[Footnote B: Wedding-cakes of the shape of pine cones.]
_The Sparrow and the Bush_
A SPARROW once flew down upon a bush and said:
"Little bush, give good little sparrow a swing."
"I won't!" said the little bush. Then the sparrow was angry, and went to
the goat and said:
"Goat, goat, nibble bush, bush won't give good little sparrow a swing."
"I won't!" said the goat.
Then the sparrow went to the wolf and said:
"Wolf, wolf, eat goat, goat won't nibble bush, bush won't give good
little sparrow a swing."
"I won't!" said the wolf.
Then the sparrow went to the people and said:
"Good people, kill wolf, wolf won't eat goat, goat won't nibble bush,
bush won't give good little sparrow a swing."
"We won't!" said the people.
Then the sparrow went to the Tartars:
"Tartars, Tartars, slay people, people won't kill wolf, wolf won't eat
goat, goat won't nibble bush, bush won't give good little sparrow a
swing." But the Tartars said:
"We won't slay the people!" and the people said:
"We won't kill the wolf!" and the wolf said:
"I won't eat the goat!" and the goat said:
"I won't nibble the bush!" and the bush said:
"I won't give the good little sparrow a swing."
"Go!" said the bush, "to the fire, for the Tartars won't slay the
people, and the people won't kill the wolf, and the wolf won't eat the
goat, and the goat won't nibble the bush, and the bush won't give the
dear little sparrow a swing."
But the fire also said:
"I won't!" (they were all alike)--"go to the water," said he.
So the sparrow went to the water and said:
"Come water, quench fire, fire won't burn Tartars, Tartars won't slay
people, people won't kill wolf, wolf won't eat goat, goat won't nibble
bush, bush won't give good little sparrow a swing."
But the water also said:
"I won't!" So the sparrow went to the ox and said:
"Ox, ox, drink water, water won't quench fire, fire won't burn Tartars,
Tartars won't slay people, people won't kill wolf, wolf won't eat goat,
goat won't nibble bush, bush won't give little sparrow a swing."
"I won't!" said the ox.
Then the sparrow went to the poleax and said:
"Poleax, poleax, strike ox, ox won't drink water, water won't quench
fire, fire won't burn Tartars, Tartars won't slay people, people won't
kill wolf, wolf won't eat goat, goat won't nibble bush, bush won't give
little sparrow a swing."
"I won't!" said the poleax.
So the sparrow went to the worms and said:
"Worms, worms, gnaw poleax, poleax won't strike ox, ox won't drink
water, water won't quench fire, fire won't burn Tartars, Tartars won't
slay people, people won't kill wolf, wolf won't eat goat, goat won't
nibble bush, bush won't give little sparrow a swing."
"We won't!" said the worms.
Then the sparrow went to the hen and said:
"Hen, hen, peck worms, worms won't gnaw poleax, poleax won't strike ox,
ox won't drink water, water won't quench fire, fire won't burn Tartars,
Tartars won't slay people, people won't kill wolf, wolf won't eat goat,
goat won't nibble bush, bush won't give little sparrow a swing."
"I won't!" said the hen, "but go to the sparrow hawk, he ought to give
the first push, or why is he called the pusher!"[C]
So the sparrow went to the sparrow hawk and said:
"Come, pusher, seize hen, hen won't peck worms, worms won't gnaw poleax,
poleax won't strike ox, ox won't drink water, water won't quench fire,
fire won't burn Tartars, Tartars won't slay people, people won't kill
wolf, wolf won't eat goat, goat won't nibble bush, bush won't give
little sparrow a swing."
Then the sparrow hawk began to seize the hen, the hen began to peck the
worms, the worms began to gnaw the poleax, the poleax began to hit the
ox, the ox began to drink the water, the water began to quench the fire,
the fire began to burn the Tartars, the Tartars began to slay the
people, the people began to kill the wolf, the wolf began to eat the
goat, the goat began to nibble the bush, and the bush cried out:
"Swing away, swing away, swi-i-i-i-ing!
Little daddy sparrow, have your fli-i-i-ing!"