Book: Hill, K. Glooscap and His Magic: Legends of the Wabanaki Indians. 1973
Story: Rabbit Calls a Truce
Characters: Ableegumooch (rabbit), Keoonik (otter), Uskoos (weasel), Abukcheech (mouse), Penobscot Indians
Plot 1: Rabbit and Keoonik the Otter used to trick each other. One day, rabbit stole otter's eels. Otter chased rabbit through snow and found only an old woman sitting by fire. He asked if she saw rabbit; she asked what a rabbit was, then said no and asked him to get wood for her fire. When he came back with the wood, he saw rabbit's footprints! Otter saw rabbit with Penobscot Indians in their village; then, when rabbit returned to the woods, he hit rabbit on the head, but rabbit said the Indians were starving because someone was stealing their food.
Plot 2: Then rabbit and otter decided to find who had been stealing the Indians' food. They saw Uskoos the weasel and Abukcheech the mouse, who were always up to no good; they also promised the Indian chief they would find the thieves. Rabbit and otter spy on the weasels and mice and hear about their plans to conquer the Indians with the help of larger animals. Uskoos sneezed, and they were caught. Rabbit pretended to join their cause, pretending to know where the Indians stored their food. Rabbit led a stampede of weasels and mice to the edge of a cliff and in their rush they plunged off. Then rabbit and otter went back to their usual tricks which were all in good fun, not like the mice and weasels.
illustration by Robert Frankenberg
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