“Then the little dog and the boy wept over each other, for they had been fond companions, and the boy started homeward, being very careful of the quill and medicine blanket.
“As the boy came down the mountain-side near the village he met a bear that stood in the trail and growled at him. He held the quill straight at the beast and it flew right into the bear’s heart. Then the boy took the quill and cleaned it well. Next he cut some bearsteaks for immediate use and covered over the remainder.
“The boy reached his village from which he thought he had been absent only two days and nights, but he found he had been gone two years—so swiftly had the time passed while he had been at the Wolf Chief’s village by the lake-side.
“As he entered the village he found it had been totally destroyed and everyone was dead. He felt dreadfully sad at this discovery but he remembered the medicine blanket, and this he placed over every member of his family and they immediately came to life. Then he placed it over everyone in the village and brought them all back to life—even the brother-in-law who had been so ungrateful.
“When all were alive once more they needed food so the boy ran to the mountain and found a great flock of wild sheep. With the quill he soon killed them and ordered the people to carry them home.
“The villagers were so astonished when they saw him kill wild beasts with a quill that they agreed to have him hunt for the entire village and promised to pay him with skins and weapons for the meat.
“When the villagers were nourished they told the boy that while he was absent every tribe of people were killed by the famine and the plagues. The boy then decided to visit the nations and revive the people by means of the medicine blanket. This he did, but he only brought the good and beautiful back to life, leaving the cruel and vicious, and deformed ones, dead. And this he did for every creature on the earth. The bad and worthless were killed off with the quill but the good and faithful creatures were kept alive with the blanket. Thus it happened that the earth became a beautiful spot to live in, for all men were as brothers, and all creatures walked in the trails of man without fear or desire to kill. And to this day, the boy feeds his people and everyone is happy and at peace.”
As the Guide finished her story the Woodcrafters cried “How! How!” but Fiji said: “I wish we had that blanket and quill at this present time!”
“No such luck! It is war, war, war to the bitter end, I guess,” added Fred.
“And starvation or famine and plagues for the world!” sighed Zan.