Native American Legends
The story of Jumping Mouse
An American Indian Legend - Nation Unknown
Once there was a mouse. He was a busy mouse, searching everywhere,
touching his whiskers to the grass, and looking. He was busy as
all mice are, busy with mice things. But once in a while he would
hear an odd sound. He would lift his head, squinting hard to see,
his whiskers wiggling in the air, and he would wonder. One day he
scurried up to a fellow mouse and asked him, "Do you hear a
roaring in your ears, my brother?"
"No, no," answered the other mouse, not lifting his busy
nose from the ground. "I hear nothing. I am busy now. Talk
to me later."
He asked another mouse the same question and the mouse looked at
him strangely. "Are you foolish in your head? what sound?"
he asked and slipped into a Hole in a fallen cottonwood tree.
The little mouse shrugged his whiskers and busied himself again,
determined to forget the whole matter. But there was that roaring
again. It was faint, very faint, but it was there! One day, he decided
to investigate the sound just a little. Leaving the other busy mice,
he scurried a little way away and listened again. There it was!
He was listening hard when suddenly, someone said hello.
Hello little brother," the voice said, and mouse almost jumped
right out of his skin. He arched his back and tail and was about
to run.
"Hello," again said the voice. "It is I, brother
raccoon." And sure enough, It was! "What are you doing
here all by yourself, little brother?" asked the raccoon. The
mouse blushed, and put his nose almost to the ground. "I hear
a roaring in my ears and I am investigating it," he answered
timidly.
"A roaring in your ears?" replied the raccoon as he sat
down with him. "What you hear, little brother , is the river."
"The river?" mouse asked curiously. "What is a river?"
"Walk with me and I will show you the river," raccoon
said.
Little mouse was terribly afraid, but he was determined to find
out once and for all about the roaring. "I can return to my
work," he thought, "after this thing is settled, and possibly
this thing may aid me in all my busy examining and collecting. And
my brothers all said it was nothing. I will show them. I will ask
raccoon to return with me and I will have proof."
"All right raccoon, my brother," said mouse. "lead
on to the river. I will walk with you."
Little mouse walked with raccoon. His little heart was pounding
in his breast. The raccoon was taking him upon strange paths and
little mouse smelled the scent of many things that had gone by his
way. Many times he became so frightened he almost turned back. Finally,
they came to the river! It was huge and breathtaking, deep and clear
in places, and murky in others. Little mouse was unable to see across
it because it was so great. It roared, sang, cried, and thundered
on its course. Little mouse saw great and little pieces of the world
carried along on its surface.
"It is powerful!" little mouse said, fumbling for words.
It is a great thing," answered the raccoon, "But here,
let me introduce you to a friend."
In a smoother, shallower place was a lily pad, bright and green.
Sitting upon it was a frog, almost as green as the pad it sat on.
The frog's white belly stood out clearly.
"Hello, little brother," said the frog.
"Welcome to the river."
"I must leave you now," cut in raccoon, "but do
not fear, little brother, for frog will care for you now."
And raccoon left, looking along the river bank for food that he
might wash and eat.
Little mouse approached the water and looked into it. He saw a
frightened mouse reflected there.
"Who are you?" little mouse asked the reflection. "Are
you not afraid of being that far out into the great river?"
"No, answered the frog, "I am not afraid. I have been
given the gift from birth to live both above and within the river.
When winter man comes and freezes this medicine, I cannot be seen.
But all the while thunderbird flies, I am here. To visit me, One
must come when the world is green. I, my brother, am the keeper
of the water."
Amazing!" little mouse said at last, again fumbling for words."
Would you like to have some medicine power?" frog asked."
"Medicine power? Me?" asked little mouse. "Yes,
yes! If it is possible."
"Then crouch as low as you can, and then jump as high as you
are able! You will have your medicine!" Frog said.
Little mouse did as he was Instructed. He crouched as low as he
could and jumped. And when he did, his eyes saw the sacred mountains.
Little mouse could hardly believe his eyes. But there they were!
But then he fell back to Earth, and he landed in the river!
Little mouse became frightened and scrambled back to the bank.
He was wet and frightened nearly to death.
"You have tricked me," little mouse screamed at the frog!"
"Wait," said the frog. "You are not harmed. Do not
let your fear and anger blind you. What did you see?"
"I," mouse stammered, "I saw the sacred mountains!"
