In the spring the Indian women planted the yellow corn.
When the corn was up, the squaws went into the fields to hoe out the
weeds. For a hoe they used a flat piece of stone tied to a wooden
handle.
As John was a white boy the squaws tried to make him help hoe the corn.
When John took the hoe, he hoed up the corn and left the weeds.
The angry squaws made signs to him that he must not do so.
Then John threw the hoe far from him.
"Hoeing is fit for squaws, not for warriors," he shouted. He had learned
this from the Indian boys.
The old men were pleased. They thought John would make a fine warrior.
AN INDIAN STORY--III
John had lived with the Indians a year.
He had learned to speak their tongue, but they did not trust him.
Some of them were always with him, for they were afraid he would run
away.
All this time John had kept his skates carefully hidden.
One day the ice froze clear and smooth. John brought his skates down to
the river bank.
Many of the Indians followed to see what he was going to do.
They crowded around him on the ice.
John thought he would play a trick on them.
He strapped the skates upon the feet of an Indian boy.
The boy tried to stand up, but his feet slipped out from under him, and
down he bumped upon the ice.
Pages:
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61