ard the Big Bear above
the voice of the storm. And Fleetfoot, listening for his voice,
thought he heard it in the wailing of the storm.

In spite of the stories Antler told, the day was long and dreary. The
next day was still more dreary, for the children were crying for food.
Toward the close of day they were very tired, and soon they fell
asleep.

Most of the women slept that night, but there was no sleep for Antler.
She could not sleep when the children were hungry and when the men
were out in the storm. She stayed awake and watched and listened all
through the long dark night.

[Illustration: _Fur gloves._]

Toward morning the storm began to slacken, and Antler gave a sigh of
relief. She felt sure that many bison were floundering in the drifts.
She hoped they were not far away from the cave. So she dressed in her
fur garments and took a large knife and an ax. And at break of day she
set out hoping to find a bison.

But the snow was very deep and Antler could scarcely walk. She was
faint from hunger and cold. For a while she struggled through the
drifts, but soon her strength failed, and she sank down in the snow.

As Antler lay in the deep drifts, she seemed powerless to move. The
thought of the hungry children, however, made her turn to the gods.
Then the branches of spruce trees seemed to urge her on.

And so Antler took courage and grasping a strong branch of a friendly
spruce struggled through the deep snow. She stepped upon the partly
buried branches and they helped her on her way.

A bison, floundering in a drift, filled her heart with hope. But when
she started toward the bison, Antler sank down once more into the
drifts. So again she turned to the friendly trees, and again she
reached out to them for aid. And she broke branches from the trees and
bound them to her feet.

Starting once more, Antler walked as if on winged feet. She ran over
the deep drifts. And since she could hunt as well as the men, she soon
had plenty of meat.

As Antler was strapping her load upon her back, she heard a familiar
voice. Quickly she turned, and her heart beat fast as she listened to
hear it again. And seeing the men struggling through the drifts, she
knelt and gave thanks to the gods.

Soon Antler arose and laid down her load; and breaking a handful of
branches, she hurried over the drifts and met the Cave-men.

[Illustration: _A snowshoe._]

When the men saw Antler gliding over the drifts they wondered if it