Thus Fisher died, with the arrow sticking in his tail. It can be seen there, even to this day.[21]
[21] He was telling them the story
Of Ojeeg the Summer-Maker,
How he made a hole in heaven,
How he climbed up into heaven,
And let out the summer-weather,
The perpetual summer-weather.
How the Otter first essayed it,
How the Beaver, Lynx, and Badger,
Tried in turn the great achievement,
From the summit of the mountain ...
—Hiawatha
RABBIT GOES DUCK HUNTING
Cherokee
RABBIT was very boastful. One day he met Otter. Otter said, “Sometimes I eat ducks.”
“Well, I eat ducks, too,” said Rabbit.
So they went up the stream until they saw several ducks in the water. They followed the trail softly. Then they stood on the river bank.
Rabbit said, “You go first.” At once Otter dived from the bank. He swam under water until he reached a duck; then he pulled it under quickly so that the other ducks were not frightened. While he was under water, Rabbit peeled bark from a sapling and made a noose.
“Now, watch me,” he said, when Otter came back. He dived in and swam under water until he was nearly choked. So he came to the top to breathe. He did this several times. The last time he came up among the ducks and threw the noose over the head of one.