WENONAH'S STORY OF THEIR MARVELLOUS ADVENTURES WITH AND DELIVERANCE FROM
THE BEARS--RODERICK'S COMMENTS.
It was wisely decided that, as the children were so exhausted, at least
a couple of days should be allowed to pass before they were asked to
give anything like a full account of their marvellous adventures.
Wenonah, of course, was the principal speaker, but Roderick often put in
some quaint remark, which gave additional interest to the story. Seated
in her father's arms, while Roderick monopolised those of his mother,
while Minnehaha and the boys, with some friends from the Fort and
mission, gathered round, Wenonah told in her own way the story of their
strange adventures:
"Roderick and I were to try and gather as many berries as Minnehaha; so
we took our rogans, and we went to where the berries were thickest, and
once we came back and emptied our dishes, and then we hurried away where
we had seen a good many. But we did not find as many there as we hoped,
and so we went on and on, and it took us a long time to fill our rogans,
and when we did we started to come back, but we did not find the way,
and so we hurried on and on. Then after a while we called, and called,
and nobody answered us. So Roddy and I said we would not cry. So we
hurried on and on, to try and get back. Then we came to some high
rocks, and we climbed up as high as we could, and when we called again
we thought we heard voices answering us from some other rocks, and so we
hurried over there, but there was nobody, and no voice. Then we pushed
on, and on, and soon we heard the thunder, but we never stopped, but
just tried to get back before the rain.
"Soon we left the rocky land, and went down a long hill where we saw a
little stream. This we crossed where the water was not deep.
"We wanted to get home, so we tried not to feel tired or to cry; but,
although we tried ever so hard, we could not find the way. We had held
on to our dishes, but now they were not half full, and so we stopped and
ate some of the berries. Soon after, it began to thunder very hard, and
there was lightning, and so we hurried up to some big trees, and while
we were standing under the branches, to be out of the rain, we saw one
old tree that was all hollow on one side, and as the rain was coming
down through the branches we went and got into this hollow tree. I had
Roderick go in first so that I could keep him dry, and I stood at the
outside."
Here Roderick spoke up and said:
"I wanted to stand on the outside because I was the boy, but Wenonah
said she had better because she was the biggest."
"Then," continued Wenonah, "as it soon got very dark, and none of you
came for us, we began to cry, and we could not help it, for there we
were all alone in that hollow tree in the dark.
"After a while a big owl in one of the trees began to call. I knew what
it was for Mustagan had taught me. At first Roddy said it was somebody
calling him."
Again Roddy, who was now nestling in his mother's arms, spoke up and
said:
"I thought it was somebody saying to me, `Who, who, who!' and I said,
`We are Roddy and Wenonah Ross, and we are lost.'
"Then, when it called again, it only said:--
"`Oo! oo! oo!' So then we knew what it was, as we had often heard it at
night here at home."
"We were glad to hear it," said Wenonah, "for all was now so dark and
lonely. We could not lie down; we just had to stand up there all night.
I held Roddy up as well as I could. Once we heard the cry of the wild
cat, and that made us keep very still. I must have nodded some, as I
leaned against the inside of that old tree, but it was an awful long
night, and we were glad when it was light enough to see. Then we left
that old hollow tree, and took up our dishes, and as we were very hungry
we went out among the berry-bushes and ate some of the berries. We were
careful to leave no tracks, because of that wild cat. We ate a lot of
berries, but we did miss our good breakfast at home. We filled our
dishes, and then started for home; but we could not find it. While we
were going on among the bushes we came out into a little opening, and
there were the two little bears. We thought at first they were two
little black dogs. They came right up to us, and when they sat up so
funnily on their little hind legs we saw they were bears, and of course
we were afraid.
"Then they came and smelled our baskets of berries, and as we held them
out to them they seemed very hungry, and at once began eating."
"But they were so greedy; they were worse than little piggies," said
little Roderick; "they made such funny little noises all the time they
were eating."
"But," continued Wenonah, "that sound of theirs seemed to call the old
bears, that we had not yet seen. They came rushing through the bushes,
and we were so frightened we could not even cry out or let go of our
baskets.
"When they rushed at us the little bears, that were between them and us,
seemed to think that all the old bears wanted to do was to get at the
berries too, and so they kept so funnily twisting their little bodies
between the old bears and us, while all the time they were eating the
berries. When the old bears saw this they stopped looking so fierce and
savage, and just sat down on their hind legs and looked at us feeding
their young ones.
"Then we began to wonder what would happen when the little bears had
eaten all the berries that were in our baskets.
"Little Roddy seemed to know just what to do; for as there were some
berries growing close to him, while he held his basket in one hand he
picked some more berries and fed them to the little bear. Then I did
the same to the one that had been eating out of my dish. Soon we began
moving slowly among the bushes for more berries, to find plenty for the
greedy little fellows, but we kept them as well as we could between the
old bears and us.
"As the old bears kept moving around we could not keep their little ones
between them and us very long, and so by and by they came close up to
us, but they did not now seem to be very angry. One of them got close
up to Roddy, and there he stood up and looked so big beside my little
brother that I almost screamed out, I was so frightened. But I did not
do it for fear he might hurt him. He only moved a little, and then he
came down again on all his four legs, and as he put his big mouth close
to him Roddy just put in it a handful of berries. After that there was
no more trouble with him except to get berries enough."
"Yes," said Roderick, "I just thought that if big bears like berries as
well as little bears perhaps they would rather have them than eat us
little children; so I just chucked that handful in his mouth, and he
just did like them."
"I was slower in making such good friends with the other bear,"
continued Wenonah, "because the little one I was feeding was such a
greedy little pig. He would not, for a long time, let me gather a
handful and give to the big bear that, once or twice, got so close to me
as to put its cold nose against my face. My! it made me shiver. But I
said in my heart, `I will be brave, for I want to save Roddy,'" and the
child's voice broke. "I did want to see my father, and my mother, and
Minnehaha again."
