APACHE STORY

THE BOY AND THE RATTLESNAKE:

Told by: Joseph Bruchac

Once there was a boy who was very soft-hearted. One morning, as he was walking along he saw a rattlesnake by the side of the road. There had been an early frost the night before and the snake had been caught out in it. The snake was stiff with cold. The boy stopped to look at it, feeling sorry for the snake. Then a wonderful thing happened. The snake opened up its mouth and spoke to him.

"Help me," the rattlesnake said in a pitiful voice. "Pick me up, warm me or I will die."

"But if I pick you up, you will bite me," the boy said.

"No," said the snake, "I will not bite you. Pick me up, hold me close to you and warm me or I will die."

So the boy took pity on the snake. He picked it up. He held it close to him so that it would be warmed by his body. The snake grew warmer and less stiff and then, suddenly, it twisted in the boy's hands and--------WHAH!

It bit the boy on his arm. The boy dropped the snake and grasped his arm.

"Why did you bite me?" the boy asked, then he said, "You said you would not bite me if I picked you up."

"That is so," said the snake, "but when you picked me up, you knew I was a rattlesnake."

<>THE END<>