Native American Legends
How the Wildcat caught the Gobbler
A Cherokee Legend
The Wildcat once caught the Rabbit and was about to kill him, when
the Rabbit begged for his life, saying: "I'm so small I would
make only a mouthful for you, but if you let me go I'll show you
where you can get a whole drove of Turkeys."
So the Wildcat let him up and went with him to where the Turkeys
were.
When they came near the place the Rabbit said to the Wildcat, "Now,
you must do just as I say. Lie down as if you were dead and don't
move, even if I kick you, but when I give, the word jump up and
catch the large stone there."
The Wildcat agreed and stretched out as if dead, while the Rabbit
gathered some rotten wood and crumbled it over his eyes and nose
to make them look flyblown, so that the Turkeys would think he had
been dead some time.
Then the Rabbit went over to the Turkeys and said, in a sociable
way, "Here, I've found our old enemy, the Wildcat, lying dead
in the trail. Let's have a dance over him."
The Turkeys were very doubtful, but finally went with him to where
the Wildcat was lying in the road as if dead.
Now, the Rabbit had a good voice and was a great dance leader,
so he said, "I'll lead the song and you dance around him."
The Turkeys thought that fine, so the Rabbit took a stick to beat
time and began to sing: "Gälägi'na hasuyak', Gälägi'na
hasuyak' (pick out the Gobbler, pick out the Gobbler)."
"Why do you say that?" said the old Turkey. "O,
that's all right," said the Rabbit, "that's just the way
he does, and we sing about it."
He started the song again and the Turkeys began to dance around
the Wildcat. When they had gone around several times the Rabbit
said, "Now go up and hit him, as we do in the war dance."
So the Turkeys, thinking the Wildcat surely dead, crowded in close
around him and the old gobbler kicked him. Then the Rabbit drummed
hard and sang his loudest, "Pick out the Gobbler, pick out
the Gobbler," and the Wildcat jumped up and caught the Gobbler.
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