believe was their council house, and in council they decided that the little girls would surely have much more respect for them in the future.

TAKING CARE OF THE PONIES.

Out in the real wild West, where the ponca Indians live when they are at home, there are bears, mountain lions, wolves, foxes, and many other wild animals, always roaming about in quest of food.

THE WOLF.

Every evening, when it begins to get dark, the little boys have to go out and gather together all the horses, drive them to the village, and picket them for the night where the men can watch and keep them safe, not only from wild animals, but from Indians belonging to hostile tribes, out on horse-stealing expeditions.

After the horses are safely picketed around camp, the small boys can play and have a good time; but they have to go to bed early because they have to be up very early in the morning. When the boys are all through with their breakfasts they drive the horses first to water for a drink, and then over to the cañons where some of them are hobbled and allowed to feed all day. When the boys hobble their horses they tie their front legs together down near the hoofs, so that the horses can only take short steps, and cannot run or wander off very far.

While the little boys are out herding they keep their bright little eyes wide open to see everything. Sometimes they shoot at the little prairie dogs with their bows and arrows; but the prairie dogs have very bright eyes, too, and down they go into their little holes before the arrows can hurt them.