alled him
'forked-tongue,' or liar, but he didn't mind that at all. OLD-man cut
a long stick and began to dig out the Squirrel-people. One by one he
fished them out of the hot ashes; and they were roasted fine and were
ready to eat. As he fished them out he counted them, and laid them on
the willow plate he had made. When he had dug out the last one, he
took the plate to the creek and there sat down to eat the Squirrels,
for he was hungry, as usual. OLD-man is a big eater, but he couldn't
eat all of the Squirrels at once, and while eating he fell asleep with
the great plate in his lap.

"Nobody knows how long it was that he slept, but when he waked his
plate of Squirrels was gone--gone completely. He looked behind him; he
looked about him; but the plate was surely gone. Ho! But he was
angry. He stamped about in the brush and called aloud to those who
might hear him; but nobody answered, and then he started to look for
the thief. OLD-man has sharp eyes, and he found the trail in the grass
where somebody had passed while he slept. 'Ho!' he said, 'the
Mountain-lion has stolen my Squirrels. I see his footprints; see where
he has mashed the grass as he walked with those soft feet of his; but I
shall find him, for I made him and know all his ways.'

"OLD-man got down on his hands and knees to walk as the Bear-people do,
just as he did that night in the Sun's lodge, and followed the trail of
the Mountain-lion over the hills and through the swamps. At last he
came to a place where the grass was all bent down, and there he found
his willow plate, but it was empty. That was the place where the
Mountain-lion had stopped to eat the rest of the Squirrels, you know;
but he didn't stay there long because he expected that OLD-man would
try to follow him.

"The Mountain-lion had eaten so much that he was sleepy and, after
travelling a while after he had eaten the Squirrels, he thought he
would rest. He hadn't intended to go to sleep; but he crawled upon a
big stone near the foot of a hill and sat down where he could see a
long way. Here his eyes began to wink, and his head began to nod, and
finally he slept.

"Without stopping once, OLD-man kept on the trail. That is what
counts--sticking right to the thing you are doing--and just before
sundown OLD-man saw the sleeping Lion. Carefully, lest he wake the
sleeper, OLD-man crept close, being particular not to move a stone or
break a twig; for the Mountain-lion is muc