icking into him, and the boys began to fear that
their quivers would be emptied before they had conquered him. Just then
they met an old witch with a bundle of sticks which she was carrying to her
wigwam. She was very angry with Nikoochis, for he would not allow her even
to gather the dry sticks that fell to the ground in the forest he was
guarding. The result was that she had to wander far away to get the little
fuel she needed in her wigwam.

"The boys told her of their battle with this selfish old monster, and that
even now he was badly wounded by their arrows, which, however, did not seem
to reach any vital spot. She told them that the only place where their
weapons could be effectual in killing him was in the top of his skull. That
they must first in some way crack it with their magic rabbit sticks, and
then they could shoot their arrows into his brain. Hearing this they
quickly resumed their attack upon him. In vain he tore up great rocks and
hurled them with all his force at them. They either cleverly jumped on one
side or sprang up into the air out of the way.

"Then, watching for their opportunity, they waited until he stooped down,
and when he was struggling to loosen from the earth a great rock as big as
a house Sesigizit threw, with all his power, his magic rabbit stick. It
struck the giant fair on the top of his head with such force that it broke
off a piece of his skull. The next instant Ooseemeeid fired one of his
arrows so accurately that it pierced into the brain through the spot thus
left exposed.

"With a roar of rage and pain the great monster fell, rolled down into the
deep canyon, and died.

"After securing his big flint knife, which dropped from his belt, the boys
hurried into the canyon and gathered a lot of fine wood for arrow shafts
and returned to their mother. When she asked them where they had been they
replied that they had been to the canyon, and that they had killed both the
mountain lioness and the great giant.

"At first she could hardly believe this, but as they had brought the paws
of the cubs and the flint knife of the great giant, why, she just had to
believe it. Great indeed were the rejoicings of the people at being thus
rid of these creatures."

CHAPTER XVII.

Souwanas Tells of the Queer Way in which Nanahboozhoo
Destroyed Mooshekinnebik, the Last of the Great Monsters.

One cold day Souwanas, who had not been seen by the children for some
time--he had been away