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CANADIAN FAIRY TALES
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
CANADIAN WONDER TALES
With Illustrations in Colour by GEORGE SHERINGHAM
and a Foreword by Sir WILLIAM PETERSON. Crown 4to.
McGILL AND ITS STORY, 1821-1921
Illustrated. Demy 8vo.
THE BODLEY HEAD
* * * * *
[Illustration: AND MANY OTHERS CAME, BUT THEY MET THE SAME FATE]
CANADIAN FAIRY TALES
BY CYRUS MACMILLAN
With Illustrations by MARCIA LANE FOSTER
And an Introduction by JOHN GRIER HIBBEN
[Illustration]
TORONTO: S. B. GUNDY
LONDON: JOHN LANE THE BODLEY HEAD LTD
FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1922
_Printed in Great Britain by_ Butler & Tanner, _Frome and London_
* * * * *
TO
THE MEMORY
OF
MY FATHER
DESCENDANT OF CANADIAN PIONEERS
WHO UPHELD THE OLD TRADITIONS
AND USED THE ANCIENT SPEECH.
INTRODUCTION
Professor Macmillan has placed all lovers of fairy tales under a deep
debt of obligation to him. The fairy tale makes a universal appeal
both to old and young; to the young because it is the natural world in
which their fancy delights to range, and to the old because they are
conscious again of the spirit of youth as they read such tales to
their children and grandchildren over and over again, and rejoice in
the illusion that after all there is not a great difference of age
which separates the generations.
The fairy tale makes this universal appeal because it deals with the
elemental in our natures that is the same in every age and in every
race. In the Canadian Tales which Professor Macmillan has so admirably
gathered from Indian sources, we find the same types of character and
scenes of adventure that we do in the tales of the German forests, of
Scandinavia, England or France.
There is in us all an instinctive admiration for the adventurous
spirit of the fairy tale which challenges the might that is cruel and
devastating, and for the good offices of the fairies which help to
vindicate the cause of the noble in its conflict with the ignoble,
right with wrong.
The origin of the fairy tale is to be traced always to the early
stages of civilization, and it is very gratifying to be assured from
time to time that man possesses certain natural impulses which spring
from an inherent sense of honour, and the desire to redress the wrongs
of the world.
Professor Macmillan has been successful in presenting the Indian
folk-lore in a most engaging manner. The stories have all the
delightful charm and mystery of the Canadian forests; they have
penetrated into the heart of nature, but also into the heart of man.
JOHN GRIER HIBBEN.
PREFACE
The tales in this collection, like those in "Canadian Wonder Tales,"
were gathered in various parts of Canada--by river and lake and ocean
where sailors and fishermen still watch the stars; in forest clearings
where lumbermen yet retain some remnant of the old vanished voyageur
life and where Indians still barter for their furs; in remote country
places where women spin while they speak with reverence of their
fathers' days. The skeleton of each story has been left for the most
part unchanged, although the language naturally differs somewhat from
that of the story-tellers from whose lips the writer heard them.
It is too often forgotten that long before the time of Arthur and his
Round Table these tales were known and treasured by the early
inhabitants of our land. However much they may have changed in the
oral passing from generation to generation the germ of the story goes
back to very early days beyond the dawn of Canadian history. Canada is
rich in this ancient lore. The effort to save it from oblivion needs
no apology. Fairy literature has an important place in the development
of the child mind, and there is no better fairy lore than that of our
own country. Through the eyes of the Indian story-teller and the
Indian dreamer, inheriting his tales from a romantic past, we can
still look through "magic casements opening on the foam of perilous
seas in fairy lands forlorn"; we can still feel something of the
atmosphere of that mysterious past in which our ancestors dwelt and
laboured. The author's sincerest hope in publishing this volume is
that to the children of to-day the traditions of our romantic Canadian
past will not be lost in our practical Canadian present.
MCGILL UNIVERSITY,
_May, 1921_.
