But Puma, the monstrous cat, was watching, and leaped up just in time to save the brand.
Each animal was in its place and the good fire passed on.
It came at last to the Cahroc nation, and was afterwards free to all people under the sun.
There were only two mishaps in all the race.
As the squirrel turned a corner of stumps and bowlders, his beautiful tail caught fire, and a brown track was burned up over his back to his shoulders, and the curl has remained in his tail to this day.
The frog had a harder fate.
He was the last one in the line of beasts. When the brand reached him it was smaller than the smallest coal in the grate.
He seized it carefully and jumped forward as fast as he could, but the hand of the foremost beldam caught him and held him fast.
How his heart beat!