In the beginning, the Deer had no horns,
but his head was smooth just like a doe's.
He was a great runner
and the Rabbit was a great jumper, and the animals
were all curious to know which could go farther in the same time.
They talked about it a good deal,
and at last arranged a match between the two,
and made a nice large pair of antlers
for a prize to the winner.
They were to start together from one side of a thicket
and go through it,
then turn and come back,
and the one who came out first
was to get the horns.

On the day fixed all the animals were there,
with the antlers put down on the ground
at the edge of the thicket to mark the starting point.
While everybody was admiring the horns the Rabbit said:
"I don't know this part of the country;
I want to take a look through the bushes
where I am to run." They thought that was all right,
so the Rabbit went into the thicket,
but he was gone so long that at last the animals suspected
he must be up to one of his tricks.
They sent a messenger to look for him,
and away in the middle of the thicket he found the Rabbit gnawing down the bushes
and pulling them away until he had a road cleared
nearly to the other side.

The messenger turned around quietly and came back
and told the other animals.
When the Rabbit came out at last
they accused him of cheating,
but he denied it until they went into
the thicket and found the cleared road.
They agreed that such a trickster
had no right to enter the race at all,
so they gave the horns to the Deer,
who was admitted to be the best runner,
and he has worn them ever since.
They told the Rabbit that as he was
so fond of cutting down bushes
he might do that for a living hereafter,
and so he does to this day.

----------

free traditional native American history

Deer-Image © Joachim Grabau / Petras-Point - taken during a visit to the zoo "black mountains" - Hamburg/Germany