CONTENTS
PAGE
HOW GLOOSKAP MADE THE BIRDS 1
RABBIT AND THE GRAIN BUYERS 10
SAINT NICHOLAS AND THE CHILDREN 19
THE FALL OF THE SPIDER MAN 31
THE BOY WHO WAS CALLED THICK-HEAD 40
RABBIT AND THE INDIAN CHIEF 47
GREAT HEART AND THE THREE TESTS 58
THE BOY OF THE RED TWILIGHT SKY 67
HOW RAVEN BROUGHT FIRE TO THE INDIANS 73
THE GIRL WHO ALWAYS CRIED 82
ERMINE AND THE HUNTER 89
HOW RABBIT DECEIVED FOX 96
THE BOY AND THE DRAGON 104
OWL WITH THE GREAT HEAD AND EYES 112
THE TOBACCO FAIRY FROM THE BLUE HILLS 122
RAINBOW AND THE AUTUMN LEAVES 127
RABBIT AND THE MOON-MAN 134
THE CHILDREN WITH ONE EYE 140
THE GIANT WITH THE GREY FEATHERS 146
THE CRUEL STEPMOTHER 153
THE BOY WHO WAS SAVED BY THOUGHTS 160
THE SONG-BIRD AND THE HEALING WATERS 167
THE BOY WHO OVERCAME THE GIANTS 172
THE YOUTH AND THE DOG-DANCE 180
SPARROW'S SEARCH FOR THE RAIN 187
THE BOY IN THE LAND OF SHADOWS 195
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
And many others came, but they met the same fate _Frontispiece_
TO FACE PAGE
And the children all came to him each asking for a boon 6
So Duck crawled under the over-turned basket and sat very still 14
They stood for a time in the shadow of the great trees before
the door and made ready to blow together 24
He came one day upon a man clad in scarlet sitting on the
side of a rocky hill tying stones to his feet 60
The coat of Ermine was replaced by a sleek and shining white
coat as spotless as the new snow in winter 94
Then Fox untied the bag and let Rabbit out and got into the bag
himself 100
The giant frowning angrily, the woman carrying the stick,
and the boy leading the dog 148
For some days the boy lay in terror in the nest ... and far
out on the ocean he could see great ships going by 162
"Strike hard," said the boy, "or it will do you no good" 178
And they sat down together on the edge of the lake 182
Then the old man gave the boy a large pipe and some tobacco 198
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN BLACK AND WHITE
TO FACE PAGE
He said farewell to the sky-country and let himself down to
earth by one of his own strands of yarn 32
That night an old Wolf came through the forest in search of food 44
He went to Beaver's house by the stream, hobbling along
with a stick 56
And she makes to him an offering of tiny white feathers plucked
from the breasts of birds 70
Then Raven asked Mole to try, but Mole said: "Oh no, I am better
fitted for other work. My fur would all be singed" 78
And with his magic power he changed her into a Fish-Hawk, and
sent her out to the ocean 86
The man gave him another pair of mocassins in exchange for
those he was wearing 108
Wolf trotting along like a little horse, and Rabbit laughing
to himself, sitting in the saddle 116
Suddenly a large flock of birds, looking like great black clouds,
came flying from the blue hills 124
Throughout the long winter months Deer looked longingly
for Rainbow 128
He sat very quiet, waiting for the man of the long foot to
appear 136
The boy went into the forest with his bow and arrows.... He
had not gone far when he saw a fat young deer, which he killed 142
The bull rushed at the mountain with all his force 158
Then the young man lay down to sleep, and the Fox stood
guard beside him 170
CANADIAN FAIRY TALES
HOW GLOOSKAP MADE THE BIRDS
Once upon a time long before the white men came to Canada there lived
a wicked giant who caused great trouble and sorrow wherever he went.
Men called him Wolf-Wind. Where he was born no man knows, but his home
was in the Cave of the Winds, far in the north country in the
Night-Night Land, and there men knew he was hiding on calm days when
the sun was hot and the sea was still, and on quiet nights when not a
leaf or a flower or a blade of grass was stirring. But whenever he
appeared, the great trees cracked in fear and the little trees
trembled and the flowers bent their heads close to the earth, trying
to hide from his presence. Often he came upon them without warning and
with little sign of his coming. And then the corn fell flat never to
rise again, and tall trees crashed in the forest, and the flowers
dropped dead because of their terror; and often the great waters grew
white and moaned or screamed loudly or dashed themselves against the
rocks trying to escape from Wolf-Wind. And in the darkness of the
night when Wolf-Wind howled, there was great fear upon all the earth.
It happened once in those old times that Wolf-Wind was in a great
rage, and he went forth to kill and devour all who dared to come in
his path. It chanced in that time that many Indian families were
living near the sea. The men and women were fishing far off the coast.
They were catching fish to make food for the winter. They went very
far away in small canoes, for the sea had long been still and they
thought there was no danger. The little children were alone on shore.
Suddenly as the sun went down, without a sign of his coming, out of
the north came Wolf-Wind in his great rage looking for prey, and
roaring loudly as he came. "I am Wolf-Wind, the giant," he howled,
"cross not my path, for I will kill all the people I meet, and eat
them all up." His anger only grew as he stalked along, and he splashed
and tossed the waters aside in his fury as he came down upon the
fishermen and fisher-women far out to sea. The fishers had no time to
get out of his reach or to paddle to the shore, so quick was
Wolf-Wind's coming, and the giant caught them in his path and broke up
their boats and killed them all. All night long he raged over the
ocean looking for more fishers.
In the morning Wolf-Wind's anger was not yet spent. Far away in front
of him he saw the little children of the fishers playing on the shore.
He knew they were alone, for he had killed their fathers and mothers.
He resolved to catch them and kill them too, and after them he went,
still in a great rage. He went quickly towards the land, roaring as he
went and dashing the waters against the rocks in his madness. As he
came near the beach he howled in his anger, "I will catch you and kill
you all and eat you and bleach your bones upon the sand." But the
children heard him and they ran away as fast as they could, and they
hid in a cave among the great rocks and placed a big stone at the
mouth of the cave and Wolf-Wind could not get in. He howled loudly at
the door all day and all night long, but the stone was strong and he
could not break it down. Then he went on his way still very angry and
still roaring, and he howled, "I will come back and catch you yet. You
cannot escape from me."
The children were very frightened and they stayed long in the cave
after Wolf-Wind had gone, for far away they could still hear him
howling and crashing in the forest. Then they came out. They knew that
Wolf-Wind had killed their fathers and mothers on the sea. They ran
away into the forest, for they thought that there they would be safe.
