CHAPTER VII
The country of the Menial People lay white and frozen under its blanketof snow when Toots and the Princess next visited it. They stood beforethe cage of the lion cubs on the morning of the first snowfall of theyear.
"By my claws and teeth, all the earth is white!" exclaimed the largestof the cubs, as he looked through his barred window.
"The world must be coming to an end," said a shivering puma, curling upin the farthest corner of his cage.
"Ho, there, Sultan!" cried out one of the young tigers; "you are oldand full of wisdom, tell us why all the land is white, and why ourteeth chatter so."
Old Sultan rose thereupon, and having walked majestically to the frontof his dwelling, lifted up his voice and said:
"It is well that you children should know that we are no longer in theJungle of our fathers. For some reason, I know not what, we have beenbrought captive into the far North, where, ever and anon, the earthis white, and our hair stands out stiff and harsh. However, I wouldcounsel you to be patient and calm. The food is wholesome and plenty,and is laid each day conveniently at our very feet."
"That is indeed so," assented the mother lioness. "It is a great burdenoff my mind to know that though my claws grow dull with age, andmy limbs too stiff to leap, you children are still unpursued by thephantom of hunger unappeased. Therefore, let us be thankful." And shestretched herself out on the floor of her house, and was soon snoringcomfortably.
The wise counsel of the older lions calmed the cubs somewhat, butfilled them with so much curiosity about the jungle home of theirpeople that throughout the day they kept those who had been born infreedom busy answering their questions. Thus it happened that neitherPwit-Pwit, the sparrow, nor the little Limping Boy--who no longerlimped--could get the attention of Mahmoud or Duchess, mate of the agedelephant, till toward evening.
In the deepest snow of his yard stood Wapiti, the red deer, with hishead aloft, his great branching antlers thrown back and his nostrilsquivering. Pwit-Pwit flew up and alighted on one of the prongs andchirped merrily into the deer's ear:
"Glorious fun, this snow, isn't it, old fellow?"
But Wapiti stood sniffing the frosty air and was silent.
"I know what is the matter with you," said the sparrow, "you are tryingto remember something that happened when it was winter in the greatwoods where you ran free."
Pwit-Pwit picked at the shreds of skin hanging from Wapiti's antlers,and at length the deer lowered his head and spoke:
"Go away now," he said, "but come back again. I smell something in theair that makes me feel like leaping and running with all my speed. Thememory of other days is struggling to return. Just now I thought itwas here. Come back after a little, Pwit-Pwit. Give me time to collectmy thoughts."
With this the sparrow hopped down from the deer's antlers at Toots'feet, and began fluttering his wings and scolding at him.
"He is talking to you now," said the Princess. "What does he say?"
"He wants us to come with him. Lead the way," said Toots to thesparrow, "and we will follow wherever you go."
Toots took the Princess' hand and started a few steps, whereatPwit-Pwit, with a chirp of satisfaction, flew straight to the den ofthe bears. When Toots and the Princess arrived, they found the sparrowexhibiting signs of disappointment and indignation. The great beastswere curled up fast asleep and snoring.
"Well, what do you think of that?" demanded the sparrow. "A nice wayto receive visitors, that is. They know that I always come when the sunshines full in their doorway."
"The snow and the cold have made them sleepy," said Toots.
"Perhaps that is so," answered the sparrow--Toots was translating theirtalk for the Princess--"but it is stupid of them, and impolite, and Iwon't have it."
With these words the sparrow flew at the eyes of the oldest bear,pecking away with all his might, and chirping:
"Come, now, will you wake up? You have company for breakfast. Shameupon you!"
But the old bear simply put his great paws over his eyes and waspresently snoring louder than ever. It was the same with the youngerbears. They had eaten their breakfast, and were determined to sleep.
Pwit-Pwit fluttered out of the bears' den, and fixing his sparklingeyes on Toots' face, said:
"I know what we'll do. We'll call on the racoons. They're horriblelittle chatterboxes, but they are inclined to be sociable. Besides, Ihave been neglecting them of late."
So they went a little farther up the hill to the Racoon House, with itsdoor looking toward the sun, which is always closed at night. No soundcame from within.
"It is a little late to catch them at breakfast," said the sparrow;"but they are such greedy people that some of them are sure to bequarreling over the last morsel."
But, to the intense surprise of Pwit-Pwit, all was silent within theRacoon House. He hopped in at the door, and presently returned, lookingdeeply disgusted.
