In May little Luke had watched Mr. and Mrs. Lun-i-fro the Eave Swallows
while they had built their queer, pocket-shaped, mud hut beneath the
eaves of the big barn. He saw them on the muddy shores of the river,
rolling little pellets of mud, which they carried to the barn and built
into their nest, and wondered at their odd ways.
"I wish," he often said to himself, "that they could talk. I would ask
them how they learned to do it." At that time he had no idea he would
ever be able to talk to them.
After he had found the Magic Speech Flower he often talked to Father
and Mother Lun-i-fro. But their talks were always short, for the two
swallows were always too busy chasing gnats and flies through the air
to spend much time on anything else.
Early in September the swallows began to gather in large flocks.
The young ones, who were now finishing their lessons in flying, were
introduced to the rest of the tribe and the little boy often saw them
training in squads. They would sit in a long row upon the peak of the
barn roof. Suddenly they would start off all together and fly about for
a while. Then they would come back and settle down upon the roof again.
One day as little Luke was watching them, Father Lun-i-fro happened to
light upon a fence stake near him. "Father Lun-i-fro," said the little
boy, "what are you swallow folk doing these days?"
"We are holding our councils and getting ready to go to the sunny
Southland for the winter," answered the old swallow.
"Before you go," said the boy, "I wish you would tell me how you learned
to build your nests in such an odd way."
"Well," said Father Lun-i-fro, "since you have been so nice to us this
summer, I'll tell you."
* * * * *
"Long, long ago," went on the old swallow, "there was an Indian village
upon the top of a high hill.
"The grown-up people of the village were very good. But alas! the
children were naughty. They were so disobedient that they could never be
trusted to mind anything that their parents said to them. The old people
often talked to them and did their best to make them behave better, but
it did no good. As soon as their backs were turned, those naughty
children would begin to quarrel and fight and steal and run away.
"The old people were much troubled. The woods were full of bears and
panthers and wolves, and they felt sure that some time the wicked
children would be eaten up by them.
"They did everything they could think of to make it so pleasant for the
children that they would stay at home. They made bows and arrows for the
boys, and Indian dolls for the girls, and all sorts of playthings for
all of them, but it did no good. They would run away just the same.
"At last the elders of the village held a council to see if they could
not think of some plan to make their children behave better. After much
talk it was thought best to call in all the children and have the
village chief talk to them. This was done, but it did no good. The next
day they ran away just the same. Their parents had to search far into
the night before they found them. This time the old folks were very
angry.
"Another council was held. They talked the matter over a long time and
made up their minds to send for Gloos-cap the good and wise Magician,
who was yet upon the earth. And so they did.
"When he came he found that, as usual, the children had run away from
home and could not be found. They had already been gone two or three
days.
"Gloos-cap frowned and looked very stern. 'I will find them,' said he,
'and when I find them I will punish them as they deserve.'
"By his magic power he was able to follow their trail, which their
parents had not been able to find.
"At length he saw them. They were playing about on the muddy shore of
a small lake. Out of the mud they were making many different kinds of
objects, especially little wigwams.
"He walked down to where they were. 'You naughty children,' said he,
'are you not ashamed of yourselves, to disobey your parents and make
them so much sorrow and trouble?'
"'No, we are not,' spoke up one bold, saucy little fellow. 'We don't
care for what they say. We've been having a good time all by ourselves.'
"'Very well,' said Gloos-cap, 'since you are not willing to obey your
parents, you shall never trouble them any more. You shall become birds.
Since you love to play in the mud, you shall always build your nests of
mud; and since you love to gad about so much, you shall wander about the
earth forever.'
"And so it has been with the swallow folk since that time.
"But," went on the old swallow, "our foreparents learned their lesson,
and since that time we always bring up our children to be very obedient.
No doubt you have noticed how very well they mind."
[Illustration]