They went to the Willow-Willow Land where they found a pleasant place
with grass and flowers and streams. And between them and the north
country where Wolf-Wind lived were many great trees with thick leaves
which they knew would protect them from the giant.
But one day Wolf-Wind, true to his promise, came again in a rage to
find them. He came into the land killing all he met in his path. But
he could not catch the children, for the trees with their thick leaves
kept him away. They heard him howling in the forest far distant. For
many days in the late summer he tried to find them but their home was
close to the trees, and the great branches spread over them and the
thick leaves saved them, and only the sun from the south, coming from
the Summer-Flower country, could look in upon them. Try as he could
with all his might old Wolf-Wind could not harm them although he knew
that they were there; and they were always safe while they lived in
the Willow-Willow Land.
Wolf-Wind was more angry than ever because of his failure, for he
liked to feed on his little children, and rage knew no bounds. He
swore that he would have vengeance on the trees. So he came back again
and he brought with him to aid him another giant from the north
country who had with him a strange and powerful charm, the Charm of
the Frost. And the two giants tried to kill the trees that had saved
the little children. But over many of the trees they had no power, for
when they came, the trees only laughed and merely swayed and creaked
and said, "You cannot harm us; we are strong, for we came at first
from the Night-Night Land in the far north country, and over us the
Charm of the Frost has no power." These were the Spruce and the Fir,
the Hemlock and the Pine and the Cedar. But on the other trees
Wolf-Wind had vengeance as he had vowed. One night when the harvest
moon was shining in the sky he came without warning, and with the help
of the giant bearing the Charm of the Frost he killed all the leaves
that had kept him from the children, and threw them to the ground. One
after one the leaves came off from the Beech and the Birch, the Oak
and the Maple, the Alder and the Willow. Some fell quickly, some
fluttered slowly down, and some took a long time in dying. But at last
the trees stood bare and cold against the sky and there was stillness
and sadness in the forest. And Wolf-Wind laughed and played in silence
through the leafless branches with the giant from Night-Night Land.
And he said, "Now I have overcome the leaves that kept me away, and
now when I please I can kill the children." But the children only
moved closer to the strong and sturdy trees that had come at first
from the far north country and over which the Charm of the Frost had
no power, and Wolf-Wind could not reach them and they were still for
ever safe from the giants.
The children were very sad when they saw what Wolf-Wind had done to
their friends and protectors, the trees. Summer had gone back to the
Southland following as she always did the Rainbow Road to her home in
the Wilderness of Flowers. It was lonely now in the forest and silent;
there was not a whisper in the trees; there were no leaves, for it
was autumn and Wolf-Wind had killed them all.
At last it came to that time of year when Glooskap, who ruled upon the
earth and was very great in those days, gave his yearly gifts to
little children. And he came into the land on a sled drawn by his
faithful dogs to find out for himself what the children wished for.
And the children all came to him each asking for a boon. Now Glooskap
had great power upon the earth in that old time. He could always do
what he willed. And the little children whom Wolf-Wind had tried to
harm in his rage came to Glooskap, the Magic Master of gifts, and they
were all very sad because the leaves had gone.
"What do you wish?" said Glooskap. "We wish nothing for ourselves,"
said the children, "but we ask that the leaves that were killed by
Wolf-Wind because they saved us from his rage be brought back to life
and put back again in their old home in the trees." Glooskap was
silent for a long time and he sat and thought as was his custom, and
he smoked hard at his mighty pipe, for he was a great smoker. Now in
that time there were no little forest birds upon the earth, for
Glooskap had not yet brought them into being. There were only the
birds that dwelt near the sea and over whom Wolf-Wind had no
power--Sea-gull and Crane, Wild-duck and Loon, Kingfisher and Brant
and Curlew. These only laughed at the giant in his rage and screamed
in mockery as they flew from him and hid when he came, among the
shallows or the rocks or the thick grass in the marshes. And there
were also the sturdy birds that dwelt with men and worked for them,
giving them eggs and food. These were Hen and Goose and Duck and Wild
Turkey. They gave men food, but they were not fair to look upon; they
waddled along and could not fly well and they made no sweet music upon
the earth, for their song was a quack and a cackle.
[Illustration: AND THE CHILDREN ALL CAME TO HIM EACH ASKING FOR A
BOON]
Glooskap decided to bring other birds into the world, not to give food
but to bring happiness to the children on the days when summer dwells
in the land, with their pretty feathers and their pleasant songs. So
after he had smoked long in silence he hit upon a plan. And he said to
the children asking for their yearly gifts, "I cannot bring back to
the trees the leaves that Wolf-Wind has killed and stripped off, for
it is now too late. But I will take the fallen leaves and change them
into little birds. And the birds shall never forget how they were
born. When autumn comes they shall go with summer far away to the
Summer-Flower Land, but in the spring-time they shall always come back
and they shall live as close as they can to the leaves from which they
have sprung. And they shall nest, most of them, in the trees under the
leaves, and even those that nest in the grass shall love the trees and
linger in them. And they shall all be beautiful in colour like the
leaves that gave them birth; and they shall have power to rest at
times upon the air like a leaf fluttering; and the voice of the air
and the laughing waters shall be in their throats and they shall sing
sweet songs for little children. And I give the children charge over
them to keep them from harm just as the leaves which gave them birth
have saved the little children from the giants. And I will give the
trees that Wolf-Wind has stripped power to bring forth new leaves
every spring-time so that when Summer comes back from the Wilderness
of Flowers the trees shall not be bare. And although Wolf-Wind may
strip them off when the Giant of the Frost comes with him from the
Night-Night Land they shall always be replaced in the spring-time. And
I will take away much of Wolf-Wind's power so that he can no longer
harm little children as wickedly as he has done before."
