Some Wolves once caught the Rabbit and were going to eat him when he
asked leave to show them a new dance he was practicing. They knew that
the Rabbit was a great song leader, and they wanted to learn the latest
dance, so they agreed and made a ring about him while he got ready. He
patted his feet and began to dance around in a circle, singing:
Tlâge'sitûñ' gali'sgi'sidâ'ha--
Ha'nia lil! lil! Ha'nia lil! lil!
On the edge of the field I dance about--
Ha'nia lil! lil! Ha'nia lil! lil!
"Now," said the Rabbit, "when I sing 'on the edge of the field,' I
dance that way"--and he danced over in that direction--"and when I sing
'lil! lil!' you must all stamp your feet hard." The Wolves thought it
fine. He began another round singing the same song, and danced a little
nearer to the field, while the Wolves all stamped their feet. He sang
louder and louder and danced nearer and nearer to the field until at
the fourth song, when the Wolves were stamping as hard as they could
and thinking only of the song, he made one jump and was off through
the long grass. They were after him at once, but he ran for a hollow
stump and climbed up on the inside. When the the Wolves got there
one of them put his head inside to look up, but the Rabbit spit into
his eye, so that he had to pull his head out again. The others were
afraid to try, and they went away, with the Rabbit still in the stump.