wife was spending her time
loafing with a Snake.

"She ran away; ran to the Sun's lodge and left the Snake on the hill.
In no time the Sun had grabbed him. My, the Sun was angry! The big
Snake begged, and promised never to speak to the Moon again, but the
Sun had him; and he smashed him into thousands of little pieces, all of
different colors from the different parts of his painted body. The
little pieces each turned into a little snake, just as you see them
now, but they were all too small for the Moon to notice after that.
That is how so many Snakes came into the world; and that is why they
are all small, nowadays.

"Our people do not like the Snake-people very well, but we know that
they were made to do something on this world, and that they do it, or
they wouldn't live here.

"That was a short story, but to-morrow night I will tell you why the
Deer-people have no gall on their livers; and why the Antelope-people
do not wear dew-claws, for you should know that there are no other
animals with cloven hoofs that are like them in this.

"I am tired to-night, and I will ask that you go to your lodges, that I
may sleep, for I am getting old. Ho!"

WHY THE DEER HAS NO GALL

Bright and early the next morning the children were playing on the bank
of "The River That Scolds the Other," when Fine Bow said:

"Let us find a Deer's foot, and the foot of an Antelope and look at
them, for to-night grandfather will tell us why the Deer has the
dew-claws, and why the Antelope has none."

"Yes, and let us ask mother if the Deer has no gall on its liver.
Maybe she can show both the liver of a Deer and that of an Antelope;
then we can see for ourselves," said Bluebird.

So they began to look about where the hides had been grained for
tanning; and sure enough, there were the feet of both the antelope and
the deer. On the deer's feet, or legs, they found the dew-claws, but
on the antelope there were none. This made them all anxious to know
why these animals, so nearly alike, should differ in this way.

Bluebird's mother passed the children on her way to the river for
water, and the little girl asked: "Say, mother, does the Deer have gall
on his liver?"

"No, my child, but the Antelope does; and your grandfather will tell
you why if you ask him."

That night in the lodge War Eagle placed before his grandchildren the
leg of a deer and the leg of an antelope, as well as the liver of a
deer and the liver of an antelop