27!S MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [etii. ann. I'J 



So that night the Mole burrowed his way undercfround to where the 

 girl was in bed asleep and took out her heart. He came back by tiie 

 same way and gave the heart to the man, who could not see it even 

 when it was put into his hand. "There," .said the Mole, "swallow it, 

 and she will be drawn to come to you and can not keep away." The 

 man swallowed the heart, and when the girl woke up she .somehow 

 thought at once of him. and felt a strange desire to be with him, as 

 though she mu.st go to him at once. She wondered and could not 

 understand it, because she had always disliked him before, but at last 

 the feeling grew ,so strong that she was compelled to go herself to the 

 man and tell him she loved him and wanted to be his wife. And .so 

 they were married, but all the magicians who had known them both 

 were surprised and w^ondered how it had come about. When they 

 found that it was the work of the Mole, whom they had always before 

 thought too insigniticant for their notice, they were very jealous and 

 threatened to kill him, so that he hid himself under the ground and 

 has never since dared to come up to the surface. 



31. THE TERRAPIN'S ESCAPE FROM THE WOLVES 



The Possum and the Terrapin went out together to hunt persim- 

 mons, and found a tree full of ripe fruit. The Possum climbed it and 

 was throwing down the persimmons to the Terrapin when a wolf came 

 up and began to snap at the persimmons as they fell, before the Ter- 

 rapin could reach them. The Possum waited his chance, and at last 

 managed to throw down a large one (some say a bone which he carried 

 with him), so that it lodged in the wolf's throat as he jumped up at it 

 and choked him to death. " 111 take his ears for hominy spoons," said 

 the Terrapin, and cut off the wolf's ears and started home with them, 

 leaving the Possum .still eating persimmons up in the tree. After 

 a while he came to a house and was invited to have some hinalie'na 

 gruel from the jar that is set always outside the door. He sat down 

 beside the jar and dipped up the gruel with 6ne of the wolf's ears for 

 a .spoon. The people noticed and wondered. When he was satisfied 

 he went on, but soon came to another house and was asked to have 

 some more kanahe'na. He dipped it up again with the wolf's ear and 

 went on when he had enough. Soon the news went around that the 

 Terrapin had killed the Wolf and was using his ears for spoons. All 

 the Wolves got together and followed the Terrapin's trail until they 

 came up with him and made him prisoner. Then they held a council 

 to decide what to do with him, and agreed to boil him in a clay pot. 

 They brought in a pot, but the Terrapin only laughed at it and said 

 that if they put him into that thing he would kick it all to pieces. 

 They said they would Ijurn him in the lire, but the Terrapin laughed 

 again and said he would put it out. Then they decided to throw him 

 into the deepest hole in the river and drown him. The Terrapin 



