1919] BARRETT AND HAWKES, KRATZ CREEK MOUNDS. 93 



so wonderful as the things he had heard from the two Winnebago 

 travelers who had lodged with White Bear last night. White 

 Bear's stories were of war parties, of hunting or of the birds and 

 animals who talked and acted like people. These travelers had 

 told of a stranger who had come to their village over by the big 

 water to the east 17 . He wore a great blanket which trailed after him 

 on the ground and which was not made of quilled buckskin. It 

 was very soft and covered with gorgeous yellow birds and flowers 

 such as no one had ever seen before. More strange yet, his skin 

 was white and he had long hair on his face. But strangest of all 

 this being carried thunder and lightning in each hand. Surely 

 he must be a great manitou. 



As Wapanosa watched his grandfather deftly pound out the 

 piece of copper into a spearpoint, he noticed how grizzled he was. 

 No wonder he was accounted the wisest man in the village. Had 

 he not lived longer, seen more, and traveled farther than even old 

 Black Eagle, the medicine man? 



In spite of all this wisdom White Bear had never told Wapanosa 

 the origin of the great piles of earth on the point near the creek 

 and along the river bank. In fact none of the old men knew about 

 them, or if he did none would tell what he knew. 



Wapanosa determined to tell his grandfather something which 

 had been in his mind ever since he had heard of the strange being 

 who hurled thunder and lightning. Perhaps his grandfather would 

 laugh at this idea. Perhaps he would tell him a new story about 

 these mounds. 



"Grandfather, would it not be strange if the great white-skinned 

 thunder-thrower were the builder of the piles of earth over on the 

 point by the creek? And if he should come back here to live what 

 would become of us?" 



White Bear slowly laid down his stone hammer beside the heavy 

 stone anvil. He took up his pipe, carefully filled it with kinnickin- 

 nick and deftly added a live coal. He blew a puff of smoke in each 

 of the six directions 18 . Wapanosa knew that the old man was pre- 

 paring to say something important. Still White Bear sat and 

 smoked for a time in silence. 



17 The landing of Jean Nicolet at Green Bay, 1634. 



18 The six ceremonial points of the compass are, north, west, south, east, up, and down. 



