The Junior Classics, Volume 1: Fairy and wonder tales
General
The Junior Classics, Volume 1: Fairy and wonder tales
Children's literature
“Why,” he exclaimed, “I cannot eat when I hear such a noise. “Stop,
stop!” he cried to the tree. He put down the morsel of meat,
exclaiming. “I CANNOT eat with such a noise,” and starting away he
climbed the tree and was actually pulling at the limb which had
bothered him, when his forepaw was caught between the branches so that
he could not free himself.
While thus held fast he saw a pack of wolves advancing through the wood
in the direction of his meat. He suspected them to be the Old Wolf and
his cubs, but night was coming on and he could not make them out. “Go
the other way, go the other Way!” he cried out; “what do you expect to
get here?”
The Wolves stopped for a while and talked among themselves, and said:
“Manabozho must have something there, or he would not tell us to go
another way.”
“I begin to know know him,” said the Old Wolf, “and all his tricks. Let
us go forward and see.” They came on and, finding the moose soon made
away with it.
Manabozho looked wistfully on while they ate until they were fully
satisfied, when off they scampered in high spirits. A heavy blast of
wind opened the branches finally, and released him. The wolves had left
nothing but bare bones. He made for home.
When he related his mishap, the Old Wolf, taking him by the forepaw,
condoled with him deeply on his ill luck. A tear even started to his
eye as he added: “My brother, this should teach us not to meddle with
points of ceremony when we have good meat to eat.”
MANABOZHO AND THE WOODPECKERS
Adapted from H. R. Schoolcraft
Manabozho lost the greater part of his magical power through letting
his young wolf grandson fall through the thin ice and drown. No one
knew where his grandmother had gone to. He married the arrow maker’s
daughter, and became the father of several children, but he was very
poor and scarcely able to procure a living. His lodge was pitched in a
distant part of the country, where he could get no game, and it was
winter time. One day he said to his wife, “I will go out walking and
see if I can find some lodges.”
After walking some time he finally discovered a lodge at a distance.
There were children playing at the door, and when they saw him
approaching they ran in and told their parents Manabozho was coming.
It was the home of the large Red-Headed Woodpecker. He came to the door
and asked Manabozho to enter, and the invitation was promptly accepted.
After some time the Woodpecker, who was a magician, said to his wife:
“Have you nothing to give Manabozho? he must be hungry.”
She answered, “No.”
“He ought not to go without his supper,” said the Woodpecker. “I will
see what I can do.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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