hoffman] DESTRUCTION OF THE TURTLE 221 



also were killed. This was the last of the Turtle and his curious band 

 of followers. 



Then the woman returned to her husband from whom the Turtle had 

 stolen her. 



THE RABBIT AND THE PANTHER 



The Rabbit was a great boaster, and as he wanted to have a mita'- 

 wiko'mik of his own, and pretend to be a mitii", which he was not, he 

 accomplished his own destruction. 



One day Wabus', the Rabbit, and his wife, in their travels, came to a 

 low hill covered with poplar sprouts, and, as they were green and 

 tender, the Rabbit decided to remain and make the place his abode. 

 So he went to the top of the hill, and making trails diverging in every 

 direction, that he might see anyone who approached, he built a wig- 

 wam where all the trails came together. This was a mitii'wiko'mik, and 

 the Rabbit wanted to have a dance. When the wigwam was finished, 

 the Rabbit told his wife he was going to dance; but he first ran all 

 around the hill to see if anyone had been about to watch for him, but 

 finding no trail he returned and began his song. As the Rabbit 

 returned to the wigwam, Pishe'u, the Panther, happened to come 

 along at the base of the hill where the Rabbit had just paused. Find- 

 ing here the Rabbit's trail, the Panther followed it until he reached the 

 place where the Rabbit and his wife were dancing by themselves 

 in their mitii'wiko'mik. Here the Panther remained to watch for the 

 Rabbit to come out again. 



The Rabbit told his wife to sit at one end of the mitii'wiko'mik, while 

 he himself went to the other. Taking his medicine bag, he approached 

 his wife four times, chanting ye' ha-a a-a, ye' ha-a-a-a, ye' ha-a-a-a, yC 

 ha-a-a-a; then he shot at his wife, just as a mita' v does when he shoots 

 a new member. Then she got up and shot at her husband, and thus 

 they had a joyous time all by themselves. Theu the Rabbit sang — 



Pi"sliiuwi v wi<ikwt"''yaqsik' encla'se tshiq'tshlkwoqkwan'dean, 

 Nema'hanta nakama', 

 NemsVhauta nakama'. 



Which means: "If the Panther comes across my track while I am 

 biting the bark from the poplars, he will not be able to catch me, for I 

 am a good runner." 



When he had finished his song, the Rabbit told his wife he would go 

 out hunting. The Panther saw the Rabbit depart, and awaited his 

 return. 



When the Rabbit started on his return, he felt very happy, but as he 

 reached the place where the Panther lay concealed the latter got out 

 into the trail, where the Rabbit saw him and started back on the trail 

 as fast as he could run. The Panther started in pursuit, and overtak- 

 ing the Rabbit said, "You are the one who said I could not catch you; 



