But the boy was not satisfied, as he greatly desired to know what all this meant; so he searched about for a time, and at length found a man sitting under a tree, and taunted him with being a thief, and threw mud and stones at him until he broke the stranger's leg. The man answered not the boy nor resented the injuries he received, but remained silent and sorrowful; and when his leg was broken he tied it up in sticks and bathed it in the river and sat down again under the tree and beckoned the boy to approach. When the lad came near, the stranger told him he had something of great importance to reveal.
"My son," said he, "did that old woman ever tell you about your father and mother?"
"No," answered the boy; "I have never heard of them."
"My son, do you see these bones scattered on the ground? Whose bones are these?"
"How should I know?" answered the boy. "It may be that some elk or deer has been killed here."
"No," said the old man.
"Perhaps they are the bones of a bear"; but the old man shook his head.
So the boy mentioned many other animals, but the stranger still shook his head, and finally said,
"These are the bones of your father; Stone Shirt killed him and left him to rot here on the ground like a wolf."
And the boy was filled with indignation against the slayer of his father.