THE BADGER AND THE BIRDS

HE Badger lived with his small brother

near a forest. When winter came, the two brothers went off together into the woods to hunt. Going on and on, at last they came to a large, beautiful lake. The water was all cov- ered with water-fowl. There were wild geese, and brant, and black ducks, and wood-ducks, and all the smaller kinds of birds, down to teal and whistlers.

They were delighted to see so much game; but the little brother called out to the Badger,

“How shall we manage to catch them?”

“I will show you how,” the Badger replied. “We must first build a large Wigwam. It must be very strong, with a heavy, solid door.”

The Wigwam was soon made. Then the Bad- ger said:

“Go out to the point of land that reaches far into the lake, and cry to all the birds, and tell them that I am their chief, and that I wish to hold council with them.”

The brother did just as the Badger had told him, and soon vast numbers of birds flocked

about the Wigwam. 167