“He is such an eccentric fellow, and assumes so many disguises, that they had a good deal of difficulty in finding him.  They traveled long distances, and inquired of the various wild animals they met and even consulted the trees and hills.  At length they were informed that he was now living in a valley among the mountains and experimenting as a gardener.  They hurried away as fast as the fierce wind which they had hired to carry them could blow them along.  At first when they reached his abode they were very much frightened, as it was easy to observe from the loud angry tones in which Nanahboozhoo, although afar off, was speaking, that he was in a great rage.  However, they had come too far to be easily discouraged.  They quietly drew near, and hiding behind some dense balsam trees they carefully listened to find out the cause of his anger.  Fortunately, they could not have come at a better time for themselves, for it seems that Nanahboozhoo had become very much interested in his work as a gardener.  All the things he had planted had grown so well that in order to protect them from prowling wild animals he had set all around the garden a fine hedge of rosebushes.  So many were required that Nanahboozhoo had been obliged to transplant bushes from a great distance around, for they did not grow so abundantly as formerly.

“The morning of the very day on which the deputation of the rosebushes arrived Nanahboozhoo had returned from one of his short adventures.  Fancy his indignation at finding that in his absence all sorts of animals, from the rabbit to the mountain elk, had visited his abode, and had not only completely eaten that lovely hedge of rosebushes, but had also greatly injured the beautiful garden, of which he was so proud!

“When the deputation of roses understood the cause of his wrath they at once left their hiding places and, aided by a sudden puff of wind, came before Nanahboozhoo.  The sight of them excited his curiosity, as it had seemed to him that every rosebush had been destroyed.  Before he could say a word, however, the rosebushes, who were then able to talk, at once presented their petition and pleaded for his powerful assistance to save them from being exterminated by their enemies.

“Nanahboozhoo listened to their petition, and after some consultation with the rose bushes it was decided to cover the stocks and branches, up to the very beautiful flowers, with small thorn-like prickles, so that every animal henceforth would be afraid to either devour or closely approach them, as they had been accustomed to do in the past.  With this protection granted them they were more than pleased, and so it now happens that roses of many kinds still exist in various parts of the world.”

“Thank you very much for that story,” said Minnehaha.  “Even if Nanahboozhoo did put prickles on the rosebushes he was not a rascal, for we would not have had any roses at all but for what he did.”

For a wonder, Sagastao was silent for a time; but at length he found something to say, and his words were a bit of a confession and promise of amendment: