Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 January 1889 — Indian Fables. [ARTICLE]

Indian Fables.

The Indians of North America had a : large stock of stories resembling the fablesof vEsop. They are stories of animals, and many of them are in ! form as if told by anrnals, not unlike i Georgia negro stories popularized by 1 Uncle Remus. Mr. Gordon reports the following from New Brunswick: The clumsy butt rs all the other a imals was always Muween, the bear, and the cleverest were the panther, Shcks, and the fisher-marten, Pekquan, but these had not the same rank-with the tortoise, who, to my surprise, was considered the great lord and chief among the beasts, although his awkwardness and helplessness led him into many unpleasant and ludicrous positions. There was one very comical story of his going out hunting, drawn on a sled or toboggan by two moose. Of course he met with many misadventures. The boughs swept him off' his sled without its being perceived by his steeds; he got entangled in creepers, and finally his team became so tired of their load that they made a hole for him in the ice, and left him there. But, bv dint of subtlety, he shot the moose which they were in search of, while his companions returned emptyhanded. On another occasion he fell into the hands of enemies and escaped from them only by a series of clever stratagems.— Exchange.