Sacred Texts Native American Southeast Index Previous Next
A youth without father or mother was dressed up by those who had the care of him. He was a poor boy but he had on fine clothes. Then they sent him away. At some distance he got arrows and a bow, and after traveling on for some time met a girl. She told him she wanted him to shoot a dove sitting on a tree close by. He did so and gave it to her. "That is all right," he thought. He started on again and met another woman. She asked the same favor, and be gratified her also. Going on again he met Rabbit, who was wearing a deerhide, and they traveled in company. They came to a pond to hunt terrapin and when they got there Rabbit tied up his white deerhide around the youth's fine clothes. Then both prepared to dive under water. The youth dived first and hunted about for terrapin. Rabbit also dived, but came out quickly, and carried off the white deerhide and all of the clothing. Without much trouble the orphan got many terrapin, tied them up, and brought them out of the water. He came out carrying them tied up with a rope. Then he saw that Rabbit had run off with his shirt, leaving an old shirt for him. He put it on and set out.
By and by the youth came to where a persimmon tree stood, shook it, and picked up and ate a great deal of the fruit. Sonic of the fruit he mashed up in his hands and rubbed all over his shirt. Having done so, he took the terrapin and started on.
On the way he stopped at a certain house and remained standing outside. A young girl came out. Then she went back and said to her mother, "Look out here." Her mother did so and said, "Go and speak to him." So she went and said to him, "Come in." There was a bed all ready for him to lie down on but he did not want to lie down because his body was covered with persimmon juice. He moved the bed away and sat down on the other side on the floor. Then he said to the girl, "I have three or four terrapin outside." She went to the place and brought them back to her mother, and they cooked and ate them. All were very much pleased, and he married that girl.
At the end of four or five days the youth and his wife prepared to go to the water, to the creek. The young man said, "Comb your hair." After she had done so the two set out for the water. There he dived back and forth under water four or five times and came out, and they started back. Then he said to his wife, "Go and tell your relatives to go and look at the place in the creek where I dived." They did so and found quantities of fish all over the water. They brought baskets into which to put them. Then they cooked all the fish and ate them.
After this the young man said to his wife again, "Comb your hair." 1 The two went to the water, and when they had gotten there and she had washed her hair numbers of lice fell out which turned into fish. Then they went back to the house, and she said to the people, "Take your baskets and go to the water to see what is in it." They took their baskets, and when they got to the place they picked up numbers of fish, filled their baskets, put them on their backs, carried them home, and cooked and ate them.
Rabbit heard what he had done and tried to imitate him. He took his wife to the creek, dived back and forth, and told his wife to tell her relations to go to the water and look. But when they arrived they found nothing.
Afterwards the orphan went hunting and traveled along near the creek. He killed a deer and hung its body upon a tree. Presently he killed another, which he treated in the same manner, and he did. this repeatedly. When he had gotten home he said, "Let your people follow around where I have been hunting." They took a horse and set out, and coming to where the first deer was hung up, they laid the carcass upon the horse. They loaded the other deer upon his back in the same manner and returned home.
Then Rabbit also went hunting and when he came to the place where the orphan had killed his first deer he found the liver which had been thrown away, cut it into small pieces, and hung them up. At each place where a deer had been killed he did the same thing, and when he got back he said to his wife, "Let your people hunt where I have been." They did so, but found only small pieces of liver to bring home.
Next the orphan directed his wife to comb and part her hair and sit down near him, and when she had done so he seized a stick and split her in two so cleverly that he now had two wives instead of one.
Rabbit heard of it and thought, "I will do the same thing. I will have my wife sit down with her hair combed and parted and will hit her with a stick in the same manner." But when he tried it his wife fell down dead.
Then Rabbit ran away and was pursued by men with dogs. After he had been pursued for a long time he took refuge in a hollow tree and the men stationed Blue Crane in front of it to watch him while they went for an ax. The Crane was given a rope with which to tie Rabbit in case he tried to escape. But after the men were out of sight Rabbit asked Crane to look inside. Then he asked him for the rope, and when Crane had given it to him he tied it around his neck and fastened him to the tree, after which he procured a switch and beat him until he was black and blue and cried out, "Glo, glo, glo." Finally a person ran up m response to the cries and Rabbit ran away.
After that Rabbit asked the orphan how he had made his house new, and he answered, "I renewed by cutting the house posts nearly through." So Rabbit chopped his house posts nearly through. He lay down inside and about midnight the house fell down upon him.
137:1 This episode is omitted in some versions.