Secret ot the ancient
C168464
>
\
the wicked black beaver. ''Well, this tree
and
all
the other trees in the
I'm...
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Secret ot the ancient
C168464
>
•«-
|W836s
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY of
Wayne and
Allen County, Ind. Information For Country Borrowers
Fort
Books
are free to all residents of Allen
County. They may be borrowed from the
Main Library
at Fort
Wayne
or
from any Branch,
Reading
Room,
Deposit Station or School Library' in Allen G>unty.
Books
will
be sent by
parcel post, prepaid to any borrower living a distance
from a Library Station.
COUNTY DEPARTMENT ANTHONY 3333
LIBRARY BUREAU CAT. NO. 1168
f'f/^^f*—
'
m^!
i
>JEW YORK WILLIAM MORROW and COMPANY -1
c^
1.
3
To Genie
Reprinted December,
Copyright
1
1943
942 by William Morrow and Company,
Printed in the United States of America
Inc.
<^ .^
ay deep in the
woods where
sweetest songs there
from
it
the birds sing their
a lilypond.
is
Not
very far
stands a rugged oak tree, and in that tree lived a wise
old owl, so wise and so old, they say she
knew almost
as
CM
many secrets
as the frog
But the wise old living in that tree. It
animals
made
their
had
The
On
^
of raccoons. is
As
the
other
limb
first
the second limb was a nest of
for the fifth limb,
right above her, lived a
then there was right
Now, on
there.
many
home and playground
where the wise old owl
stairs,
big limbs and
third limb sheltered a nest of woodpeckers,
while the fourth was the ^
five
homes
lived a squirrel family. orioles.
who used to live down in the pond. owl wasn't the only one who was
still
below
was hollow and
And
lived.
swarm
it
of a family
in that
same limb,
And
of wild honey-bees.
another animal.
that
He had his home down-
in the roots of the old
oak
tree.
That was
Ilgamoot, the groundhog.
They were
all
the old oak tree but
so busy they hardly
y''
living peacefully in all
the animals were
knew
each other.
*
r
''
'^/^A^vJ
3 'y
V
\ ,-
.7
Not that would pass
they were unfriendly
.
They
the time of day and some-
times the squirrels would have tea with the groundhog, but they never thought
about really living together in the same
The
squirrels
tree.
were forever gathering nuts and acorns
and storing them up for the winter-time. They used
them under the
roots of the tree, like
little
to hide
pirates bury-
ing their treasure. Sometimes they hid them so well they
never found them again. That didn't matter, for they had so
many
nuts they could never have eaten them
on hiding them,
they kept right
for that
is
the
all.
way
all
Still
the
other squirrels did and they had to keep busy.
The
orioles
They were very and black and
on the second limb were the pretty to look
red.
Even
at, all
their little
dressed
up
musicians. in yellow
eggs were beautifully
colored with lavender and tan dots. And, of course, the _^
eggs had to be hatched and the babies fed.
rrrry
You never saw
UJO(
J
such hungry babies. They were always crying for more.
And
then came the singing lessons. At
first
they sounded
awful.
They
after a
while they could sing very well indeed and
didn't really sing.
They
just
squawked. But all
the
animals were cheered by their song.
And little
the woodpeckers had their troubles raising five
baby birds. After they could walk they had to be taught
r
c^
V'
^-^
k.^^
>o
^v-'f.
A
Cy^ / how to fly and to find their way home. You know how it is. When you don't know your address you get lost. There was one of them, the littlest one, who never could find his
one time he
didn't
way home. Why,
show up until the next
morning! His mother was so worried that
And how to
her feathers turned gray overnight. later
chop wood and
drill
on they had
a hole just big
had to be learned,
acorn. All that
the carpenters of the forest. trade
and there
As pond,
is
lots of
work
had quite
They were
woodpeckers
are very
them
for
to hold an
proud of
are
their
to do.
were mostly down by the
the cleanest people. Their babies
a time learning to
Mother raccoon was very
enough
for the
They
for the raccoons, they
fishing.
to be taught
wash
strict
/^'vTv
p
on
their
paws before meals.
that point!
The wild honey-bees worked hard
all
You know how busy bees are from to sun-down. And when they came
day long. sun-up
home
night they were so tired that
at
they just counted the drops of honey they had gathered and went straight to bed. Yes, they were the busiest of
all
the animals in the oak tree.
