400 BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 196 



When the Terrapin heard them say that, he began to cry, and his 

 eyes became red. (They are still red to this day.) He said, "I'll 

 sm-ely die if you do that." 



Then the people were pleased that they had found some way to 

 kill him. 



They threw him into the water, and down went the Terrapin, 

 right to the bottom; and the people started back home, very pleased. 

 But suddenly they heard someone whoop, and they saw the Terrapin 

 upon the other side of the river. 



The Possum they hit with a stick, and he fell down as if he were 

 dead, but as soon as they quit watching him, he got up and ran away. 



So he stUl does today.'* 



2.— HOW THE BEAR LOST HIS TAIL* 



The Bear used to have a bushy tail, just like the one the Fox has 

 now. All the other animals were very jealous of the Bear. 



Once, in winter, he met the Fox carrying a lot of fish. The Bear 

 asked the Fox where he got them. 



"I caught them," the Fox said. 



"Where did you catch them?" the Bear asked. 



"Come on! I'll show you." 



So they went to where the water was frozen. The Fox cut a hole 

 in the ice. "Now," he said, "put your taU into the hole, and you 

 will catch just as many fish as you want." 



The Bear did as the Fox told him. The Fox said, "Now sit still, 

 and don't mind it if it hurts a bit, because the fish will come and bite 

 your tail." 



When the Bear's tail was frozen tight into the ice, the Fox said, 

 "Now see how many fish you have." 



But the Bear could not pull his tail out. 



"Well!" the Fox said. "You must have many fish. You can't 

 pull them out. Wait until I get somebody to help you." 



Then the Fox ran swiftly past a house where there were two fero- 

 cious dogs, and as soon as they saw the Fox, they started in pm*suit. 

 The people shouted, and foUowed the dogs with their guns. The 

 Fox ran back in the direction where the Bear was, and as soon as he 

 had put the dogs on the Bear's track, he ran off. 



The Bear could not get away; so he pulled and pulled untU he 

 got loose. But his tail was left sticldng in the ice. 



85 Mooney (1900, pp. 278-279) recorded this myth, but the above version Is far superior to It; in fact, It Is 

 a superb example of Cherokee storytelling, one of the finest extant. The full flavor of the original language 

 is happily preserved. 



