🧚 The Revenge of the Fawns · page 2

Again she asked him the same question, more snappishly, but he only howled and groaned.75 Then she was very angry, and showed her big teeth as she said:76

“I don’t care about your ‘_Mm-m-páh!77 Mm-m-páh!78 _’ Tell me if you saw those Fawns, or I’ll eat you this very now!”79

“Fawns?80 _Fawns?81 _” groaned the Coyote--“I have been wandering with the toothache ever since the world began.82 And do you think I have had nothing to do but to watch for Fawns?83 Go along, and don’t bother me.”84

So the Wolf, who was growing angrier all the time, went hunting around till she found the trail, and set to running on it as fast as she could go.85

By this time the Fawns had come to where two Indian boys were playing _k’wah-t’hím_[95] with their bows and arrows, and said to them:86

[95] A sort of walking archery.87

“Friends boys, if an old Wolf comes along and asks if you have seen us, don’t tell her, will you?”88

The boys promised that they would not, and the Fawns hurried on.89 But the Wolf could run much faster, and soon she came to the boys, to whom she cried gruffly:90

“You boys! did you see two Fawns running this way?”91

But the boys paid no attention to her, and went on playing their game and disputing: “My arrows nearest!”92 “No; mine is!”93 “’T ain’t!94 Mine is!”95 She repeated her question again and again, but got no answer till she cried in a rage:96

“You little rascals!97 Answer me about those Fawns, or I’ll eat you!”98

At that the boys turned around and said:99

“We have been here all day, playing _k’wah-t’hím_, and not hunting Fawns.100 Go on, and do not disturb us.”101

So the Wolf lost much time with her questions and with finding the trail again; but then she began to run harder than ever.102

In the mean time the Fawns had come to the bank of the Rio Grande, and there was _P’ah-chah-hlóo-hli_, the Beaver, hard at work cutting down a tree with his big teeth.103 And they said to him very politely:104

“Friend Old-Crosser-of-the-Water, will you please pass us over the river?”105

The Beaver took them on his back and carried them safely across to the other bank.106 When they had thanked him, they asked him not to tell the old Wolf about them.107 He promised he would not, and swam back to his work.108 The Fawns ran and ran, across the plain, till they came to a big black hill of lava that stands alone in the valley southeast of Tomé.109

AND ARROWS.]110

“Here!” said one of the Fawns, “I am sure this must be the place our mother told us about, where the Trues of our people live.111 Let us look.”112

And when they came to the top of the hill, they found a trap-door in the solid rock.113 When they knocked, the door was opened and a voice called, “Enter!”114 They went down the ladder into a great room underground; and there they found all the Trues of the Deer-people, who welcomed them and gave them food.115

When they had told their story, the Trues said:116

“Fear not, friends, for we will take care of you.”117

And the War-captain picked out fifty strong young bucks for a guard.118

By this time the Wolf had come to the river, and there she found the Beaver hard at work and grunting as he cut the tree.119

“Old man!” she snarled, “did you see two Fawns here?”120

But the Beaver did not notice her, and kept on walking around the tree, cutting it and grunting, “_Ah-oó-mah!121 Ah-oó-mah!122

She was in a terrible rage now, and roared:123

“I am not talking ‘_Ah-oó-mah!124 _’ to you.125 I’m asking if you saw two Fawns.”126

“Well,” said the Beaver, “I have been cutting trees here by the river ever since I was born, and I have no time to think about Fawns.”127

The Wolf, crazy with rage, ran up and down the bank, and at last came back and said:128

“Old man, if you will carry me over the river I will pay you; but if you don’t, I’ll eat you up.”129

“Well, wait then till I cut around the tree three times more,” said the Beaver; and he made her wait.130 Then he jumped down in the water and took her on his neck, and began to swim across.131 But as soon as he came where the water was deep, he dived to the bottom and stayed there as long as he could.132

“Ah-h-h!” sputtered the Wolf when he came to the surface.133 As soon as the Beaver got a breath, down he went again; and so he kept doing all the way across, until the Wolf was nearly drowned--but she clung to his neck desperately, and he could not shake her off.134

When they came to the shore the old Wolf was choking, coughing, and crying, and so mad that she would not pay the Beaver as she had promised--and from that day to this the Beaver will never again ferry a Wolf across the river.135

Presently she found the trail, and came running to the hill.136 When she knocked on the trap-door a voice from within called, “Who?”137

“Wolf-woman,” she answered as politely as she could, restraining her anger.138

“Come down,” said the voice, and hearing her name the fifty young Deer-warriors--who had carefully whetted their horns--stood ready.139 The door flew open, and she started down the ladder.140 But as soon as she set her foot on the first rung, all the Deer-people shouted:141

“Look what feet!”142 For, though the Deer is so much larger than the Wolf, it has smaller feet.143

At this she was very much ashamed, and pulled back her foot; but soon her anger was stronger, and she started down again.144 But each time the Deer-people laughed and shouted, and she drew back.145

THEM THE WOLF DROPPED THE SPOONFUL OF SOUP.”]146

At last they were quiet, and she came down the ladder.147 When she had told her story the old men of the Deer-people said:148

“This is a serious case, and we must not judge it lightly.149 Come, we will make an agreement.150 Let soup be brought, and we will eat together.151 And if you eat all your soup without spilling a drop, you shall have the Fawns.”152

“Ho!” thought the Wolf.153 “_That_ is easy enough, for I will be very careful.”154 And aloud she said: “It is well.155 Let us eat.”156

So a big bowl of soup was brought, and each took a _guayave_[96] and rolled it like a spoon to dip up the soup.157 The old Wolf was very careful, and had almost finished her soup without spilling a drop.158 But just as she was lifting the last sup to her mouth the Fawns appeared suddenly in the door of the next room, and at sight of them she dropped the soup in her lap.159

[96] An Indian bread made by spreading successive films of blue corn-meal batter on a flat hot stone.160 It looks more like a piece of wasp’s nest than anything else, but is very good to eat.161

“She spilled!” shouted all the Deer-people, and the fifty chosen warriors rushed upon her and tore her to pieces with their sharp horns.162

That was the end of the treacherous Wolf; and from that day the Wolf and the Deer have been enemies, and the Wolf is a little afraid of the Deer.163 And the two Fawns?164 Oh, they still live with the Deer-people in that black hill below Tomé.165

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