The only ones who took easy were the wise old
things
owl and
Ilga-
moot, the groundhog. They both liked to
especially
sleep,
moot!
It
made him grouchy
when he sleep.
didn't get
That
that ever
Uga-
enough
the only thing
is
makes any ground-
hog grouchy. They
really
'd-*-^t-^
are very good-natured ani-
-J
mals and
mon
full
sense
of plain
com-
when you know them.
So you
see,
in the
same old oak
they didn't
know
each other so
tree,
very well.
^\
v
1'-
although the animals
had always lived
^
J^
r
C^'^A^\ "^
r'
ry^ ^ "
A
Now it
pond, over where
across the
ran into a
little
creek, things looked
very different. There were
no green
trees.
Everything was bare, for there lived a
wicked black beaver.
He was
and so wicked that
the other beavers
had
left
afraid of
animals. His all
name was
him
there alone.
him, and so were
Tarrux, and he had
the trees that had been there.
but the stumps he
left
"That
is
come
I Shall
the other
gnawed down
there
was nothing
down and looked longingly across big old oak tree. And he said to him-
at nightfall
the harder they
he began to gnaw
fall.
Gnaw It Down NextT he swam silently across
and climbed up the bank to the bit
all
the biggest and finest tree I've ever seen, but
the bigger they
So
When
They were
sat
the pond, right at the self,
all
so fierce
off a
pond
the
tree.
After he had rested a
chunk of
bark. ''Hm!*' he said
to himself, "it's not so hard as
I
thought
it
would
be."
And
then he kept right on gnawing.
For a long time nobody in the old oak for everyone
was
asleep.
tree
heard him,
But it wasn't long before Ilgamoot,
the groundhog,
woke
up, rubbed his eyes
and went out to have a look.
When
he saw what the beaver was doing he got
very angry indeed and shouted: "Look here! Leave this tree alone! I've
worked hard
all
day long and
I'd like to
get
my sleep.
here, /
Besides, this isn't your tree.
you belong
across the pond.
You don't belong
Why don't you go back
where you came from?"
^N
''Oh, so you'd like
me
to go,
would you?"
snarled
^)
yw/ '^ .
/
?\>\
the wicked black beaver. ''Well, this tree
and
all
the other trees in the
I'm Tarrux, the beaver, and you'd better run before
wi
I'll
Then he chased
I
I bite
the
have you
know
woods belong
do what your ears
I please.
soon
as
animals
He
groundhog down
couldn't sleep a wink.
Tarrux had
up
left,
10
And now
into his hole.
his
teeth
The next morning,
he rushed out to
in the tree.
to me.
off!"
Poor Ilgamoot was so angry and frightened chattered.
that
tell
as
the other
y
TT
^ "Listen,
shouted.
all
of you!" he
''Tarrux,
the
wicked black beaver from
across the
here
last
pond, was
night and he's
gnawing our
tree down!*'
9?
j^f'
But they only laughed.
"Go on," said the raccoons, ''Yes,"
''yc>u've
had
a
bad dream!"
snickered the orioles, 'you've been seeing
things."
"The very
idea!" laughed the
woodpecker. "What
would Tarrux want over here? He lives 'way across the pond and
besides, this tree
possibly ever
happen
is
so sturdy and strong nothing could
to
it."
The
bees were too high
up
in the tree to hear anything.
The owl was she was a ing.
The
asleep; besides
little
hard of hear-
squirrels weren't
yet.
Poor
Ilga-
moot shook ^'^
thing has to be
done," he 11
his
head. "Some-
k
"^
up
said.
"If
only they would
all
too busy.
come down a different
When
Maybe
listen to
me, but they
can get the squirrel to
I
here and look for himself.
I'll
try
way."
he saw the squirrel come out of
They are too hard for me
to crack but
I
house he
his
some hickory
shouted: ''Hi there, Mr. Squirrel! I've found nuts.
are
thought maybe
you'd like to have them." ''Hickory nuts? Hickory nuts?" chirped the squirrel.
"Why,
I'd
be delighted!"
And he came
right
down.
