le baby, wrapped
in soft brown buckskins.

"Oh ho, a wood-child!" cried the men, for they were hunting along the
wooded river bottom where this babe was found.

While the hunters were questioning whether or no they should carry it
home, the wee Indian baby kept up his little howl.

"His voice is strong!" said one.

"At times it sounds like an old man's voice!" whispered a superstitious
fellow, who feared some bad spirit hid in the small child to cheat them
by and by.

"Let us take it to our wise chieftain," at length they said; and the
moment they started toward the camp ground the strange wood-child ceased
to cry.

Beside the chieftain's teepee waited the hunters while the tall man
entered with the child.

"How! how!" nodded the kind-faced chieftain, listening to the queer
story. Then rising, he took the infant in his strong arms; gently he
laid the black-eyed babe in his daughter's lap. "This is to be your
little son!" said he, smiling.

"Yes, father," she replied. Pleased with the child, she smoothed the
long black hair fringing his round brown face.

"Tell the people that I give a feast and dance this day for the naming
of my daughter's little son," bade the chieftain.

In the meanwhile among the men waiting by the entrance way, one said in
a low voice: "I have heard that bad spirits come as little children into
a camp which they mean to destroy."

"No! no! Let us not be overcautious. It would be cowardly to leave
a baby in the wild wood where prowl the hungry wolves!" answered an
elderly man.

The tall man now came out of the chieftain's teepee. With a word he sent
them to their dwellings half running with joy.

"A feast! a dance for the naming of the chieftain's grandchild!" cried
he in a loud voice to the village people.

"What? what?" asked they in great surprise, holding a hand to the ear to
catch the words of the crier.

There was a momentary silence among the people while they listened to
the ringing voice of the man walking in the center ground. Then broke
forth a rippling, laughing babble among the cone-shaped teepees. All
were glad to hear of the chieftain's grandson. They were happy to attend
the feast and dance for its naming. With excited fingers they twisted
their hair into glossy braids and painted their cheeks with bright red
paint. To and fro hurried the women, handsome in their gala-day dress.
Men in loose deerskins, with long tinkling metal fringes, strode in
small numbers tow