Part 8 (1/2)
”She ran away; ran to the Sun's lodge and left the Snake on the hill.
In no time the Sun had grabbed him. My, the Sun was angry! The big Snake begged, and promised never to speak to the Moon again, but the Sun had him; and he smashed him into thousands of little pieces, all of different colors from the different parts of his painted body. The little pieces each turned into a little snake, just as you see them now, but they were all too small for the Moon to notice after that.
That is how so many Snakes came into the world; and that is why they are all small, nowadays.
”Our people do not like the Snake-people very well, but we know that they were made to do something on this world, and that they do it, or they wouldn't live here.
”That was a short story, but to-morrow night I will tell you why the Deer-people have no gall on their livers; and why the Antelope-people do not wear dew-claws, for you should know that there are no other animals with cloven hoofs that are like them in this.
”I am tired to-night, and I will ask that you go to your lodges, that I may sleep, for I am getting old. Ho!”
WHY THE DEER HAS NO GALL
Bright and early the next morning the children were playing on the bank of ”The River That Scolds the Other,” when Fine Bow said:
”Let us find a Deer's foot, and the foot of an Antelope and look at them, for to-night grandfather will tell us why the Deer has the dew-claws, and why the Antelope has none.”
”Yes, and let us ask mother if the Deer has no gall on its liver.
Maybe she can show both the liver of a Deer and that of an Antelope; then we can see for ourselves,” said Bluebird.
So they began to look about where the hides had been grained for tanning; and sure enough, there were the feet of both the antelope and the deer. On the deer's feet, or legs, they found the dew-claws, but on the antelope there were none. This made them all anxious to know why these animals, so nearly alike, should differ in this way.
Bluebird's mother pa.s.sed the children on her way to the river for water, and the little girl asked: ”Say, mother, does the Deer have gall on his liver?”
”No, my child, but the Antelope does; and your grandfather will tell you why if you ask him.”
That night in the lodge War Eagle placed before his grandchildren the leg of a deer and the leg of an antelope, as well as the liver of a deer and the liver of an antelope.
”See for yourselves that this thing is true, before I tell you why it is so, and how it happened.”
”We see,” they replied, ”and to-day we found that these strange things are true, but we don't know why, grandfather.”
”Of course you don't know why. n.o.body knows that until he is told, and now I shall tell you, so you will always know, and tell your children, that they, too, may know.
”It was long, long ago, of course. All these things happened long ago when the world was young, as you are now. It was on a summer morning, and the Deer was travelling across the plains country to reach the mountains on the far-off side, where he had relatives. He grew thirsty, for it was very warm, and stopped to drink from a water-hole on the plains. When he had finished drinking he looked up, and there was his own cousin, the Antelope, drinking near him.
”'Good morning, cousin,' said the Deer. 'It is a warm morning and water tastes good, doesn't it?'
”'Yes,' replied the Antelope, 'it is warm to-day, but I can beat you running, just the same.'
”'Ha-ha!' laughed the Deer--'you beat me running? Why, you can't run half as fast as I can, but if you want to run a race let us bet something. What shall it be?'
”'I will bet you my gall-sack,' replied the Antelope.
”'Good,' said the Deer, 'but let us run toward that range of mountains, for I am going that way, anyhow, to see my relations.'
”'All right,' said the Antelope. 'All ready, and here we go.'
”Away they ran toward the far-off range. All the way the Antelope was far ahead of the Deer; and just at the foot of the mountains he stopped to wait for him to catch up.