the sun. Out of its gray bosom there came floating to earth a whole
flock of big, white snowflakes. The people of the Summer Land were
amazed.

"As the great flakes came wavering lazily down through the air, they
looked at them and thought that they must be some new kind of winged
creatures. 'What a lot of them,' thought they, 'there must be to make
that great cloud which hides the sun!'

"In a short time the sun shone out from behind the gray cloud. In the
twinkling of an eye all the snowflakes were gone. 'Strange, strange!'
thought the people of the Summer Land. 'What has become of all those
white-winged creatures?'

"The next winter so many snowflakes fell that they hid the brown earth
for many weeks. This happened again and again, and the people of the
Summer Land began to understand what winter was. The snow became so deep
for months at a time that they found it hard to get food.

"After a while life became so hard for them that they felt that
something must be done. So they summoned a Great Council to consider the
matter. After much talk they decided to send a messenger to the Master
of Life, who lived far away among the western mountains, to beg him to
come and help them. For their messenger they chose the swallow, the
swiftest of all the birds.

"The swallow flew for many days, until at last he reached the lodge of
the Master of Life, and told his story.

"'Go back,' said the Master when he had heard it, 'and after four moons