aside he saw the hollow grave,
but thought it was a washout made by the rains. But as he essayed to
step over it, to his great surprise he stumbled and fell. Made curious
by his mishap, he drew back and tried again; but again he fell. When he
came back to the village he told the old men what had happened to him.
They remembered then that a long time before there had been buried there
a medicine woman or conjurer. Doubtless it was her medicine that made
him stumble.

The story of the villager's adventure spread thru the camp and made many
curious to see the grave. Among others were six little boys who were,
however, rather timid, for they were in great awe of the dead medicine
woman. But they had a little playmate named Brave, a mischievous little
rogue, whose hair was always unkempt and tossed about and who was never
quiet for a moment.

"Let us ask Brave to go with us," they said; and they went in a body to
see him.

"All right," said Brave; "I will go with you. But I have something to
do first. You go on around the hill _that_ way, and I will hasten around
_this_ way, and meet you a little later near the grave."

So the six little boys went on as bidden until they came to a place near
the grave. There they halted.

"Where is Brave?" they asked.

Now Brave, full of mischief, had thought to play a jest on his little
friends. As soon as they were well out of sight he had sped around the
hill to the shore of the lake and sticking his hands in the mud had
rubbed it over his face, plastered it in his hair, and soiled his hands
until he looked like a new risen corpse with the flesh rotting from his
bones. He then went and lay down in the grave and awaited the boys.

When the six little boys came they were more timid than ever when they
did not find Brave; but they feared to go back to the village without
seeing the grave, for fear the old men would call them cowards.

So they slowly approached the grave and one of them timidly called out:

"Please, grandmother, we won't disturb your grave. We only want to see
where you lie. Don't be angry."

At once a thin quavering voice, like an old woman's, called out:

"Han, han, takoja, hechetuya, hechetuya! Yes, yes, that's right, that's
right."

The boys were frightened out of their senses, believing the old woman
had come to life.

"Oh, grandmother," they gasped, "don't hurt us; please don't, we'll go."

Just then Brave raised his muddy face and hands up thru the cho