Glooskap waved his magic wand as was his custom, and at once great
flocks of little birds sprang from the ground where the fallen leaves
had lain. And they twittered and sang in a great chorus and flew back
to the trees. They were of beautiful colours like the leaves that had
given them birth. There were Robin Red-breasts and Thrushes all brown
and red, from the red and brown leaves of the Oak. And there were
Finches and Humming-birds all yellow and green and brown from the
leaves of the Alder and the Willow, and they glowed like willows in
the sunlight and fluttered like a leaf upon the air. There were
Yellowbirds and Canadian Warblers from the golden Beech and Birch
leaves. And there were Scarlet Tanagers and Orioles and Grosbeaks all
of changing colours, red and purple and brown, from the leaves of the
Canadian Maple. And they all sang to the children and the children
were all very happy again.
Then Glooskap sent the little birds all away to a warm country until
the rule of the Giant of the Frost from the Night-Night Land was over,
for it was winter in all the land and it was very cold. But in the
spring-time the little birds always come back from the Summer-Flower
Land. And they build their nests among the trees as close as they can
to their kindred, the leaves from which they came. And all day long
they sing among the leaves for little children. At day-break they wake
the children with their choir of dawn, and at twilight they lisp and
twitter to lull the children to sleep. And at night they hide among
the leaves from Wolf-Wind and are very still with never a twitter or a
song. For they do not forget that they are the children's gift from
Glooskap and that they came from the leaves stripped from the trees by
Wolf-Wind because the leaves saved the little children from the giant
long ago.
RABBIT AND THE GRAIN BUYERS
Once long ago when the Indians lived in Canada before the white men
came, Rabbit was very lazy. He had worked long for Glooskap, the great
ruler of the people, as a forest guide, but his toil was not
appreciated or rewarded. He saw all the other animals idling their
time away, taking their ease all day long, and doing nothing but
filling their bellies with food, and sleeping all the afternoon in the
hot sunshine. And he said, "Why should I work for other people when
nobody works for me? I will take mine ease like all the other
animals." So he sulked in his little house for a long time and could
not be coaxed or driven to do any work. But as he was a lonely fellow
who always lived by himself with very few friends in the world except
little children, he soon got tired of this lazy life. For by nature he
was industrious and energetic and he always liked to be doing
something or prowling alone in the forest. So he said, "I must find
some work to do or I shall surely lose my wits. But it must be labour
that brings profit to myself and not to other people."
For a long time Rabbit puzzled his brains thinking on a business or a
profession to follow. But nothing seemed to be to his liking. At last
one day he saw some Indians trading skins and knives. One was selling
and others were buying and they seemed to be making a great deal of
money without doing very much work. Rabbit thought that here indeed
was an easy way to make a living. Then he saw Duck coming along
carrying a basket of eggs. He said to Duck, "How do you get along in
the world? You seem to do nothing but eat and cackle and swim in the
pond. You never seem to work." And Duck said, "I lay eggs and sell
them in exchange for corn. Why don't you lay eggs? It is all very
easy." But Rabbit knew that Duck was only laughing at him, and that he
was not meant to make a living in that way.
Then he met Bee on the forest path and he said, "How do you make a
living, you wandering bee? You do nothing but gad about all day long,
going from flower to flower dressed in your good clothes of yellow and
black and always singing your tuneless song?" And Bee said, "I make
honey and wax and sell them. I have a great store for sale now. Why
don't you do as I do? I am always happy. I always sing at my work, and
what's more, my song is not tuneless. And just for your impudence,
take that." And so saying he stung Rabbit on the nose and went on his
way, singing his droning song. Rabbit rubbed his nose in the earth to
ease his pain and he swore vengeance on Bee, for he knew that Bee too
was only laughing at him. But he could think of no way to make an easy
living, for he had nothing to sell but his coat, and he could not very
well barter that, for winter would soon be coming on. He was very
angry and troubled and he envied Duck and Bee their good fortune
because of their eggs and honey and wax.
At last he thought of the Indians he had watched buying and selling
skins. "I have it," he cried, "I have it. I will become a great
merchant. I will be a great trader. I will live on a farm where they
grow corn and vegetables, and I will steal them and sell them to the
other animals and thereby make a great store of money. I shall be very
rich in a short time." So, very happy, he went to a field near which
was a vegetable garden. And in it were growing Indian corn and all
kinds of grain which he knew the other birds and animals would gladly
buy. So he made a sign and put it up in front of his house, and it
said, "Buy Rabbit's corn, the best in all the land; it will grow
without rain; there is only a small quantity left. Orders taken here."
Then he sat in his house and waited.
