ight fire, and to-night War Eagle's lodge was light
as day. Away off on the plains a wolf was howling, and the rain
pattered upon the lodge as though it never intended to quit. It was a
splendid night for story-telling, and War Eagle filled and lighted the
great stone pipe, while the children made themselves comfortable about
the fire.

A spark sprang from the burning sticks, and fell upon Fine Bow's bare
leg. They all laughed heartily at the boy's antics to rid himself of
the burning coal; and as soon as the laughing ceased War Eagle laid
aside the pipe. An Indian's pipe is large to look at, but holds little
tobacco.

"See your shadows on the lodge wall?" asked the old warrior. The
children said they saw them, and he continued:

"Some day I will tell you a story about them, and how they drew the
arrows of our enemies, but to-night I am going to tell you of the great
fire-leggings.

"It was long before there were men and women on the world, but my
grandfather told me what I shall now tell you.

"The gray light that hides the night-stars was creeping through the
forests, and the wind the Sun sends to warn the people of his coming
was among the fir tops. Flowers, on slender stems, bent their heads
out of respect for the herald-wind's Master, and from the dead top of a
pine-tree the Yellowhammer beat upon his drum and called 'the Sun is
awake--all hail the Sun!'

"Then the bush-birds began to sing the song of the morning, and from
alders the Robins joined, until all live things were awakened by the
great music. Where the tall ferns grew, the Doe waked her Fawns, and
taught them to do homage to the Great Light. In the creeks, where the
water was still and clear, and where throughout the day, like a
delicate damaskeen, the shadows of leaves that overhang would lie, the
Speckled Trout broke the surface of the pool in his gladness of the
coming day. Pine-squirrels chattered gayly, and loudly proclaimed what
the wind had told; and all the shadows were preparing for a great
journey to the Sand Hills, where the ghost-people dwell.

"Under a great spruce-tree--where the ground was soft and dry, OLD-man
slept. The joy that thrilled creation disturbed him not, although the
Sun was near. The bird-people looked at the sleeper in wonder, but the
Pine squirrel climbed the great spruce-tree with a pine-cone in his
mouth. Quickly he ran out on the limb that spread over OLD-man, and
dropped the cone on the sleeper's fa