2. Bear and the Fawns

"Remove them all, then," said Bear; "remove them all. My head feels light, since you have finished picking the lice from it." Deer threw away the frogs, threw away large frogs.

Bear said to Deer, "Let me examine your head." Deer said, "All right.'' Bear examined Deer's head and said, "There are many." Deer's lice were wood-ticks and Bear proceeded to take them from Deer's head.

Then Bear said, "There are many. I do not think I can get them all by picking. You have many. Let me chew these lice and your many lice. That is the only way I can remove them. You have many lice. I do not think that I have removed them all. There are many. Stoop and I will chew your hair. Do not be afraid. Stoop and let me try."

Then Deer stooped. She thought Bear's intentions were good. Bear examined her hair for awhile, and then chewed. Instead of chewing Deer's hair, Bear bit her neck, killing her.

Bear ate all of Deer, except the liver, which she took home. She placed the liver in a basket and put clover on top of it. Then she went home. She proceeded homeward after sundown, carrying the clover in the basket with the liver in the bottom of the basket.

Arriving at home, she told the Fawns to eat the clover. She said to them, "Your mother has not come yet; you know She is always slow. She always takes her time in coming home." Thus spoke Bear to the Fawns, when she arrived at home.

The Fawns ate the clover. After they had eaten it, they saw the liver in the bottom of the basket. The younger one found it. She

"Do not forget to take the awls," said the older Fawn, for she was afraid of being overtaken by Bear. The Fawns started with the baskets and awls, leaving one basket behind. Their aunt, Bear, was not at home when they left. When she returned, she looked about, but saw no Fawns. Then Bear discovered their tracks and set out to follow them. After she had tracked them a short distance, the basket, left at home, whistled. Bear ran back to see if the Fawns had returned. In the meantime the Fawns proceeded on their journey, throwing awls and baskets in different directions. Again, Bear started from the house. As she proceeded the awls whistled. Bear, thinking that the Fawns were whistling, left the trail in search of them.

The Fawns said, "We go to our grandfather."

As Bear followed them along the trail, the baskets and awls whistled and delayed her. Whenever Bear heard the whistles, she became angry and ran in the direction from which the sound proceeded. She of course saw nothing and returned to the trail. She heard a whistle in the direction of the stream. She ran toward it, but when she arrived there, saw nothing.

When she did not find the girls she became angry. She said, "Those girls are making fun of me." Then she shouted, "Where are you, girls? Why don't you meet me?" The awls only whistled in response and Bear ran toward the sound. Then she became, still angrier and said to herself, "If I capture you girls, I will eat you. If I find you girls, I will eat you."

Bear continued to track the Fawns. She found the trail easily and saw their tracks upon it. She said, "I have found the marks that will lead me to them." She followed the marks upon the trail. "If I catch them, I shall eat them." She heard more whistling and that enraged her. Then she jumped on to a tree and bit a limb in two. It made her furious to hear the whistling. She said to herself, "If I ever catch those girls, I shall eat them." The baskets continued to

Bear then asked Daddy Longlegs to put his leg across the river, so that she might cross. He said, "All right," and stretched his leg across the river. Then Bear walked on Daddy Longlegs' leg. When she reached the middle, Daddy Longlegs gave a sudden spring and throw her into the air. She fell into the river, and had to swim to the opposite shore.

She found again the track of the Fawns. Wherever the track was plain she ran rapidly to make up for the time lost. The numerous awls, which the Fawns had thrown to each side of the trail, whistled as before.

"Hurry, sister, we near our grandfather's (Lizard's) house," said the older Fawn to the younger. Bear became exceedingly angry and shouted in her rage.

"Hurry, she comes; hurry, sister, she comes. We would not like to have her catch us before we reached our grandfather's," said the older Fawn. Then the Fawns threw awls and baskets to each side of the trail anew. As they approached their grandfather's house, Bear gained upon them. As Bear saw them nearing their grandfather's she, shouted again in her anger.

The Fawns said, "Bear took our mother down to the clover. She ate mother there. Then she returned to the house and told us to eat the clover which she brought. While we were eating the clover from the basket, we found the liver of our mother in the bottom under the clover, found our mother's liver at the bottom of the basket. The clover was on top of it.'' Thus spoke the Fawns to their grandfather. He asked them again, "Where is Bear?"

The Fawns replied, "She follows us. She comes. Yes, she comes."

Then Lizard, their grandfather, threw two large white stones into the fire. The Fawns sat by and watched him while he heated the two white stones. While he heated the stones, Bear came. She had followed the tracks of the Fawns to their grandfather's assembly house. Bear said to herself, "I think they went to their grandfather's." Meanwhile Lizard heated the white stones.

After looking around the assembly house, Bear called to Lizard, "Did the Fawns come here?" Lizard said, "Yes. Why?" "Well, I wish to take them home," said Bear. Lizard asked. "Why do you wish to take them home?" Then Bear replied, "I wish to take them home to their mother. Where is your door?"

Lizard told her that the door was on the north side of the assembly house. She ran to the north side, but found no door. She called again, "Where is the door?" "It is on the west side of my assembly house," said Lizard. Bear was very angry, but she ran to the west side of the house. She found no door there, so she asked again. Lizard said, "It is on the east side of my assembly house." Again she found no door, and she became exceedingly angry and asked him crossly, "Where is the door?" Lizard replied, "Run around the