Grace Willard Edick

“ One day when Mavo and Teni were playing at the foot of the cliff, they saw some baby rabbits not far away.
They were brown rabbits, just the kind that Teni loved to play with.
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“Oh, Mavo! Let us catch them,” he said, and the two ran off together.
As the children came near, the little rabbits scampered away as fast as they could.
The mother rabbit was waiting for her children in a hole near by and they ran straight for home.
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Mavo laughed as the little creatures ran over the sand toward the hollow cliff.
“Come, Mavo,” said Teni. “We can catch them if we hurry.” ”

“ In the early morning, when Father Sun began to put his star babies to bed, the little cliff-dwellers awoke.
They looked about for their father and mother, for they thought they had been sleeping on their own little skin bed.
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“Why, Teni,” said Mavo, “we are out of doors; see the red cliff, and the cedar-tree over there.” ”

“ The mother and father could not see the pony as it neared the cliff.
Mavo had fallen asleep in Teni’s arms, and Demino walked on, thinking how glad the parents would be to see their children.
Teni did not say a word, but kept looking toward his home.
The father and mother were looking anxiously into the valley.
While they were watching, they saw shadows in the distance.
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“Look!” said the mother. “I see something. Can it be our children?”
They waited a moment, then the father climbed down the cliff and ran quickly toward Demino. ”

“ They wished for rain, that they might plant their corn and beans.
The wind might blow the seed away if the rain did not come to wet the dry sand.
“The rain is late this year,” said one, “but our dried fruit will last a long time even though we have no grain.”
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The cliff people dried their fruit in the sun.
We would not have liked it because it was so sour.
Soon the men noticed Teni and Mavo and asked who they were.
“They are children of the Bear people, our neighbors,” said Demino.
“This morning, as I was walking near the tower, I saw a band of Indians coming toward me. ”

“ The father and mother sat about the fire for a long time, then rose quietly, and after throwing more corn to the flames, walked out of the kiva.
They went on the cliff, and looked about them for some sign of their children.
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“The moon is clear to-night,” said the father. “There are no clouds to hide her light. She will guide Teni and Mavo home.” ”

“ The cliff-dwellers used these jars for holding water.
The children watched the women for a while, then went to another part of the cliff where other women were weaving baskets from cedar fibers.
The baskets were closely woven, so that they could be used to carry water.
As the children stood there, Demino came down the ladder with a water jar on his head, and behind him came his wife with the baby on her back.
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“Let us have a race,” said Teni. Mavo wanted to run too, but Teni said she was too little. ”

“ They could not play in the shade of the trees, because in that dry land there were very few trees.
But the little boy and girl had great fun climbing up and down the rocks and running in the sunshine. ”

“ As the sun grew hotter the sand seemed to grow heavier.
How glad they would be to find their home!
18 CHAPTER III
THE TOWER
As they stopped a moment to rest under some sage-bushes, they saw something which frightened them.
A band of fierce Indians was coming toward them. ”