the little people of the air, attacked him in a
body, filling his eyes and ears, and tormenting him with their poisoned
spears, so that he was in despair. He called for help upon his Elder
Brother, who ordered him to strike the rocks with his stone war-club.
As soon as he had done so, sparks of fire flew upon the dry grass of the
prairie and it burst into flame. A mighty smoke ascended, which drove
away the teasing swarms of the insect people, while the flames terrified
and scattered the others.

This was the first dividing of the trail between man and the animal
people, and when the animals had sued for peace, the treaty provided
that they must ever after furnish man with flesh for his food and skins
for clothing, though not without effort and danger on his part. The
little insects refused to make any concession, and have ever since been
the tormentors of man; however, the birds of the air declared that they
would punish them for their obstinacy, and this they continue to do unto
this day.

Our people have always claimed that the stone arrows which are found so
generally throughout the country are the ones that the first man used in
his battle with the animals. It is not recorded in our traditions, much
less is it within the memory of our old men, that we have ever made
or used similar arrow-heads. Some have tried to make use of them
for shooting fish under water, but with little success, and they are
absolutely useless with the Indian bow which was in use when America was
discovered. It is possible that they were made by some pre-historic race
who used much longer and stronger bows, and who were workers in stone,
which our people were not. Their stone implements were merely natural
boulders or flint chips, fitted with handles of raw-hide or wood, except
the pipes, which were carved from a species of stone which is soft when
first quarried, and therefore easily worked with the most primitive
tools. Practically all the flint arrow-heads that we see in museums
and elsewhere were picked up or ploughed up, while some have been
dishonestly sold by trafficking Indians and others, embedded in trees
and bones.

We had neither devil nor hell in our religion until the white man
brought them to us, yet Unk-to-mee, the Spider, was doubtless akin to
that old Serpent who tempted mother Eve. He is always characterized as
tricky, treacherous, and at the same time affable and charming, being
not without the gifts of wit, prophecy, a