began to heave its sparkling waves of green so luxuriantly! But might there not be fair spots eastward of the lake? She would go, as Ish-te-nah had recommended; but first she would collect, as a memorial, some of the beautiful stones scattered along the shore.
These stones, as you are aware, are agates and cornelians; and Lake Pepin has yielded them in abundance for many years.
We-no-na descended and ran along the shore as far as the point we are now skirting. She would stop here and there to pick up a handful of agates, and then, as she saw others more beautiful, she would throw aside those she had gathered, and replace them with new treasures. She was thus lured on to wander several miles; and the evening twilight was far advanced before she regained her wigwam. It was now too late to start upon her pilgrimage. No matter; she would commence it early the next morning.
When morning came, there were many preparations to make; and the sun had been up a couple of hours before she had set forth on her journey. She carried her canoe fastened by a strap to her back, her hatchet and arrows in her belt, and provision for several days in a pouch of deer-skin that hung at her side. What was her dismay, after descending the hill and passing through yonder little belt of woodland, on coming suddenly upon an Indian encampment! She paused, hoping to retreat unseen; but this was now impossible. Several Indians started up and approached her, and a second glance was not needed to assure her that among them she saw her father and mother and her hated suitor, Ha-o-kah. This worthy chief had made the lives of the old people somewhat uncomfortable from his repeatedly twitting them with the fact that he had bought their daughter of them twice over, and been cheated out of the purchase. As Ha-o-kah had no small degree of influence in the tribe, the old couple felt very uneasy at their daughter's dereliction, it having placed them in the position of debtors to one who evidently, by his frequent taunts and dunning, was not disposed to let them sleep over the debt they had incurred.
There was, consequently, an exclamation of general surprise and satisfaction at the appearance of We-no-na. Her first act was to disencumber herself of her canoe, and every thing that could impede
