Old Man had been a long time without food and was very hungry. He
was trying to think how he could get something to eat, when he saw a
band of elk come up on a ridge. He went over to them and spoke to
them and said, "Brothers, I am lonely because I have no one to
follow me."
"Go ahead, Old Man," said the elk; "we will follow you." Old Man led
them about for a long time, and when it was dark he came near a
high, steep cut bank. He ran around to one side, where the hill
sloped, and then went back right under the steep cliff and called
out, "Come on, that is a nice jump. You will laugh." So all the elk
jumped off and were killed, except one cow.
"They have all jumped but you," said Old Man. "Come on, you will
like it."
"Take pity on me," said the cow. "I am very heavy, and I am afraid
to jump."
"Go away, then," said Old Man; "go and live. Then some day there
will be plenty of elk again."
Old Man built a fire and cooked some of the meat, and then he
skinned all the elk, and cut up the meat and hung it up to dry. The
tongues he hung on a pole.
The next day he started off and was gone all day, and at night, as
he was coming home, he was very hungry. He was thinking to himself
that he would have some roasted ribs and a tongue and other good
things; but when he reached the place, the meat was all gone; the
wolves had eaten it.
"It was lucky I hung up those tongues," said Old Man, "or I should
not have had anything to eat." But when he took down the tongues
they were all hollow. The mice had eaten out the meat, leaving only
the skins.