When he went out hunting he laid down his bow in the path while he looked at his snares. An elk coming by saw the bow.
“I will play a joke on the rabbit,” said the elk to himself. “I will make him think I have been caught in his bow string.” He then put one foot on the string and lay down as if dead.
By and by the rabbit returned. When he saw the elk he was filled with joy and ran home crying: “Grandmother, I have trapped a fine elk. You shall have a new dress from his skin. Throw the old one in the fire!”
This the old grandmother did.
The elk now sprang to his feet laughing. “Ho, friend rabbit,” he called, “You thought to trap me; now I have mocked you.” And he ran away into the thicket.
The rabbit who had come back to skin the elk now ran home again. “Grandmother, don’t throw your dress in the fire,” he cried. But it was too late. The old dress was burned.
THE RABBIT AND THE GROUSE GIRLS
The rabbit once went out on the prairie in winter time. On the side of a hill away from the wind he found a great company of girls all with grey and speckled blankets over their backs. They were the grouse girls and they were coasting down hill on a board. When the rabbit saw them, he called out:
“Oh, maidens, that is not a good way to coast down hill. Let me get you a fine skin with bangles on it that tinkle as you slide.” And away he ran to the tepee and brought a skin bag. It had red stripes on it and bangles that tinkled. “Come and get inside,” he said to the grouse girls. “Oh, no, we are afraid,” they answered. “Don’t be afraid, I can’t hurt you. Come, one of you,” said the rabbit. Then as each hung back he added coaxingly: “If each is afraid alone, come all together. I can’t hurt you all.” And so he coaxed the whole flock into the bag. This done, the rabbit closed the mouth of the bag, slung it over his back and came home. “Grandmother,” said he, as he came to the tepee, “here is a bag full of game. Watch it while I go for willow sticks to make spits.”