One fine day in the morning, Lox went in the form of a raccoon, (for)
he, going through the world, could go in many forms; here he walks; then
as usual(?) he goes along. Then right ahead of him comes a big bear; he
is very glad to see the raccoon. So he (the bear) makes up his mind to
kill him, if only he can. First, to punish him for the way he behaves,
secondly (because) he (the bear) is hungry and (wants to) eat him for
breakfast.
The raccoon goes off; he crawls into a hollow tree. The bear begins to
root it up; the raccoon knows that when the tree will tumble, then he
will go too. Raccoon starts to sing, as if he cared nothing for the
bear: "All the digging and pushing of this tree will not catch me; push
in backwards, so that you may catch me and I shall die. This you cannot
do since the hole is too small." When Bear hears this; he is glad, for
he sees that he can easily dig it out. When he comes in backwards, the
raccoon seizes his back; he holds him (there) until he dies.
Then Raccoon comes out; he makes mittens of the bear-skin. Once more he
starts off; a little way he went; where a wigwam is with rising smoke he
enters; a family of little black-cats is there; he greets them; he says:
"O my children, comb me out; I will sell you these my bear-skin
mittens." So the black-cats comb him out; they part his hair and they
brush his tail. Then in a little while, he falls asleep, while they are
brushing him. They are so hungry that they eat the raccoon's mittens;
having scraped off the flesh, they cook them and eat them.
When Raccoon wakes up, he looks at them and screams out; he says: "Where
are my bear-skin mittens?" They are frightened; they answer him: "We
have cooked and eaten them." Then Raccoon attacks them; he leaves one,
he chokes one; only the infant he misses; he (the baby) does not talk
yet; Raccoon thinks he will not be able to tell.
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