he sang his song in the darkness. At last he cried, 'Ho!
everybody hurry and sit on this raft I have made'; and they did hurry.

"It was not long till the water had reached the logs; then it crept in
between them, and finally it went on past the raft and off into the
forest, looking for more trouble.

"By and by the raft began to groan, and the willow withes squeaked and
cried out as though ghost-people were crying in the night. That was
when the great logs began to tremble as the water lifted them from the
ground. Rain was falling--night was there, and fear made cowards of
the bravest on the raft. All through the forest there were bad
noises--noises that make the heart cold--as the raft bumped against
great trees rising from the earth that they were leaving forever.

"Higher and higher went the raft; higher than the bushes; higher than
the limbs on the trees; higher than the Woodpecker's nest; higher than
the tree tops, and even higher than the mountains. Then the world was
no more, for the water had whipped the land in the war it made against
it.

"Day came, and still the rain was falling. Night returned, and yet the
rain came down. For many days and nights they drifted in the falling
rain; whirling and twisting about while the water played with the great
raft, as a Bear would play with a Mouse. It was bad, and they were all
afraid--even OLD-man himself was scared.

"At last the sun came but there was no land. All was water. The water
was the world. It reached even to the sky and touched it all about the
edges. All were hungry, and some of them were grumbling, too. There
are always grumblers when there is great trouble, but they are not the
ones who become great chiefs--ever.

"OLD-man sat in the middle of the raft and thought. He knew that
something must be done, but he didn't know what. Finally he said: 'Ho!
Chipmunk, bring me the Spotted Loon. Tell him I want him.'

"The Chipmunk found the Spotted Loon and told him that OLD-man wanted
him, so the Loon went to where OLD-man sat. When he got there, OLD-man
said:

"'Spotted Loon you are a great diver. Nobody can dive as you can. I
made you that way and I know. If you will dive and swim down to the
world I think you might bring me some of the dirt that it is made
of--then I am sure I can make another world.'

"'It is too deep, this water,' replied the Loon, 'I am afraid I shall
drown.'

"'Well, what if you do?' said OLD-man. 'I gave yo