"But we did not cry here, did we?" said Roderick.
But the memory of that event was too great for them now, and throwing
themselves in each other's arms they burst out in a passionate fit of
weeping, that was so contagious no eyes remained dry in that group of
loved ones there gathered to hear their pathetic story.
When calm again Wenonah went on with the story:
"After a while the little ones had enough, and then they began wrestling
and playing with each other. They acted as if they wanted Roddy to play
with them, and I told him to do so, but not to hurt them, and perhaps
the old father and mother bears would not hurt us before we could run
away."
"Yes," said Roddy, "I had great times with them, but they always wanted
to wrestle with me more than any other kind of sport."
"I kept gathering berries," said Wenonah, "while Roddy played with the
young bears. The old ones kept me busy now and were just about as
greedy as the young ones had been.
"After a while I said to Roddy, `We must try and get away from here,'
for we did want to come home and see you all.
"We did not talk very much to each other, for our voices seemed to make
the bears angry. But we found that when we tried to get away they got
right in front of us and stopped us with their big bodies. This made me
feel very bad, but I did not tell Roddy. Some time early in the day I
heard some one calling, and I tried to answer, but one of the bears
struck me such a blow with one of his paws, and showed his dreadful
teeth in such a way, that I was so frightened that I dare not call
again."
Said little Roddy, once again: "When I saw that naughty bear hit my
sister with his paw I wanted to hit him with a stick."
"This voice of whatever it was seemed to frighten the bears, and so off
they started," said Wenonah, "and they made us go along with them. We
had to go; for if we stopped, or tried to go some other way, they
growled at us, and pushed us with their noses, and so we had to go with
them. Soon they came out of the bushes and crossed over the sand, and
went up on the other side into the dark woods. We were very much
afraid, but we whispered that we would not cry, but just be brave, for
we knew you would soon come and fight those great big bears.
"The way the bears made us go was this. One big bear went on before,
then the little ones followed next, then they made Roddy and me follow
next. We had to do it, for just behind us was the other big bear, and
he would growl at us if we did not just walk right along.
"Then, after we had travelled some time, we came out of the dark forest
among some, O, such big rocks, bigger than houses. Among them we had to
go, until we came to a dark opening like a big door, and into this we
had to go. It must have been the home of the bears.
"Roddy cried out, with fear, but the bears growled again and showed
their great teeth, and so we had to go in."
"I didn't want to go in," said the poor boy, as he put his arms around
the neck of his mother; "it was worse than a cellar, it looked so dark.
But the old bear behind just kept pushing me along with his nose, so I
had to go."
"It was not such a bad place after all," said Wenonah, "when we once got
into it. It seemed dark at first as we went in out of the sunshine; but
when we were in it, and looked back, there was a good deal of light. In
it were big piles of leaves and dry grass, and on them the bears soon
lay down. One of the big bears lay down between us and the door, so we
could not get out. We sat down by the little bears, and I whispered to
Roddy to be brave, for God would take care of us and our friends would
surely find us. Then we lay down on the dry grass and, being very
weary, soon went to sleep, with our arms around each other.
"How long we slept we knew not, but were suddenly roused up by the
little bears playing and tumbling over and around us. So we got up, and
the bears made us go back again across the sands into the berry-bushes,
and there we all ate berries, as there was nothing else to eat. The
little ones kept poking their noses into our hands, and thus begged us
to pick berries for them."
"The lazy little fellows," said Roderick, now smiling as he thought of
them; "little greedy piggies that never had enough."
"There we stayed in the bushes," said Wenonah, "until nearly night, and
then they made us go back again with them in the same way to the same
place. It seemed so dreadful to have to spend the night in that place
with those wild bears; but we whispered, `We will be brave,' and so we
lay down between the little bears, for in some way or other we felt the
little ones were our best friends, and it was because of them the old
ones did not kill us.
"I thought we could never spend the night in such a place, but we did.
We just whispered our prayers as there we lay, and ended with, `Now I
lay me down to sleep.' And sleep we did until the little bears woke us
up again the next morning.
"The old bears were now so friendly that they let us pat them, and so I
thought that perhaps they would let us go; and so, when we came to the
sand, I whispered to Roddy, `Let us try and get away.' But those wicked
bears would not let us go; for when we tried to go along the sand in one
direction one of the big bears got in our way and made us go back; then
we tried to go the other way, and they stopped us there. I now felt
that we were like prisoners, and that we had to go with them. They led
us again into the berry-bushes, and Roddy and I ate a good many, for we
were very hungry, and the little bears teased us so much we had to pick
a lot for them. It was when I was feeling the worst, and fearing that
perhaps they would never let us leave them, that I heard the bird note.
O, how sweet it sounded! For I knew it was from Mustagan, and that it
meant we would soon be free. But I saw that the bears had heard it, and
were very uneasy, as they had been at all sounds. For a time they
stopped eating berries and stood up and listened. However, when it came
again and again, so bird-like, they lost their fear and again began
eating the berries."
Said Wenonah: "I was afraid to answer, for the bears had always been so
angry at us when we made any noise; but I knew that sweet call meant
rescue and home, and must be answered, and so, while putting a big
handful of berries in the mouth of the fiercest old bear, I gave the
answering call. Then came the reply.
"I must have been trembling, for in my reply I shook in my voice, and
the bears were angry and growled at me. How ever, I knew I could
correctly give the owl call which Mustagan knew was our signal of
danger. So when I passed behind a tree I gave it as loud as I could, as
though from an owl in the tree above me. When all was right again I
gave the robin song, and you all know the rest."