"And you have a new name!" frog said. "It is Jumping
Mouse."
"Thank you. Thank you," Jumping Mouse said, and Thanked
him again. "I want to return to my people and tell them of
this thing that has happened to me."
"Go. Go then," frog said. "Return to your people.
It is easy to find them. Keep the sound of the medicine river to
the back of your Head. Go opposite to the sound and you will find
your brother mice."
Jumping Mouse returned to the world of the mice. But he found disappointment.
No one would listen to him. And because he was wet, and had no way
of explaining it because there had been no rain, many of the other
mice were afraid of him. They believed he had been spat from the
mouth of another animal that had tried to eat him. And they all
knew that if he had not been food for the one who wanted him, then
he must also be poison for them.
Jumping Mouse lived again among his people, but he could not forget
his vision of the sacred mountains.
The memory burned in the mind and heart of Jumping Mouse, and one
day he went to the edge of the place of mice and looked out onto
the prairie. He looked up for eagles. The sky was full of many spots,
each one an eagle. But he was determined to go to the sacred mountains.
He gathered all of his courage and ran just as fast as he could
onto the prairie. His little heart pounded with excitement and fear.
He Ran until he came to a stand of sage. He was resting and trying
to catch his breath when he saw an Old Mouse. The patch of sage
Old Mouse lived in was a haven for mice. Seeds and many things to
be busy with.
"Hello," said Old Mouse. "Welcome."
Jumping Mouse was amazed. Such a place and such a mouse. "You
are truly a great mouse." Jumping Mouse said with all the respect
that he could find. "This is truly a wonderful place. And the
eagles cannot see you here, either," Jumping Mouse said.
"Yes," said Old Mouse," and one can see all the
beings of the prairie here: the buffalo, Antelope, Rabbit, and Coyote.
One can see them all from here and know their names."
"That is marvelous," Jumping Mouse said. "Can you
also see the river and the great mountains?"
"Yes and no," Old Mouse said with conviction. "I
know the great river, But I am afraid that the great mountains are
only a myth. Forget your passion to see them and stay here with
me. There is everything you want here, and it is a good place to
be."
"How can he say such a thing?" Thought Jumping Mouse.
"The medicine of the sacred mountains is nothing one can forget."
"Thank you very much for the meal you have shared with me,
Old Mouse, and also for sharing your great home," Jumping Mouse
said. "But I must seek the mountains."
"You are a foolish mouse to leave, there is danger on the
prairie! Just look up there!" Old Mouse said, with even more
conviction. "See all those spots! They are eagles, and they
will catch you!"
It was hard for Jumping Mouse to leave, but he gathered his determination
and ran hard again.
The ground was rough. But he arched his tail and ran with all his
might. He could feel the shadows of the spots upon his back as he
ran. All those spots! Finally he ran into a stand of chokecherries.
Jumping Mouse could hardly believe his eyes. It was cool there and
very spacious. There was water, cherries, and seeds to eat, grasses
to gather for nests, holes to be explored and many, many other busy
things to do. And there were a great many things to gather.
He was investigating his new domain when he heard very heavy breathing.
He quickly investigated the sound and discovered its source. It
was a great mound of hair with black horns. It was a great buffalo.
Jumping Mouse could hardly believe the greatness of the being he
saw lying there before him. He was so large that Jumping Mouse could
have crawled into one of his great horns. "Such a magnificent
being," thought Jumping Mouse, and he crept closer.
"Hello, my brother," said the buffalo. "Thank you
for visiting me."
"Hello Great Being," said Jumping Mouse. "Why are
you lying here?"
"I am sick and I am dying" the buffalo said.
"And my medicine has told me that only the eye of a mouse
can heal me. But little brother, there is no such thing as a mouse."
Jumping Mouse was shocked. "One of my eyes!" he thought.
"One of my tiny eyes." He scurried back into the stand
of chokecherries. But the breathing came harder and slower.
"He will die." Thought Jumping Mouse. "If I do not
give him my eye. He is too great a being to let die."
He went back to where the buffalo lay and spoke. "I am a mouse."
he said with a shaky voice. "And you, my brother, are a Great
Being. I cannot let you die. I have two eyes, so you may have one
of them."
The minute he said it, Jumping Mouse's eye flew out of his head
and the buffalo was made whole. The buffalo jumped to his feet,
shaking Jumping Mouse's whole world.
