e
pricked him. He fell through the branches and was nothing! "You see
this!" said the four, "this one could not fight."

Still the remaining warriors would not turn back. The four went boldly
on to make war. The Grasshopper with his cousin, the Dragon Fly, went
foremost. They reached a marshy place, and the mire was very deep. As
they waded through the mud, the Grasshopper's legs stuck, and he pulled
them off! He crawled upon a log and wept, "You see me, brothers, I
cannot go!"

The Dragon Fly went on, weeping for his cousin. He would not be
comforted, for he loved his cousin dearly. The more he grieved, the
louder he cried, till his body shook with great violence. He blew his
red swollen nose with a loud noise so that his head came off his slender
neck, and he was fallen upon the grass.

"You see how it is," said the Fish, lashing his tail impatiently, "these
people were not warriors!"

"Come!" he said, "let us go on to make war."

Thus the Fish and the Turtle came to a large camp ground.

"Ho!" exclaimed the people of this round village of teepees, "Who are
these little ones? What do they seek?"

Neither of the warriors carried weapons with them, and their unimposing
stature misled the curious people.

The Fish was spokesman. With a peculiar omission of syllables, he said:
"Shu... hi pi!"

"Wan! what? what?" clamored eager voices of men and women.

Again the Fish said: "Shu... hi pi!" Everywhere stood young and old with
a palm to an ear. Still no one guessed what the Fish had mumbled!

From the bewildered crowd witty old Iktomi came forward. "He, listen!"
he shouted, rubbing his mischievous palms together, for where there was
any trouble brewing, he was always in the midst of it.

"This little strange man says, 'Zuya unhipi! We come to make war!'"

"Uun!" resented the people, suddenly stricken glum. "Let us kill the
silly pair! They can do nothing! They do not know the meaning of the
phrase. Let us build a fire and boil them both!"

"If you put us on to boil," said the Fish, "there will be trouble."

"Ho ho!" laughed the village folk. "We shall see."

And so they made a fire.

"I have never been so angered!" said the Fish. The Turtle in a whispered
reply said: "We shall die!"

When a pair of strong hands lifted the Fish over the sputtering water,
he put his mouth downward. "Whssh!" he said. He blew the water all over
the people, so that many were burned and could not see. Screaming with
pain, th