ch on one thing at a time. But just
at the crucial moment Andramark leaped to one side, and it was a
completely flabbergasted old gentleman who descended through the air in
his stead upon a scattering flock of children. Owl Eyes, still agile at
eighty, gathered himself into a ball, jerked violently with his head
and arms, and managed to land on his feet. But he was very much shaken,
and nobody laughed. He turned and looked up at Andramark, and Andramark
looked down.

"I couldn't help it," said Andramark. "I knew you were there all the
time."

Owl Eyes's two cronies grinned behind their hands.

"Come down," said Owl Eyes sternly.

Andramark leaped and landed lightly, and stood with folded arms and
looked straight into the eyes of the Wisest Medicine-man. Everybody made
sure that there was going to be one heap big beating, and there were not
wanting those who would have volunteered to fetch a stick, even from a
great distance. But Owl Eyes was not called the Wisest Medicine-man for
nothing. His first thought had been, "I will beat the life out of this
boy." But then (it was a strict rule that he always followed) he recited
to himself the first three stanzas of the Rain-Maker's song, and had a
new and wiser thought. This he spoke aloud.

"Boy," he said, "beginning to-morrow I myself shall take you in hand and
make a man of you. You will be at the medicine-lodge at noon. Meanwhile
go to your mother's lodge and tell her from me to give you a sound
beating."

The children marvelled, the boys envied, and Andramark, his head very
high, his heart thumping, passed among them and went home to his mother
and repeated what the Wisest Medicine-man had said.

"And you are to give me a sound beating, mother," said Andramark,
"because after to-day they will begin making a man of me, and when I am
a man it will be the other way around, and I shall have to beat you."

His back was bare, and he bent forward so that his mother could beat
him. And she took down from the lodge-pole a heavy whip of raw buckskin.
It was not so heavy as her heart.

Then she raised the whip and said:

"A blow for the carrying," and she struck; "a blow for the bearing," and
she struck; "a blow for the milking," and she struck; "a blow for lies
spoken," and she did _not_ strike; "a blow for food stolen," and she did
_not_ strike.

And she went through the whole litany of the beating ceremonial and
struck such blows as the law demanded, and spared thos