Atondido Stories
Rabbit and the Moon-Man
Once, long ago, Rabbit lived with his old grandmother deep in
the Canadian forest, far from all other people. He was a great
hunter, and all around, far and near, he laid snares and set traps
to catch game for food. It was winter, and he caught many little
animals and birds. He brought them home daily to feed himself
and his old grandmother, and he was well pleased with his suc-
cess. But after some weeks had passed he was unable to catch
any game. He always found his traps and snares empty, alt-
hough many tracks were always around them, and there were
many signs that animals were prowling about. He knew then
that he was being robbed nightly, and that a thief was pilfering
his traps. It was very cold and the snow lay deep in the forest,
and Rabbit and his old grandmother were in dire need of food.
Every morning Rabbit rose very early and hurried off to his
traps, but always he found them empty, for the thief had been
ahead of him. He was greatly puzzled, for he could not think
who the thief was.
At last one morning, after a new fall of snow, he found the
mark of a long foot near his traps, and he knew it was the foot of
the game-robber. It was the longest foot-print he had ever seen,
long and narrow and very light, like a moonbeam. And Rabbit
said, "Now I shall rise earlier in the morning, and I shall go to
my traps ahead of the thief and take my game, so that they will
all be empty when he comes." Each morning he rose earlier to
catch the thief, but the man of the long foot was always there be-
fore him, and his game was always gone. No matter how early
Rabbit got up, the thief was always ahead of him and his traps
were always empty.
So Rabbit said to his old grandmother, "The man of the long
foot, who robs my traps, is always up ahead of me, no matter
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