15.  The completed bonnet, showing how the feathers of the crown should spread out, also showing the thread that passes through the middle of each feather on inner side to hold it in place; another thread passes from the point where the two straps (c in 9) join, then down through each feather in the tail.

    The Indians now often use the crown of a soft felt hat for the
    basis of a war bonnet.

    N.B.  A much easier way to mark the feather is to stick on it near
    the top an oval of white paper and on this draw the symbol with
    waterproof ink.

[Illustration:  Grand Coup for taking Scalp in Enemy’s Camp G.C. for slapping his face Coup for stealing his Horse]

“My, I wish I could go out there and be with those fellows,” and Yan sighed as he compared his commonplace lot with all this romantic splendour.

“Guess you’d soon get sick of it.  I know I did,” was the answer; “forever shooting and killing, never at peace, never more than three meals ahead of starvation and just as often three meals behind.  No, siree, no more for me.”

“I’d just like to see you start in horse-stealing for honours round here,” observed Sam, “though I know who’d get the feathers if it was chicken stealing.”

“Say, Caleb,” said Guy, who, being friendly and of the country, never thought of calling the old man “Mr. Clark,” “didn’t they give feathers for good Deer-hunting?  I’ll bet I could lick any of them at it if I had a gun.”

“Didn’t you hear me say first thing that that there shot o’ Yan’s should score a ’grand coup’?”

“Oh, shucks!  I kin lick Yan any time; that was just a chance shot.  I’ll bet if you give feathers for Deer-hunting I’ll get them all.”

“We’ll take you up on that,” said the oldest Chief, but the next interrupted: 

“Say, boys, we want to play Injun properly.  Let’s get Mr. Clark to show us how to make a real war bonnet.  Then we’ll wear only what feathers we win.”

“Ye mean by scalping the Whites an’ horse-stealing?”

“Oh, no; there’s lots of things we can do—­best runner, best Deer hunter, best swimmer, best shot with bow and arrows.”

“All right.”  So they set about questioning Caleb.  He soon showed them how to put a war bonnet together, using, in spite of Yan’s misgivings, the crown of an old felt hat for the ground work and white goose quills trimmed and dyed black at the tips for Eagle feathers.  But when it came to the deeds that were to be rewarded, each one had his own ideas.

“If Sappy will go to the orchard and pick a peck of cherries without old Cap gettin’ him, I’ll give him a feather with all sorts of fixin’s on it,” suggested Sam.

“Well, I’ll bet you can’t get a chicken out of our barn ’thout our Dog gettin’ you, Mr. Smarty.”