ning
words of the magic minor strain had proven true. "Ah-ha!" laughed
Iktomi, untying the four corners of his blanket, "I shall sit no more
hungry within my dwelling." Homeward he trudged along with nice fat
ducks in his blanket. He left the little straw hut for the rains and
winds to pull down.

Having reached his own teepee on the high level lands, Iktomi kindled
a large fire out of doors. He planted sharp-pointed sticks around the
leaping flames. On each stake he fastened a duck to roast. A few he
buried under the ashes to bake. Disappearing within his teepee, he came
out again with some huge seashells. These were his dishes. Placing one
under each roasting duck, he muttered, "The sweet fat oozing out will
taste well with the hard-cooked breasts."

Heaping more willows upon the fire, Iktomi sat down on the ground with
crossed shins. A long chin between his knees pointed toward the red
flames, while his eyes were on the browning ducks.

Just above his ankles he clasped and unclasped his long bony fingers.
Now and then he sniffed impatiently the savory odor.

The brisk wind which stirred the fire also played with a squeaky old
tree beside Iktomi's wigwam.

From side to side the tree was swaying and crying in an old man's voice,
"Help! I'll break! I'll fall!" Iktomi shrugged his great shoulders, but
did not once take his eyes from the ducks. The dripping of amber oil
into pearly dishes, drop by drop, pleased his hungry eyes. Still the old
tree man called for help. "He! What sound is it that makes my ear ache!"
exclaimed Iktomi, holding a hand on his ear.

He rose and looked around. The squeaking came from the tree. Then he
began climbing the tree to find the disagreeable sound. He placed his
foot right on a cracked limb without seeing it. Just then a whiff of
wind came rushing by and pressed together the broken edges. There in a
strong wooden hand Iktomi's foot was caught.

"Oh! my foot is crushed!" he howled like a coward. In vain he pulled and
puffed to free himself.

While sitting a prisoner on the tree he spied, through his tears, a pack
of gray wolves roaming over the level lands. Waving his hands toward
them, he called in his loudest voice, "He! Gray wolves! Don't you come
here! I'm caught fast in the tree so that my duck feast is getting cold.
Don't you come to eat up my meal."

The leader of the pack upon hearing Iktomi's words turned to his
comrades and said:

"Ah! hear the foolish fellow! He says