o great bundles, one on either side of the donkey's
back; across them she put the travois net and threw into it the pots and
kettles and laid the skin tent across the donkey's back.

But no sooner done than the donkey began to rear and bray and kick. He
broke the tent poles and kicked the pots and kettles into bits and tore
the skin tent. The more he was beaten the more he kicked.

At last they told the grandmother. She laughed. "Did I not tell you the
donkey was for the children," she cried. "He knows the babies are
the chief's children. Think you he will be dishonored with pots and
kettles?" and she fetched the children and slung them over the donkey's
back, when he became at once quiet again.

The camping party left the village and went on their journey. But the
next day as they passed by a place overgrown with bushes, a band of
enemies rushed out, lashing their ponies and sounding their war whoop.
All was excitement. The men bent their bows and seized their lances.
After a long battle the enemy fled. But when the camping party came
together again--where were the donkey and the two babes? No one knew.
For a long time they searched, but in vain. At last they turned to go
back to the village, the father mournful, the mother wailing. When they
came to the grandmother's tepee, there stood the good donkey with the
two babes in the saddle bags.

THE RABBIT AND THE ELK

The little rabbit lived with his old grandmother, who needed a new
dress. "I will go out and trap a deer or an elk for you," he said. "Then
you shall have a new dress."

When he went out hunting he laid down his bow in the path while he
looked at his snares. An elk coming by saw the bow.

"I will play a joke on the rabbit," said the elk to himself. "I will
make him think I have been caught in his bow string." He then put one
foot on the string and lay down as if dead.

By and by the rabbit returned. When he saw the elk he was filled with
joy and ran home crying: "Grandmother, I have trapped a fine elk. You
shall have a new dress from his skin. Throw the old one in the fire!"

This the old grandmother did.

The elk now sprang to his feet laughing. "Ho, friend rabbit," he called,
"You thought to trap me; now I have mocked you." And he ran away into
the thicket.

The rabbit who had come back to skin the elk now ran home again.
"Grandmother, don't throw your dress in the fire," he cried. But it was
too late. The old dress was burned.