uld pull down anyone who
came in his way. All along the trail to the ball ground he tossed up
great logs to show his strength; and he bragged of what he would do to
the birds when the game began.

The turtle, at that time, was very much larger than he is now. His
shell was so hard that the heaviest blows could not hurt him.

[Illustration]

He, too, was a great brag. Again and again he rose on his hind feet
and dropped heavily to the ground. "Look at me," he said. "See how I
will crush any bird that tries to take the ball from me." The swift
deer, the mountain goat, and the rabbit were at their best speed.
Indeed, the animals had a fine team.

The eagle gathered his forces together. There was the hawk, strong and
swift, and the wild geese that can fly without resting. The black
martin was there and the crow, with a host of other birds. The blue
jay was chosen to scream in the ears of the animal players, and the
humming bird to fly in their eyes.

The birds looked at the great animals on the field below, and were
afraid. Just then two little things hardly larger than field mice
climbed the tree where sat the bird captain.

They begged to join the game.

"You have four feet; why do you not go to the animals, where you
belong?" asked the eagle.

"We did," said the little things, "but they drove us off because we
are so small."

"Let them play, let them play," called out the birds in pity.

But how could they join the birds when they had no wings? The eagle
and the hawk consulted, and it was decided to make wings for the
little fellows. What could they find for wings?

At last someone remembered the drum they used in their dances. The
head was made of ground-hog skin. So they took the drumhead, cut two
wings, and made the bat.

Then they threw the ball to him. The bat dodged and circled about,
keeping the ball always in the air; and the birds soon saw that he
would be one of their best men.

The other little animal came for wings, but there was no more leather.
What could be done? Two birds thought they might enable him to fly by
stretching his skin. Thus was the flying squirrel made.

To try him, the bird captain threw up the ball. The flying squirrel
sprang off the limb after it, caught it in his teeth, and carried it
to another tree below.

All were now ready. The signal was given and the game began. At the
first toss the flying squirrel caught the ball and carried it up a
tree. He threw it to the bi