was ready, and found nothing in the
kettle except bones!

"Ah! the Ducks have boiled too long," he said to himself. "The meat will
all be in the bottom of the pot."

When he discovered that the bones had been picked clean, he was very
angry, and scolded his Face severely for not awakening him in time.

_He who deceives others may himself be caught some day._

TENTH EVENING

UNKTOMEE AND THE ELK

[Illustration: TANAGELA AND HER LITTLE BROTHER.]

TENTH EVENING

"Tell us another story of Unktomee, grandfather!" cry several of the
children, as soon as they are inside the old story-teller's wigwam on
the tenth evening.

"Ah, I thought you would ask for another!" remarks the old man with
quiet satisfaction. "There are many stories of his dealings with the
animal people. He loves to go among them and even to take their shape,
that he may make fools of them the more easily. This may do very well
for a time, but it is generally not long before he is ready to cry
'Enough!'"

UNKTOMEE AND THE ELK

It was midsummer, and the Elk people were feasting in great numbers upon
the slopes of the mountain. Sleek, fat and handsome, they browsed hither
and thither off the juicy saplings and rich grass, drank their fill from
the clear mountain streams, and lay down to rest at their ease in the
green shade through the heat of the day.

Unktomee, who had been travelling far and was hungry and foot-sore,
looked upon them with envy.

"Ah," said he to himself, "that is the life for me! Surely these are the
happiest people on earth, for they have all things in abundance and are
so fleet of foot that they need fear no danger!"

Accordingly, he hid his bow and quiver full of arrows in a hollow tree,
with all of his clothing and other weapons, so that he might appear
quite naked and harmless before the timid Elk people. They saw that he
was unarmed, and they stood still as he approached.

"Here comes Unktomee," said they doubtfully to one another.

"Ah, brothers!" he pleaded with them, "you have enough; you are at peace
with the tribes; you overlook the valley and all its dwellers are below
you! None is so happy as you. Will you not make me one of you?"

"Friend!" exclaimed their leader, "you do not know what you ask! To be
sure, it is now midsummer; our clothing and our weapons are new, there
is food in plenty, and we may seem to be happy. However, our antlers,
our only weapons, are yet soft, and the Wolf and th