One very cold winter, when the ground was covered with snow and the
ponds and rivers were frozen hard, Reynard the Fox and all the other
animals went out to enjoy themselves by sliding and skating on the
ice. After a time Reynard began to feel hungry, so he wandered off by
himself in search of something to eat. He nosed about here, and he
nosed about there; he lay in wait behind bushes in the hope of being
able to catch a bird; he lurked by the walls of farmhouses ready to
spring out upon any unsuspecting chicken that might show itself, but
all in vain. The birds were wary, and the fowls were all safe in the
hen-houses.
[Illustration: "AFTER A TIME THE FISH WILL COME TO BITE AT IT"]
Disappointed with his lack of success Reynard betook himself to the
river, now covered with a glistening sheet of ice, and there, under
the shelter of a bank, he found a hole in the ice which had not been
frozen over. He sat down to watch the hole, and presently a little
fish popped up its head for a breath of air. Reynard's paw darted, and
the next moment the unfortunate creature lay gasping on the ice. Fish
after fish the fox caught in this way, and when he had quite satisfied
his hunger he strung the remainder on a stick and took his departure,
not forgetting first of all to offer up a prayer for the repose of his
victims.
He had not gone far before he met Mrs. Bruin, who had also come out in
search of something to eat. When she saw Reynard with his fine catch of
fish, she opened her eyes, I can tell you, and said: "Wherever did you
get all those fine fishes from, cousin? They make my mouth water! I am
so hungry that I could bite the head off an iron nail!"
"Ah," said Reynard slyly, "wouldn't you just like to know!"
"It is what I'm asking you," said Mrs. Bruin. "You would surely not be
so mean as to keep the good news to yourself!"
"I don't know so much about that," answered Reynard, "but I have a
certain fondness for you, cousin, so come along with me and I will show
you the place where I caught the fish."
Nothing loath, the bear followed, and presently they came to the hole
in the ice.
"Do you see that hole, cousin?" said Reynard. "That is where the fish
come up to breathe. All you have to do is to sit on the ice and let
your tail hang down into the water. After a time the fish will come to
bite at it, but don't you move. Sit quite still until the evening; then
you will find a score of fishes on your tail and you can pull them out
all together."
Mrs. Bruin was delighted with the plan and immediately sat down and
dipped her tail into the water.
[Illustration: "ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO SIT ON THE ICE"]
"That's the way," said Reynard. "Now I'll just be walking home to
see to my dinner, but I'll be back presently. Be careful to keep quite
still, or you'll spoil everything!"
So for the next three hours Mrs. Bruin sat on the ice with her tail
in the water, and very cold it was, but she consoled herself with the
thought of the delicious meal she would have when the fish were landed.
Late in the afternoon Reynard returned. "Well, cousin," said he, "how
do you feel?"
"Very cold," said Mrs. Bruin, with her teeth chattering. "My tail is so
numb that I hardly know I've got one!"
"Does it feel heavy?" asked Reynard anxiously.
"Very heavy," said Mrs. Bruin.
"There must be _hundreds_ of fish on it!" said Reynard. He left the
bank and walked round the bear, observing that the water in the hole
had frozen over, and that Mrs. Bruin's tail was held firmly in the ice.
"I think you may safely pull up now," he went on, "but you must be
careful to land all the fish together. There is only one way to do
that: you must give a strong, sharp, sudden pull and take them by
surprise. Now then, are you ready? One, two, three...!"
[Illustration: "ONE, TWO, THREE...!"]
At the word three Mrs. Bruin rose on her hind legs and gave a mighty
jerk, but her tail was so firmly embedded in the ice that it would not
come out.
"My word," cried Reynard, "you have caught the whole river-full.
Persevere, cousin--now then, a long pull and a strong pull!"
"Ouf!" grunted Mrs. Bruin, "ouf, ouf ... ah!" And then she suddenly
tumbled head over heels on the ice, as with one mighty jerk, she
snapped her beautiful bushy tail clean off close to the roots.
When she had gathered her scattered wits together well enough to
understand what had happened, she went to look for Reynard, but he had
suddenly remembered an important engagement elsewhere, and was not to
be found. And from that time down to this every bear has been born with
a little stumpy tail.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: MARGOT AND THE CAT]