of unsifted thistles; and if Theophilus--oh, I won't
say any more!"

Then she said, "Quira-holata silhoa mari changa changa."

"Cock-a-doodle-do!" cried Martin, getting tired and impatient.
"Baa, baa, black sheep, bow, wow, wow; goosey, goosey gander; see-saw,
Mary Daw; chick-a-dee-dee, will you listen to me. And now let me go!"

But she held him fast and kept on talking her nonsense language to
him, until becoming vexed he caught hold of her hair and pulled it.
She only laughed and tossed him up into the air and caught him again,
just as he might have tossed and caught a small kitten. At length
she released him, for now they were all beginning to lie down by the
fire to sleep, as it was getting dark; Martin being very tired
settled himself down among them, and as one of the women threw a
skin over him he slept very comfortably.

Next morning the hills looked nearer than ever just across the river;
but little he cared for hills now, and when the little savage
children went out to hunt for berries and sweet roots he followed
and spent the day agreeably enough in their company.

On the afternoon of the second day his new playfellows all threw off
their little skin cloaks and plunged into the stream to bathe; and
Martin, seeing how much they seemed to enjoy being in the water,
undressed himself and went in after them. The water was not too deep
in that place, and as it was rare fun splashing about and trying to
keep his legs in the swift current and clambering over slippery rocks,
he went out some distance from the bank. All at once he discovered
that the others had left him, and looking back he saw that they were
all scrambling out on to the bank and fighting over his clothes.
Back he dashed in haste to rescue his property, but by the time he
reached the spot they had finished dividing the spoil, and jumping
up they ran away and scattered in all directions, one wearing his
jacket, another his knickerbockers, another his shirt and one sock,
another his cap and shoes, and the last the one remaining sock only.
In vain he pursued and called after them; and at last he was
compelled to follow them unclothed to the camping ground, where he
presented himself crying piteously; but the women who had been so
kind to him would not help him now, and only laughed to see how
white his skin looked by contrast with the dark copper-coloured skins
of the other children. At length one of them compassionately gave
him a small soft-furr