the husband crossly asked why she had awakened him so roughly. The
wife explained what she had seen and heard. She at once pinned an
old blanket around the crane's shoulders and an old piece of
buffalo hide on his head for a hat or head covering. Heaping piles
of wood onto the fire she instructed him to run around outside of
the hut until the family returned, as they were going to see if
they could find some roots to mix up with the fat. Hurriedly she
tied her blanket around her middle, put her baby inside of it, and
then grabbed her three year old son and packed him on her back.
The father also hurriedly packed the next two and the older boy
took care of himself.

Immediately upon leaving the tent they took three different
directions, to meet again on the high hill west of their home. The
reflection from the fire in the tent disclosed to them the poor pet
crane running around the tent. It looked exactly like a child with
its blanket and hat on.

Suddenly there rang out a score of shots and war whoops of the
dreaded Crow Indians. Finding the tent deserted they disgustedly
filed off and were swallowed up in the darkness of the deep forest.

The next morning the family returned to see what had become of
their pet crane. There, riddled to pieces, lay the poor bird who
had given up his life to save his dear friends.