othes. My
grandfather told me about it when I was young. I am sure you have seen
the Night-hawk sailing over you, dipping and making that strange noise.
Of course there is a reason for it.

"OLD-man was travelling one day in the springtime; but the weather was
fine for that time of year. He stopped often and spoke to the
bird-people and to the animal-people, for he was in good humor that
day. He talked pleasantly with the trees, and his heart grew tender.
That is, he had good thoughts; and of course they made him happy.
Finally he felt tired and sat down to rest on a big, round stone--the
kind of stone our white friend there calls a bowlder. Here he rested
for a while, but the stone was cold, and he felt it through his robe;
so he said:

"'Stone, you seem cold to-day. You may have my robe. I have hundreds
of robes in my camp, and I don't need this one at all.' That was a lie
he told about having so many robes. All he had was the one he wore.

"He spread his robe over the stone, and then started down the hill,
naked, for it was really a fine day. But storms hide in the mountains,
and are never far away when it is springtime. Soon it began to
snow--then the wind blew from the north with a good strength behind it.
OLD-man said:

"'Well, I guess I do need that robe myself, after all. That stone
never did anything for me anyhow. Nobody is ever good to a stone.
I'll just go back and get my robe.'

"Back he went and found the stone. Then he pulled the robe away, and
wrapped it about himself. Ho! but that made the stone angry--Ho!
OLD-man started to run down the hill, and the stone ran after him. Ho!
it was a funny race they made, over the grass, over smaller stones, and
over logs that lay in the way, but OLD-man managed to keep ahead until
he stubbed his toe on a big sage-brush, and fell--swow!

"'Now I have you!' cried the stone--'now I'll kill you, too! Now I
will teach you to give presents and then take them away,' and the stone
rolled right on top of OLD-man, and sat on his back.

"It was a big stone, you see, and OLD-man couldn't move it at all. He
tried to throw off the stone but failed. He squirmed and twisted--no
use--the stone held him fast. He called the stone some names that are
not good; but that never helps any. At last he began to call:

"'Help!--Help!--Help!' but nobody heard him except the Night-hawk, and
he told the OLD-man that he would help him all he could; so he flew
away up i