Ilgamoot told him what had happened during the night and then he showed
on
him where Tarrux had gnawed would never
the tree. "Dear me!" said the squirrel. "I
have believed seen /
It's
it
with
it if I
hadn't
my own
the beaver,
all
eyes!
right!"
"Yes," said the ground-
hog,"and do you know what he told me? Well, he said our tree belonged to him
and that he'd do with
it
as
he
pleased. He'll
chop
J
it
down,
watch and
see!"
c;-rw,.
'"^yU i.^-
1^
/
"Oh, pooh pooh!" laughed the
;
'
"Why,
squirrel. "
impossible,
that's
quite impossible. This tree
nothing could ever happen to don't like about what he said.
OURS! Anyway,
isn't, it's
should come again. Just
"Don't worry,"
Meantime here
are
It's
I'll
call
it.
But there not HIS
is
tree,
squirrel
the tree with
is
so big
one thing it
I
certainly
speak to him tonight
if
he
me!"
said the
groundhog.
"I'll call
you!
your hickory nuts." ^
The
/> i
f\
thanked him and ran up
them while Ilgamoot went
f^
r
down into his hole to catch up on his sleep. That night the beaver came
early
Ilgamoot whistled for the squirrel as
he
down to
started to as
talk
gnaw. The
squirrel
soon
came
he promised, but said he wanted to
the
with me,"
answered the groundhog. wish you luck, for he
With
^
beaver alone.
"It's all right
fellow."
as
and
is
'^m-
"I
a nasty
that he shufHed
down into his hole. The squirrel watched
Tar-
rux for a time before he spoke 13
_^i».
\
„.J^} V
^t^^
y
ys
<^)[^^\S^
J
'W'
^
\
H
\ to him,
and then he
Beaver.
It's
said very politely,
a lovely evening, isn't
Tarnix looked up and
"Good
evening, Mr.
i
it.'^"
said, "I
don't care
if it is,
I'm
busy!*'
"So
>;^
I see," said
the squirrel, "and of course a fellow
•- -s^
/^
-^
has a right to be busy, of course he has. There's just
to ask you.
It's
see, there are
one question about our
I
want
tree.
You
\
seven of us living here."
"Seven?" growled the beaver.
"Oh,
it's
many more
really
than that," said the squirrel. "Most of us have big families!*'
"Seven big families!" said the beaver, looking a
little bit
worried.
"That's quite a lot."
"Indeed true that tree,
it is,"
agreed the squirrel. "But,
you told the groundhog
tell
night that
last
me,
is it
this,
our
belonged to you and that you were going to gnaw
it
down.*^"
The beaver looked such a thing!" he
lied.
at
him
"And
"Why,
craftily.
as for
gnawing
could anybody even think that of me? hungry. In faa I'm
starv^ed,
and so
a little bark. Just a little teenie
weenie
I'm accused of chopping the whole to say such things about me.
and pretended to
cry.
15
never said
down, how
Why, I'm
came here
bit,
tree
Oh, I'm
Booo hooo, booo hooo!" And he
I
it
I
just
to eat
and right away
down.
It's
wicked
desperately hungry.
leaned against the tree
"Now, now, now," soothed the squirrel. all right.
-
You eat
^^ * * ^m
all
big
it
the bark you want.
won't hurt
has a right to eat that
he
left
it
'That's quite
Why,
a bit. After
when
this tree is so all,
a fellow
he's hungry!"
him and went
With
to see Ilgamoot.
t
The groundhog had been waiting
for him. In fact he
had kept the door wide open because he expected the squirrel to after
come a-running any moment with
him. But, instead of hurrying, Mr. Squirrel walked in
quite calmly with his nose high
everything
up in the air and said:
he's not
"Of course
not!" said the squirrel.
is
''Well,
right."
is all
"You mean beaver all,
the beaver
going to chop our
only hungry and hard up for a
a fellow has a right to eat
tree
"Why,
down?"
the poor
bit of bark. After
when he's hungry.
Now hasn't
he?"
"But he
said this tree
belonged to him."
"Go on," laughed the squirrel. "He has no such ideas at all. You just didn't understand him. He was very polite to me. Of course, you have to know how to handle such fellows. Yes indeed, it's all in knowing how." And he bade Ilgamoot good night and went home. "Well, the
I'll
groundhog
me somebody isn't
be switched!" growled
"Seems to
to himself. is
lying and
I
know
it
me!"
