The Possum and the Terrapin went out together to hunt persimmons and
found a tree full of ripe fruit. The Possum climbed it and was throwing
down the persimmons to the Terrapin when a wolf came up and began to
snap. The Possum waited his chance, and at last managed to throw down a large one. It lodged in the wolf's throat as he jumped up at it and choked him to death.
After a while he came to a house and was invited to have some gruel. He sat down
beside the jar and dipped up the gruel with one of the wolf's ears as a
spoon. Soon the news went around, that the Terrapin had killed the Wolf and was using his ears for spoons. The wolves came together and took Terrapin prisoner. They agreed to boil Terrapin in a pot.
They brought in a 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. They
said they would burn him in the fire, but the Terrapin laughed again and
said he would put it out.
Then they decided to throw him into the deepest hole in the river and
drown him. The Terrapin begged and prayed them not to do that, but they
paid no attention, and dragged him over to the river and threw him in.
That was just what the Terrapin had been waiting for all the time, and
he dived under the water and came up on the other side and got away.
Once the animals challenged the birds to a great ballplay, and the birds accepted. The captain of the animals was the Bear, who was so strong and heavy that he could pull down anyone who got in his way. The birds had the Eagle for their captain.
Bibliography
Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900).
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