Sacred Texts Native American Southeast Index Previous Next
Rabbit was disturbing a garden when they caught and tied him to a tree intending to pour boiling water over him. While he was sitting there waiting for the sentence to be executed, Wolf, in passing by, found him. Rabbit said, "My friend, they told me to devour a big hog and I said I would not do it, so they tied me up, and therefore I am sitting here." When Rabbit told Wolf that Wolf said, "Well then, I will eat that up." "All right, set me free," Rabbit answered. So he set him free and Rabbit tied up Wolf. Rabbit started off and Wolf sat there until those who were going to pour boiling water on him seized him and dipped the boiling water out. When they began to pour it on he ran about but they poured it on him while he was running around the tree and scalded him.
When they set him free he started off and went along until he came to Rabbit sitting on a log. When Rabbit began laughing at him, Wolf wanted to kill him. He pursued Rabbit relentlessly until he entered a hollow tree. Then Wolf selected Owl to watch him and went for an ax. While he sat there Buzzard came and Owl told Buzzard to watch. Then be went off and Buzzard watched. While he was sitting there Rabbit said, "Buzzard, leap up and look at me." He leaped up and looked into the hole. But Rabbit had tobacco in his mouth which he spit into Buzzard's eyes so that he could not see, and while he was reeling around trying to get rid of it Rabbit ran away. After he, ran away Wolf came back and said, "Is he there?"
[paragraph continues] When he asked this, Buzzard answered, "I guess he is there. He spit into my eyes." Wolf chopped away at the tree, but when he came to the hole he found he had been chopping for something that was gone. He stopped and went off.
That is the way they tell it.