"Thank you, my little brother," said the buffalo. "I
know of your quest for the sacred mountains and of your visit to
the River. You have given me life so that I may give-away to the
people. I will be your brother forever. Run under my belly and I
will take you right to the foot of the sacred mountains, and you
need not fear the spots. The eagles cannot see you while you run
under me. All they will see will be the back of a buffalo. I am
of the prairie and I will fall on you if I try to go up the mountains."
Little mouse ran under the buffalo, secure and hidden from the
spots, but with only one eye it was frightening. The buffalo's great
hooves shook the whole world each time he took a step. finally the
came to a place and buffalo stopped.
"This is where I must leave you, little brother," said
the buffalo.
"Thank you very much," said Jumping Mouse. "But
you know, it was very frightening running under you with only one
eye. I was constantly in fear of your great earth-shaking hooves."
"Your fear was for nothing," said buffalo, "For
my way of walking is the sun dance way, and I always know where
my hooves will fall. I now must return to the prairie, my brother,
You can always find me there."
Jumping Mouse immediately began to investigate his new surroundings.
There were even more things here than in the other places, busier
things, and abundance of seeds and other things mice like. In his
investigation of these things, Suddenly he ran upon a gray wolf
who was sitting there doing absolutely nothing.
"Hello, brother wolf," Jumping Mouse said.
The wolf's ears came alert and his eyes shone. "wolf! wolf!
yes, that is what I am, I am a wolf!" But then his mind dimmed
again and it was not long before he sat quietly again, completely
without memory as to who he was. Each time Jumping Mouse reminded
him who he was, he became excited with the news, but soon would
forget again.
"Such a great being," thought Jumping Mouse, "but
he has no memory."
Jumping Mouse went to the center of his new place and was quiet.
He listened for a very long time to the beating of his heart. Then
suddenly he made up his mind. He scurried back to where the wolf
sat and he spoke.
"brother wolf," Jumping Mouse said. ....
"wolf! wolf," said the wolf ....
"Please brother wolf," said Jumping Mouse, "Please
listen to me. I know what will heal you. It is one of my eyes. And
I want to give it to you. You are a greater being than I. I am only
a mouse. Please take it."
When Jumping Mouse stopped speaking his eye flew out of his head
and the wolf was made whole.
Tears fell down the cheeks of the wolf, but his little brother
could not see them, for now he was blind.
"You are a great brother," said the wolf, "For now
I have my memory. But now you are blind. I am the guide into the
sacred mountains. I will take you there. There is a great medicine
lake there. The most beautiful lake in the world. All the world
is reflected there. The people, the lodges of the people, and all
the beings of the prairies and skies."
"Please take me there," Jumping Mouse said. The wolf
guided him through the pines to the medicine lake. Jumping Mouse
drank the water from the lake. The wolf described the beauty to
him.
I must leave you here," said wolf, "For I must return
so that I may guide others, but I will remain with you as long as
you like."
Thank you, my brother," said Jumping Mouse. "But although
I am frightened to be alone, I know you must go so that you may
show others the way to this place."
Jumping Mouse sat there trembling in fear. It was no use running,
for he was blind, but he knew an eagle would find him here. He felt
a shadow on his back and heard the sound that eagles make. He braced
himself for the shock. And the eagle Hit! Jumping Mouse went to
sleep.
Then he woke up. The surprise of being alive was great, but now
he could see!
Everything was blurry, but the colors were beautiful.
"I can see! I can see!" said Jumping Mouse over again
and again.
A blurry shape came toward Jumping Mouse. Jumping Mouse squinted
hard but the shape remained a blur.
"Hello, brother," a voice said. "Do you want some
medicine?"
"Some medicine for me?" asked Jumping Mouse. "Yes!
Yes!"
"Then crouch down as low as you can," the voice said,
"and jump as high as you can."
Jumping Mouse did as he was instructed. He crouched as low as he
could and jumped! The wind caught him and carried him higher."
"Do not be afraid," the voice called to him. "Hang
on to the wind and trust!"
Jumping Mouse did. He closed his eyes and hung on to the wind and
it carried higher and higher. Jumping Mouse opened his eyes and
they were clear, and the higher he went the clearer they became.
Jumping Mouse saw his old friend upon a lily pad on the beautiful
medicine lake. It was the Frog.
"You have a new name," called the frog. "You are
Eagle!"
(The End, or perhaps a new beginning)
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