90 Nature Myths and Stories.

day and all night I must dip the water from the
sea.

“I hope soon to bale it dry.

“IT must save my darlings even if I spoil my tail.” 4

Shiva stooped and with his great hand stroked
the little squirrel.

On the geloori’s soft fur from his nose to the end
of his tail, there came four green stripes! They
were the marks of Shiva’s fingers, placed there as
signs of love.

Shiva raised ‘his hand, and the water rolled back
from the shore. Safe among the rocks and sea-
weeds, the palm tree lay on dry land.

The little squirrel hastened to it; his tail was now
high in the air. He found his wife and children
dry and well in their house of woven grass-blades.

As they sang their welcomes to him, the geloori
noticed with delight that each smooth little back
was striped with marks of Shiva’s fingers.

This sign of love is still to be seen upon the back
of chipmunks.

That is the reason why in India, good men never
kill them.

A'man who loves both children and chipmunks
says, whenhe tells this story, “Perhaps our squirrels,
though Shiva never stroked them, would be grate-
ful if we left them, unharmed, to play inthe maples
in our woods.