OO-KOO-HOO PLAYS THE GAME 115 



do they, when tamed, frequently get into trouble through the 

 pranks they play, but they like to imitate at any risk to them- 

 selves the doings of others. As the following example shows: 



Years ago, near Fort Pelly, on the Assiniboine River, an 

 old Indian killed a she-bear that was followed by two cubs. 

 Though he skinned and cut up the carcass of the mother, he did 

 not touch the whimpering babes, and on going to camp, he sent 

 his wife out with a horse to bring in the meat. When the 

 Indian woman arrived at the spot, she found the two cubs 

 cuddled up against the dressed meat of their mother, and 

 crying as if their poor hearts would break. Their affectionate 

 behaviour so touched the motherly heart of the old woman 

 that, after loading the meat aboard the travois a framework 

 of poles stretched out behind the horse she picked up the 

 sobbing children and, wrapping them in a blanket to keep them 

 from falling off the travois, bestrode her horse, and brought 

 them whimpering into camp. 



For some time she kept them tethered beside her lodge where 

 she took good care of them, but when they grew larger and 

 seemed well behaved, she released them and allowed them to 

 run and play with the dogs around camp. In the fall it was 

 her habit to take a hand-net and go down to the river to fish. 

 Standing upon a rock and every once in a while casting in her 

 net, she would land a fish on the bank. For several days the 

 cubs watched her with interest, and then one day, it seems, 

 they decided they ought to try and help their foster-mother; 

 so wading in on their hind legs till the water covered their little 

 round tummies, they would stand perfectly still until a fish 

 would swim near. Then they would make a violent lunge for 

 it, and striking h'ghtning-like blows with their paws, they, too, 

 would land a fish upon the bank. Over and over they repeated 

 the manoeuvre, with evident excitement and pleasure. At 

 last, every time the old woman picked up her net to go fishing, 

 these two went along and helped her with her work. So fond 



