“Here I come,” the Chipmunk chattered. As the Great Chief watched to see him follow the twigs he dropped down on the other side of the tree and once more reached home safe.
When the Chipmunk started out the third morning he had a great piece of news to tell the whole world. He told it just as loudly as he could.
“The Great Chief can’t catch me. He can’t catch me,” boasted the Chipmunk.
He kept on chattering this after he had scampered up a tree, and a very bold plan entered his head.
The Great Chief came at last. He strode angrily until he came to the tree where the Chipmunk sat looking down at him.
“Come down! Come down from this tree!” called the Great Chief in a loud voice.
That was just what the Chipmunk planned to do. He was going to come down and dare the Great Chief to catch him. He felt that he would be safe in doing this. So the Chipmunk came down and stood a second, chattering to the Great Chief, who was so surprised that he did not move at first.
Then the Chipmunk ran and the Great Chief ran after him. It was a race for life, the Chipmunk soon found out, for the Great Chief gained at every step. The Chipmunk leaped and jumped, and panted for breath. On, and on they went, in and out among the trees. The Chipmunk lost his loud voice in fear and no other member of the family has had such a loud one since that day. He could see his lodge with his grandfather waiting for him in the door, but it did not seem possible that he could reach it.
Oh, there he was at the door; but just as he went inside the Great Chief took hold of the Chipmunk with his strong fingers. Although the Chipmunk pulled himself loose, he had a row of long white stripes on his back where the Great Chief had clutched him.
And every other Chipmunk, since then, has had white stripes on his back, because of the first Chipmunk who chattered too much.