And then he went to bed and tried to sleep while the beaver kept
rasping and gnawing outside.
17
on
Late the next morning Ilgamoot went out to take a
look
what the beaver had done overnight. What he saw
at
made his hair stand on end! He immediately called the rel
and when he came down Ilgamoot took him by the arm
and
said angrily: ''See here, didn't
just
hungry and wanted to
then,
why
gnaws all.
squir-
it
doesn't he eat
off
and drops
Here, look
what he's doing!
with
my own
little bit
of our bark?
He's not hungry. Look!
HE'S
Well
He
just
And
that isn't
BEGINNING TO
GNAW
over the ground.
He's chopping
down
our
tree, that's
Now do you believe me?"
"Well," said the the ears. ''Well,
it?
it all
at this!
ON THE WOOD!
eat a
you tell me the beaver was
now!
I
squirrel, scratching himself
wouldn't believe
it if I
behind
didn't see
it
eyes!" \
"Yes," shouted the groundhog. "That's the trouble /
with
all
of you
up
one down here."
there!
But
now go quickly and call every/
^
\'
The
squirrel
them even orioles
went up but he had quite
to listen to him, they
were
all
a
time getting
so busy. Finally the
and the raccoon came, and when Ilgamoot showed
them the big hole Tarrux had made
in their tree, they just
stood there with their mouths wide open.
*'Now what do you know about coon. ''Who would ever have thought
And the orioles wailed: 'It's a done. Why, oh why, hasn't anybody
that?" said the racit
terrible
listen.
can't waste time talking. it is
too
to
him and
know
ask
him
to
that time the
the oriole
just
what
go
we
to do," chirped the oriole.
do
it.
I'll
talk
woodpecker and all the all said: "It's
a
squirrel family
good
idea! Let
Let her soften his wicked heart with a song.
the tree again to
And
go on with
WVj ^f|
y
away.'*
Surely he will listen to her!"
^ -i)
too busy. But
Something must be done before
had come down too and they
V
all
soften his wicked heart with a song and then
By
up
were
groundhog. "But
late!"
"I think I "I'll
You
thing he has
told us about it?"
"I did tell you!" shouted the little
none of you would
possible?"
then they
their chores.
all
scrambled
a
V
'J
^>^ \^ t0t
[ >^
% V
That night the wicked old ^
beaver came even earlier than before and the oriole,
/f
#N
A
who had
been waiting for him on a
lit-
branch right above where he was
tle
gnawing, began to sing her song. It
was
a lovely song,
and when she was through she
pleaded with him to leave the old oak tree alone. tree," she said sr^eetly. "
many
years,
our
We have been living here happily for
we and our
great-grandfathers, and tree. It's
"It's
fathers
now
always been our
and grandfathers, and even
our babies. So you see
tree.
20
Surely
you
will not
it's
harm
our us!'*
The black beaver looked up and smiled and, beating his chest, he said: 'Tear not!
your
tree! I
only wanted to sharpen
now
I shall
leave
you
in peace."
my
And
a sly smile
I shall
teeth a
then he
not harm little,
and
bowed low
and walked away.
"Oh, thank you!"
said the oriole,
and out of the
kindness of her heart she sang him her sweetest song.
^3 But asleep,
very night,
when everjbody was sound
he came back and gnawed away more savagely than
ever, for
him.
later that
he was
a liar
and
The next morning
a cheat
and nobody could
the animals were really worried,
but after a while the woodpecker said he
do about it. the
'Til get
wood where he "It's
some is
bitter roots
knew
just
and rub them
what all
to
over
gnawing. That'll stop him!"
a splendid idea," said the squirrels.
woodpecker do
trust
"Let the
it!"
"It certainly is!" they all shouted. "Let the
wood-
pecker rub bitter roots over the wood. That will surely stop him!" their
work and thought no more about it. Only
Ilgamoot was doubtful. "I only hope he
^^ 1
And quickly they all hurried back to
mumbled
it
^
^-
^ ,>
?
works,"
f
to himself.
s
21 .x^
N)
w\ >
i-r
aV^
.^
^
/
">'
V/^
"^^
/ all
went
^^ ^^^ woodpecker called his family and they
to gather bitter roots.
they carefully rubbed
X
^/
^-^
it
all
When
each had a beak
full
around where the beaver was
/ gnawing. Then they waited for Tarrux and, sure enough, he
came
again. It wasn't long before
he tasted the
bitter roots.
