"Now I will say good night, and when
the sun sleeps again I will tell you why the
curlew's bill is so long and crooked. Ho!"




WHY THE CURLEW'S BILL IS LONG AND CROOKED

When we reached War Eagle's lodge
we stopped near the door, for the old
fellow was singing--singing some old, sad
song of younger days and keeping time with
his tom-tom. Somehow the music made me
sad and not until it had ceased, did we enter.

"How! How!"--he greeted us, with no trace
of the sadness in his voice that I de-
tected in his song.

"You have come here to-night to learn why
the Curlew's bill is so long and crooked. I
will tell you, as I promised, but first I must
smoke."

In silence we waited until the pipe was laid
aside, then War Eagle began:

"By this time you know that OLD-man was