The travelers were glad to go in, for it was growing late. They had a
nice supper in the tent, and when it was night the daughters of the old
woman and Little Bear's two sisters went to sleep in a huge bed. The
sisters of Little Bear were on the outside, with the two others between
them.
Little Bear did not go to bed. She sat up with the old woman beside the
camp-fire, telling stories, until it was very late and the old woman
fell sound asleep. She snored loudly; but to make sure, Little Bear
reached out and pinched her gently.
When she found that it was not shamming, she crept softly to the bed
where the four girls slept and changed their places. After this Little
Bear's sisters were in the middle, and the old woman's daughters on the
outside. When Little Bear had done this, she crept back to the fire and
lay down, pretending to be asleep.
In a little while the old woman awoke and pinched Little Bear to see
whether or not she was really asleep; and although it hurt dreadfully,
Little Bear did not stir, or make a sound, but seemed to be dreaming
fast. Then the wicked old woman sharpened her long, bright knife and
stole to the bed where the girls were sleeping, and before they knew
what was happening she had cut off the heads of the two girls on the
outer sides of the bed. But it was her own two daughters whom the cruel
creature had killed, though she did not know it, in the dark! The wicked
old woman lay down to sleep, chuckling to herself. But when all was
quiet, Little Bear awoke her two sisters and they all three crept away
from that cruel wigwam, hurrying on their journey.
Now, in the morning when the old woman awoke and found what a dreadful
thing she had done, she was annoyed. She screamed and cried and tore her
hair, and then she jumped up into the sky and pulled down the sun from
its place, hiding it away in her wigwam, so that Little Bear and her
sisters might be lost in the dark.
In the pitchy blackness, worse than night, because there were no stars,
the three stumbled on and on, groping their way; and it was very
uncomfortable indeed. At any moment they might run into some terrible
danger.
At last they saw the flicker of a little light, and made their way
toward it. They found that it was a man carrying a torch and looking
about for something.
"What are you looking for?" they asked.
"I am looking for the sun," answered the man. "The sun is lost, and we
are in great trouble because of it. Tell me, have you seen the sun?"
They said "No," and asked him to lead them to his village, which he did.
And when they came near they saw the twinkle of many lights. All the men
of the town were looking for the sun, and there was great distress among
them because their Chief was ill, and he could not get well until the
sun should be put back into his place in the sky, and the days be bright
again.
Little Bear asked to see the Chief, and they took her to where he lay
dying.
"Great Chief," said she, "I think that I can help you."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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