'Tooey!" he shouted, spitting and coughing and making a V
terrible face.
treachery!
.
i^y
up
'Tooey!
What a nasty thing to do to me! What
Oh, how mean and wicked
all
those animals are
in that tree. Pooey! Pooey! Pooey!"
to the
pond
to
wash out
The woodpecker
his black
And he ran away
mouth.
shouted, ''Hurray! He's gone! He's
gone!" All the animals were happy, but not for long. Tarrux
was back the very next night and, having
\
off the bitter roots,
he gnawed away more
carefully
wood
washed
than ever
before.
^=*^
^^j
rN
•#
.,
>-
The next morning
now
together and
\
But
this
the animals
all
"^s^ ^ came
they were getting frightened.
time the raccoons had an idea. "We'll
throw some rocks down on him, right on
his nose. That'll
stop him!"
''Good!" they
all
shouted. 'Tet the raccoons do
it!"
But Ilgamoot, the groundhog, looked more worried
me we
than ever. ''Seems to owl. She
knows more than any
up something even
better."
mean and
"She's
^' ^
should wake up the wise old of us.
Maybe
she can think
But nobody would
call her.
crotchety and hard of hearing!" said
the woodpecker.
v
"Yes, and the bees live right above her. They might
;y
sting us! Leave her alone!" they cried. "Let the raccoons
throw rocks
And we
him!" ^
everybody happily went his way. All but the
groundhog. think
at the beaver. Surely that will stop
He shook
his
head and
said to himself, "I
should have called the owl!"
still
| ?
?
Well, the raccoons dragged up a great big rock, so big that
And
that
it
took three of them to carry
evening
came they dropped
when Tarrux it
it
up
the tree.
r'->Aw
^^L^
*"
tf!^
on him. But
they missed his nose and
it fell
on
his foot instead.
23 .<'
^
r^
^j.
_''»\
^'J
<^
"Owouch! Owouch!" wicked thing to do to me!" foot,
cried the beaver. ''Oh,
And he
what
a
danced around on one
screaming and howling. Then he bared his vicious
24
m
fangs and shook his clawed patience
is
at
an end!
and gnaw and gnaw crash and
And
all
of
gnashing
until
you
at
them and
will not stand for your
I
Now I WILL
any longer.
fist
chop your
it falls
into the
drown!
will
tree
I'll
his terrible yellow teeth
roared:
"My
wicked deeds
down!
I'll
pond with
gnaw
a great
be back tomorrow!"
he limped away.
When the animals heard that they became desperately frightened. In fact,
they were!
They
"Who this?" fall,
no one
all sat
in their
wailed the raccoons.
The chattered,
is
squirrels
"What
safe
our
tree
"Why,
to do.^
if
nest
Oh, what
what
goes down.
it
will
It'll
be
the end of us, and not of us squirrels alone,
but of
ALL
of us."
And
they huddled close together and the little
ones
cried.
it
how scared
worried.
would come
this sturdy old tree
any more." their
in
to do? Just imagine if
homes and
would ever have thought
then nothing
mean
slept all night. That's
to
can
->'•
^
.V
,
-<\^^
"^^'^..^ X
'^
\
.s
'
^
J^^^'^^^^O^ "^>
was
a terrible
k
When morning
^
it
night.
^
/
came nobody went work. The squirrels forgot
\_
their nuts.
Oh,
~
The orioles were silent, and
all
to
about
the raccoons were so
upset they didn't even eat breakfast. ''Let's
go down and
see Ilgamoot!"
they finally said. ''He's been right from the
very beginning. laughed.
He warned
us,
and
we
^
only
We really haven't been nice to him.
know what to do!" Then they all went down to
Besides,
_
^
he might
groundhog and
told
him
.^
the
"
(V y^
*
they were sorry
\
they had laughed at him and that they wished
'^''•^
"^
they had listened to his warnings.
"Never mind crying over spilled milk!" "It isn't
too
late yet,
said Ilgamoot.
but the time has come to
call
the wise
old owl, and the bees too, and the only
way we can
^ /\
y
get to
them
through the
owl's house!"
