Description

In a blistering desert plain, a fierce clash between the restless tribe led by Chopimalive and his squaw Sitonim ends with the intrepid trader Hugh Grainger lying dead in a hayfield. Rather than a solemn burial, the Indians stage a bizarre ceremony—covering his head, lighting matches, and invoking ghostly “tickle‑ghosts” and ceiling‑crawling spiders—while Hugh, still able to speak from his tomb, trades witty barbs with his captors. The absurdity of a corpse demanding musical honors and arguing about which leg belongs to whom sets a wildly comic tone that mixes frontier myth with surreal humor.

From this macabre tableau the narrative unfolds as Hugh, despite his death, becomes an unlikely storyteller for the children gathered around. Their impatient questions and the tribe’s restless aggression give way to a playful exploration of how stories are told, how ghosts might linger, and how imagination can turn even a burial ground into a stage for laughter. The book balances darkly comic dialogue with a gentle wonder at the power of tales, inviting listeners into a delightfully off‑beat adventure.