Again the young man exercised his magic powers, and transformed the frail hut into a hollow rock, upon which the shafts of the hailstorm spent themselves in {241} vain. At last the sky cleared, the lodge resumed its former shape, and the young man saw a multitude of sharp, beautiful spear-heads on the ground. "I will get poles," said he, "to fit to them for fishing." When he returned in a few minutes with the poles he found that the spears had vanished. "Where are my beautiful spears?" he asked his grandmother. "They were only ice-spears," she replied. "They have all melted away." The young Indian was greatly disappointed, and wondered how he could avenge himself on the being who had played him this malicious trick. "Be warned in time," said the aged grandmother, shaking her head at him. "Take my advice and leave him alone." The Charmed Stone But the youth's adventurous spirit impelled him to see the end of the matter, so he took a stone and tied it round his neck for a charm, and sought the lake once again. Carefully observing the direction from which the voice proceeded, he saw in the middle of the lake a huge head with a face on every side of it. "Aha! uncle," he exclaimed, "I see you! How would you like it if the lake dried up?" "Nonsense!" said the voice angrily, "that will never happen." "Go home and see," shouted the youth, mimicking the mocking tone the other had adopted on the previous occasions. As he spoke he swung his charmed stone round his head and threw it into the air. As it descended it grew larger and larger, and the moment it entered the lake the water began to boil. {242} The lad returned home and told his grandmother what he had done. "It is of no use," said she. "Many have tried to slay him, but all have perished in the attempt." Next morning our hero went westward again, and found the lake quite dry, and the animals in it dead, with the exception of a large green frog, who was in reality the malicious being who had tormented the Indian and his grandmother. A quick blow with a stick put an end to the creature, and the triumphant youth bore the good news to his old grandmother, who from that time was left in peace and quietness. The Friendly Skeleton A little boy living in the woods with his old uncle was warned by him not to go eastward, but to play close to the lodge or walk toward the west. The child felt a natural curiosity to know what lay in the forbidden direction, and one day took advantage of his uncle's absence on a hunting expedition to wander away to the east. At length he came to a large lake, on the shores of which he stopped to rest. Here he was accosted by a man, who asked him his name and where he lived. "Come," said the stranger, when he had finished questioning the boy, "let us see who can shoot an arrow the highest." This they did, and the boy's arrow went much higher than that of his companion. The stranger then suggested a swimming match.