n she rolled over and scuttled on all fours out of sight
in the darkness as fast as she could go.

The acorns from her lap flew in every direction and rolled down the
hillside. The boy and girl jumped to the ground, shrieking with
laughter. In a moment the old woman was back again in the door of the
cave. She had a stout stick in her hand and she looked very angry. She
shook the stick at the Twins and scolded them so fast that the sound of
it was like the chattering of an angry squirrel in a tree-top.

Now, of course, I cannot tell you just the words she used, but,
translated into English, this is what she said:--

"You horrid little catamounts, if I catch you, I'll teach you better
manners! I'll give you such a taste of this stick that you'll not need
more till the river runs dry."

The Twins sprang up, still shrieking with laughter, and danced about the
fire just out of reach of the woman's stick.

"But you can't catch us," they screamed.

Their red locks of hair flew about in the wind as they danced, until it
looked almost as if red flames were bursting from their heads. The old
woman glared at them helplessly.

"Dance away," she cried, "dance away, you red-headed rascals! I shan't
need to put sticks on the fire while you are here. Your red hair would
scare away the sabre-toothed tiger himself! No wonder you are not
afraid to run alone in the forest! With such heads on you, you are as
safe as if you were in the heart of the cave."

Just then she saw her acorns all spilled on the ground, and her rage
broke out afresh.

"Pick them up, you little rats! They are the last of my winter's store,
and it will be four moons yet before they will be ripe again."

Down went the children on their hands and knees, and began to gather up
the scattered nuts. Young as they were, they knew the value of food.
They also knew the taste of Grannie's stick. In those days food could
be found only at the risk of life itself and was not to be thrown away
while hunger lasted.

Besides, the hunting had not been good for some time. The reindeer had
gone farther north, and the great herds of bison had not yet come back
from the warmer regions, where they ranged in winter. There were wild
beasts of many other kinds in the forest, but the hunters of the clan
had not brought home meat for several days. This was one reason why the
children had ventured so far into the forest. Most of the time they and
the other children