Docas and Heema ran toward Massea and gave him the string. As they passed Ama she saw the string and smiled. When they gave it to Massea, he smiled, too, and said, “It is well.”
“What does it mean, father?” asked Heema. “Why do you and mother smile when you see it?”
“It means that Chief Yeeta sends to Chief Massea an invitation for everybody in our rancheria to come to a dance at his rancheria,” answered Massea.
“All right. Let’s go this morning,” said Heema, starting toward the hut to get the new rabbit-skin skirt his mother had just made for him.
“Wait,” said Massea. “The five knots mean that we are not to come for five days.”
“Oh, that’s so long to wait,” said Heema.
“You can watch the time for us,” said Massea. “Every morning you may untie one of the knots for us, and when the last but one is reached, we will start.”
So every morning, as soon as it was light, the two boys crept out of the hut and untied a knot.
THE ACORN DANCE
“THERE’S only one knot left. Can’t we start now?” shouted Heema, as he untied the next to the last knot.