Native American Legends
The destruction of the Bear
A Jicarilla Apache Legend
An Apache boy, while playing with his comrades, pretended to be
a bear, and ran into a hole in the hillside. When he came out his
feet and hands had been transformed into bear's paws.
A second time he entered the den, and his limbs were changed to
the knees and elbows.
Four times he entered the den, and then came forth the voracious
cac-tla-yæ that devoured his former fellow-beings.
One day the bear met a fox in the mountains. "I am looking
for a man to eat," said Bear.
"So am I," said Fox, "but your legs are so big and
thick you cannot run very fast to catch them. You ought to allow
me to trim down those posts a little, so you can run as swift as
I."
Bear consented to have the operation performed, and Fox not only
cut the flesh from the legs of Bear, but also broke the bones with
his knife, thus killing the dreaded man-eater. Taking the leg bones
of Bear with him, he went to the home of the bear family, and there
found two other bears.
These monsters preyed upon the people, who were unable to kill
them, as they left their hearts at home when off on their marauding
expeditions.
Fox remained in hiding until the bears went away. When they ran
among the Indians, Fox responded to the cries for assistance, not
by flying to attack the bears, but by hastening to cut their hearts
in two.
The bears were aware that their hearts had been tampered with,
and rushed with all speed to rescue them, but fell dead just before
they reached Fox.
Thus Fox destroyed one of the most dreaded of man's enemies of
that primeval time.
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