But the cousin answered: “Oh, do let me carry it. I do so want to show my cousin honor.” At last they let her go away with the pet rabbit on her back.
When the little girl’s cousin came home to her tepee, some rough boys who were playing about began to make sport of her. To tease the little girl they threw stones and sticks at the pet rabbit. At last a stick struck the little rabbit upon the head and killed it.
When her pet was brought home dead, the little rabbit’s adopted mother wept bitterly. She cut off her hair for mourning and all her little girl friends wailed with her. Her mother, too, mourned with them.
“Alas!” they cried, “alas, for the little rabbit. He was always kind and gentle. Now your child is dead and you will be lonesome.”
The little girl’s mother called in her little friends and made a great mourning feast for the little rabbit. As he lay in the tepee his adopted mother’s little friends brought many precious things and covered his body. At the feast were given away robes and kettles and blankets and knives and great wealth in honor of the little rabbit. Him they wrapped in a robe with his little moccasins on and buried him in a high place upon a scaffold.
THE PET DONKEY
There was a chief’s daughter once who had a great many relations so that everybody knew she belonged to a great family.
When she grew up she married and there were born to her twin sons. This caused great rejoicing in her father’s camp, and all the village women came to see the babes. She was very happy.
As the babes grew older, their grandmother made for them two saddle bags and brought out a donkey.