his adopted mother's little friends brought many precious things
and covered his body. At the feast were given away robes and

kettles and blankets and knives and great wealth in honor of the
little rabbit. Him they wrapped in a robe with his little

moccasins on and buried him in a high place upon a scaffold.
THE PET DONKEY

There was a chief's daughter once who had a great many relations so
that everybody knew she belonged to a great family.

When she grew up she married and there were born to her twin sons.
This caused great rejoicing in her father's camp, and all the

village women came to see the babes. She was very happy.
As the babes grew older, their grandmother made for them two saddle

bags and brought out a donkey.
"My two grandchildren," said the old lady, "shall ride as is

becoming to children having so many relations. Here is this
donkey. He is patient and surefooted. He shall carry the babes in

the saddle bags, one on either side of his back."
It happened one day that the chief's daughter and her husband were

making ready to go on a camping journey. The father, who was quite
proud of his children, brought out his finest pony, and put the

saddle bags on the pony's back.
"There," he said, "my sons shall ride on the pony, not on a donkey;

let the donkey carry the pots and kettles."
So his wife loaded the donkey with the household things. She tied

the tepee poles into two great bundles, one on either side of the
donkey's back; across them she put the travois net and threw into

it the pots and kettles and laid the skin tent across the donkey's
back.

But no sooner done than the donkey began to rear and bray and kick.
He broke the tent poles and kicked the pots and kettles into bits

and tore the skin tent. The more he was beaten the more he kicked.
At last they told the grandmother. She laughed. "Did I not tell

you the donkey was for the children," she cried. "He knows the
babies are the chief's children. Think you he will be dishonored

with pots and kettles?" and she fetched the children and slung them
over the donkey's back, when he became at once quiet again.

The camping party left the village and went on their journey. But
the next day as they passed by a place overgrown with bushes, a

band of enemies rushed out, lashing their ponies and sounding their
war whoop. All was excitement. The men bent their bows and seized

their lances. After a long battle the enemy fled. But when the
camping party came together again--where were the donkey and the

two babes? No one knew. For a long time they searched, but in
vain. At last they turned to go back to the village, the father

mournful, the mother wailing. When they came to the grandmother's
tepee, there stood the good donkey with the two babes in the saddle

bags.
THE RABBIT AND THE ELK

The little rabbit lived with his old grandmother, who needed a new
dress. "I will go out and trap a deer or an elk for you," he said.

"Then you shall have a new dress."
When he went out hunting he laid down his bow in the path while he

looked at his snares. An elk coming by saw the bow.
"I will play a joke on the rabbit," said the elk to himself. "I

will make him think I have been caught in his bow string." He then
put one foot on the string and lay down as if dead.

By and by the rabbit returned. When he saw the elk he was filled
with joy and ran home crying: "Grandmother, I have trapped a fine

elk. You shall have a new dress from his skin. Throw the old one
in the fire!"

This the old grandmother did.
The elk now sprang to his feet laughing. "Ho, friend rabbit," he

called, "You thought to trap me; now I have mocked you." And he
ran away into the thicket.

The rabbit who had come back to skin the elk now ran home again.
"Grandmother, don't throw your dress in the fire," he cried. But

it was too late. The old dress was burned.
THE RABBIT AND THE GROUSE GIRLS

The rabbit once went out on the prairie in winter time. On the
side of a hill away from the wind he found a great company of girls

all with grey and speckled blankets over their backs. They were
the grouse girls and they were coasting down hill on a board. When

the rabbit saw them, he called out:
"Oh, maidens, that is not a good way to coast down hill. Let me

get you a fine skin with bangles on it that tinkle as you slide."
And away he ran to the tepee and brought a skin bag. It had red

stripes on it and bangles that tinkled. "Come and get inside," he
said to the grouse girls. "Oh, no, we are afraid," they answered.

"Don't be afraid, I can't hurt you. Come, one of you," said the
rabbit. Then as each hung back he added coaxingly: "If each is

afraid alone, come all together. I can't hurt you all."
And so he coaxed the whole flock into the bag. This done, the

rabbit closed the mouth of the bag, slung it over his back and came
home. "Grandmother," said he, as he came to the tepee, "here is a

bag full of game. Watch it while I go for willow sticks to make
spits."

But as soon as the rabbit had gone out of the tent, the grouse
girls began to cry out:

"Grandmother, let us out."
"Who are you?" asked the old woman.

"Your dear grandchildren," they answered.
"But how came you in the bag?" asked the old woman.

"Oh, our cousin was jesting with us. He coaxed us in the bag for
a joke. Please let us out."

"Certainly, dear grandchildren, I will let you out," said the old
woman as she untied the bag: and lo, the grouse flock with

achuck-a-chuck-achuck flew up, knocking over the old grandmother
and flew out of the square smoke opening of the winter lodge. The

old woman caught only one grouse as it flew up and held it,
grasping a leg with each hand.

When the rabbit came home with the spits she called out to him:
"Grandson, come quick. They got out but I have caught two."

When he saw what had happened he was quite angry, yet could not
keep from laughing.

"Grandmother, you have but one grouse," he cried, and it is a very
skinny one at that."

THE FAITHFUL LOVERS
There once lived a chief's daughter who had many relations. All

the young men in the village wanted to have her for wife, and were
all eager to fill her skin bucket when she went to the brook for

water.
There was a young man in the village who was industrious and a good

hunter; but he was poor and of a mean family. He loved the maiden
and when she went for water, he threw his robe over her head

while he whispered in her ear:
"Be my wife. I have little but I am young and strong. I will

treat you well, for I love you."
For a long time the maiden did not answer, but one day she

whispered back.
"Yes, you may ask my father's leave to marry me. But first you must

do something noble. I belong to a great family and have many
relations. You must go on a war party and bring back the scalp of

an enemy."
The young man answered modestly, "I will try to do as you bid me.

