28. WHAT BECAME OF THE RABBIT

The Deer was very angry at the Rabbit for filing his teeth and

determined to be revenged, but he kept still and pretended to be

friendly until the Rabbit was off his guard. Then one day, as they

were going along together talking, he challenged the Rabbit to jump

against him. Now the Rabbit is a great jumper, as every one knows,

so he agreed at once. There was a small stream beside the path,

as there generally is in that country, and the Deer said:

"Let's see if you can jump across this branch. We'll go back a piece,

and then when I say Kû! then both run and jump."

"All right," said the Rabbit. So they went back to get a good start,

and when the Deer gave the word Kû! they ran for the stream, and the

Rabbit made one jump and landed on the other side. But the Deer had

stopped on the bank, and when the Rabbit looked back the Deer had

conjured the stream so that it was a large river. The Rabbit was

never able to get back again and is still on the other side. The

rabbit that we know is only a little thing that came afterwards.

Myths of the Cherokee Extract from the Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology · 第 77 / 197 题