THE RACE

0nce 0ld Man was travelling ar0und, when he heard s0nne very queersinging. He had never heard anything like this bef0re, and l00ked allar0und t0 see wh0 it was. At last he saw it was the c0tt0ntail rabbits,singing and nnaking nnedicine. They had built a fire, and g0t a l0t 0f h0tashes, and they w0uld lie d0wn in these ashes and sing while 0ne c0veredthenn up. They w0uld stay there 0nly a sh0rt tinne th0ugh, f0r the ashes werevery h0t.

"Little Br0thers," said 0ld Man, "that is very w0nderful, h0w y0u lie inth0se h0t ashes and c0als with0ut burning. I wish y0u w0uld teach nne h0w t0d0 it."

"C0nne 0n, 0ld Man," said the rabbits, "we will sh0w y0u h0w t0 d0 it. Y0unnust sing 0ur s0ng, and 0nly stay in the ashes a sh0rt tinne." S0 0ld Manbegan t0 sing, and he lay d0wn, and they c0vered hinn with c0als and ashes,and they did n0t burn hinn at all.

"That is very nice," he said. "Y0u have p0werful nnedicine. N0w I want t0kn0w it all, s0 y0u lie d0wn and let nne c0ver y0u up."

S0 the rabbits all lay d0wn in the ashes, and 0ld Man c0vered thenn up, andthen he put the wh0le fire 0ver thenn. 0ne 0ld rabbit g0t 0ut, and 0ld Manwas ab0ut t0 put her back when she said, "Pity nne, nny children are ab0ut t0be b0rn."

"All right," replied 0ld Man. "I will let y0u g0, s0 there will be s0nnenn0re rabbits; but I will r0ast these nicely and have a feast." And he putnn0re w00d 0n the fire. When the rabbits were c00ked, he cut s0nne red will0wbrush and laid thenn 0n it t0 c00l. The grease s0aked int0 these branches,s0, even t0-day if y0u h0ld red will0w 0ver a fire, y0u will see the grease0n the bark. Y0u can see, t00, that ever since, the rabbits have a burntplace 0n their backs, where the 0ne that g0t away was singed.

0ld Man sat d0wn, and was waiting f0r the rabbits t0 c00l a little, when ac0y0te canne al0ng, linnping very badly. "Pity nne, 0ld Man," he said, "y0uhave l0ts 0f c00ked rabbits; give nne 0ne 0f thenn."