said:
'Will you marry me?'

The young woman was so surprised at this question that she dropped the
beaded slipper she was making, and stared at the turtle. She felt
inclined to laugh--the idea was so absurd; but she was kind-hearted
and polite, so she looked as grave as she could, and answered:

'But how are you going to provide for a family? Why, when the camp
moves, you will not even be able to keep up with the rest!'

'I can keep up with the best of them,' replied the turtle, tossing
his head. But though he was very much offended he did not let the girl
see it, and begged and prayed her so hard to marry him that, at last,
she consented, very unwillingly.

'You will have to wait till the spring, though,' she said; 'I must
make a great many slippers and dresses for myself, as I shall not have
much time afterwards.'

This did not please the turtle; but he knew it was no use talking, so
all he answered was:

'I shall go to war and take some captives, and I shall be away several
months. And when I return I shall expect you to be ready to marry me.'

So he went back to his hut, and at once set about his preparations.
The first thing he did was to call all his relations together, and ask
them if they would come with him and make war on the people of a
neighbouring village. The turtles, who were tired of doing nothing,
agreed at once, and next day the whole tribe left the camp. The girl
was standing at the door of her hut as they passed, and laughed out
loud--they moved so slowly. Her lover, who was marching at the head,
grew very angry at this, and cried out:

'In four days from now you will be weeping instead of laughing,
because there will be hundreds of miles between you and me.'

'In four days,' replied the girl--who had only promised to marry him
in order to get rid of him--'in four days you will hardly be out of
sight.'

'Oh, I did not mean four days, but four _years_,' answered the turtle,
hastily; 'whatever happens I shall be back by then.'

The army marched on, till one day, when they felt as if they must have
got half round the earth, though they were scarcely four miles from
the camp, they found a large tree lying across their path. They looked
at it with dismay, and the oldest among them put their heads together
to see what was to be done.

'Can't we manage to get past by the top?' asked one.

[Illustration: THE GIRL LAUGHS AT THE ARMY OF TURTLES]

'Why, it would take us _years_,' exclaimed a