Atondido Stories
He felt all over its body and found that its skin formed a cov-
ering through which he could not push his fingers. For a long
time he tried to think how to remove the skin, and finally no-
ticed a stone with a sharp edge with which he managed to cut
through the hide. Then he quickly stripped the animal with his
hands, and tore out a piece of flesh which he tried to swallow as
he had swallowed mice when he was an owl. He found that he
could not do this easily, so he tore off small bits and ground
them with his teeth.
He had already discovered that by striking two stones to-
gether they grew warm and felt good to his cold hands. So now
he struck them together until sparks came with which he lighted
some dry weeds and brush and had a fire to cook his meat and
to warm himself.
The next morning he killed another reindeer and the day fol-
lowing two more and wrapped himself in their skins from head
to foot, with the raw side next his own flesh, as the animals had
worn them. The skins soon dried on him and became like a part
of his body.
As the nights grew colder and colder, he collected a quantity
of driftwood from the shore, with which he built him a rude hut,
which he found very comfortable. Walking over the hills one day
he came near to a strange, black animal eating berries from the
bushes. He crept up to it and grasped it by its hind legs. With an
angry growl it turned to face him, showing its white teeth. He
knew then that he must not let go his hold of it, so he swung it
high over his head and brought it down on the ground with
such force that the bear lay dead.
In skinning the bear he saw that it contained much fat, and
that he might have a light in his house if he could find some-
thing that would hold the grease and yet not take fire itself.
437