Atondido Stories
I have a bad cough and I sometimes moan because of the pain in
my face and head and I do not wish to disturb him."
And the old giant woman answered, "He slumbers too well.
When we sleep we both snore loudly, and when you hear us
snoring you may cough as much as you please, for then you will
know that we are sound asleep." Then the man and his witch
wife went away.
When the giants came home, Rabbit pretended to be fast
asleep. They brought back with them much food which they hid
in a secret place at the side of the cave. Rabbit watched them
through the holes in the old shawl around his head. Soon they
went to bed, drowsy after their fat meal. When Rabbit heard
them snoring loudly like a great waterfall, "chr-r-r, chr-r-r," he
arose very quietly and crept softly to their bedside. With two
blows of his axe he killed the giant and his wife, one after the
other. Then he ran away as fast as he could, carrying with him
his old dress and hat and shawl, for he thought he might need
them again.
In the morning he went to the Chief's house and told the
Chief what he had done. The Chief laughed scornfully and he
would not believe it until Rabbit brought him to the cave and
showed him the slain giants cold and stiff in their bed. The
Chief's men then took back to the village the great store of food
the giants had hidden in the secret place. But the Chief and his
warriors, although they were glad to be rid of the thieves, were
angry at heart because Rabbit whom they had laughed at had
done what they had failed to do, for they were very jealous of
Rabbit's power.
One day soon afterwards the Chief called all the birds and
the animals to a council, and he said, "Now that the giants who
robbed us of our food are dead and gone, and that we shall
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