"^
"Yes," they
' ,
nf^
is
S^ ^^^
r"^ i^i^
1
^^^^
said.
"But
who
will
^^^ ^^^^ ^^^'^ ^^^ ^^^
crabby and hard of hearing."
"O^i.^
^j'\ .^i
Cx/^ f^i
-A
O
^\4
/ '>o
I
"I don't dare call her," said the
/
woodpecker. \i
\
"Neither do
"She might peck
They stood
sj
I," said
little
not scared of her. She
/
me," added the raccoon.
at
woebegone
there looking quite
suddenly one of the
the oriole.
squirrels said: "I'll
lets
me
go
until
call her.
play around her house!"
I'm
And
i
OiJ-
she went to knock at the owl's door.
She had to knock pretty hard, but
after a
old owl came out, looking very sleepy-eyed. surprise she
She
just
squirrel girl
my
child? "It's
little
was not
surly
and crotchety
blinked at the
little
"What
is it,
and
said,
Why do
you wake me?"
about the
To
while the everyone's
at all.
(
tree!" said the
squirrel girl.
\^ \
"I did
my
not hear you,
child," answered' the owl. "I
don't hear very well." "It's
the tree!"
"What "Our
tree?"
black beaver
is
gnawing
"Dear me,"
And
away!"
"The wicked
tree!" said the little squirrel girl.
she
it
down!"
said the owl, "I
must have
came hobbling out
a look right
of her hollow-limb
house to see what was going on.
As soon
as she
was down on the ground Ilgamoot
bowed low before her and said, "Forgive us but
a terrible
beaver, has
our
tree
wanted
for
waking you,
thing has happened. Tarrux, the wicked black
come from
down. At
to eat a
first
little
across the
pond and
he's
chopping
he told us he was hungry and
bark.
But he didn't 28
eat
it
and he
just
started
gnaw deep into the wood! Then the oriole pleaded with him to leave our tree alone and he faithfully promised to go. But at night, when everybody was asleep, he came right to
back again and gnawed a cheat *'
and nobody can
even more, for he
trust
is
him.
right back
and the hole in our
getting bigger and bigger. Last night he shook his
us and shouted, tree falls into the
I'll
gnaw and gnaw and gnaw
pond and
all
the damage."
up,
my
dresser, right
them
And by
my
fist at
until "
your
"first I'll
little
have a look
squirrel girl
and
at
said,
me my specs. They're on And in a flash the squirrel
and get
the
bed."
got
for her.
"Thank you, went
she called the
child,
tree
of you will drown!'
"Well, now," said the owl,
"Run
and
a liar
Now we have all done what we could to make him
go away but he comes is
off
my
to see the terrible
gnawed out
child," said the
wedge
owl and then she
the wicked black beaver had
of the old oak tree.
J
"It late.
looks very, very bad!" she
Now
me
tell
one thing.
"But
said.
Why
didn't
Then
the
it
you
isn't
too
call
me
sooner.*^"
Everyone was spoke up and
mean and
silent at
said,
"Oh,
crabby, but
I
first.
it's
little
because they
know you
**Hush!" said her mother.
all
squirrel girl
think you're
aren't."
"Why, how can you
say
such a thing about us?"
But the wise old owl answered them and be fussy about really needed.
\
little
1
things but I'm always ready
Remember
"Yes," said
all
that
now on!" "and now pray tell us what
almost too
for a long,
late. If
long time and then she
only you had called
Already Tarrux has gnawed away so it
x\
when I'm
from
the animals,
we do?" The owl thought
may
should
said, "It is
I,
said, "I
may
repair
die even it
or the
if
he doesn't come back.
worms
But that will come
much
will get into
later, for right
it
and
me sooner.
of our tree that
We it
will
wiU
have to
rot away.
now there is but one thing
to do.
We will have to fight for our tree, all of us together.
All for one and one for else
go
until
ever had.
We
all,
and
we have won, must stand
or
we'll have to let everything
we
together!
31
we THE SECRET
will lose everything
THATS
"Stand together?" asked the animals and they
n
looked sooner? as
at
each other and
said,
we think of that And now we shall fight
''Why
You are right, wise old owl!
all
didn't
never before!" ''And
I shall
said the owl. Squirrel,
"But
go and
without them
we
fight first
tell
with you!" of
you,
the bees, for
can never win."
