A robin had its nest in a tree, and there were six pretty blue eggs in
the nest.
After a while the eggs broke open and out came six baby robins.
The father robin, whose name was Kaytak, thought them the most beautiful
birds in the world, and brought them fine worms and little bugs, and
watched over them very carefully.
One day a red fox came by, and looking up into the tree, saw Kaytak
standing by his nest.
“Hey, Robin,” called the fox, “I see you up there.”
“What do you want?” said the robin.
“Give me one of your little birds for breakfast,” said the fox.
“No, indeed,” said the robin. “I will not give you one of my babies.”
“Well,” said Red Fox, “you say ‘no.’ If you don’t drop down one to me
this minute, I will take them all.”
“You cannot get them,” said the robin.
[Illustration: “Looking up into the tree, saw Kaytak standing by his
nest”]
“Indeed I can,” said Red Fox. “I have an ax, and with my ax I will cut
that tree down and then eat up all your little robins.”
When the robin heard that he was terribly frightened. Then, rather than
lose all his babies, he took one of them in his beak and dropped it down
to the fox, who grabbed the little bird and ran away. After that Red Fox
came back twice and did as before, the poor father robin being afraid to
refuse to do what was asked. Trembling with fright and very sad, the
poor bird looked about for some one to help him. The only living thing
in sight was a crow flying by, and he called to him for help. The crow
flew down into the tree and said, “What is it you want?”
Then the robin told him all about the wicked red fox, and how there were
only three baby robins left, and that he feared the fox would get them
all.
The crow laughed. “Haw, haw! Red Fox thinks he is smart, but he is
really foolish. He fooled you, though. He really has no ax, and he could
not cut down this tree. When he comes again, you say to him, ‘I will
give you no more of my baby birds. You have no ax.’ If he says, ‘Who
told you that?’ you say, ‘Crow told me,’” and the crow flew away.
The next day Red Fox came back to the tree and demanded a little bird
for his breakfast.
“No, no, Mr. Red Fox,” said the robin. “No little bird any more for you
out of my nest.”
“You had better give me one quick,” said the fox, “or I will chop the
tree right down and eat them all.” But the robin felt very safe and
saucy now, so he sang a little song and said, “No, you won’t chop down
this tree, because you haven’t any ax, and you are not as smart as you
think you are, only foolish.”
“Who told you all that stuff?” asked the fox angrily. The robin sang
another teasing song, then said, “Crow told me all that—about the ax and
the ‘foolish’ and everything. So you had better get away, for you get no
more of my babies.”
Then the red fox was very angry indeed and went off swearing he would
get even with the crow for depriving him of the tender baby robins for
breakfast and calling him “foolish.” He vowed he would find that crow
and kill him.
Pretty soon the summer had passed, and winter with its short dark days
had come.
One cold, stormy morning Red Fox was walking about, wondering how he
could catch that crow. After thinking about it for a long time, he said,
“I know what I will do!” So he lay down in the snow and played “dead,”
for he knew that crows like to pick at dead animals.
After a while the crow came flying about, looking for food. He spied the
red fox lying there, and slowly flew down nearby. At first he was afraid
the fox was not really dead, but the fox lay very still. Then the crow
touched the fox a little with his beak. The fox did not move, and the
crow grew bolder.
“He is really dead,” said the crow, “and I will go around and have a
look at his eyes.”
He walked around the fox and started to peck his eyes, but when he came
near the head, Red Fox opened his big mouth and snapped, and snapped the
crow in it, tight as a trap.
Crow thought he would die of fright before the fox got a chance to eat
him, he was so scared, but Red Fox started up the mountain with Crow in
his mouth.
Then Crow gathered his wits together in spite of his terror, and tried
to think of some way he could get out of Red Fox’s mouth. “If I can only
make him open his mouth to talk,” thought Crow, “then I can get out.” So
he said, “O Fox, I know you are going to eat me, but I pray you tell me
one thing before I die. Which way is the wind blowing?”
“West wind,” said the fox, and opened his mouth very wide to say “West.”
Out flew Mr. Crow as fast as he could, much to the surprise of Red Fox.
As he flew away the crow lingered a little over the head of Red Fox.
“Haw, haw, Mr. Fox,” laughed he, “haw, haw! I saved myself from your
mouth. You cannot fool me. No animal can fool me.” Then he flew off
flapping his wings and laughing “Haw, haw!” Red Fox slunk away with his
tail dragging on the ground. He was very much ashamed of how the crow
had fooled him twice, and he did not like to be beaten, for he and Crow
are considered the two smartest animals at trickery and deceit; but no
one can beat the crow.