Atondido Stories
"I started the clearing," said the stag. "I laid the foundations
and put on the roof of dried grass."
The stag and the tiger quarrelled all night about whose house
it was. At daybreak they decided that they would live together
there.
The next night the tiger said to the stag, "I'm going hunting.
Get the water and have the wood ready for the fire. I shall be al-
most famished when I return."
The stag got the wood and water ready. After a while the
tiger came back. He brought home for dinner a great handsome
stag. The stag had no appetite at all and he didn't sleep a wink
that night.
The next day the stag said that he was going hunting. He told
the tiger to have the wood and water ready when he got back.
The tiger got the wood and water ready. By and by the stag
came back bringing with him the body of a great tiger.
"I am nearly famished," said the stag. "Let's have dinner right
away." The tiger hadn't any appetite at all and he could not eat a
mouthful.
That night neither the tiger nor the stag could sleep a wink.
The tiger was afraid the stag would kill him if he shut his eyes
for a minute, and the stag was afraid the tiger would kill him if
he slept or even pretended to be asleep. Accordingly he kept
wide awake too.
Toward morning the stag got very cramped from keeping in
one position so long. He moved his head slightly. In doing this
his horns struck against the roof of the house. It made a terrible
noise.
The tiger thought that the stag was about to spring upon him
and kill him. He made a leap for the door and ran out of it as fast
as he could. He ran and ran until he was far, far away from the
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