CHAPTER III. THE RED SWAN
THREE brothers were left destitute at an early age by the death of their parents. The eldest was not yet able to provide fully for their support, but he did all that he could in hunting; and with this aid, and the stock of provisions already laid by in the lodge, they managed to keep along. They had no neighbors to lend them a helping hand, for the father had withdrawn many years before from the body of the tribe and had lived ever since in a solitary place. The lads had no idea that there was a human being near them. They did not even know who their parents had been; for at the time of their death, the eldest was too young to remember it.
Forlorn as they were, they nevertheless kept a good heart, made use of every chance and in course of time acquired a knowled
