aughter.

Listen! the children are singing. What do they say? It is the song of
the fireflies that we hear.

Nokomis has chanted the same words and melody for many a lullaby, and
she keeps time, singing the same song:

"Wau wau tay see, wau wau tay see,
Flitting white fire insect,
Waving white fire bug,
Give me light before I go to bed,
Give me light before I go to sleep!
Come, little dancing white fire bug,
Come, little flitting white fire beast,
Light me with your bright white flame,
Light me with your little candle."

SWIFT ELK, THE INDIAN BOY

Four years have passed since the summer evening when Good Bird watched
her children in the firefly dance. Her son, Swift Elk, is now a tall,
straight lad of eleven winters. His sister, four years younger, is a
sturdy little girl, already able to help her mother in many ways.

The boy is the pride of the lodge. From his earliest babyhood he has
been trained to be strong and fearless.

"Lay him very straight," his father used to say when the baby boy was
placed on his cradle board. "Do not make his bed too soft. My son must
grow tall and strong, for he will sometime be a great warrior."

Since he could first walk he has gone with his father each day to the
lake to take an early morning bath. Like all Indians, he learned to
swim when he was very small, and he loves to splash and dive and play
in the water.

Do you suppose that Swift Elk dresses himself after his bath? He does
not think clothing at all necessary except in winter.

Does he help his mother in her work about the lodge? Never! "A boy does
not do squaw's work," he says. "A boy must learn to hunt and shoot."

Is he not made to mind? Is he never punished? Oh, no; he will be a
great warrior some day, and his father says he ought not to be afraid
of any one. And so he lives the wild, free life of the Indian boy. He
spends his day in play, with no school, no lessons, and no work to do.

When the father is at home he teaches the boy to notice very carefully
everything he sees. He must learn the names of plants and birds. He
must know the habits of animals and how to hunt them. Above
everything, he must be brave and daring.

While the men are away hunting, the younger boys spend the day
shooting, fishing, swimming, and playing games. If they wish to throw
mud balls at each other, no one scolds them for being dirty. But if
one of them whimpers or cries, his compani