The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-31

descended It swallowed one with single
snap Of its jaws, and dived with him to
the bottom As soon as this man came
to his senses, he found that he was not
hurt, but it became so hot and close in
side the fSh's stomach that he nearly
smothered. AS he CROPPED about IN the
darkness his hands touched some mussel
shells, which the fish had swallowed.
Taking one OF these as knife. he cut
his way out But the juices in the great
ish's stomach scalded AZ the hair from
his head. causing him TO remain bald
ever afterwzrd.
According 10 Mr.. Mooney, in spite Of
their crude resemblance TO the Christian
Bible in many points. all OF these stories
are fabrics OF Cherokee mythology. WOW
en- before the arrival OF the whites among
them
The ethnologist's discovery Of many
animal stories, in which the rabbit fig
ures as a hero, superior 10 al other c-ea-
lures IN mischief and tricks, and in
which he illustrates the advantage Of
brains over bulk. leads him to suspect
that Uncle Regncs' now famous "Brer
Rabbit" had his true origin among the
Cherokees, and that he was banded
down by them to the southern negro.
II think" said he. that the Uncle
Remus stories are largely borrowed from
these Indians by the negro. This seems
reasonable when we consider that. be-
fore the removal of the greater number
Of the Cherokees to the west, there were
1000 negroes living among them in their
mountain territory, which covered sew
eral southern states Negroes are char
acteristically initiative, and fond Of
storytelling"
Br'er Rabbits short tail and split lip
are accounted for in this one Of the
many Cherokee stories in which the eth
nologist finds him. The animals had a
council to devise means to dispose OF
Flint, whom they all hated because he
had helped to kill so many OF them. All
were afraid save the rabbit the boldest
leader among them all. He entced Mr.
Flint to his house for supper After the
meal. and while Flint was sleeping upon
the grass outside the hole. Rabbit drove
wedge into him with rnallet The
blow caused a great explosion, during
which pieces of Flint few 3n all direc-
lions. While Rabbit was escaping 10 his
hole one fragment struck him behind and
trimmed off his tail. Inside his house he
sat listening until all seemed quiet again.
When he inquisitively put his head out
to look about another fragment struck
him upon the lip and split it. The ex-
plosion of his victim accounts for the
wide distribution of flint
Another story tells how Rabbit acquired
his gnawing propensities. \ race between
him and the Deer was arranged by the
animals, who offered a pair Of antlers 10
the victor. The contestants were TO start
together from one side Of a thicket, 60
through it and return. Previous to the
race Rabbit slyIy gnawed q hole through
the thicket and was caught in the act.
The horns were awarded 20 the Deer.
while Rabbit was compelled ever after
ward to earn his living by cutting down
bushes. But Rabbit, becoming jealous of
the Deer with his beautiful antlers, de-
Yised a revenge. He gnawed part way
through a grape vine and, umping at It.
pretended that he had severed il at one
bite. The Deer said that the task was
easy, so Rabbit produced a larger kline
Deer's efforts to bite it in twain were
futile, Rabbit. proposed that he file the
formers teeth TO make them sharp like
his own. The Deer consented and Rab-
bit filed them nearly to the gums. as they
have remained ever since. Now. you
have paid for your horns" said he. as he
escaped through the bushes.
A curious superstition Iof these people,
according to the ethnologist, pertains 10
a talismanic stone in the custody OF a
certain medicine man, who keeps it in a
deerskin bag hidden in a secret cave
Judging from descriptions, # is evidently
a large crystal Of transparent quartz
having e stripe OF rutil. which tho Chero-
KEGS believe to be vein of blood. and 20
replenish which they at certain intervals
sacrifice a deer and battle the talisman
with its gore. A long NEUROLOGICAL mar
ratve describes the heroic adventures OF
a man who hunted a monstrous serpent
in Georgia and obtained the sacred crys-
tai from It's head.
Another myth has II that the Indians OF
Macon county, North Carolina. were once
annoyed by giant yellow jacket. which
darted from its secret hiding place in the
mountains and bore away Httle children.
Some hunters tracked the monster 10 its
cave my means Of a long cord tied 10
yearling deer. which 1t carried of They
smoked the giant insect 10 death In Its
great nest, but its young escaped 20 IN
fest the earth a. they have done ever
since.
The peculiarities OF nearly all creatures
OF their territory are accounted for IN
various tales. many Of them as ingenious
as our common nursery yarns The mink,
for instance. was such a great thief. that
at last the animals held a council about
the matter Il was decided % burn him.
so they effected his capture and built
great fire into which they threw him.
As the blaze went up emitting the oaor
or roasted flesh. they decide1.that he had
been sufficiently punished 50 they took
him out OF the FIRE Bus the mink Tss
already burned black and has been 50
ever since. and whenever attacked or ex-
cited has the od7r % roasted meat The
lesson did TO good. however. and no IS
still as great thief az ever
The mole IS compelled 90 liver under
ground because OF the jealousy ~ BIS
brother animals. excited By a service Ee
once rendered a lover unable 90 wll tie
affection Of bis sweetheart The mole
burrowet underground % the mai3sa.s
house and stole her heart while sas gltEt
BRINGING u % her lover DE instructed
MIN % swallow it. which the scEnE
swain did. With the result THAI MS l9Fs
- .--.s-z T--e ~. a-r.sra -rrT had