indeed, Nanahboozhoo, you will do nothing of the kind. You have been
deceiving the other creatures, but in me you have found your match. You
cannot deceive me. And now, especially as you have threatened me, I will
always be on the watch for you.'

[Illustration: "Nanahboozhoo then mounted on the back of the great
buzzard."]

"Nanahboozhoo made no reply to this boastful speech, but he did a lot of
thinking, and he soon had his plans laid to teach Mr. Buzzard a lesson he
would never forget.

"Resuming his journey he pushed on as though nothing had happened.

"The buzzard was at first suspicious and watched him for some time. Then
seeing nothing unusual in his movements he flew away into the distant sky.

"Nanahboozhoo, in order to carry out his plan to punish the buzzard,
resolved to turn himself into a dead deer. He knew that the buzzard lived
on dead animals of all kinds. He chose a high spot, visible from a great
distance, and there he laid himself down and changed himself into the body
of a great deer. It was not long before the various animals and birds that
subsist on such things began to gather round this dead body.

"The buzzard, that has such wonderful eyes, to see great distances, saw
from afar this gathering of the birds and animals, and as he was ever on
the lookout for such things he soon joined the rest of the creatures around
the deer. He flew round and round it several times, for he was at first
somewhat suspicious. The closest inspection, however, showed him that it
was only a dead deer, and that was the unanimous opinion of all the other
animals and birds that gathered there. There could be no doubt in any
creature's mind but that it was a deer and that it was quite dead.

"The buzzard, now that all his suspicions were gone, in his great greed to
get the best he could savagely began, with his powerful beak, tearing a
hole in the side of the body that he might get down to the rich fat that is
around the kidneys. This is what those fierce, greedy birds always try to
get first. Deeper and deeper into the flesh he tore, until at length he was
able to crowd in his head and neck to reach the dainty morsels he so much
prized.

"This was just what Nanahboozhoo was waiting for, and when the head and
neck of the buzzard were completely hidden in the body up jumped the deer,
and as he did so the flesh closed up so tightly around the head and neck of
the buzzard that the greedy bird was there securely held.