Why the Deer Has No Gall
Bright and early the next morning the
children were playing on the bank of "The
River That Scolds the Other," when Fine Bow
said:
"Let us find a Deer's foot, and
the foot of
an Antelope and look at them, for to-night
grandfather will tell us why the Deer has the
dew-claws, and why the Antelope has none."
"Yes, and let us ask mother if
the Deer has
no gall on its liver. Maybe she can show both
the liver of a Deer and that of an Antelope;
then we can see for ourselves," said Bluebird.
So they began to look about where the hides
had been grained for tanning; and sure enough,
there were the feet of both the antelope and
the deer. On the deer's feet, or legs, they
found the dew-claws, but on the antelope there
were none. This made them all anxious to
know why these animals, so nearly alike, should
differ in this way.
Bluebird's mother passed the children on her
way to the river for water, and the little girl
asked: "Say, mother, does the Deer have gall
on his liver?"
"No, my child, but the Antelope
does; and
your grandfather will tell you why if you ask
him."
That night in the lodge War Eagle placed
before his grandchildren the leg of a deer and
the leg of an antelope, as well as the liver of a
deer and the liver of an antelope.
"See for yourselves that this
thing is true,
before I tell you why it is so, and how it happened."
"We see," they replied, "and
today we found
that these strange things are true, but we don't
know why, grandfather."
"Of course you don't know why.
Nobody
knows that until he is told, and now I shall tell
you, so you will always know, and tell your
children, that they, too, may know.
"It was long, long ago, of course.
All these
things happened long ago when the world was
young, as you are now. It was on a summer
morning, and the Deer was travelling across
the plains country to reach the mountains on
the far-off side, where he had relatives. He
grew thirsty, for it was very warm, and stopped
to drink from a water-hole on the plains. When
he had finished drinking he looked up, and there
was his own cousin, the Antelope, drinking near
him.
"'Good morning, cousin,' said
the Deer.
'It is a warm morning and water tastes good,
doesn't it?'
"'Yes,' replied the Antelope,
'it is warm
today, but I can beat you running, just the
same.'
"'Ha-ha!' laughed the Deer--'you
beat me
running? Why, you can't run half as fast as
I can, but if you want to run a race let us bet
something. What shall it be?'
"'I will bet you my gall-sack,'
replied the
Antelope.
"'Good,' said the Deer, 'but let
us run to-
ward that range of mountains, for I am going
that way, anyhow, to see my relations.'
"'All right,' said the Antelope.
'All ready,
and here we go.'
"Away they ran toward the far-off
range.
All the way the Antelope was far ahead of the
Deer; and just at the foot of the mountains
he stopped to wait for him to catch up.
"Both were out of breath from
running, but
both declared they had done their best, and the
Deer, being beaten, gave the Antelope his sack
of gall.
"'This ground is too flat for
me,' said the
Deer. 'Come up the hillside where the gulches
cut the country, and rocks are in our way,
and I will show you how to run. I can't run
on flat ground. It's too easy for me.'
another race with you on your own ground, and
I think I can beat you there, too.'
"Together they climbed the hill
until they
reached a rough country, when the Deer
said:
"'This is my kind of country.
Let us run a
race here. Whoever gets ahead and stays
there, must keep on running until the other
calls on him to stop.'
"'That suits me,' replied the
Antelope, 'but
what shall we bet this time? I don't want to
waste my breath for nothing. I'll tell you--
let us bet our dew-claws.'
"'Good. I'll bet you my dew-claws
against
your own, that I can beat you again. Are you
all ready?--Go!'
"Away they went over logs, over
stones and
across great gulches that cut the hills in two.
On and on they ran, with the Deer far ahead
of the Antelope. Both were getting tired,
when the Antelope called:
"'Hi, there--you! Stop, you can
beat me.
I give up.'
 "So the Deer stopped and waited
until the
Antelope came up to him, and they both laughed
over the fun, but the Antelope had to give the
Deer his dew-claws, and now he goes without
himself. The Deer wears dew-claws and always
will, because of that race, but on his liver there
is no gall, while the Antelope carries a gall-sack like the other
animals with cloven hoofs.
"That is all of that story, but
it is too late
to tell you another tonight. If you will come
tomorrow evening, I will tell you of some trouble
that OLD-man got into once. He deserved it,
for he was wicked, as you shall see. Ho!"
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