Soon many buyers began to arrive. They were curious, and they wanted
to see what kind of a merchant Rabbit would make. Rabbit explained to
them that he was only an agent, that they must pay him their money,
and he would take it to the farmer, and deliver their grain at his
house one week from that day. The buyers paid him the money and went
away, for they were afraid the farmer would kill them if they went
themselves for the corn. They left a great store of money with Rabbit.
That night when the moon rose over the hills Rabbit went to the field
of corn near-by. But the farmer had spied him thieving that afternoon,
and he had placed around his corn a fence of strong netting which poor
Rabbit could not get through. And he had also placed around the field
many watch-dogs which growled and snarled and frightened thieves away.
Night after night Rabbit tried to slip into the field, but without
success, and the week passed and still he had no corn for the
customers who, he knew, would soon be arriving for their goods. And
meanwhile he had spent all their money and he knew they would all fall
upon him and kill him if he failed to keep his word and deliver their
purchases.
At last when the day agreed on arrived, he saw his customers coming
for their grain. And he hoped that his tricks would save him as they
had saved him many times before. He sat in his yard playing his flute,
when Earth-Worm, the first customer arrived. "Good day," said Rabbit.
"Good day," said Earth-Worm, "I have come for my corn, for a week has
gone by." "Very good," said Rabbit, "but first we shall have dinner.
It will be ready in a few minutes. You must be hungry after your long
journey." As they sat waiting for their dinner they saw Duck, another
customer, waddling up the path with her basket on her neck. And
Rabbit said, "Will not old Duck who comes here want to eat you up?"
And Earth-Worm said, "Yes, yes, where shall I hide?" and he was much
excited. "Hide under this clam-shell," said Rabbit. So Earth-Worm
crawled under the clam-shell and sat very still, trembling for his
life.
When Duck arrived, Rabbit said, "Good morning." "Good morning, Mr.
Merchant," said Duck, wishing to be polite. "I have come for my corn,
for it is the appointed day of delivery." "True, true," said Rabbit,
"but first we shall have dinner. It will be ready in a few minutes. It
will be an honour for me to have you dine with me." As they sat
waiting for their dinner, Rabbit said, "Would you care to eat an
Earth-Worm before your dinner? It would be a good appetizer for you."
And Duck said, "Thank you very much. I am very fond of Earth-Worms."
Rabbit lifted the clam-shell and poor Earth-Worm was quickly gobbled
up by Duck. And Rabbit, laughing to himself, thought, "Now I am
getting rid of my customers."
As Rabbit and Duck sat talking, they saw Fox trotting up the path. He
was another customer coming for his corn. And Rabbit said courteously,
"Madam, I see your old enemy Fox approaching. He will probably wish to
eat you up; you had better hide." And Duck with her feathers all
ruffled with excitement said, "Yes, yes, where shall I hide?" And
Rabbit said, "Hide under this basket." So Duck crawled under the
over-turned basket and sat very still.
[Illustration: SO DUCK CRAWLED UNDER THE OVER-TURNED BASKET AND SAT
VERY STILL]
Fox soon came in and said, "Good day, Rabbit. I have come for my corn,
for I am in sore need of it to catch chickens, and the seven days have
passed." "You are very punctual," said Rabbit, "but first let us have
dinner. It will be ready in a few minutes. It will make you stronger
to carry your heavy load." As they sat waiting for their dinner,
Rabbit said, "Listen, Fox. Would you care to eat a fat Duck now? It
would be a tasty bit for you before you dine." And Fox said, "You are
very kind. I always like to eat a Duck before my dinner." Rabbit
knocked over the basket and Fox quickly devoured poor Duck until not a
feather remained. And Rabbit laughed to himself and said, "Surely I am
getting rid of my customers very easily."
As Rabbit and Fox sat talking over old times in the forest, they saw
Bear coming lumbering up the path, tossing his head from side to side,
and sniffing the air. And Rabbit said, "Bear is in a bad temper
to-day. I wonder what can be the cause." And Fox said, "This morning I
stole all his honey and he saw me running away." "He scents you here,"
said Rabbit, "will he not kill you if he finds you? Perhaps you ought
to hide." "Yes, yes," said Fox, "but where shall I hide?" "Hide in
this box," said Rabbit, and Fox sprang into the box, and Rabbit closed
down the lid.
When Bear arrived he said gruffly, for he was in a bad temper, "Good
day, Rabbit. I have come for my corn and I must have it quickly, for I
must be on my way. It is the appointed time." "It is indeed the
appointed time," said Rabbit, "but first we shall have dinner. It will
be ready in a few minutes and I never let a wayfarer leave my house
without first taking nourishment. I have to-day a dish of fresh fish
which you like very well, and we have never yet dined together." And
Bear agreed to wait and his gruffness left him at the thought of his
good meal, for he was a great fish-eater, and he talked pleasantly.
Then Rabbit said, "I have a secret to tell you. Let me whisper it." He
put his mouth close to Bear's ear and said, "Old Fox, the sly thief
who stole all your honey this morning is hiding in the box by your
side. He came here to boast about his theft and he laughed loudly to
me as he told me how easily you were cheated. He called you
Lack-Brains." Bear was very angry and at once he knocked the lid from
the box and killed Fox with one blow of his powerful paw. And Rabbit
said to himself, "What luck I am having; there is another of my
customers gone." But he wondered how he was to get rid of Bear, and he
scratched his head in thought.
