hoffman] BEAVER HUNTER AND HIS SISTER 223 



The hunter then said to his sister, " Tomorrow morning I shall go 

 hunting as usual, but will return early in order to protect you." 



In accordance with his promise, the hunter started out the next 

 morning in quest of game. lie had gone but a short while when the 

 stranger for the third time came to the wigwam and looked in at the 

 door. The girl was engaged in combing her hair and dressing herself, 

 as before, and although she heard him she did not appear to notice 

 him. As on the two previous occasions the stranger asked her, " Where 

 is your husband! Have you no one to protect you and to provide for 

 you?" To this she paid no attention, which angered the man, and he 

 blew out the fire, scattering ashes over everything, as on the preceding 

 day. At this the girl cried, but the stranger went away laughing. 



The young man, returning at midday, found his sister seated at the 

 end of the wigwam in tears, as before. He approached and said to her, 

 "When did the stranger come?" to which she answered, "Just after 

 you left the wigwam." Then the brother got some water and washed 

 his sister's face and took the ashes out of her eyes. 



The young man then went out a short distance and began to gather 

 firewood and pile it up near the wigwam. He cut one piece as long as 

 his arm from the finger tip to the elbow, which he shaped like a shovel. 



On the next day, early in the morning, the young man built as large 

 a fire as he could without burning up the wigwam. Then he said to 

 his sister, "My sister, you attend to the fire now, as I shall hide myself 

 until the stranger comes, and when you see him approaching, tell me." 

 This she promised to do, while her brother secreted himself to await 

 the coming of the stranger. 



It was not long ere the girl heard the stranger approaching, as he 

 had done before; so when he was near enough to hear her, she began 

 to talk to herself, saying, "O, I wish my brother were here!" This she 

 repeated several times in order to mislead the stranger and to get him to 

 come close to her, that her brother might catch him. The stranger came 

 closer and closer, and finally stopped at the door, when in an instant the 

 girl's brother appeared. Hastily getting a shovelful of hot coals from 

 the fire, the young man ran at the stranger and hit him upon the but- 

 tock, burning him severely. The man ran, but the girl's brother pur- 

 sued him, hitting him with the hot coals and saying, " Why don't you 

 blow out the tire now?" and then mockingly laughing as the stranger 

 had laughed at his sister. The man ran some distance, after the girl's 

 brother had stopped following him, but finally he dropped dead. 



The stranger was found to be not an Iudian after all, but one of the 

 ana'maqki'u, who try to destroy the people on the earth. 



NA N NI' NAIOy'TA, THE BALL CARRIER 



One time the people of two wigwams were away hunting, and, being 

 successful in their quest for game, were contented. The occupants of 

 each wigwam consisted of a hunter, his wife, and his children. In the 



