The beautiful maidens came up and, taking the birds out of the snare, admired them very much, for they had never seen such birds before. They carried them to their father, Stone Shirt, who said:
"My daughters, I very much fear these are spies from my enemies, for such birds do not live in our land."
He was about to throw them into the fire, when the maidens besought him, with tears, that he would not destroy their beautiful birds; but he yielded to their entreaties with much misgiving. Then they took the birds to the shore of the lake and set them free.
When the birds were at liberty once more they flew around among the bushes until they found the magical cup which they had lost, and taking it up they carried it out into the middle of the lake and settled down upon the water, and the maidens supposed they were drowned.
AN INTERIOR LODGE.
The birds, when they had filled their cup, rose again and went back to the people in the desert, where they arrived just at the right time to save them with the cup of water, from which each drank; and yet it was full until the last was satisfied, and then not a drop remained.
The brothers reported that they had seen Stone Shirt and his daughters.