wongo and kaw found cho-gay, the indian boy, in front of his cave, cutting raw-hide into long strips—to make traps, he told them. he was plainly very glad to see them. cho-gay had lived in timbertangle since most of the animals could remember, though how he came there was a mystery to all but kaw, who seemed to know everything. the little indian boy was at home and on friendly terms with all animals and birds who attended to their own proper business, but it was well known that when a law of the woods or desert was broken, cho-gay did all he could to hunt down and punish the wrong-doer, so he had some enemies, but many friends, in timbertangle.
when the two visitors had made themselves comfortable on the rock in front of his cave, cho-gay brought out a handful of seeds for the crow and for the bear some ripe berries from a little patch he had managed to keep green in spite of the terrible drouth.
after the manner of indians, the animals were[154] silent for some time, and did not immediately come to the reason for their visit, but finally kaw spoke:
“chu-ta-win, the eagle, is a friend of yours, isn’t he, cho-gay?”
“yes,” answered cho-gay, “the eagle and i are good friends. he really owes his life to me.”
“as i thought,” said kaw. “would he do big things for you?”
“i think he would do anything i’d ask,” answered the indian boy. “why?”
“umm-m,” said kaw, without answering the question. “do you know where he is?”
“i can whistle for him. we have a signal. if he doesn’t hear, there are those who carry the message to him.”
“suppose you whistle now,” said kaw. “no—on second thought don’t! chu-ta-win and i are not exactly on friendly terms; he had better not see me, just yet. i have a scheme on foot and it would be best for no one to know just what it is but myself. i’ll tell you this much—i’m after water—much water—and i want to know if you two are willing to trust me and ask no questions.”
“yes!” answered cho-gay and wongo at the same moment, and this ready answer plainly pleased the old crow very much. he gave a sigh of relief.
[155]“well, that’s settled. now for business. you, wongo, must go up to the top of skull-top mountain and on the bald spot that you know of there, make the biggest, thickest bed of leaves you ever made in your life.”
wongo sat back on his haunches and his jaw dropped open.
“what on earth—” he began, and stopped short, for kaw cocked his head on one side and snapped out:
“what did i say—
now there you go—
just right away,
’twas ever so.
instead of going to your task,
you simply sit and gape, and ask!”
“well,” answered wongo, a trifle sheepishly, “you didn’t want me to rush right off now, did you?”
“yes,” kaw remarked dryly. “it will take you quite a while to get up the mountain and longer to gather the leaves. make the pile big and deep, mind you.”
“but can’t i hear what cho-gay is going to do, first?”
“no,” said kaw, “you’ll hear all about that[156] later. run along now, for your job’s very important.”
wongo left them, going very slowly, it is true, and with many a backward glance at the two. kaw chuckled to himself:
“a good, kindly friend, my little bear,
always good natured and merry;
anything doing, he’s sure to be there;
but curious—? very—oh, very!”
he chuckled again and turned to cho-gay:
“i want chu-ta-win, the eagle, to take you to the up-above country. have you ever been?” pointing to the clouds.
“no, i haven’t,” said cho-gay. “why in the world do you want me to go up there, and what would i do after i got there? you’re asking much, friend kaw.”
“you promised to do as i said and not ask questions. are you going back on your word?”
“no,” answered cho-gay slowly. “go on.”
[157]
wongo left them, going very slowly
[158]“i’ll tell you what we are going for on the way up,” went on kaw, “and as for what you will do, well, i’ll be there too, you see, and i’ll tell you that at the time. tell chu-ta-win to take you up, as you have important business in the cloud country. suppose you call him now. there[159] is no time to lose, as we are, if we succeed, about to do a service for timbertangle that will never be forgotten.”
“if it’s a real adventure,” said cho-gay, “i’m for it,” and he gave a clear, shrill whistle which was repeated some distance away and then again far off in the forest.
“i’ll just step inside your cave while you talk with chu-ta-win,” said kaw, and suiting the action to the word he hopped into the cave-mouth.
after a short interval, there came a rush of wind, and kaw knew that the great eagle had arrived.
“you called for me, little brother,” said a voice, and cho-gay answered:
“yes, chu-ta-win, i have a great favor to ask.”
“you have only to name it, little brother. my bones would have been drying on skull-top mountain, if it had not been for you, and my heart is grateful. what is it that i can do for you?”
“i have some important business in the up-above country. can you take me there?”
