he
added, putting his hand out of the side of the lodge and drawing in
several pieces of tobacco which some one passing at that moment offered
as a fee to the Old Spirit, to keep the sand-hills from blowing about
till they had got by.

Other gifts beside tobacco came in the same way to the side of the
lodge--sometimes a whole bear, then a wampum-robe, then a string of
birds--and the Sand-Spirits altogether led an easy life; for they were
not at the trouble to hunt or clothe themselves; and whenever the
housekeeping began to fall short, nothing would happen but a wonderful
storm of dust, all the sand-hills being straightway put in an uproar,
and the contributions would at once begin to pour in at the side windows
of the lodge, till all their wants were supplied.

After Wassamo had been among these curious people several months, the
old Sand-Spirit said to him, "Son-in-law, you must not be surprised at
what you will see next; for since you have been with us you have never
known us to go to sleep. It has been summer when the sun never sets here
where we live. But now, what you call winter, is coming on. You will
soon see us lie down, and we shall not rise again till the spring. Take
my advice. Do not leave the lodge. I have sure knowledge that that
knavish Island Spirit is on the prowl, and as he has command of a
particular kind of storm, which comes from the south-west, he only waits
his opportunity to catch you abroad and do you a mischief. Try and amuse
yourself. That cupboard," pointing to a corner of the lodge, "is never
empty; for it is there that all the offerings are handed in while we are
asleep. It is never empty, and--" But ere the old Sand-Spirit could
utter another word, a loud rattling of thunder was heard, and instantly,
not only the Old Spirit but every one of his family, vanished out of
sight.

When the storm had passed by, they all reappeared in the lodge. This
sudden vanishing and reappearance occurred at every tempest.

"You are surprised," said the Old Spirit, "to see us disappear when it
thunders. The reason is this: that noise which you fancy is thunder, is
our enemy the Island Spirit hallooing on his way home from the hunt. We
get out of sight that we may escape the necessity of asking him to come
in and share our evening meal. We are not afraid of him, not in the
least."

Just then it chanced to thunder again, and Wassamo observed that his
father-in-law made extraordinary dispatch to conceal