While Bear and Rabbit sat talking, they saw Rabbit's last customer,
the Hunter, coming along. Bear would have run away, but it was too
late. "Will the Hunter not want to kill you?" said Rabbit, glad to
think that here was the end of poor Bear. "Indeed he will," said Bear.
"Oh dear, oh dear, where shall I hide?" "Hide under my bed in my
house," said Rabbit. Poor Bear quickly dashed into the house and
crawled under Rabbit's bed with great difficulty for he was very fat
and the bed was very low and he had to lay himself out flat on the
floor, but he was comfortable in the thought that he would soon
escape. When Hunter arrived he said, "Good day, Rabbit, I have come
for my corn, for my children need bread." "You shall have it," said
Rabbit. "But first we must have a bite to eat. I have not very much to
offer you, but I can give you in a few minutes some hot pancakes and
fresh maple syrup." The Hunter was well pleased with the thought of
such a good meal and he said he would be glad to wait. Then Rabbit
said, "Would you like some bear meat for your children, and a good
warm bear skin for your hearth?" And the Hunter said, "Indeed I would.
But in these days such luxuries are hard to find." And Rabbit said,
"Oh no, they are not; under my bed in my house, a good fat bear is
hiding. He is lying flat on his back, and you can easily kill him."
The Hunter hurried to the house, and sure enough there he found Bear
hiding under the bed, flat upon his back. He killed him with a blow
and skinned him and cut him up into small pieces and put the meat and
the skin into a bag to take home to his children. But while he was
about it, Rabbit slipped away into the forest, saying to himself, "Now
I have got rid of all my customers and I am safe. But the life of a
merchant is not to my liking. I will not be a trader any more. I will
gather corn for myself, but not to sell to others." And he ran quickly
away and hid himself in a dense thicket.
When the Hunter went to look for Rabbit, he could not find him, nor
was he able to find his grain. And although he thought he had fared
pretty well by getting so much bear meat, he swore vengeance on Rabbit
for his deceit, and to this day he searches for him, and if he meets
him, he will not let him escape. And Rabbit lives by himself and keeps
away from the Hunter as far as he can, for he fears him because of the
trick he played upon him in the olden days.
SAINT NICHOLAS AND THE CHILDREN
Two little children lived with their old grandmother in a remote place
in the Canadian forest. They were twin children--a boy and a girl,
Pierre and Estelle by name--and except for their dress it was not easy
to tell them apart. Their father and mother had died in the
spring-time, and in the summer they had left their old home because of
its many sad memories and had gone to live with their old grandmother
in a new home elsewhere. In this new home in the forest where they now
lived they were very poor, but they were not unhappy. Times were hard,
and there was very little food to be had no matter how well their old
grandmother worked; but they caught fish in the streams and gathered
berries and fruit and birds' eggs on the wooded hills, and somehow
throughout the summer they kept themselves from want. But when late
autumn came and the streams were frozen over and the berries were all
gone and there were no eggs, for the birds had all flown south, they
were often hungry because they had so little to eat.
Their grandmother worked so hard to provide for herself and the
children that at last she fell very sick. For several days she could
not leave her bed. And she said, "I want meat broth to make me well
and I must have good meat to make it. If I do not get meat I can have
no broth, and if I do not get broth I shall not get well, and if I do
not get well I shall die, and if I die you two children will surely
starve and die too. So meat and meat alone can save us all from
starvation and death." So the two children, to keep themselves and
their grandmother alive, set out one morning in search of meat to make
the broth. They lived far from other people and they did not know
where to go, but they followed the forest path. The snow lay deep on
the ground and sparkled brightly in the sunlight. The children had
never before been away from home alone and every sight was of great
interest to them. Here and there a rabbit hopped over the snow, or a
snowbird hovered and twittered overhead, all looking for food like the
children. And there were holly-berries growing in many places, and
there was mistletoe hanging from the trees. And Pierre when he saw the
holly-berries and the mistletoe said, "Saint Nicholas will be soon
here, for the trees are dressed and ready for his coming." And Estelle
said, "Yes, Saint Nicholas will be soon here." And they were both very
glad thinking of his coming.
As they went along in the afternoon, they came upon an old man sitting
at the door of a small house of spruce-boughs under the trees close to
the forest path. He was busy making whistles, whittling willow wands
with a knife and tapping gently on the bark until the bark loosened
from the wood and slipped easily off. The children stood and watched
him at his strange work, for he had merry twinkling eyes, and a kindly
weather-beaten face, and thick white hair, and they were not afraid.
"Hello," said the old man.
"Hello," said Pierre, "why are you making willow whistles?"
"I am making them for Saint Nicholas," said the old man; "he is coming
soon for his yearly visit; indeed he is already in the land; when he
makes his rounds he always gives whistles, among other things, to good
children, and I must have a great store of them ready for him when he
comes, for there are many children to supply."
