ause it happened so long ago that most men have forgotten.

"It was one day in the winter-time when OLD-man and the Wolf were
hunting. The snow covered the land and ice was on all of the rivers.
It was so cold that OLD-man wrapped his robe close about himself and
his breath showed white in the air. Of course the Wolf was not cold;
wolves never get cold as men do. Both OLD-man and the Wolf were hungry
for they had travelled far and had killed no meat. OLD-man was
complaining and grumbling, for his heart is not very good. It is never
well to grumble when we are doing our best, because it will do no good
and makes us weak in our hearts. When our hearts are weak our heads
sicken and our strength goes away. Yes, it is bad to grumble.

"When the sun was getting low OLD-man and the Wolf came to a great
river. On the ice that covered the water, they saw four fat Otters
playing.

"'There is meat,' said the Wolf; 'wait here and I will try to catch one
of those fellows.'

"'No!--No!' cried OLD-man, 'do not run after the Otter on the ice,
because there are air-holes in all ice that covers rivers, and you may
fall in the water and die.' OLD-man didn't care much if the Wolf did
drown. He was afraid to be left alone and hungry in the snow--that was
all.

"'Ho!' said the Wolf, 'I am swift of foot and my teeth are white and
sharp. What chance has an Otter against me? Yes, I will go,' and he
did.

"Away ran the Otters with the Wolf after them, while OLD-man stood on
the bank and shivered with fright and cold. Of course the Wolf was
faster than the Otter, but he was running on the ice, remember, and
slipping a good deal. Nearer and nearer ran the Wolf. In fact he was
just about to seize an Otter, when SPLASH!--into an air-hole all the
Otters went. Ho! the Wolf was going so fast he couldn't stop, and
SWOW! into the air-hole he went like a badger after mice, and the
current carried him under the ice. The Otters knew that hole was
there. That was their country and they were running to reach that same
hole all the time, but the Wolf didn't know that.

"Old-man saw it all and began to cry and wail as women do. Ho! but he
made a great fuss. He ran along the bank of the river, stumbling in
the snowdrifts, and crying like a woman whose child is dead; but it was
because he didn't want to be left in that country alone that he
cried--not because he loved his brother, the Wolf. On and on he ran
until he came to a place