e ashes and sing, and another
rabbit cover them up with ashes. They not stay there ver' long for cause
those ashes moch hot.

"Old Man say: 'Little brothers, that is wonderful how you lie down in
those hot ashes without burning. Show me how to do it.'

"Rabbits say: 'Come on, Old Man. We show you how. You got sing our song,
only stay in ashes little while.' So Old Man begin to sing, and he lie
down, and they cover him with ashes. Him not burn at all.

"He say: 'That is ver' nice. You sure got ver' strong medicine. Now I
want do it myself. You lie down, and I cover you up.'

"So rabbits all lie down in ashes, and Old Man cover them up. Then he
put the whole fire over them. Only one old rabbit get out. Old Man catch
her and go put her back, but she say: 'Pity me, my children soon be
born.'

"Old Man say: 'All right, I let you go, so there is plenty more rabbits
bam-bye. But I will cook these nicely and have a feast.' And he put more
wood on the fire. When those rabbits cooked nice, he cut red willow bush
and lay them on to cool. Grease soak into those branches; that is why
when you hold red willow to the fire you see grease on the bark. You can
see too, since that time, how rabbits got burnt place on their back.
That is where the one that got away was singed.

"Old Man sit down waitin' for rabbits to cool a little. His mouth is wet
for to taste them. Coyote come along limpin' ver' bad. Say: 'Pity me,
Old Man, you got plenty cooked rabbits, give me one.'

"Old Man say: 'Go along! You too lazy catch your dinner, I not help
you!'

"Coyote say: 'My leg broke. I can't catch not'ing. I starving. Just give
me half a rabbit.'

"Old Man say: 'I don't care if you die. I work hard to cook all these
rabbits. I will not give away. But I tell you what we do. We run a race
to that big hill way off there. If you beat me I give you a rabbit.'

"Coyote say: 'All right.' So they start run. Old Man run ver' fast.
Coyote limp along close behind. Then coyote turn round and run back very
fast. Him not lame at all. Tak' Old Man long tam to get back. Jus'
before he get there coyote swallow las' rabbit, and trot away over the
prairie with his tail up.

"That is the end."

Stonor laughed. "That's the kind of story I like. No cut and dried
moral!"

Mary never could be got to see anything funny in the stories she told.
Just what her attitude was towards them the whites could not guess.

"Give us another about Old Man," Stonor went o