Then he went on whittling busily with his knife. The children watched
him for a long time in silence, and they thought what a fine thing it
must be to work like the old man for Saint Nicholas, in his little
house of boughs under the forest trees. Then the old man said, "You
are very small children; what are you seeking so far away from
people?" And Estelle answered, "Our old grandmother is very sick, and
we are looking for meat to make broth to make her well." The old man
was sorry he had no meat, for he lived on other food. He told them
that some distance farther along there was a butcher who always kept
meat; but the butcher, he said, was a very wicked fellow and
sometimes little children who entered his shop never came out again.
The children were very frightened when they heard what the old man
said and they wondered if they had better go back home. But the old
man thought for a long time in silence as he whittled his willow
wands, and then he said, "I will give you each a whistle, and when you
blow it, Saint Nicholas will always hear it; you must never blow it
except when you are in great trouble or distress, and when Saint
Nicholas hears it he will know that you are coming to grief or that
harm is already upon you and he will come himself or send some one to
your assistance. But you must blow only one blast. The whistle should
be given only by Saint Nicholas himself when he comes at holly-time
into the land. But you are good children and your old grandmother is
sick, and you are trying to make her well, and I know that Saint
Nicholas will not say that I have done wrong." So he gave the children
each a whistle, and then fear left them, for they knew they could now
come to no harm if they had the aid of Saint Nicholas.
It was growing late in the afternoon and the children set out on their
way to find the wicked butcher. But they had many misgivings, and as
they went on they grew faint of heart, for they wondered if the old
man had told them the truth about the whistles or if he was in reality
a secret agent of the wicked butcher trying to lure them to their
death. They resolved to search for meat elsewhere and to keep away
from the butcher's shop.
For a long time they searched, but without success. There was no meat
to be had in all the land at any of the places they stopped to ask.
Soon they came in sight of the butcher's shop. They were very
frightened. But the sun had already gone down behind the trees, and
night was coming on, and they had still no meat. And they knew that if
their old grandmother was to get well she must have meat to make
broth. The shop, too, looked very pleasant and attractive in the cold
winter evening. Warm light was shining from a fire through the door,
and in the windows were sausages, and fat birds, and big yellow
pumpkins and cakes with red berries on the top. The children were
hungry and wished for something to eat by the warm shop fire. They
decided to enter the shop notwithstanding their fear, to buy some
food, and to get meat for their grandmother's broth as quickly as they
could. But before they entered the shop they thought it would be well,
in order to be safe, to blow a blast on their whistle as the old man
had told them so that Saint Nicholas would know that they were in
dread of harm. They stood for a time in the shadow of the great trees
before the door and made ready to blow together. Pierre gave the
signal and blew a long soft blast. But Estelle could not get her
whistle from her pocket and Pierre had finished his blast, all out of
breath, before she was ready to blow. "Don't blow now," he said, "you
are just like a girl, always too late." But blow she would, as the old
man had told her, and before Pierre could stop her she blew a long
soft blast on her whistle. Pierre was very cross, for he thought that
now no good could come of it, as two blasts had sounded, but with his
sister he entered the butcher's shop.
The wicked butcher was in his shop, but not another person was about
the place. It was all very quiet. The man was very glad to see the
children and he seated them by the warm fire, and gave them food, and
although he shut the door tight behind them, their fear soon vanished.
After they had eaten well and were warm again, they asked for meat to
make broth for their old grandmother, and the butcher said he would
give them plenty of good meat although it was very scarce in all the
land. There was a barrel standing in one corner; in another corner was
a large hogshead reaching almost to the ceiling, and the butcher said
that both of these were full of meat.
Now the butcher was really the friend and partner of a wicked giant
who lived in the forest. The giant's greatest delight was to eat
little children. He liked no meal so well as a meal of little
children, two at a time, pickled first in brine. He ate them always
when he could get them, but he was not always successful in his
search, for children were scarce in the land. He was a great hunter
and he was able to kill many animals in the forest and to secure much
meat, so great was his strength, and once a week regularly he brought
a great load of meat to the butcher and traded it for any little
children the butcher managed to entice into his shop. So the butcher
got much meat at little cost. And the old man of the house of boughs
was right when he said that many little children who entered the shop
never came out again.
[Illustration: THEY STOOD FOR A TIME IN THE SHADOW OF THE GREAT TREES
BEFORE THE DOOR AND MADE READY TO BLOW TOGETHER]
The butcher was very glad when he saw the two pretty little children.
He was expecting the giant that evening on his weekly visit, and he
thought gleefully of the great load of meat he would get from the
giant in exchange for the children, for he would ask a big price, and
he knew the giant would give all the meat he had for so good a meal.
And he thought too of all the money he would get for the giant's load
of meat. So he resolved to kill the children and pickle them in brine
to await the giant's coming.
When the children had finished their meal and had warmed themselves by
the fire they made ready to go home and they asked for their meat. The
butcher said he would get it for them. They looked up at the shelves,
laden with more food than they had ever seen before--hams and cabbages
and strings of onions. And the little children said, "There are good
onions up there; we will buy some and take them home to our
grandmother to put in her broth." The butcher said, "There are many
kinds of onions in the box on the high shelf. You must pick out the
kind you want. I will lift you up to the shelf so that you can see for
yourselves." So he caught them each by the coat between the
shoulders, and because of his great strength he lifted them high until
they could look into the box and pick out the onions they wanted. As
he took them down he thrust them straight out from his body at arm's
length and held them there and they laughed because of his great
strength. Then he brought them together with terrible force so that
their heads struck one against the other and they were stunned by the
cruel blow. Then he threw them head first into the barrel in the
corner which was filled with brine, not with meat as he had said, and
he left them there to pickle well. He was greatly pleased with the
fine load of meat he would get in exchange from the giant, who, he
knew, would appear before many minutes had passed.
