<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2>WHY THE DEER HAS BLUNT TEETH</h2>
<p class="subtitle">Cherokee</p>
<p><span class="dropcap">O</span>ne day after the race which they did not run,
Rabbit stretched a large grapevine across the
trail, gnawing it nearly in two in the middle.
Then he went back on the trail, took a run, and jumped
up at the vine. He did this again and again. At last
Deer came along and asked him to tell what he was
doing.</p>
<p>“Don’t you see?” said Rabbit. “I’m so strong I
can bite through that grapevine at one jump.”</p>
<p>Deer said, “Do it.” Rabbit ran back, made a long
leap, and bit through the vine where he had gnawed
it before.</p>
<p>Deer said, “Well, I can do it if you can.”</p>
<p>So Rabbit stretched a larger grapevine across the
trail but without gnawing it in the center. Deer ran
back as he had seen Rabbit do, made a spring, and
struck the grapevine right in the center. It only flew
back and threw him over.</p>
<p>Deer tried again and again, but he was only bruised
and hurt.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</SPAN></span>
“Let me see your teeth,” said Rabbit. They were
long like a wolf’s teeth but not very sharp.</p>
<p>“No wonder you cannot do it,” said Rabbit. “Your
teeth are too blunt to bite anything. Let me sharpen
them for you so they are like mine. My teeth are so
sharp I can cut through a stick just like a knife.”</p>
<p>And Rabbit showed Deer a black locust twig, of
which rabbits gnaw the young shoots, which he had
shaved off as well as a knife could do it.</p>
<p>So Deer let Rabbit sharpen his teeth. But Rabbit
got a hard stone with rough edges and ground down
the Deer’s teeth until they were blunt.</p>
<p>“Now try it,” said Rabbit to Deer. So Deer tried
it again, but he could not bite at all.</p>
<p>“Now you’ve paid for your horns,” said Rabbit as
he sprang through the underbrush. That is why the
Deer’s teeth are blunt.</p>
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