all succeed this time," thought Raven, and his heart beat
fast with hope. But the duck passed on, and Raven stood waiting with
bowed head.

Very soon a family of white-front geese came along, consisting of the
parents with four sons and a sister. Raven cried out, "Who wishes me
for a husband? I am a fine hunter and am young and handsome."

As he finished speaking they alighted just beyond him, and he thought,
"Surely, now I shall get a wife." He looked about and found a pretty
white stone with a hole in it lying near. He picked it up and,
stringing it on a long grass stem, hung it about his neck.

As soon as he had done this he pushed up his bill so that it slid to
the top of his head like a mask, and he became a dark-colored young
man. At the same time each of the geese pushed up its bill in the same
manner, and they became nice-looking people.

Raven walked toward them, and was much pleased with the looks of the
girl and, going to her, gave her the stone which she hung about her
neck. By doing this she showed that she accepted him for her husband.
Then they all pulled down their bills, becoming birds again, and flew
away toward the south.

The geese flapped their wings heavily and worked along slowly, while
Raven on his outspread wings glided along faster than his party, and
the geese gazed after him in admiration, exclaiming, "How light and
graceful he is!" and the little bride was very proud of her fine
husband.

But Raven was not accustomed to the long, all-day flights of the
geese, and he became tired.

"We would better stop early and look for a good place to spend the
night," he said. The others agreed to this, so they stopped and were
soon asleep.

Early the next morning the geese were astir, but Raven slept so
heavily that the father goose had to shake him and say, "Wake up! Wake
up! We must make haste for it will snow here soon; we must not
linger."

As soon as Raven was fully awake he pretended to be eager to get away,
and, as on the day before, he led all the others with his wide-spread
wings, and was greatly admired by the others, especially by his young
wife. He kept on, above or in front of his companions, and his bride
would often say, "See how gracefully he skims along without having to
flop heavy wings as we do," and she gave her brothers a side glance
which made them feel that she was contrasting their clumsiness with
his ease. After that tactless remark, the four brothers-in-law began
to