Atondido Stories
he had to stop far from it. Then he approached nearer, but his
eyes soon became very sore. There was a stream flowing beside
him, and he bathed his eyes in the cold water, but it brought him
no relief, and his eyes felt hot and red, and tears fell from them
because of the dazzling light. Then he took great handfuls of
snow and threw snowballs at the light, hoping thereby to put it
out. But when the snowballs came near to the light they melted
and fell down like rain. Then, with his eyes still smarting, Rabbit
in his rage scooped up great handfuls of soft black mud from the
bottom of the stream, and forming it into balls, he threw them
with all his force at the white light. He heard them strike some-
thing with a dull thud, and he heard loud yells from the prison-
er—the man of the long foot—behind the shining light. Then a
voice came from the light, saying, "Why did you snare me?
Come and untie me at once. I am the Man in the Moon. It is near
to the morning, and before dawn I must be on my way home.
You have already spotted my face with mud, and if you do not
loose me at once I shall kill all your tribe."
Poor Rabbit was more frightened than before, and he ran
home and told his old grandmother what had happened. And
his grandmother was also very frightened, for she thought that
no good could come of it. And she told Rabbit to go back at once
and untie the Man in the Moon, for the night was almost spent,
and the dawn would soon be breaking. So poor Rabbit, trem-
bling in his fear, went back to his traps. From a great distance he
cried, "I will untie you if you will never again rob my snares, and
if you will never come back to earth." And the prisoner in the
trap promised, and said, "I swear it by my white light." Then
Rabbit approached very carefully. He had to shut his eyes and
grope his way because of the bright light, and his lip quivered
because of the great heat. At last he rushed in and cut the bow-
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