and dance very fast and I
will make magic to give you wings."

All close and cover their eyes. Nana-bo-jou sings very loudly and,
rushing on the Beaver, hits him on the head with the straw club. The
Beaver falls dead. The two goblins run in from one side and drag off the
body.

Then Nana-bo-jou shouts: "Look, look, now! See how he flies away! See,
there goes the Beaver over the tree-tops." All look as he points and
seem to see the Beaver going.

Different animals and birds are brought out to dance their dances and
are killed as before. Then the Crow comes out, hopping, flopping,
cawing. Nana-bo-jou looks at him and says: "You are too thin. You are no
good. You don't need any more wings," and so sends him to sit down.

Then the Coyote comes out to do the Coyote Dance, imitating Coyote,
etc.; but he is very suspicious and, in answer to the questions, says:
"No; I don't want wings. The Great Spirit gave me good legs, so I am
satisfied"; then goes back to his seat.

Next the Deer, the Sheep, etc., come out and are killed; while all the
rest are persuaded that the victims flew away. But the Coyote and the
Loon have their doubts. They danced in their turns, but said they didn't
want any change. They are satisfied as the Great Spirit made them. They
are slow about hiding their eyes. At last, they peek and realize that it
is all a trap and the Loon shouts: "Nana-bo-jou is killing us! It is all
a trick! Fly for your lives!"

As they all run away, Nana-bo-jou pursues the Loon, hitting him behind
with the club, which is the reason that the Loon has no tail and has
been lame behind ever since.

The Loon shouts the Loon battle-cry, a high-pitched quavering
LUL-L-L-O-O-O and faces Nana-bo-jou; the animals rally around the Loon
and the Coyote to attack the magician. All point their fingers at him
shouting "Wakan Seecha" (or Black Magic). He falls dead in the circle.
They bury him with branches, leaves, or a blanket, and all the animals
do their dances around him.

Before beginning, the story of the dance should be told to the
audience.

TALE 97

The Caribou Dance

[Illustration: Horns for the Caribou Dance]

The easiest of our campfire dances to learn, and the best for quick
presentation, is the Caribou Dance. It has been put on for public
performance after twenty minutes' rehearsing, with those who never saw
it before, because it is all controlled and called off by the Chief. It
does equally well for indoor gymnas