“why, yes,” answered chu-ta-win, readily enough. “i am chief of the air people, as you know, and have a right to entrance to the up-above country. i will tell them that you are my tribe brother and they will welcome you. when would you like to go?”
[160]“now,” answered cho-gay.
“well,” said chu-ta-win, “fortunately i have flown but little this morning and my wings are fresh. have you a bit of food handy? we’ll both need a meal before we’re back.”
“i have a bag of dried goat’s meat and seeds of the pinyon,” said cho-gay. “will that do?”
“fine,” answered chu-ta-win, “bring it along. it has been many, many moons since i tasted the meat of the goat.”
so cho-gay went back into the cave, and while he was getting the bag of goat meat, he whispered to kaw:
“the eagle will take me as soon as i get some food. now, how about you? you say you are going, too?”
“yes, i am going in disguise,” said kaw in a low voice. “hurry just a bit with what you are doing, for you must do something for me before i can show myself to your friend chu-ta-win.”
so cho-gay fastened the bag of meat to a thong at his waist as quickly as he could and stepped over to kaw.
“have you some red paint?” asked the crow.
“yes,” replied cho-gay.
“well, get it,” continued the crow, “and paint me all over with it. make my beak white. hurry!”
[161]cho-gay hesitated for a long moment, but seeing that kaw was very much in earnest, he took a small bag from a peg in the cave wall and went swiftly to work. he had long ago discovered many bright rocks and brilliantly colored bits of earth that could be carefully powdered and, when mixed with water, made wonderful paint. then he had discovered the need of having something to draw with and had used small pieces of hide with hair attached, which he had tied about the ends of little twigs, and dipping them in his paints made great drawings in color of the animals and birds and trees of the forest, much to the admiration of all timbertangle. he had never before painted a living creature, but he rather enjoyed his task.
when the beak was painted a snowy white, the crow turned gravely round for cho-gay to examine him carefully to see that the disguise was complete. cho-gay, almost choking with inner laughter, but afraid to show his amusement for fear of offending his friend, assured him that even his mother would not know him if she saw him now.
“are you sure i look all right?” insisted kaw.
“fine!” answered cho-gay, and grinned in spite of himself.
“well, we’ll go now. introduce me to chu-ta-win as a friend of yours—mr. redskin, suppose[162] we say—and be sure to say i have a bad cold.”
cho-gay could not resist asking, “what is the trouble between you and chu-ta-win?” but he was sorry the moment he had asked, for he could see, strange as it seemed, that the question had made kaw uncomfortable. he gave the impression of being red in the face, but, of course, that might have been the paint, for he was red all over. he stretched his neck and hesitated for a second. cho-gay felt he was going to say something sharp, but he seemed to change his mind and cocked his head on one side with a rather quizzical expression.
“what about asking questions?” kaw said. “i’ll have to tell you about the ‘why’s.’ ever hear of them?” and without waiting for an answer he chanted in a low voice:
“there once was a tribe called the ‘whys,’
who thought to become very wise;
they went to the crows,
for as everyone knows,
a crow is quite bright—for his size!
“they asked very deeply of laws.
and of words quite too big for their jaws,
but the crows, with a sigh,
answered every big ‘why’
very plainly and simply with—‘caws!’”
[163]
“the voice too,” mused chu-ta-win
[164]the crow stopped and cleared his throat, with one bright twinkling eye on cho-gay.
[165]“i thought you had some goat meat in there,” said a voice from the cave entrance. “are you waiting for a little kid to grow up and have it killed and dried? and who’s in there with you?”
“a friend,” called cho-gay. “i’m coming now,” and he stepped out to where the eagle was waiting. kaw followed without a word.
“my friend wants to come with us to the up-above country,” said cho-gay to chu-ta-win. “his name is redskin and he is a tribe brother of mine.”
chu-ta-win eyed kaw with a puzzled expression.
“i think i have never seen your friend before. he is the largest red-bird i ever saw. he reminds me of someone, though i cannot think who. you are not of timbertangle?” he questioned kaw.
“no,” answered the old crow in a low voice. “i am from the other side of the divide.”
“the voice too,” mused chu-ta-win.
“redskin has been hoarse for days,” spoke cho-gay hastily. “he does not sound at all like himself. shall i get on your back?” he asked, hoping to draw attention away from kaw.
“yes, we had better go,” said the eagle. “the wind is just right now.”
