Atondido Stories
said, "I do not know. I have not seen him for many months." And
he asked the Red Fir, and the Pine, and the Aspen, which always
sees Whirlwind first, but they were all ignorant of his wherea-
bouts. So Bear came home and said, "Not a trace of either of
them have I found."
The Chief was very angry because of the failure of Fox and
Bear, but the wise man said, "The animals are useless in a quest
like this. Let us try the birds. They often succeed where the ani-
mals fail." And the Chief agreed, for the land was in great dis-
tress. Many fishing-boats lay silent on the sea near the coast una-
ble to move because Whirlwind was away, and the wells and
streams were all dry because Rain was absent, and the grass and
the flowers were withering to decay. So they called the birds to
their aid. The great Crane searched in the shallows and among
the reeds, thrusting his long neck into deep places, and Crow
looked among the hills, and Kingfisher flew far out to sea, but
they all came back and said, "We, too, have failed. The wander-
ing ones are nowhere on the land or upon the sea." Then little
Sparrow took up the search. Before he set out, he plucked from
his breast a small down-feather and fastened it to a stick no big-
ger than a wisp of hay. He held the stick in his bill and flew off.
For many days he went towards the south-land, all the time
watching the feather hanging to the stick in his bill. But it hung
there motionless. One day, after he had travelled a great dis-
tance, he saw the down-feather moving very gently, and he
knew that Whirlwind must be not far away. He went in the di-
rection from which the feather was blowing. Soon he saw be-
neath him soft green grass and wonderful flowers of varied col-
ours, and trees with green leaves and many rippling streams of
running water. And he said to himself, "At last I have found the
wanderers." He followed a little stream for some distance until it
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