THE SWEAT HOUSE
MASSEA and the other Indian men were not feeling well one day. They said, “We ate too much deer. We must go to the sweat house.”
The Indians had dug a large hole in the ground and made a rude cave. They had covered this with brush, leaving only one little hole for a door. They called this place the sweat house.
“Look at them! There they go!” cried Docas to Heema“Look at them! There they go!” cried Docas to Heema.
“Look at them! There they go!” cried Docas to Heema.
“Look at them! There they go!” cried Docas to Heema.
As the Indians went into the sweat house, Massea said to Docas:—
“Build a fire in the doorway so that we cannot get out.”
The sweat house was almost full of Indians, and after the fire was built they began to dance. They danced as hard as they could.
“I should not like to be in there,” said Docas to Heema. “Just think how hot it must be!”
“Hear them grunt!” exclaimed Heema.
It grew hotter and hotter in the sweat house, but the men kept on dancing.
Soon the sweat began to pour off them until the ground was wet. Massea went around with a scraper and scraped the other Indians.
By and by the fire went down, and Docas went off to play. By that time the Indians were tired out.
“Look at them! There they go!” cried Docas to Heema. Massea and the other men had jumped over the fire at the door and were running down to the river.
Heema and Alachu came running.
“Now father’s in the water!” cried Docas. A moment later he added, “See, he has come up out of the river. They are going to lie down in the sun to get warm and dry again. Let’s go down and play in the sun near them.”