n important message: everyone must
be married at once. So the chief called a great council of the people
and told them the message.

Every animal took a mate at once, and thus Rabbit got a wife.

But Possum traveled slowly. Therefore he reached the village so late
that all the men were married and there was no wife for him. Rabbit
pretended to be sorry. He said, "Never mind. I'll carry the same
message to the next village."

So Rabbit traveled ahead to the next village. He waited outside until
they invited him to the council lodge. There he told the chief he
brought an important message: there had been peace so long, there must
be war at once. The war must begin in the council lodge.

The animals all began to fight at once, but Rabbit got away in just
four leaps. Then Possum reached the lodge. Now Possum had brought no
weapons. So all the animals began to fight Possum. They hit him so
hard that after a while he rolled over in a corner and shut his eyes
and pretended to be dead. That is why Possum pretends to be dead when
he finds the hunters after him.

BOG MYTH

_Dakota_

Bogs are very mysterious. Strange things, with thick hair, remain at
the bottom of a bog. These things have no eyes, but they eat
everything which comes to them, and from their bodies water flows
always. When one of these Beings wishes, he changes his place of
abode. He lives at a new place. Then the old place where he lived
dries up; but a fresh spring of water gushes from his new lodge. The
water of this spring is warm in winter; but in summer it is as cold as
ice. Before one dares drink of it, he prays to the water, else he may
bring illness on himself for irreverence.

In the olden days, one of the Bog Beings was pulled out of a bog and
carried to the camp. A special tepee was built for him. But so much
water flowed all around that the people were almost drowned. Then
those who were not drowned offered him food. He sat motionless, gazing
at them. But the food vanished before they could see it go; and no one
saw the Bog Being eat it.

COYOTE AND SNAKE

_Omaha_

Coyote was going in a straight line across the prairie. While he was
seeking something, a person said suddenly, "Stop!" Coyote thought,
"Who can it be?"

He looked all around but saw no one. Then he walked on a few steps,
when some one said, "Walk around me!" Then Coyote saw it was Snake.

"Humph!" said Coyote. "When I walk here, I do not wish to walk around