Rabbit-Man

They said, “On ahead,” and indicated the spot. Rabbit went to Bear’s camp, and found only his sister (Bear’s wife) there. He saw much fat meat there. Without saying a word, he helped himself to the meat, and went back and fed his brothers. When Bear came home, he missed the meat, but said nothing. As he changed his moccasins, he thought of Rabbit. He knew that he had come, and he knew that he was a very clever man. Soon afterwards Rabbit appeared, and asked Bear if he had seen any moose or buffalo when hunting, and Bear replied that he had seen three. Rabbit proposed that they should go after them at once; but Bear said that he was too tired, and could not go until morning. At last Rabbit persuaded him to go that night. They chased the moose (or buffalo) and killed two. One ran off, and Rabbit went after it. He ran it down, killed it, and cached the meat in the snow.

On returning to Bear, he told him that he had failed to catch the runaway. Bear prepared to pack the two animals they had killed by tying them together, while Rabbit was to go ahead and break a trail for him to follow. Bear said, “My load is very heavy; break a good trail for me, and pick good easy ground.” Rabbit made a trail through bad places and straight up steep places. At last he went up a very steep place, and Bear became angry. He said to himself, “I will fix him when I get to camp!” When Bear reached the top of the declivity with his heavy load, his head was bent down, and he was out of breath. Rabbit hit him on the head with a club and killed him. He rolled over backwards with his heavy pack. Rabbit then returned to camp, and told his sister, “Your husband wants you to meet him. He is tired.” She answered, “No, my husband never yet asked me to meet him.” Rabbit persisted in the truth of his statement, and at last she went. He killed her at the same spot where he had killed her husband.

Rabbit now returned to his brothers, and took them to the place where he had cached the meat. There they camped, and cooked and ate much. Now, Bear-Man had many friends, and they came to take revenge. Rabbit gave each of his brothers a feather. He told them, if they were attacked, never to move or to say anything, but just to watch his eyes. He said, “While I sit, you sit; and when I get up, you get up.” The Bear people came and attacked the camp. Rabbit got up; his brothers did the same, and all changed into feathers. They blew away on the wind, and came down a long ways off, where they changed back to their natural forms and camped. Rabbit hunted and killed many moose, so they had plenty to eat. He said to his brothers, “Live here until I return. I am going to kill our enemies.”

Rabbit arrived at the camp of an old Bear-Man, who was sharpening sticks. He said to him, “Why are you making these sharp sticks?” and Bear answered, “To kill Rabbit-Man.” (Bear did not recognize Rabbit, for he had changed his appearance.) Rabbit asked old Bear-Man how he used the sticks, and the latter showed him. Rabbit took up the stick, and, pointing it at Bear’s head, said, “Oh, this way!” and then pierced him with it, killing him.

Rabbit went on to a camp of many people near a lake. Changing himself into a young rabbit, he sat down near the hole in the ice where the people got water. Some women carrying water saw him and caught him. They took him to camp and showed him to the other people, who thought it strange that there should be a young rabbit in the middle of winter. They all examined him, passing him from hand to hand. Wolverene was the last one to examine him. After looking at him very closely, he said, “Perhaps this is Rabbit-Man,” and threw him into the fire. Rabbit jumped out of the fire, and ran away as if lame. The people followed him, trying to catch him. He ran out in the middle of the lake, chased by the people. He made a gale of wind come and blow all the snow off the ice, which became so smooth and slippery that the people could not stand up. He then took a stick and killed one after another.

Wolverene had not followed him. He thought himself smart, and sat in the camp smiling to himself. Rabbit entered, and, striking him across the arms and legs, broke them. He put his body on a spit and set it up before the fire to bake. He then gathered all the children together, chinked up the brush lodge, and set fire to it. When all were burned up, he went home. This is how wars started among the Indians. At one time war was unknown. Rabbit introduced war, and the Indians imitated him. Since then there has been war among tribes and families. Had Rabbit not introduced war, people would know nothing of war now.

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