he™t] traditions 447 



quiet. The younger boy crept up carefully, and malring a sudden 

 leap, sprang into the house, calling out, " I have caught you, 

 uncle ! " " How are you, nephew ? " said the uncle ; " I am glad 

 3'ou have come. I am sick; you shall give me medicine." "All 

 right," replied the younger boy, " whatever you wish shall be done. 

 AVhat is it j'ou take most pleasure in? " "It is this, nephew," said 

 the uncle. " When a person comes to see me I play hide and seek. 

 If you find me, I lose my head; if I find you, I take yours." The 

 boy looked around everywhere. The lodge was entirely empty, but 

 he saw hanging from the rafters where they met in a point, a very 

 small bag, and concluded it was there that his uncle would hide. 

 The uncle told the boys to hide first. The younger said, "All right," 

 for he had decided where to hide. As was usual in those days, 

 there was a very large log on the fire, and the fire was all there was 

 within the walls of this lodge. The old man said, " The finder nuist 

 go over the top of the hill, and when the hider is ready he must 

 call." Thereupon the old man went out, fastening the door behind 

 him. The boys heard the clatter of his bones as he ran beyond the 

 hill. The younger boy said: "I will go into the Jog and you go 

 behind the sun. When you are ready I will give the word." The 

 elder boy, flying off through the air, hid behind the sun. Then the 

 other called out, " Now, ready ! " " This is what I do to my 

 nephews," said the old man, as he came running into the lodge. He 

 expected to find them sitting around somewhere, but seeing no one, 

 he caught up his club and singing out, "Here you are; come out of 

 this," he struck at the wall. He went to every part of the lodge, 

 saying, as he hit the wall with the club, " Here you are ; come out." 

 The boy in the log was looking at his uncle, laughing; the boy 

 behind the sun was also watching him, and could see the club as it 

 hit the walls of the lodge. When the old man's time was up, he 

 said, " Come out. I can not find you. I give up." As he said this, 

 the nephew behind the sun showed himself, and laughing at the old 

 man, came down to the lodge. The other boy crawled out on his 

 hands and knees from the heart of the log. The old man, laughing 

 loudly, said, "Now I will hide; you go beyond the hill, and when 

 I am ready I will call." They started off and had been waiting 

 some time when they heard the old man call, " Now, ready ! " 

 At this they ran to the lodge. The younger, picking up the old 

 man's club, did as he had done. At every crack and crevice he gave 

 a thump, saying, "You are here; come out." He was sure the old 

 man was in the bag, but he kept on as though he did not suspect it. 

 The man was so large that, even after making himself small, he was 

 so crowded that the boy could see the bag move occasionally. At 

 last, going np to the bag, he gave it a heavy thump with the club, 



