ful, such as the Stone
Boy, the Star Boy, the Avenger, he who wears the White Plume, and he who
shot the Red Eagle! If I should be spared to live another winter, I
will tell you of them all. To-night we will hear the pleasant story of
Mashtinna and his brother-friend."

THE COMRADES

Mashtinna, the Rabbit, was a handsome young man, and, moreover, of a
kind disposition. One day, when he was hunting, he heard a child crying
bitterly, and made all haste in the direction of the sound.

On the further side of the wood he found one tormenting a baby boy with
whips and pinches, laughing heartily meanwhile and humming a mother's
lullaby.

"What do you mean by abusing this innocent child?" demanded the Rabbit;
but the other showed a smiling face and replied pleasantly:

"You do not know what you are talking about! The child is fretful, and I
am merely trying to quiet him."

Mashtinna was not deceived, for he had guessed that this was
Double-Face, who delights in teasing the helpless ones.

"Give the boy to me!" he insisted; so that Double-Face became angry, and
showed the other side of his face, which was black and scowling.

"The boy is mine," he declared, "and if you say another word I shall
treat you as I have treated him!"

Upon this, Mashtinna fitted an arrow to the string, and shot the wicked
one through the heart.

He then took the child on his arm and followed the trail to a small and
poor teepee. There lived an old man and his wife, both of them blind and
nearly helpless, for all of their children and grandchildren, even to
the smallest and last, had been lured away by wicked Double-Face.

"Ho, grandfather, grandmother! I have brought you back the child!"
exclaimed the Rabbit, as he stood in the doorway.

But the poor, blind old people had so often been deceived by that
heartless Double-Face that they no longer believed anything; therefore
they both cried out:

"Ugh, you liar! we don't believe a word you say! Get away with you, do!"

Since they refused to take the child, and it was now almost night, the
kind-hearted young man wrapped the boy in his own blanket and lay down
with him to sleep. The next morning, when he awoke, he found to his
surprise that the child had grown up during the night and was now a
handsome young man, so much like him that they might have been twin
brothers.

"My friend, we are now comrades for life!" exclaimed the strange youth.
"We shall each go different ways in the world