“With a roar of rage and pain the great monster fell, rolled down into the deep canyon, and died.

“After securing his big flint knife, which dropped from his belt, the boys hurried into the canyon and gathered a lot of fine wood for arrow shafts and returned to their mother.  When she asked them where they had been they replied that they had been to the canyon, and that they had killed both the mountain lioness and the great giant.

“At first she could hardly believe this, but as they had brought the paws of the cubs and the flint knife of the great giant, why, she just had to believe it.  Great indeed were the rejoicings of the people at being thus rid of these creatures.”

CHAPTER XVII.

Souwanas Tells of the Queer Way in which Nanahboozhoo Destroyed Mooshekinnebik, the Last of the Great Monsters.

One cold day Souwanas, who had not been seen by the children for some time—­he had been away on a long hunting excursion—­quite unexpectedly walked into the mission house during the school hours of Sagastao and Minnehaha.  The news of his coming was hailed with delight by the children, and it required a certain amount of firmness on the part of the heads of the household to keep them at their studies.  They were, however, quickly pacified, and returned with diligence to their lessons, when informed that their old friend had been invited to stay all day and doubtless would have a story of some kind for them when their studies were all over.

The venison and bear’s meat which he had brought were quickly purchased at a price that well pleased him.  Then he sat down for a rest and a smoke in the kitchen.  Of course he had his usual tiff with Mary, the nurse, who was very jealous of him because he had so won the love and confidence of the children.  Souwanas was greatly amused at her jealousy of him, especially since he was told by one of the Indian maids that the children had been overheard gravely debating between themselves which was the better story-teller, Mary or Souwanas.

When peace again reigned some illustrated volumes from the library were given to Souwanas for his inspection.  He was not able to read English, but he was very fond of looking at pictures.

There was one book that had a special fascination for him, in fact when he first examined it, and had had some of its illustrations explained to him, it gave this superstitious Indian about the biggest fright he had ever received.  It was a book in which were pictured and described many of the great extinct monsters of the old times.  These enormous hideous creatures, whose bones and fossil remains are still occasionally to be found, quite alarmed him.  Yet the book was generally about the first one he desired to see.

On this present visit, however, Souwanas, while as usual eager again to inspect this book, was observed to look at it in a very different spirit.  The explanation came out later, when he had the children around him—­indeed almost the whole household—­listening to a new Nanahboozhoo story which he had secured from some famous old Indian whom he had met while far away on his long hunting excursion.