fast as they fell, before the Terrapin could reach them. The 'Possum watched his chance and at last managed to throw down a very large persimmon, which stuck in the Wolf's throat and choked him to death.
"I'll cut his ears off for hominy spoons," said the Terrapin, and having done so, started for home with them, leaving the 'Possum still eating persimmons up the tree. After a while the Terrapin came to a house and was invited in to have some hominy gruel from the jar that is always set outside the door. He sat down beside the jar and dipped up the gruel with one of the Wolf's ears for a spoon. The people noticed and wondered. When he had eaten enough, he went on, and soon came to another house and was asked to have some more hominy. He dipped it up again with the wolf's ear and went on when he had had enough. Soon the news spread that the Terrapin had killed the Wolf and was using his ears for spoons. Accordingly all the Wolves gathered together and followed the Terrapin's trail until they came up with him and made him prisoner. Then they held a council to decide what to do with him, and agreed to boil him in a clay pot. They brought in the pot; but the Terrapin only laughed at it and said that if they put him into that thing, he would kick it all to pieces. Then they said that they would burn him in the fire, but the Terrapin laughed again and said that he would put the fire out. Then they decided to throw him into the deepest hole in the river and drown him. This time the Terrapin did not laugh, but begged and begged them not to do such a dreadful thing. But the Wolves paid no attention to his prayers, but dragged him down to the river and threw him in. This was just what the Terrapin had been waiting for all the time, and he dived into the water and came up on the other side of the river and got safely away.
(From Myths of the Cherokee, by James Mooney.)
