450 MYTHS OF THK CHEROKKK [ktii.ann.19 



of Ainericaii Folk-Lore, July, UK)0). ami in tlu- .lic-arilla story of "The Fox ami 

 the Wildcat " (Russell, Myths of the Jiearilla, ibiil., October, 1898). The Southern 

 negro version, which lacks the important song and dance feature, is given by Harris 

 in his story of " Brother Rabbit and Mr Wildcat." ' 



20. How THE Terrapin- beat the Rabbit (p. 270); This story was obtained from 

 John Ax and ."^uyeta and is well known in the tribe. It is sometimes told with the 

 Deer in.«tead of the Rabbit as tlie defeated runner, and in this form is givuu by Lan- 

 nian, who thus localizes it: "The race was to extend from the Black mountain to the 

 .summit of the third pinnacle extending to the eastward" (Letters, p. 37). 



In the Creek collection of Tuggle the same story is given in two versions, in one of 

 which the Deer "and in the other the Wolf is defeated by the stratagem of the Terra- 

 pin. The Southern negro parallel is given by Harris (Uncle Remus, His Songs and 

 His Sayings) in the story, "Mr Rabbit Finds His Match at Last." It seems almost 

 su]5erfluous to call attention to the European folklore version, the well-known story 

 of the race between the Hare and the Tortoise. 



21. The Rabbit and the tar woi.f (p. 271): This story was obtained in the 

 Indian Territory from James Wafford, who .«aid he had repeatedly heard it in boy- 

 hood about Valley river, in the old Nation, from Cherokee who spoke no English. 



The second version, from the Cherokee Advocate, Decetober IS, 1845, is given, 

 together with the story of "How the Wildcat caui;ht the Gobbler," with this intro- 

 duction : 



"Indian Fnhlex. Mr William P. Ro.-^s: I liave recently stumbled on the following 

 Cherokee fables, and perhaps you may think them worth inserting in the J Ivocate 

 for the sake of the curious. I am told that the Cherokees have a great man)- fables. 

 If I understand the following, the intention seems to be to teach cunning and artifice 

 in war. ^Esop." The newspaper [laragraph bears the pencil initials of S[amuel] 

 W[orcester] B[ntler]. 



Other Indian versions are found with the Jicarilla ("Fox and Rabbit," Myths of 

 the Jicarilla, by Frank Russell, in Journal of American Folk-Lore, October, 1898) 

 and Sion.x (S. U. Hinman, cited in Transactions of the Anthropological Society of 

 Washington, i, p. 103, AVashington, 1882). The southern negro variant, "The Won- 

 derful Tar-Baby Story," is the introductory tale-in Harris's Uncle Remus, His Songs 

 and His Sayings. A close parallel occurs in the West African story of "Leopard, 

 Monkey, and Hare " (Chatelain, Folktales of Angola). 



22. The Rabbit and the Possu.m after a wife (p. 273): This sijecimen of Indian 

 humor was obtained at different times from Swimmer, John Ax, Suyeta (east), and 

 Wafford (west), and is well known in the tribe. Wafford, in telling the story, 

 remarked that the Rabbit was the chief's runner, and according to custom waa 

 always well entertained wherever he went. 



23. The Rabbit dixes the Bear (p. 273): This favorite story with the Cherokee 

 east and west is another of the animal myths of wide distribution, being found with 

 almost every tribe from Maine to the Pacific. Beans and peas in several varieties 

 were indigenous among the agricultural tribes. 



In the Creek version, in the Tuggle manuscript, "The Bear invited the Rabbit to 

 dinner. When he came the Bear called his wife and said, ' Have peas for dinner: 

 the Rabbit loves peas.' 'But there is no grease,' said the Bear's wife, 'to cook them 

 with.' 'O,' said the Bear, 'tliat's no trouble, bring me a knife.' So she brought 

 the knife and the Bear took it and split between his toes, while the Rabbit looked 

 onin wonder. 'No grease between my toes! Well, I know where there is some,' 

 so he cut a gash in his side and out ran the grease. His wife took it and cooked the 

 peas and they had a fine dinner and vowed always to be good friends," etc. The 



1 J. C. Harris. Xiiihts with Tiiole Kemiis: Myths aiul Legends of the Old Plantrttion: Boston. 1883. 



