In the beginning the Deer had no horns, but his head was smooth just
like a doe's. He was a great runner and the Rabbit was a great jumper,
and the animals were all curious to know which could go farther in
the same time. They talked about it a good deal, and at last arranged
a match between the two, and made a nice large pair of antlers for a
prize to the winner. They were to start together from one side of a
thicket and go through it, then turn and come back, and the one who
came out first was to get the horns.
On the day fixed all the animals were there, with the antlers put
down on the ground at the edge of the thicket to mark the starting
point. While everybody was admiring the horns the Rabbit said: "I
don't know this part of the country; I want to take a look through
the bushes where I am to run." They thought that all right, so the
Rabbit went into the thicket, but he was gone so long that at last
the animals suspected he must be up to one of his tricks. They sent
a messenger to look for him, and away in the middle of the thicket
he found the Rabbit gnawing down the bushes and pulling them away
until he had a road cleared nearly to the other side.
The messenger turned around quietly and came back and told the
other animals. When the Rabbit came out at last they accused him of
cheating, but he denied it until they went into the thicket and found
the cleared road. They agreed that such a trickster had no right to
enter the race at all, so they gave the horns to the Deer, who was
admitted to be the best runner, and he has worn them ever since. They
told the Rabbit that as he was so fond of cutting down bushes he
might do that for a living hereafter, and so he does to this day.