I am only a hunter, not a warrior. Whether I shall be brave or not
I do not know. But I will try to take a scalp for your sake."

So he made a war party of seven, himself and six other young men.
They wandered through the enemy's country, hoping to get a chance

to strike a blow. But none came, for they found no one of the
enemy.

"Our medicine is unfavorable," said their leader at last. "We
shall have to return home."

Before they started they sat down to smoke and rest beside a
beautiful lake at the foot of a green knoll that rose from its

shore. The knoll was covered with green grass and somehow as they
looked at it they had a feeling that there was something about it

that was mysterious or uncanny.
But there was a young man in the party named the jester, for he was

venturesome and full of fun. Gazing at the knoll he said: "Let's
run and jump on its top."

"No," said the young lover, "it looks mysterious. Sit still and
finish your smoke."

"Oh, come on, who's afraid," said the jester, laughing. "Come on
you--come on!" and springing to his feet he ran up the side of the

knoll.
Four of the young men followed. Having reached the top of the

knoll all five began to jump and stamp about in sport, calling,
"Come on, come on," to the others. Suddenly they stopped--the

knoll had begun to move toward the water. It was a gigantic
turtle. The five men cried out in alarm and tried to run--too

late! Their feet by some power were held fast to the monster's
back.

"Help us--drag us away," they cried; but the others could do
nothing. In a few moments the waves had closed over them.

The other two men, the lover and his friend, went on, but with
heavy hearts, for they had forebodings of evil. After some days,

they came to a river. Worn with fatigue the lover threw himself
down on the bank.

"I will sleep awhile," he said, "for I am wearied and worn out."
"And I will go down to the water and see if I can chance upon a

dead fish. At this time of the year the high water may have left
one stranded on the seashore," said his friend.

And as he had said, he found a fish which he cleaned, and then
called to the lover.

"Come and eat the fish with me. I have cleaned it and made a fire
and it is now cooking."

"No, you eat it; let me rest," said the lover.
"Oh, come on."

"No, let me rest."
"But you are my friend. I will not eat unless you share it with

me."
"Very well," said the lover, "I will eat the fish with you, but you

must first make me a promise. If I eat the fish, you must promise,
pledge yourself, to fetch me all the water that I can drink."

"I promise," said the other, and the two ate the fish out of their
war-kettle. For there had been but one kettle for the party.

When they had eaten, the kettle was rinsed out and the lover's
friend brought it back full of water. This the lover drank at a

draught.
"Bring me more," he said.

Again his friend filled the kettle at the river and again the lover
drank it dry.

"More!" he cried.
"Oh, I am tired. Cannot you go to the river and drink your fill

from the stream?" asked his friend.
"Remember your promise."

"Yes, but I am weary. Go now and drink."
"Ek-hey, I feared it would be so. Now trouble is coming upon us,"

said the lover sadly. He walked to the river, sprang in, and lying
down in the water with his head toward land, drank greedily. By

and by he called to his friend.
"Come hither, you who have been my sworn friend. See what comes of

your broken promise."
The friend came and was amazed to see that the lover was now a fish

from his feet to his middle.
Sick at heart he ran off a little way and threw himself upon the

ground in grief. By and by he returned. The lover was now a fish
to his neck.

"Cannot I cut off the part and restore you by a sweat bath?" the
friend asked.

"No, it is too late. But tell the chief's daughter that I loved

• wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中英语单词)
• rabbit [´ræbit] n.兔子，野兔 (初中英语单词)
• grandmother [´græn,mʌðə] n.(外)祖母 (初中英语单词)
• saddle [´sædl] n.鞍子 v.装鞍(于) (初中英语单词)
• beaten [´bi:tn] beat 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
• excitement [ik´saitmənt] n.兴奋；骚动；煽动 (初中英语单词)
• sprang [spræŋ] spring 的过去式 (初中英语单词)
• prairie [´preəri] n.大草原 (初中英语单词)
• willow [´wiləu] n.柳树 (初中英语单词)
• opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)
• faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)
• maiden [´meidn] n.少女 a.未婚的 (初中英语单词)
• hunter [´hʌntə] n.猎人；猎狗；猎马 (初中英语单词)
• warrior [´wɔriə] n.勇士，战士 (初中英语单词)
• mysterious [mi´stiəriəs] a.神秘的；难以理解的 (初中英语单词)
• kettle [´ketl] n.水壶 (初中英语单词)
• greedily [´gri:dili] ad.贪婪地 (初中英语单词)
• hither [´hiðə] ad.到此处 (初中英语单词)
• restore [ri´stɔ:] vt.(使)恢复；修复 (初中英语单词)
• rejoicing [ri´dʒɔisiŋ] n.高兴；欢呼 (高中英语单词)
• donkey [´dɔŋki] n.驴子；蠢人；顽固的人 (高中英语单词)
• bucket [´bʌkit] n.水桶 (高中英语单词)
• industrious [in´dʌstriəs] a.勤勉的，刻苦的 (高中英语单词)
• fatigue [fə´ti:g] n.&vt.(使)疲劳(劳累) (高中英语单词)
• knives [naivz] knife的复数 (英语四级单词)
• grouse [graus] n.松鸡 vi.&n.抱怨 (英语四级单词)
• tinkle [´tiŋkəl] v.&n.(使发)叮当声 (英语四级单词)
• hunting [´hʌntiŋ] n.打猎 (英语六级单词)
• modestly [´mɔdistli] ad.谦虚地；有节制地 (英语六级单词)
• jester [´dʒestə] n.爱开玩笑的人 (英语六级单词)