MUSQUASH AND UPWEEKS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 391, 27 June 1928, Page 8

MUSQUASH AND UPWEEKS

AN INDIAN STORY “See, there goes a wild brother, and he walks like an old man who is bent with years,” spoke Little Beaver, the Indian boy, pointing to the bank of the stream. “Ugh,” chuckled the old chief, “it is Musquash, ‘little brother to the beaver.’ Small wonder you did not know him, for he carries a great mouthful of roots and grasses, even larger than his body. His mate is over there digging out fresh-water clams: she will carry them back to her papooses, deep down in their hidden mud-hut. Always the muskrats hide their lodges, for their enemies are many.” Just then a great white-owl flew over on its soft, mothlike wings, and began to hoot loudly: “Ho-ho-ho!” “Kago, kago!” warned the old chief, “do not frighten the owl away with your noise-making; she is wisely prophesying rain or a change in the weather. When Mankoke, tjie owl, hoots loudly near a stream, be sure it will rain soon, but when she flies off to the ledges, then we know it will be fine. See, already wise Musquash, the muskrat, summons liis tribe. All night they will work about their huts, trying to strengthen their walls, lest the floods overtake them.” Then, even as they watched, hiding behind a thicket, out of the tops of the huts the muskrats came, and all commenced working hard, carrying great mouthfuls of grasses and bundles of twigs, swimming very fast, anxious to make all safe before the storm came upon them. “Slap, slap, slap,” sounded a noise upon the water. Little Beaver thought it surely must have been made by Shada, the great bittern, as he flapped his wide wings. But the old chief said it was Ahmeek, the beaver. “Alimeek has heard and heeded the owl’s warning,” spoke the chief. “See him rallying his workers; he knows well that the god of storm is on his way.” Even then there came a great splash of rain, as the storm burst and Wabun, the east wind, came wailing through the forest. Then Little Beaver and the old chief hastened to their wigwam, and while the storm raged, the chief told him the story of Musquash, the muskrat: “Old Osass was once chief of all the muskrat tribes. He was so old now that he seldom worked, leaving all to his grandson, young Musquash. One evening the aged chief sat upon the top of his hut, watching the weather with his dim, old eyes. Even as he watched. ‘Ko-ko-ko-ho,’ the owl, hooted thrice in the willows overhanging the water, then having given his warning, flow away. “Osass knew a great storm would surely come, but he was also keeping sentinel duty that night, for fierce Unweekis, a sly old lynx, often came down from the ledges at twilight, his silent padded feet making no sound. “As old Osass stared into the shadows, he spied Upweekis, the lynx, stealing in and out between the ~ all reeds, along the shore. He would surely try to raid the huts nearest shore that night; the lynx hated to vet his feet, being afraid of water, for he belongs to the cat tribes, who hate water. Old Osass, was very brave, in spite of his great age, so determined to frighten the enemy somehow, and drive him away before he stole the little papoose muskrats from their huts. So Osass stole off alone to a log which “© knew the lynx would surely cross. “But the eyes of Osass were dim with age, and the lynx had already seen him as he crept out upon the log, and thinking to give him a lesson for his presumption, trying to outwit so powerful a foe as himself, with one quick leap the lynx landed upon old Osass, and, although the brave musk- j rat did not lose his life, he managed j to get free, creeping sadly back to his i lodge alone, badly wounded. “Meantime the rain and flood was ; up o n them. All night it rose. The otters I and beavers were safe, for the otters ; . °i?- ln a LJJ stump high above the j i usning water, while Alimeek. the wise j

beaver, cut deep sluices which turned the water from his village. “But alas for young Musquash, grandson of old Osass! Although he worked very fast, in the night the Hoc swept over the muskrats’ village, uic even though they could swim very well, as can their brothers, the mink, the otters, and the beavers, they were boot swept away by the wide waters, which carried them far and landed them upoc a strip of sand. “Weary, mud-caked, and almost young Musquash dragged liimseif c* upon the sandy bank. Then remembering his grandfather, he raised Maw on his haunches and stared everywhere searching for the aged chief. Alas, k* was not there! Perhaps he had beei destroyed. Straight back, into the flow leaped brave young Musquash, awn* beneath the muddy currents. Swimming fast he reached the spot wne* the old village had stood, and saw top of the great lodge where Osa** lived. Losing no time, Musquash crerinside, and when he climbed forth, '• carried upon his back Osass, his gra~Q* father. ~ “Now it chanced that Upweekis. lynx, in his great greed to destroy j young muskrats the night he their village, after sendine *be as Osass squeaking back to his hut, * out upon the log waiting for the m_ - rats to enter their huts for the bisBut Upweekis soon became lulled by the sound of rushing and tarried there, finally falling a deep sleep. The next thing he he was being carried along upjPv. waters far out in the middle or as lake. His long claws dug into tne ■ as in fear he was swept swiftly a • “When the sun burst forth, au muskrats dried their mud-caK , end commenced to searchh lo Suddenly, old Osass sat bolt upw then all the others following his pie stared too. For right on midst of the raging yellow ~ the flood they saw a big log, am*, ing wildly to it, was non© otner their old enemy, hateful tP we tawny, bob-tailed lynx. , of “Just then the lynx caught the staring muskrats safe on the bank, and his eyes flashed n • gave an impatient leap of ** forgetting his danger hec* torn? 4 rage; next instant the log n wfce , completely over in the water, wee fci It rose to bound away again. the lynx, clung to it nolongt^^Q# -Then Musquash, his 4 the aged Osass, and all tn verT the muskrat tribe, squeaked Joy, as they saw the big &** ing off. empty, for they kn Upweekis, the lynx, would ne them again. . tj-jbe “Soon Musquash an .Y. ,_ vBW*. a new place to build tn . wa ys b* which they hoped would 8»too high for the floods to rea ~ booalways, when the on 1C eaffll they his warning near their __ 0 < tldhasten to strengthen the huts,” ended the chief- —j

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