How A Mother Bear Saved A Little Red Baby

How A Mother Bear Saved A Little Red Baby [Red Folk And Wild Folk]

One day a young Indian hunter took an Indian maiden for his wife, and the two started off for the mountains, to hunt. They were very successful in getting furs and skins, and there had come to them a dear little black-haired, black-eyed baby boy. 

The little boy was about two years old, when the papa and mama decided to return to their home. All the things were packed; the papa lifted the baby to the mother's back; and off they started. 

One morning the papa said: “We will stay here. I see many bear-tracks, and I must get a big bear."

 The mother prepared to stay, and, while she was busy, the boy played around the lodge; but, when she looked up from her work, the baby was gone. 

“He has gone into the lodge to sleep," thought the woman.

Soon the papa returned and asked for his boy. 

“He has gone into the lodge to sleep," answered the mother. 

When the dish of dried-meat stew was set on the mat, for the father to eat, he said “The boy must be hungry, I will call him. Come, little warrior, eat! Father wants to see his little hunter." The boy did not answer, so the hunter went to get his boy; but the baby was not in the lodge. 

The meal was forgotten, and both started to search for him. 

The baby had played around the lodge for a long time, and he saw the little birds flying about. It was late in the autumn, and the dead leaves were lying all over the ground. As the little fellow trotted through them, he thought they were singing to him; so he talked to them in his baby language, and they became his friends. 

He went on and on, as long as he heard the song of the leaves and the chattering of the little birds. Often little rabbits jumped across his path; they were not afraid of such a little fellow and sat upon their haunches to see what new kind of animal he might be. 

By and by, the birds went to sleep ; the forest became dark ; and the little boy could not see. Then he thought of his mama and papa and began to cry. 

When a little child cries because he is hungry, his voice often sounds like that of a baby bear. 

A big mama bear was just coming through the leaves, and, when she heard the baby crying, she began to hunt for what she thought was a lost baby bear, and at last she found him. 

She took him in her arms and curled her furry body around him, so that he should be warm, and he stopped crying and fell sound asleep. 

When the little fellow awakened in the morning, he seemed contented. 

The mother bear was sure this funny little bear was hungry, so she tried to get the baby to follow her, but he did not understand. She went to the little boy's side, raised herself on her hind legs, and walked away, just as she wanted the baby to do; but the boy thought this was so funny that he only laughed. 

When the bear saw that the baby did not follow her, she went back on her four legs and started over again, and this she did until the boy understood and trotted after her. As long as the baby followed, the mother bear went right on, but when he stopped she went back to get him again. 

At last they reached the beech-nut grove, and the mother bear took her big paw and brushed away the leaves until she found many beech-nuts. The baby saw the mama bear take a mouthful of nuts and eat them; so he thought he would try some too. How good they tasted to the hungry baby. 

Bye and bye the bear coaxed the baby to a streamlet, put her mouth to the water and drank; then baby got down on his hands and knees and drank as he saw the bear do.  

When night came on the bear took the child to her cave in the mountain, took him in her arms and kept him warm until morning. 

The boy was happy, and he did not miss his mother and father who had searched, as they thought, all through the forests. They looked for many days without success and at last started for their home, mourning. They thought their baby must have died of hunger and cold, or else the wild beasts had eaten it. 

The mother told her people what had happened and asked, "What shall we do?" "Go ask the wizard,—he will know, for he is a very wise man." 

The mother and father took furs and skins as presents, and went to the wizard's hut. He was sitting before a low fire, stirring herbs for medicine. "O grandfather," begged the unhappy mother, "tell me is our little one dead, or is he still alive?"

The old man answered: "Your child is alive, he is well; go into the forest, search, and you will find him." 

The mother and father hurried, and all the people followed to the camp where the baby had been lost ; then men, women, and children hunted in all directions. 

One day an Indian reached the beech-nut grove, where the bear was gathering nuts; she led the way to her cave, and there was the lost baby.

The boy grew up to be a great hunter ; but he always respected the bears and would never hurt or kill them, for they had saved his baby life.