Native American Legends
The amazing adventures of Master Rabbit with the Otter, The Woodpecker Girls, and Mooin The Bear. Also a full account
of The Famous Chase, In which he fooled Lusifee, The Wild Cat
An Algonquin Legend
Of old times, Mahtigwess, the Rabbit, who is called in the
Micmac tongue Ableegumooch, lived with his grandmother, waiting
for better times; and truly he found it a hard matter in midwinter,
when ice was on the river and snow was on the plain, to provide
even for his small household. And running through the forest one
day he found a lonely wigwam, and he that dwelt therein was Keeoony,
the Otter.
The lodge was on the bank of a river, and a smooth road of ice
slanted from the door down to the water. And the Otter made him
welcome, and directed his housekeeper to get ready to cook; saying
which, he took the hooks on which he was wont to string fish when
he had them, and went to fetch a mess for dinner. Placing himself
on the top of the slide, he coasted in and under the water, and
then came out with a great bunch of eels, which were soon cooked,
and on which they dined.
"By my life," thought Master Rabbit, "but that is an easy way of
getting a living! Truly these fishing-folk have fine fare, and cheap!
Cannot I, who am so clever, do as well as this mere Otter? Of course
I can. Why not?" Thereupon he grew so confident of himself as to
invite the Otter to dine with him--adamadusk ketkewop--on
the third day after that, and so went home.
"Come on!" he said to his grandmother the next morning; "let us
remove our wigwam down to the lake." So they removed; and he selected
a site such as the Otter had chosen for his home, and the weather
being cold he made a road of ice, or a coast, down from his door
to the water, and all was well. Then the guest came at the time
set, and Rabbit, calling his grandmother, bade her get ready to
cook a dinner. "But what am I to cook, grandson?" inquired the old
dame.
"Truly I will see to that," said he, and made him a nabogun,
or stick to string eels. Then going to the ice path, he tried to
slide like one skilled in the art, but indeed with little luck,
for he went first to the right side, then to the left, and so hitched
and jumped till he came to the water, where he went in with a bob
backwards. And this bad beginning had no better ending, since of
all swimmers and divers the Rabbit is the very worst, and this one
was no better than his brothers. The water was cold, he lost his
breath, he struggled, and was well-nigh drowned.
"But what on earth ails the fellow?" said the Otter to the grandmother,
who was looking on in amazement.
"Well, he has seen somebody do something, and is trying to do likewise,"
replied the old lady.
"Ho! come out of that now," cried the Otter, "and hand me your
nabogun!" And the poor Rabbit, shivering with cold, and almost
frozen, came from the water and limped into the lodge. And there
he required much nursing from his grandmother, while the Otter,
plunging into the stream, soon returned with a load of fish. But,
disgusted at the Rabbit for attempting what he could not perform,
he threw them down as a gift, and went home without tasting the
meal.
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