the ground and raising the little tepee wherein he would spend the days of his fasting.
Wunzh knew full well what his prayer to the Great Spirit would be, but how would it be answered? He thought of this long and often.
As he had run about the prairie or made his way through the forests when a little lad, he had wondered how it was that the grass and the trees sprang up out of the dark earth. He had wondered why some of the flowers smelled sweet while others were offensive; why some of the roots were good for healing, while others caused sickness or even death, though all came from the same soil. But to none of these questions could he find an answer.
Wunzh's father was poor, and so were many other Indians; and some of them were ill, or very old. But in order to live they must hunt or fish, for game and fish were their only food. And so life was hard for many of the Indians.
Since Wunzh was thoughtful and had considered all these things, he knew full well what his prayer to the Great Spirit would be.
On the following day he left the tepee of his father and went to the little clearing in the thicket, where he would fast for seven days.
