Little chippeway Indian boys have lots of good times. In the spring they help their fathers and big brothers to make maple sugar. They watch the birch-bark troughs and, when one is full of sap, carry and empty it into a big kettle over a fire to boil down.

Often the bears find the sap during the night, and, as they like sweets very much, drink it all; and the little boys are disappointed in the morning, when they go around with their birch-bark buckets, to find it all gone. Sometimes the bears try to steal the boiling syrup, and then they get their paws badly burned for trying to be thieves.

In summer, the boys love to swim and play in the little lakes that are so numerous in the region of their home. One afternoon a number of boys got into a canoe and paddled, and as many other boys waded out into one of the shallow lakes to have some fun. The boys in the water were to try and take the canoe away from the boys that were inside. Oh, how hard the two sides worked, one to keep the boat right side up, and the other side to capture it; for if they tipped the canoe and spilled all the boys out they gained the victory, and would get in and see if they could hold it. They splashed the water in all directions, and when one boy fell or was pulled out of the boat, didn't he get a good ducking! The little dog helped all he could by barking very loud and trying to frighten the boys in the water.

They played until it was so dark they had to stop and go home.

Their houses, canoes, baskets, buckets and various other things, are made out of the bark of the birch tree.

Whenever any of the chippeway Indians want to go visiting, they always go in canoes when possible, for they are canoe Indians and almost live in their boats. They seldom go visiting on horseback as most other tribes do.