One day Ipokomis and Big Bear left the Summer Camp by the shore and went back to the Home Wigwam in the woodx
Nokomis told the children to stay dose to the Camp and, when she and Big Bear returned, they would faring them some things with
which they could" play a new game. . Of course, they wondered what the new playthings would be, but, when the "big folks", returned,
the children were told to wait until morning, when the game would be explained to them. After breakfast was over, Big Bear went
behind the Smoke Lodge and brought forth some queer-looking sticks with ends bent in a kind of loop which was criss-crossed by a
net of deer sinews. He told them how Nokomis and he had steamed and bent the sticks, and used the webs of some old snowihoes to
make these which they would use in playing Bah-gaw-ud-oway, the REAL Indian Game of Balll
Little Bear remembered the severe whipping Big Bear gave him for "rough play"
in the other ganjc of bail. He just shuffled off toward the edge of the woods, saying that
he was going to take a little nap, so theyTiaTtoiJegirt-the game without hlm.» Big Beai*
made the first throw and, because he didn't aim quite right, the ball went wide and flew
whizzing through the air in the direction of the Big Rock behind which the Cub had gone
to take his little nap. Both the children and Aundak watched its flight and raced after it,
each striving to reach the ball first and throw it toward Big Bear's goal.
As the Cub began to chew the ball he saw.that the string wrapping war lopwv but," before he could unwind it all, Aundak had
"told on him," and Growling Bird began to climb the bank to take it. away from him. He knew he'd be caught, so', he just bolted it
right down, swallowing it, string and all, at ONE GULP! \u25a0 He tried to look very innocent Vhen'the little boy appeared, but there was
a yard of string lunging out of his mouth and that convicted him. Growling Bird tried to pall the ball out, but the string broke—
and that was the last any one saw of the SturgV»a-Nose Ball Hi Little Bear then pretended that be' didn't KNOW it was their play
ball He taid he thought it was a FISH-BALL .(torn tiie smell), else he never would have eaten it — OSS, NO INDEED! '"" J
Satnc^eJjeJicrKUja^ > . / : l
•-\u25a0•\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0--\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0 ' •\u25a0\u25a0-\u25a0 \u25a0 • _. — -_^ v-» « v-v,-
,^ITHE- SA^;FS^NGI§COi SUITOAY^GAIiL
i. The ba" struck the trunk of a tree jutt behind the Big Rock and, glancing down- '
ward, hit .the ground right in front of Little Bear's nose/ The Cub was peacefully snor
\u25a0 ing away and dreaming otai whole wigwam filled with things he liked to eat, :when tho
thump of the ball ontheground woke him up. When he saw the play ball bouncing up '
and down the thought came to him that it would be a great joke on the children to hide I
the ball so they could not goon with their game. So he reached out quickly and grabbed j
\u25a0-- it before it could rollaway. i- -%' y ' , ' - • V " v
Aundak, the Crow, hunted around until he found the ball they had used when playing the **One Hunk" ball game, some time
before, and brought it to them in his beak. Big Bear set up tWpoles,~about six feet apart, at both ends of the bail ground, to be usetf
as goals. He explained that the object of the game was to catch up the ball In" the netted end of .the stick and try to throw or carry it
between the goal-posts of the opposing side. but that they must not touch the ball with their hands unless it fell into a small hole where
the racquet could not reach it. j There are usually twelve players on each side in this game, but, of course, they had to get along with
less. So Big B^tt offered to play alone against both children and Little Bear, too. But the Bear Cub said he didn't want to play AT
ALL! He cajQ he was tod strong to play with children, and, besides— v •
Bis Bear. was just 'about to beat him when he thought of a more fitting punishment. "Well Jmt use HIM for the ball!" he said.
He i soon dragged the squealing Cub back to the ball ground and, putting his racquet under him,' heaved him up in the air like a big,
black football! *• Growling Bird tried to catch' him in the net of his stick (to break his fall), but the Cub wu too fat and heavy. He got
an awful bump when he struck the ground; but, before. Big; Bear could reach him to give him another toss, he scrambled to his feet and
r * n }° \u25a0* h * Camp^where he hid the rest of the dayf -That is'what happened when Big Bear tried to taach the children to play Bah
gaw-ud--oway, the Indian Game of BallJ>Th.e Palefaces play it iow, but they call it "Lacrosse," and: of course. THEY have never seen
a fat Bear Cub' used as the bail ! .That could happen only in WINDEGO LAND, you" know! ~ : -- '' \u25a0 " A. TC '
mcanwniie, tne children and -Aundak looked everywhere for the ball, but in vain.
.Then Big Bear came up and suggested that it might have fallen on top of the bank, and to
look behind the Big Rock. Aundak flew to the top and saw the Cub holding something in
his paws and chewing it. It looked like the lost feaHt Now this ball was the one made
from the gristle taken from "the nMebrNah-may, the Great Sturgeon, 'which Growling
Bird had wrapped all around with'string ; and Little Bear, of course, had to sniff at it be
fore hiding it away. It implied fishy, so he thought he'd just hide it INSIDE himself!