<h2><SPAN name="VI" id="VI"></SPAN>VI</h2>
<h2>Why the Tiger and the Stag<br/> Fear Each Other</h2>
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<p>nce upon a time there was a large handsome stag with great branching
horns. One day he said to himself, "I am tired of having no home of my
own, and of just living anywhere. I shall build me a house." He
searched on every hill, in every valley, by every stream, and under
all the trees for a suitable place. At last he found one that was just
right. It was not too high, nor too low, not too near a stream and not
too far away from one, not under too thick trees and not away from the
trees out under<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_62" id="Page_62"></SPAN></span> the hot sun. "I am going to build my house here," he
said, and he began to clear a place for it at once. He worked all day
and did not go away until night.</p>
<p>Now in that same country there lived a large handsome tiger, with
sharp, sharp teeth and bright, cruel eyes. One day the tiger said to
himself, "I am tired of having no home of my own,—of just living
around anywhere! I shall build me a house." Accordingly the tiger
searched for a place to build his house. He searched on every hill, in
every valley, by every stream, and under all the trees. At last he
found a place which was just right. It was not too high nor too low,
not too near a stream and not too far away from one, not under too
thick trees and yet not away from the trees out in the<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_63" id="Page_63"></SPAN></span> hot sun. The
tiger said to himself, "I am going to build my house here. The place
is all ready for me for there isn't very much underbrush here." He
began at once and finished clearing the place. Then it became daylight
and he went away.</p>
<p>At daylight the stag came back to do more work on his new house.
"H'm," he said when he looked at the clearing. "Somebody is helping
me. The place is cleared and ready for me to build the foundation."</p>
<p>He began to work at once and worked all day. At night when the
foundation was laid, he went away.</p>
<p>At night the tiger came to work at his new house. "H'm," he said when
he looked at it. "Somebody is helping me.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_64" id="Page_64"></SPAN></span> The foundations of my house
are all laid." He began to work at once and built the sides of the
house. He worked all night and went away at daybreak, leaving the
house with the sides completed. There was a big door and a funny
little window in the side.</p>
<p>At daybreak the stag came back to work on his house. When he saw it he
rubbed his eyes for he thought that he must be dreaming. The sides of
the house were completed with a big door and a funny little window.
"Somebody must surely be helping me," he said to himself as he began
to work to put on the roof. He worked hard all day and when the sun
went down, there was a roof of dried grass on the house. "I can sleep
in my own house to-night," he said. He made his bed<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_65" id="Page_65"></SPAN></span> in the corner and
soon was sound asleep.</p>
<p>At night the tiger came back to work on his new house. When he saw it
he rubbed his eyes for he thought that he must be dreaming. There was
a roof of dried grass on the house.</p>
<p>"Somebody must surely be helping me," he said to himself as he entered
the door. The first thing he saw when he entered the door was the stag
sound asleep in his bed in the corner. "Who are you and what are you
doing in my house?" he said in his deepest voice.</p>
<p>The stag woke up with a start. "Who are you and what are you doing in
my house?" said the stag in his deepest voice.</p>
<p>"It is not your house. It is mine. I built it myself," said the
tiger.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_66" id="Page_66"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>"It is my house," said the stag. "I built it myself."</p>
<p>"I made the clearing for the house," said the tiger, "I built the
sides and made the door and window."</p>
<p>"I started the clearing," said the stag. "I laid the foundations and
put on the roof of dried grass."</p>
<p>The stag and the tiger quarrelled all night about whose house it was.
At daybreak they decided that they would live together there.</p>
<p>The next night the tiger said to the stag, "I'm going hunting. Get the
water and have the wood ready for the fire. I shall be almost famished
when I return."</p>
<p>The stag got the wood and water ready. After a while the tiger came
back. He brought home for dinner a great handsome<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_67" id="Page_67"></SPAN></span> stag. The stag had
no appetite at all and he didn't sleep a wink that night.</p>
<p>The next day the stag said that he was going hunting. He told the
tiger to have the wood and water ready when he got back. The tiger got
the wood and water ready. By and by the stag came back bringing with
him the body of a great tiger.</p>
<p>"I am nearly famished," said the stag. "Let's have dinner right away."
The tiger hadn't any appetite at all and he could not eat a mouthful.</p>
<p>That night neither the tiger nor the stag could sleep a wink. The
tiger was afraid the stag would kill him if he shut his eyes for a
minute, and the stag was afraid the tiger would kill him if he slept
or even pretended<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_68" id="Page_68"></SPAN></span> to be asleep. Accordingly he kept wide awake too.</p>
<p>Toward morning the stag got very cramped from keeping in one position
so long. He moved his head slightly. In doing this his horns struck
against the roof of the house. It made a terrible noise. The tiger
thought that the stag was about to spring upon him and kill him. He
made a leap for the door and ran out of it as fast as he could. He ran
and ran until he was far, far away from the house with the roof of
dried grass.</p>
<p>The stag thought that the tiger was about to spring upon him and kill
him. He, too, made a leap for the door and ran and ran until he was
far, far away from the house with the roof of dried grass. The tiger
and the stag are still running<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_69" id="Page_69"></SPAN></span> away from each other until this very
day.</p>
<p>The house with the roof of dried grass waited and waited there in the
place which was neither too high nor too low, too near the river nor
too far away, not under too thick trees nor out in the hot sun. It
waited and waited until it go so tired it fell down in a heap.</p>
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<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_73" id="Page_73"></SPAN></span></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/image_007.jpg" width-obs="525" height-obs="332" alt="HOW THE SPECKLED HEN GOT HER SPECKLES" /></div>
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