eam fell to the ground--for
they had begun to fall directly the boy had taken the first one. She
cried to her master that someone had stolen both the bag and the bridge,
and the Bad One rushed in, mad with anger, and bade her go and seek for
footsteps outside, that they might find out where the thief had gone. In
a few minutes she returned, saying that he must be in the house, as she
could not see any footsteps leading to the river, and began to move all
the furniture in the room, without discovering Ball Carrier.

'But he must be here somewhere,' she said to herself, examining for the
second time the pile of buffalo skins; and Ball-Carrier, knowing that he
could not possibly escape now, hastily wished that the Bad One should be
unable to eat any more food at present.

'Ah, there is a slit in this one,' cried the servant, shaking the skin;
'and here he is.' And she pulled out Ball-Carrier, looking so lean and
small that he would hardly have made a mouthful for a sparrow.

'Was it you who took my gold and bridge?' asked the Bad One.

'Yes,' answered Ball-Carrier, 'it was I who took them.'

The Bad One made a sign to the woman, who inquired where he had hidden
them. He lifted his left arm where the gold was, and she picked up a
knife and scraped his skin so that no gold should be left sticking to
it.

'What have you done with the bridge?' said she. And he lifted his right
arm, from which she took the bridge, while the Bad One looked on, well
pleased. 'Be sure that he does not run away,' chuckled he. 'Boil some
water, and get him ready for cooking, while I go and invite my friends
the water-demons to the feast.'

The woman seized Ball-Carrier between her finger and thumb, and was
going to carry him to the kitchen, when the boy spoke:

'I am very lean and small now,' he said, 'hardly worth the trouble of
cooking; but if you were to keep me two days, and gave me plenty of
food, I should get big and fat. As it is, your friends the water-demons
would think you meant to laugh at them, when they found that I was the
feast.'

'Well, perhaps you are right,' answered the Bad One; 'I will keep you
for two days.' And he went out to visit the water-demons.

Meanwhile the servant, whose name was Lung Woman, led him into a little
shed, and chained him up to a ring in the wall. But food was given
him every hour, and at the end of two days he was as fat and big as a
Christmas turkey, and could hardly move his head from one side