n climbed the
higher the birds seemed to be, and when he looked down the earth below
appeared no bigger than a star. Sill he tried to go back, but he could
not, and though he could not see the birds any longer he felt as if
something were dragging him up and up.

He thought that he had been climbing that tree for days, and perhaps
he had, for suddenly a beautiful country, yellow with fields of maize,
stretched before him, and he gladly left the top of the tree and entered
it. He walked through the maize without knowing where he was going, when
he heard a sound of knocking, and saw two old blind women crushing their
food between two stones. He crept up to them on tiptoe, and when one old
woman passed her dinner to the other he held out his hand and took it
and ate if for himself.

'How slow you are kneading that cake,' cried the other old woman at
last.

'Why, I have given you your dinner, and what more do you want?' replied
the second.

'You didn't; at least I never got it,' said the other.

'I certainly thought you took it from me; but here is some more.' And
again the young man stretched out his hand; and the two old women fell
to quarrelling afresh. But when it happened for the third time the old
women suspected some trick, and one of them exclaimed:

'I am sure there is a man here; tell me, are you not my grandson?'

'Yes,' answered the young man, who wished to please her, 'and in return
for your good dinner I will see if I cannot restore your sight; for I
was taught in the art of healing by the best medicine man in the tribe.'
And with that he left them, and wandered about till he found the herb
which he wanted. Then he hastened back to the old women, and begging
them to boil him some water, he threw the herb in. As soon as the pot
began to sing he took off the lid, and sprinkled the eyes of the women,
and sight came back to them once more.

There was no night in that country, so, instead of going to bed very
early, as he would have done in his own hut, the young man took another
walk. A splashing noise near by drew him down to a valley through which
ran a large river, and up a waterfall some salmon were leaping. How
their silver sides glistened in the light, and how he longed to catch
some of the great fellows! But how could he do it? He had beheld no one
except the old women, and it was not very likely that they would be able
to help him. So with a sigh he turned away and went back to them, but,
as he w