XII. HOW THE BEAR LOST HIS TAIL
(Iroquois)
An old fox saw an Indian with a sled-load of fish. The fox wanted a fish, but was afraid of the man. How could he get a fish without letting the Indian know? At last he thought of a plan. He laid himself down by the sled-road and made the Indian believe that he was dead.
The Indian wanted the fox’s skin, but did not have time to take it. He threw the old fox on the sled with the fish and pulled the big load towards his wigwam.
While the Indian was hard at work pulling, the old fox pushed off two or three good fish and rolled off himself. In a minute he was out of sight with the fish. [[113]]
The fox met a wolf who asked him, “Where did you get the fish?”
The fox did not like the wolf, but told him the trick he had played on the Indian.
“It is easy. Go and do it,” said the fox.