So the rat tried next, and he made a mighty effort, and jumped two hand-breadths, and then he too fell back into the valley. Alter that every sort of animal jumped in turn, the otter, and the badger, the fox, and the wolf, and the bear, and though each one jumped as high as he could, he jumped only against the side of the rock, and went tumbling back into the valley. Last of all came the lion. With a mighty roar he sprang--but it was of no use: he too struck the side of the great rock and fell back with the others. They were about to give up and go back to their homes in the river and in the forest, when a tiny measuring-worm came creeping over the grass. “By your leave,” she said quite humbly, addressing the lion, “I should like to try and see what I can do.” “Ho-ho,” laughed all the animals together. “Ho-ho!” But without waiting for their consent, the measuring-worm made her way slowly to the foot of the great rock, and then, little by little, little by little, she drew herself up, up, up the side of the mighty rock. Up, and up, and up she went, until she was lost to sight of the animals waiting below. At last she reached the top, and drew herself over the edge. And there lay the two boys, still sleeping. Then the measuring-worm took the two boys, and started back. She climbed with them down the side of the rock, little by little, down, and down, and down. At last she came within sight of the waiting animals. Down, and down still she climbed until she was in their midst. So mighty was the noise made by the assembled animals that it wakened the sleeping boys, and brought the men and women of the village to the foot of the great rock. And so the boys were restored to their people. But the great rock with its almost perpendicular sides stands to-day, lofty and imposing. HOW THE FLYING SQUIRREL GOT HIS WINGS (Iroquois) LONG ago, in the Indian country, Nuk-da-go was chief of the squirrel tribe. One day he was passing through the woods to see how all the little squirrels were faring, and how they prospered in laying up their store of nuts for the winter. Now when Nuk-da-go went about the woods he often made himself invisible, for by this means he heard and saw many things which would not have been said or done if the woods people had known that he was near. On this day Nuk-da-go chanced to pass by the home of a little squirrel, Jo-nis-gy-ont, who had worked very hard all the autumn laying up nuts for his winter’s food. Little Jo-nis-gy-ont lived all alone in a hollow tree close beside a great pine. On one side, near the edge of a bit of marsh, lived Brother Frog, and on the other side, under some rocks near the pine, lived Brother Woodchuck. Now for some days Jo-nis-gy-ont had been noticing that his stock of nuts, instead of growing bigger, was growing smaller, though he worked hard every day.