“Yes, I am going in disguise,” said Kaw in a low voice. “Hurry just a bit with what you are doing, for you must do something for me before I can show myself to your friend Chu-ta-win.”
So Cho-gay fastened the bag of meat to a thong at his waist as quickly as he could and stepped over to Kaw.
“Have you some red paint?” asked the crow.
“Yes,” replied Cho-gay.
“Well, get it,” continued the crow, “and paint me all over with it. Make my beak white. Hurry!”
Cho-gay hesitated for a long moment, but seeing that Kaw was very much in earnest, he took a small bag from a peg in the cave wall and went swiftly to work. He had long ago discovered many bright rocks and brilliantly colored bits of earth that could be carefully powdered and, when mixed with water, made wonderful paint. Then he had discovered the need of having something to draw with and had used small pieces of hide with hair attached, which he had tied about the ends of little twigs, and dipping them in his paints made great drawings in color of the animals and birds and trees of the forest, much to the admiration of all Timbertangle. He had never before painted a living creature, but he rather enjoyed his task.
When the beak was painted a snowy white, the crow turned gravely round for Cho-gay to examine him carefully to see that the disguise was complete. Cho-gay, almost choking with inner laughter, but afraid to show his amusement for fear of offending his friend, assured him that even his mother would not know him if she saw him now.
“Are you sure I look all right?” insisted Kaw.
“Fine!” answered Cho-gay, and grinned in spite of himself.
“Well, we’ll go now. Introduce me to Chu-ta-win as a friend of yours—Mr. Redskin, suppose we say—and be sure to say I have a bad cold.”