a flock of birds flying thither! Oh! oh!" said he,
flapping his wings, "I must try my wings! I am tired of bright tail
feathers. I want to try my wings."

"No, no!" clucked the elder bird. The flock of chattering birds flew by
with whirring wings. "Oop! oop!" called some to their mates.

Possessed by an irrepressible impulse the Iktomi peacock called out,
"He! I want to come! Wait for me!" and with that he gave a lunge into
the air. The flock of flying feathers wheeled about and lowered over the
tree whence came the peacock's cry. Only one rare bird sat on the tree,
and beneath, on the ground, stood a brave in brown buckskins.

"I am my old self again!" groaned Iktomi in a sad voice. "Make me over,
pretty bird. Try me this once again!" he pleaded in vain.

"Old Iktomi wants to fly! Ah! We cannot wait for him!" sang the birds as
they flew away.

Muttering unhappy vows to himself, Iktomi had not gone far when he
chanced upon a bunch of long slender arrows. One by one they rose in the
air and shot a straight line over the prairie. Others shot up into the
blue sky and were soon lost to sight. Only one was left. He was making
ready for his flight when Iktomi rushed upon him and wailed, "I want
to be an arrow! Make me into an arrow! I want to pierce the blue Blue
overhead. I want to strike yonder summer sun in its center. Make me into
an arrow!"

"Can you keep a condition? One condition, though hard it be?" the arrow
turned to ask.

"Yes! Yes!" shouted Iktomi, delighted.

Hereupon the slender arrow tapped him gently with his sharp flint beak.
There was no Iktomi, but two arrows stood ready to fly. "Now, young
arrow, this is the one condition. Your flight must always be in a
straight line. Never turn a curve nor jump about like a young fawn,"
said the arrow magician. He spoke slowly and sternly.

At once he set about to teach the new arrow how to shoot in a long
straight line.

"This is the way to pierce the Blue overhead," said he; and off he spun
high into the sky.

While he was gone a herd of deer came trotting by. Behind them played
the young fawns together. They frolicked about like kittens. They
bounced on all fours like balls. Then they pitched forward, kicking
their heels in the air. The Iktomi arrow watched them so happy on the
ground. Looking quickly up into the sky, he said in his heart, "The
magician is out of sight. I'll just romp and frolic with these fawns
until he returns. Fawns! Friends, do not