Soon the giant arrived. He carried on his back a great load of meat
and he also drew a sled heavily laden with many dressed carcasses of
animals he had killed. "What cheer for me to-night and what fortune?"
he said to the butcher as he entered the warm shop with his load. And
the butcher said, "Good cheer and fine fortune. I have a good fat pair
for you to-night already pickling in the brine." Then he uncovered the
barrel in the corner and showed the giant the two little children
sticking head first in the pickle. The giant smacked his fat lips and
chuckled and rubbed his great hands, so pleased was he with the sight
of so good a meal. And he said, "We will let them steep well in the
brine until to-morrow. I always like them very salt." They covered up
the barrel, and then they bargained about the purchase of the meat.
The giant agreed to give the butcher all his meat in exchange for the
children. Then they sat by the fire drinking and eating until far on
into the night. And the giant said that before they went to bed he
would take another look at the children to see how they were pickling.
So they went and uncovered the barrel.
Now it chanced that Saint Nicholas was in the land at that time, as
the old man of the House-of-boughs had said. He had come into the land
to bring his yearly gifts to little children. In the evening he was
many miles away from the butcher's shop. But he heard the long soft
blast of a whistle, borne on the still evening wind. He knew it to be
one of his own whistles, and it told him that little children were in
danger. But it was followed by another soft blast--the late blast of
Estelle's whistle--and the two blasts meant that the danger was not
yet very near to the children, that indeed it was far off, so he
thought that there was no need to hurry to the children's aid.
Moreover, Saint Nicholas was just then leaving tiny dolls for little
babies in many little houses in the forest and he decided to take his
time and finish the giving of all these gifts before he set out to the
place from which the whistle-blast had come.
At last he was able to go on his way. The snow lay deep in the
forest, and travelling was hard, but the white winter moon was
shining, and the path was bright and Saint Nicholas moved along
quickly on his snow-shoes. Far on in the night he reached the
butcher's shop from which he knew the children's note of fear had
come. As he entered the shop, the giant and the butcher were just
taking their last look before going to bed at the children sticking in
the barrel of brine. They did not know Saint Nicholas, but when they
saw him they quickly placed the cover on the barrel and were very much
confused. Saint Nicholas was suspicious that they were about some
wickedness, and he knew well that in some way or other the barrel was
connected with the dreaded harm of which the children's whistle had
told him, and he thought that perhaps the children were hidden in it.
So he said, "I have come for meat. I want meat that has been pickled
in brine. I should like a piece from that barrel." But the butcher
said, "It is not good meat. I have better meat in the inner room, and
I will get it for you." So the butcher and Saint Nicholas entered the
inner room and closed the door behind them while the giant sat on the
barrel in the corner, trying to hide it with his great fat legs.
In the inner room was a barrel filled with brine, but with only a
small piece of meat at the bottom. Saint Nicholas said he would take
that piece. The butcher bent far into the barrel to reach down in
search of the meat. But as he did so, Saint Nicholas picked him up by
the legs and pushed him head first into the barrel of brine. He
spluttered and kicked, but he stuck fast in the barrel, and could not
get out. Saint Nicholas placed the cover on the barrel, with a great
weight on top of it, and that was the end of the wicked butcher.
[Illustration: "STRIKE HARD," SAID THE BOY, "OR IT WILL DO YOU NO
GOOD"]
Then Saint Nicholas returned to the shop where the giant was waiting,
still sitting on the barrel. He told the giant that he wanted a piece
of meat that lay in the bottom of the large hogshead of pickle in the
other corner. He asked the giant to get it for him, as the hogshead
was so high that neither he nor the butcher could reach down into it.
The giant bent far into the hogshead and began groping for the meat at
the bottom. Saint Nicholas took a large bone that lay on the floor,
and standing on a box beside the hogshead he struck the giant a
powerful blow on the head. The giant was only slightly stunned, but in
his surprise he lost his balance, and fell head first into the brine.
He yelled and kicked for a time, but his huge shoulders stuck fast.
Saint Nicholas covered the hogshead, leaving the giant sticking fast
in the pickle, and that was the end of the giant.
Then Saint Nicholas uncovered the barrel in the corner into which he
had seen the butcher and the giant looking when he had first entered
the shop. There were the two children standing on their heads in the
pickle with their feet sticking out at the top. He caught them by the
legs and pulled them out and by his magic power he soon brought them
back to life. He gave them food and warmed them by the fire and soon
they were none the worse for their hour in the barrel of brine.
Then he gave them meat and brought them back to their grandmother. And
they made broth for her and soon made her well, and they were all
happy again. And the land was troubled no more by giants, for Saint
Nicholas never again allowed great harm to come to little children if
they always kept his whistle near them and blew softly upon it when
they were in trouble or distress.
THE FALL OF THE SPIDER MAN