st, and the chief among them asked
leave to marry Ball-Carrier's daughter. The mother said she must have a
little time to think over it, as her daughter was still very young; so
it was settled that the man should go away for a month with his friends,
and then come back to see if the girl was willing.

Now ever since Ball-Carrier's death the family had been very poor, and
often could not get enough to eat. One morning the girl, who had had
no supper and no breakfast, wandered off to look for cranberries, and
though she was quite near home was astonished at noticing a large hut,
which certainly had not been there when last she had come that way.
No one was about, so she ventured to peep in, and her surprise was
increased at seeing, heaped up in one corner, a quantity of food of all
sorts, while a little robin redbreast stood perched on a beam looking
down upon her.

'It is my father, I am sure,' she cried; and the bird piped in answer.

From that day, whenever they wanted food they went to the hut, and
though the robin could not speak, he would hop on their shoulders and
let them feed him with the food they knew he liked best.

When the man came back he found the girl looking so much prettier and
fatter than when he had left her, that he insisted that they should be
married on the spot. And the mother, who did not know how to get rid of
him, gave in.

The husband spent all his time in hunting, and the family had never had
so much meat before; but the man, who had seen for himself how poor they
were, noticed with amazement that they did not seem to care about it, or
to be hungry. 'They must get food from somewhere,' he thought, and one
morning, when he pretended to be going out to hunt, he hid in a thicket
to watch. Very soon they all left the house together, and walked to the
other hut, which the girl's husband saw for the first time, as it was
hid in a hollow. He followed, and noticed that each one went up to the
redbreast, and shook him by the claw; and he then entered boldly and
shook the bird's claw too. The whole party afterwards sat down to
dinner, after which they all returned to their own hut.

The next day the husband declared that he was very ill, and could not
eat anything; but this was only a presence so that he might get what he
wanted. The family were all much distressed, and begged him to tell them
what food he fancied.

'Oh! I could not eat any food,' he answered every time, and at each
answer his