Atondido Stories
Why the Tiger and the Stag Fear Each Other
Once upon a time there was a large handsome stag with great
branching horns. One day he said to himself, "I am tired of hav-
ing no home of my own, and of just living anywhere. I shall
build me a house." He searched on every hill, in every valley, by
every stream, and under all the trees for a suitable place. At last
he found one that was just right. It was not too high, nor too low,
not too near a stream and not too far away from one, not under
too thick trees and not away from the trees out under the hot
sun. "I am going to build my house here," he said, and he began
to clear a place for it at once. He worked all day and did not go
away until night.
Now in that same country there lived a large handsome tiger,
with sharp, sharp teeth and bright, cruel eyes. One day the tiger
said to himself, "I am tired of having no home of my own,—of
just living around anywhere! I shall build me a house." Accord-
ingly the tiger searched for a place to build his house. He
searched on every hill, in every valley, by every stream, and un-
der all the trees. At last he found a place which was just right. It
was not too high nor too low, not too near a stream and not too
far away from one, not under too thick trees and yet not away
from the trees out in the hot sun. The tiger said to himself, "I am
going to build my house here. The place is all ready for me for
there isn't very much underbrush here." He began at once and
finished clearing the place. Then it became daylight and he went
away.
At daylight the stag came back to do more work on his new
house. "H'm," he said when he looked at the clearing.
"Somebody is helping me. The place is cleared and ready for
me to build the foundation."
He began to work at once and worked all day. At night when
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