"I'm afraid they won't
me,"
all
listen to
said the squirrel. "Besides, they
might get mad and sting me!"
f
IH
\
-A^
r
\
W
•)
^t^/-
'"^
^.^''^^T^'/^
'P
1
^^
*'Don't you worry," said the
fit'^
them
owl,
''just
They
will listen all right!"
tell
I
sent you.
And the bees did listen. Soon the whole hive hummed and buzzed with excitement and some of them came down to be told
what
to do.
''Good!" said the wise old owl.
"Now
let
us lay our
plans.
"You, Oriole,
fly
up
to the highest branch
and blow
your bugle when you see the beaver coming across the pond.
And And
you, Ilgamoot, you build a trap for you, squirrels,
the raccoons,
let
fill it
them
full
33
many
to fall into.
As
for
rocks as they can
up
of thorns and
carry as
into the tree."
him
thistles.
^
^
^
1
y
/^
-
'".
^^
i=- ==^
And
they
*'Now all
*all
did as they were told.
listen to
me
hide as soon as the oriole
when will
owl
carefully!" the tells
us Tarrux
is
said. *'We'll
coming. Then,
he's fallen into Ilgamoot's thorny trap, the raccoons
throw
three times
their rocks
and that
down. And then
on him. Right then
shall
we'll all
I shall
screech
be the sign for the bees to come
jump on him
together and bite
him and
sting
him
screams and howls and runs for home!
Now
then, are
him and peck him and
all
beat
until
he
you
ready?"
"We
are!" they
shouted and everybody went to his
place.
34
'^.
And
then they waited and waited
for Tarrux, the evil one, to last
they
^v^
come. At
the oriole blew her bugle. Quickly all
hid as the black beaver came
nearer and nearer and nearer, until crash,
he stumbled headlong right into moot's
Ilga-
" '"(
^168464 Oh, how he screamed
trap.
and
howled when he
fell
thorns and
But before he
could even
thistles! sit
up
the
on those
raccoons
quickly threw seven big rocks
on
Now
the
how he moment had
him. Oh,
yelled!
big
come. The owl
screeched three times and in a flash
they
all
jumped down on him and
)
'c'.l^'^«#
'
'.'
S
,
9
lid J
J
.vX*.
bit all
him and pecked him and nipped him and their might.
sound
in the air
The and
And
his ears.
his claws, until
jumped
and
And
that
Zoom, zoom, zoom!
finally
In twos
by the hundreds, every
they stung
him on
his
V\
last
r
nose and his
They stung him everywhere, even between
n
he howled with pain and crawled away and
straight into the
And
^
suddenly there was a deep buzzing
bees were coming!
fours, in dozens
and
him with
above them.
one of them came. tail
beat
pond!
was the end of the wicked black beaver,
for v..
nobody ever saw him
again.
)
>
^.
-y^
V
V
^^^^Wm"^
^N
l^-f*|7 ^1k
The animals went back to their beloved
ji?
singing with joy.
And
there in the early
joined hands and danced around
saved
it,
we've saved
it!
it
Our freedom 38
oak-tree
morning
home «/
light they
and shouted: *'WeVe V is
won!'*
1
\ ^-^A
c
t-W And
^^5
then they thanked the owl, but she was very
humble and
said, ''Don't
together, just as
But,
Q\
we
thank me.
WeVe
done
all this
are all living together in this, our tree.
mind you, our work
is
not yet done.
Though
Tarrux,
1
the wicked beaver,
#
tree
is
gone
forever, the hole
he made in our
must now be healed before the worms get
finish his evil
And
into
it
and
work."
so the bees covered the hole with
wax and
the
'^i^
raccoons coated <5<^ .
it
with thick
/
6ir. V
^-
tl
^
1r
.%^3^^4^
clay,
and the woodpeckers
watched that no
worm came
even near
it.
squirrels planted
some ivy which grew over
so thickly that
didn't even
where
it
sign and
And
A
then the y
the great
wound
show any more. But right
there
had been, Ilgamoot, the groundhog, hung a
little
on
it
it
was written
for everyone to see:
'
^
^
^
'L^ ^
.
^^j i^jl
^
^
.
T^
