventure of its own.\u201d\n\nFlying Owl paused for a moment, thinking seriously.\n\n\u201cNo, father, you have taught me to be truthful at all times, and to tell\nyou exactly what I have seen and heard. I did see a tall Seneca standing\nright there, wearing a Chief\u2019s headdress that was one of the most\nbeautiful I have ever seen. It was not something in my imagination, and\nit was not one of our neighbors, for he wore no mask and no paint to\nhide behind. His costume was Seneca, and when I questioned him about our\nvillage, he knew every answer.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right, my son, we will speak no more about it. But come, we must\ncast our lines. It is growing late and we must hurry if we are to bring\nhome another meal this evening.\u201d\n\nSo they started to fish and waited a long time without getting even a\nnibble. They changed their bait and moved to a new position farther\nalong the lake shore, but nothing did any good. When the sun had sunk\nvery low, Flying Owl\u2019s father announced that it was time to start for\nhome. As they trotted back through the forest, neither spoke to the\nother, because both were thinking busily about Flying Owl\u2019s story, his\ngood catch of yesterday, and their poor luck today.\n\nWhen Flying Owl\u2019s mother saw them returning empty-handed, she said\nnothing of the fact that there were no fish. When the children had\nfinished their supper and gone to bed, their parents spoke of the boy\u2019s\nadventure. Now they were more puzzled than ever. Just at that moment\nthere was a loud muttering of voices, followed by such shouting and\nlaughter and cheers as had not been heard in the village for many moons.\nFlying Owl\u2019s father dashed from his home, grasping his bow as he went.\nCertainly something wonderful must be happening. As he reached the\ncenter of the village, the first thing he saw was a tall Seneca\nChieftain standing amidst many warriors who were shouting and dancing.\nIt was Bear Claw, a Seneca Chief who had disappeared after a great\nbattle. His people had returned to their village defeated and heartsick,\nbelieving him dead, and there had been much sadness. It had happened so\nmany moons ago that Chief Bear Claw had almost been forgotten. Now he\nhad appeared in the village as if from nowhere. Finally Bear Claw raised\nhis arms in the air, asking for silence.\n\n\u201cYour Chief has returned. I have much to tell you, but I must wait\nbecause I am tired and need rest. Tomorrow we shall have feasting and\ndancing and a Great Council. Then I will speak.\u201d\n\nThe great warrior turned and walked to his wigwam where his wife and\nyoung son, who had been leading the tribe, waited for him. Flying Owl\u2019s\nfather walked slowly back to his home where the boy lay sleeping,\nunaware of the great event that had been taking place.\n\nThe next day the sun rose and covered the small village with a warm\nglow, as though greeting Bear Claw\u2019s return. Flying Owl walked out into\nthe sunshine and found everyone preparing for a great celebration. He\nran to ask his father about the reason for all the excitement.\n\n\u201cMy son, sit beside your father who doubted you. Today a miracle has\ncome to pass, and together we will hear how that miracle happened.\u201d\n\nAlthough he was bubbling over with curiosity to learn what had happened,\nFlying Owl sat patiently and silently beside his father. Soon it was\ntime for the special meeting. The whole village began to gather in front\nof the home of the great Chief who had returned to his people. Flying\nOwl and his father joined the others and sat watching the entrance of\nthe wigwam. Soon a great warrior with a magnificent headdress stepped\nout. Flying Owl grasped his father\u2019s arm and whispered, \u201cThat\u2019s the\nSeneca Chief I told you about, father!\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, my son. That is Bear Claw, warrior Chief of our tribe, who has\nreturned to us after we had believed him dead.\u201d\n\nBear Claw signaled for silence. Then he began speaking with great\ndignity.\n\n\u201cMany moons ago, when we were at war with our enemies to the north, I\nfell, wounded by an enemy arrow. Before I could escape, the enemy fell\nupon me and took me prisoner. I was taken to their village where I was\nkept under close guard. They did not kill me but made me a slave\u2014a far\ngreater punishment for any Seneca. For many moons I worked in the enemy\ncamp, often being whipped and beaten and spit upon by their warriors and\ntheir squaws, and even their children. Two moons ago I escaped and began\nmy long trek homeward. But I moved slowly because the path was long and\nI was weary. They sent a war party after me to bring me back. So for\nmany suns I hid in the deep forest. I led their war party in a chase,\nfirst toward our village, and then away from it. I did not want to come\ntoo close to our homes until I was sure they had lost my trail. I knew\nthey would not dare to attack our village because they were a small\nband, but still big enough to take prisoner any of our people who might\nhave wandered too far away.\n\n\u201cYesterday I arrived at the secret lake with the only things that I had\nbeen able to find and bring with me from the enemy camp\u2014my knife, my\nbow, and my headdress which they had taken from me when they captured\nme. Suddenly I saw a Seneca boy fishing. I approached and spoke with\nhim. Last night I slept in the forest until it was late and dark enough\nto enter our village. The rest of the story you know. But first, before\nthe celebration, I would like to see that young lad I spoke to at the\nlakeside, the young brave who is called Flying Owl.\u201d\n\nFlying Owl rose and stepped forward to face the Chief.\n\n\u201cYou were the first of my people to see me, young brave, and it was the\nsight of you, fishing in the lake, which first made me feel that I was\nreally home. You are a good fisherman and a bright lad, and I am sure\nyou will become a great warrior. Because you were the first and because\nyou appeared so brave in the face of what might have been great danger,\nI wish to reward you. Here is the bow which I carried all through my\nhomeward trip. Keep it and remember the Seneca Chief you spoke to the\nday the fish were biting so well and the sun was warm\u2014the day that\nhappiness once again filled that Chief\u2019s heart.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you, Bear Claw,\u201d the boy replied proudly. \u201cMay I hope that some\nday my father and I may go fishing with you at the secret lake?\u201d\n\nEveryone laughed and, most of all, Bear Claw. There was joy in the\nvillage for their leader had returned, and a boy had made him welcome.\n\n\n\n\n                          Transcriber\u2019s Notes\n\n\n--Copyright notice provided as in the original\u2014this e-text is public\n  domain in the country of publication.\n\n--Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard (or amusing)\n  spellings and dialect unchanged.\n\n--In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the\n  HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.)","title":"Treasury of American Indian Tales","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":85078}