"And such a big feast afterwards, nearly as good as last night," said
Gesnip.

"Tell me about the rabbit drive," said Cleeta, squatting down beside the
children in front of the fire.

"It was in the big wash up the river toward the mountains," began
Payuchi. "You have seen the rabbits running to hide in a bunch of grass
and cactus when you go with mother to the mountains for acorns, haven't
you?"

Cleeta nodded. "Not this winter, though. We saw only two to-day," she
said.

"That is because of the drive," said her brother. "It was in the
afternoon, with the wind blowing from the ocean, and all the men who
could shoot best with bow and arrow, or throw the spear well, stood on
the other side of the wash."

"Father was there," said Cleeta.

"Yes, and many others," said Payuchi. "Then some of the men and all of
us boys got green branches of trees and came down on this side of the
wash. Nopal started the fire. It burned along in the grass slowly at
first, and when it came too near the jacals on one side or the woods on
the other, we would beat it out with the branches, but soon it ran
before the wind into the cactus and bunch grass. The rabbits were
frightened out and ran from the fire as fast as they could, and in a few
minutes they were right at the feet of father and the other hunters.