against the solid sky
vault and was fastened there, to remind players never to cheat. When
the moon look- -mall and pale it is because somi has handled the
hall unfairly, and for this reason they formerly played only at the
time of a full moon.
When the sun or moon i- eclipsed it is because a great frog up in
the sky is trying to swallow it. Everybody knows this, even the
Creek- and the other tribes, and in the olden times, eighty or a hun-
dred year- ago, before the great medicine men were all dead, when
ever they -aw the sun grow dark the people would come together and
tire guns and heat the drum, ami in a little while tin- would frighten
off the greal frog ami the sun would he all right again.
The commonmoving along
the ridge, and after talking over the matter decided to go on the mor-
row and try to learn the cause. In the morning they started out and
went until they came to the ridge, where, after searching some time.
they found two strange creatures about so large (making a circle with
outstretched arms), with round bodies covered with tine fur or downy
feathers, from which small heads stuck out like the heads of terrapins.
As tlic breeze played upon these feathers showers of sparks flew out.
The hunters carried the strange creatures back to the camp, intend-
ing to take them home to the settlements on their return. They kept
them several days and noticed that every night they would grow
bright and shine like great stars, although by day they were (inly balls
of gray fur.