The Gratitude Of Rabbit

The Gratitude Of Rabbit [Red Folk And Wild Folk]

Poor little rabbit had lost his parents, and he was all alone in the world. He was such a tiny little fellow that he could not take care of himself or find anything to eat.

An old woman was passing his home one day, and she heard baby rabbit crying. 

"What is the matter?" she asked, and he answered, “I am alone and have no one to help me get anything to eat. I am so hungry!" 

The woman took pity on the little fellow and carried him home with her. "I have not much," she said; "but I can always share what I have with a fellow sufferer.” 

She fed baby rabbit and grew to be very fond of him. Little rabbit always lived with her, and he grew and grew until he was very big; but he never helped the woman bring food home—perhaps because she did not ask him. 

"What could a poor little fellow like that do?” thought she. 

As the years rolled by, the woman kept getting older and older, until it was very hard for her to supply the tiniest bit of food, or to gather a few small twigs for the fire.

One day, after she had with difficulty stored up a small supply of food and firewood, she said to rabbit: 

"My son, I am getting very old, I cannot gather any more herbs and berries, and, after we have eaten what I have here, we shall have to starve; but let us enjoy what we have. Then we can die together. " 

So they lived on the little supply, and, when all was gone and the fire out, rabbit said: "Mother, you were kind to me in my time of need; now I will help take care of you. I will catch you some fish if you wall let me go. 

The old woman said he might try; but she thought: "How can little rabbit catch fish?" 

Rabbit took the net and set it in a lake where he knew there were many fish; then he returned home for the night, bringing some berries for the old woman to eat. Next morning, very early, he started for the lake. When he reached his net, he lifted one corner and found there was a fish in every mesh. He shook out some, for he would not need so many at once, and then he pulled in the net, gathered together the fish, and started for home. 

"See, mother, I have brought you many fish; now we shall not starve for I can help you!" cried rabbit as he neared the hut. “That is nice," answered the woman; " but our fire is out, and we cannot cook them." “I will get you some fire, while you clean the fish." So rabbit bade the woman goodbye and started for the river, carrying his net under his arm. 

When rabbit reached the river, he called the big fish and told them to make a bridge, so that he could cross the water. The fish did as rabbit said, and, after he was on the other side, he told the fish to swim away ; then he jumped into the water, so that his fur should be wet, and lay down on the bank, pretending to be dead. 

He was not very far from an Indian village, and soon the Indian children came to play on the sandy bank. One of the boys found rabbit, carried him home; and told where he had found him. 

“Carry him to the iron kettle where there is a big fire," said the father, and the boy put rabbit down to skin him. 

Poor rabbit was terribly frightened and opened just a corner of one eye to see if there was any way to escape. He saw a big round hole right in the top of the tepee. Then he said, very softly: “Fire, throw a spark upon my net!” Instantly the firewood snapped, and a great spark set his net on fire. Rabbit was afraid of the fire; but he sprang out of the hole in the top of the tepee and pulled the net out after him.

 When the Indians saw they had been outwitted by rabbit, they gave chase, and the little fellow had to run faster and faster, so that when he came to the bank of the river he could not stop himself but gave one great leap and jumped clear over the river, and the Indians could not catch him. Then he examined his net, and the fire was still smouldering; so he hurried home, and the old woman fanned it back to life again. Then rabbit gathered twigs and they kept the fire burning. 

So it was that rabbit showed his gratitude to the old woman who had been kind to him.