The Wildcat once caught the Rabbit and was about to kill him, when
the Rabbit begged for his life, saying: "I'm so small I would make
only a mouthful for you, but if you let me go I'll show you where you
can get a whole drove of Turkeys." So the Wildcat let him up and went
with him to where the Turkeys were.
When they came near the place the Rabbit said to the Wildcat, "Now,
you must do just as I say. Lie down as if you were dead and don't move,
even if I kick you, but when I give the word jump up and catch the
largest one there." The Wildcat agreed and stretched out as if dead,
while the Rabbit gathered some rotten wood and crumbled it over his
eyes and nose to make them look flyblown, so that the Turkeys would
think he had been dead some time.
Then the Rabbit went over to the Turkeys and said, in a sociable
way, "Here, I've found our old enemy, the Wildcat, lying dead in the
trail. Let's have a dance over him." The Turkeys were very doubtful,
but finally went with him to where the Wildcat was lying in the
road as if dead. Now, the Rabbit had a good voice and was a great
dance leader, so he said, "I'll lead the song and you dance around
him." The Turkeys thought that fine, so the Rabbit took a stick to
beat time and began to sing: "Galagi'na hasuyak', Galagi'na hasuyak'
(pick out the Gobbler, pick out the Gobbler)."
"Why do you say that?" said the old Turkey. "O, that's all right,"
said the Rabbit, "that's just the way he does, and we sing about
it." He started the song again and the Turkeys began to dance around
the Wildcat. When they had gone around several times the Rabbit said,
"Now go up and hit him, as we do in the war dance." So the Turkeys,
thinking the Wildcat surely dead, crowded in close around him and
the old gobbler kicked him. Then the Rabbit drummed hard and sang
his loudest, "Pick out the Gobbler, pick out the Gobbler," and the
Wildcat jumped up and caught the Gobbler.