Bright and early the next morning the children were playing on the bank
of "The River That Scolds the Other," when Fine Bow said:
"Let us find a Deer's foot, and the foot of an Antelope and look at
them, for to-night grandfather will tell us why the Deer has the
dew-claws, and why the Antelope has none."
"Yes, and let us ask mother if the Deer has no gall on its liver.
Maybe she can show both the liver of a Deer and that of an Antelope;
then we can see for ourselves," said Bluebird.
So they began to look about where the hides had been grained for
tanning; and sure enough, there were the feet of both the antelope and
the deer. On the deer's feet, or legs, they found the dew-claws, but
on the antelope there were none. This made them all anxious to know
why these animals, so nearly alike, should differ in this way.
Bluebird's mother passed the children on her way to the river for
water, and the little girl asked: "Say, mother, does the Deer have gall
on his liver?"
"No, my child, but the Antelope does; and your grandfather will tell
you why if you ask him."
That night in the lodge War Eagle placed before his grandchildren the
leg of a deer and the leg of an antelope, as well as the liver of a
deer and the liver of an antelope.
"See for yourselves that this thing is true, before I tell you why it
is so, and how it happened."
"We see," they replied, "and to-day we found that these strange things
are true, but we don't know why, grandfather."
"Of course you don't know why. Nobody knows that until he is told, and
now I shall tell you, so you will always know, and tell your children,
that they, too, may know.
"It was long, long ago, of course. All these things happened long ago
when the world was young, as you are now. It was on a summer morning,
and the Deer was travelling across the plains country to reach the
mountains on the far-off side, where he had relatives. He grew
thirsty, for it was very warm, and stopped to drink from a water-hole
on the plains. When he had finished drinking he looked up, and there
was his own cousin, the Antelope, drinking near him.
"'Good morning, cousin,' said the Deer. 'It is a warm morning and
water tastes good, doesn't it?'
"'Yes,' replied the Antelope, 'it is warm to-day, but I can beat you
running, just the same.'
"'Ha-ha!' laughed the Deer--'you beat me running? Why, you can't run
half as fast as I can, but if you want to run a race let us bet
something. What shall it be?'
"'I will bet you my gall-sack,' replied the Antelope.
"'Good,' said the Deer, 'but let us run toward that range of mountains,
for I am going that way, anyhow, to see my relations.'
"'All right,' said the Antelope. 'All ready, and here we go.'
"Away they ran toward the far-off range. All the way the Antelope was
far ahead of the Deer; and just at the foot of the mountains he stopped
to wait for him to catch up.
"Both were out of breath from running, but both declared they had done
their best, and the Deer, being beaten, gave the Antelope his sack of
gall.
"'This ground is too flat for me,' said the Deer. 'Come up the
hillside where the gulches cut the country, and rocks are in our way,
and I will show you how to run. I can't run on flat ground. It's too
easy for me.' another race with you on your own ground, and I think I
can beat you there, too.'
"Together they climbed the hill until they reached a rough country,
when the Deer said:
"'This is my kind of country. Let us run a race here. Whoever gets
ahead and stays there, must keep on running until the other calls on
him to stop.'
"'That suits me,' replied the Antelope, 'but what shall we bet this
time? I don't want to waste my breath for nothing. I'll tell
you--let us bet our dew-claws.'
"'Good. I'll bet you my dew-claws against your own, that I can beat
you again. Are you all ready?--Go!'
"Away they went over logs, over stones and across great gulches that
cut the hills in two. On and on they ran, with the Deer far ahead of
the Antelope. Both were getting tired, when the Antelope called:
"'Hi, there--you! Stop, you can beat me. I give up.'
"So the Deer stopped and waited until the Antelope came up to him, and
they both laughed over the fun, but the Antelope had to give the Deer
his dew-claws, and now he goes without himself. The Deer wears
dew-claws and always will, because of that race, but on his liver there
is no gall, while the Antelope carries a gall-sack like the other
animals with cloven hoofs.
"That is all of that story, but it is too late to tell you another
to-night. If you will come to-morrow evening, I will tell you of some
trouble that OLD-man got into once. He deserved it, for he was wicked,
as you shall see. Ho!"