I^Kwi^i] FICTION 277 



His companions never noticed in their hurry that they were going 

 upward all the time. Many persons saw them in the air, always 

 rising as they ran. When they overtook the bear they had reached 

 the heavens, where they have remained to this day, and where they 

 can be seen any starlit night near the Polar Star. 



The man who carried the kettle is seen in the bend of the Great 

 Dipper, the middle star of the handle, while the only small star near 

 any other of the Dipper stars is the kettle. The bear may be seen 

 as a star at the lower outside corner. 



Every autumn when the first frost comes there may be seen on 

 the leaves of the oak tree blood and di'ops of oil — not water, but 

 oil — the oil and blood of the bear. On seeing this the Indians say, 

 '"The lazy man has killed the bear." 



55. The Story of the Two Brothers 



Two brothers living by themselves in the forest believed that they 

 were the only persons in the world. They were greatly devoted to 

 each other. The younger did the thinking and the planning for 

 both, for whatever he said the elder brother did. 



One day the j'ounger brother exclaimed, " Go yonder and kill that 

 turkey, for I want its feathers." " I will," answered the elder. 

 So going to the point indicated, the elder killed the turkey and 

 brought its carcass to his brother, asking, " What do you want to do 

 with its feathers?" "I want to wear them, because it will be a 

 pleasure to know that I have them on my head," declared the younger 

 brother, plucking two feathers from the body of the turkey, iior he 

 required no more for his purpose. Then he ordered his brother to 

 fasten these in a socket attached to a chin band, so that they would 

 turn with the wind when worn on the head. Having done this, the 

 elder brother placed the socket so fastened on his brother's head. 

 This gave the younger brother a distinguished aspect. 



Every night before retiring the younger brother would remove the 

 chin band with the socket containing the two plumes and hang it 

 on the side of the lodge. When daylight came the first thing he did 

 was to fasten on his head the chin band with the socket with its 

 latchet of buckskin thongs, exclaiming, " I take pleasure in these 

 feathers, for I am going to have a festival in their honor." 



One day the younger brother went into the forest adjoining the 

 lodge. His brother, watching from a distance, saw him go back 

 to a fallen tree. In a short time the elder brother heard sing- 

 ing and the sound of dancing, whereupon he said, " I verily be- 

 lieve that my younger brother is crazy," for he had never seen such 

 things done before. When the j'ounger brother returned to the 

 lodge his brother asked him bluntly : " What were you doing ? Were 