"Would you believe it?" he said testily. "Every one of those sillypeople is snoring louder than the bears. Isn't it disgraceful?"
"They are like the bears," said Toots; "the cold makes them drowsy."
"Well, I shan't go without my breakfast any longer, simply because itis my duty to carry the early news to people who are too stupid tolisten to it," chirped Pwit-Pwit. "I'm half-starved. Come, we willcall on the old gray rabbit. There is no one so wise as he in all theMenial World--and he always saves a choice morsel for me, though I mustconfess that I prefer the fare of Mahmoud."
It was only a few steps to the snowy hillside where the old grayrabbit watched over his large family, the youngest of which wasa snow-white great-granddaughter. Without waiting for a specialinvitation, Pwit-Pwit took possession of a bread crust, and was peckingat it greedily, when a wonderful thing happened. The old gray rabbit,ignoring the sparrow, hopped slowly over to where Toots and thePrincess stood leaning upon the top rail of his yard fence.
"Good morning," said the boy.
The rabbit stuck one of its ears straight up and allowed the other tohang down over his cheek, meanwhile moving his flexible lips in themost extraordinary fashion. Toots laughed aloud and clapped his hands,saying: "Thank you, Grandpa Rabbit, my crooked leg is cured. This isthe Princess. Her father, who is a great surgeon, made it as straightas its mate. You can see for yourself."
With perfect confidence in Toots' ability to understand the rabbitlanguage, the Princess bowed, and then stroked Grandfather Rabbit'sear. Then he hopped still closer to the fence and made a long speechwith his ears and flexible lips. And this is what he said:
The rabbit stuck one of its ears straight up.]
"Little boy, I rejoice at your good fortune. While your poor leg wasstill crooked, and the iron clanked upon it, and you were as thin andpale as you are now brown and stout, you never neglected me. I alwaysfelt that you understood me and mine better than those great carelessmen who come with the bread and the cabbage-leaves, but with never aword of greeting. Even now, when the ground is white and cold, youdo not forget us. We feel that you are one of us. It is not given toall of the Menial People to speak as plainly as I do, but you have myearnest assurance that all have the same feeling of affection towardyou."
While the rabbit was speaking, Pwit-Pwit, having satisfied his hunger,hopped up beside him, and told him of the disgraceful conduct of thebears and the racoons.
"I could have told you," answered the rabbit, "that the first snowwould deprive you of all companionship on the part of those people. Itwas their custom before being taken into captivity to sleep steadilythrough all the freezing weather. My people understood it well, forthen we had only the wildcats, the wolves and the foxes to fear."
"But how could they live so long without eating?" demanded Pwit-Pwit."When the weather is cold, my appetite is sharper than ever."
"They lived upon their fat," answered the old gray rabbit. "All thetime the leaves were falling the bears ate grapes and berries in theforest, until they were so fat they could hardl
y walk. I remember wewere never afraid of them then, they were so slow and clumsy. It wasthe same with the racoons. All night they would steal along the marginof the river, gorging themselves with clams, fish and young ducks, andsometimes would go into the fields for the juicy, green corn. So, whenthe first snow came, they, too, were almost too fat to walk.
"Then," continued the old gray rabbit, "the bears would crawl intothe farthest corner of their caves, while the racoons would curl upinto furry rings at the ends of their burrows, and there they wouldsleep soundly until the warm sun should again melt the snow. All thesethings I know well, for it is during the first warm days of spring thatthe rabbits are ever on the alert because of the gaunt figures of thehalf-starved bears, awakened by their hunger, which then prowl over theland."
"Ah, now I understand," chirped Pwit-Pwit. "Well, now that the bearsand the racoons care no longer for the news, I shall have more timethan ever to devote to dear old Mahmoud, and to Fatimah and thehippopotamus baby."
Just then there came a wild bellow from the direction of Wapiti's yard.
"It's Wapiti," said Pwit-Pwit, much excited. "Come at once. Heremembers."
"If it is the deer you are about to visit," said the rabbit, "I wouldwarn you that his people are apt to be dangerous when the snow is onthe ground. It is then that they suffer from hunger, and are none toogentle with their sharp prongs."
But Pwit-Pwit said that he had a perfect understanding with Wapiti,and flew away, followed by Toots and the Princess, both eager to knowwhat it was that the red deer had remembered. They found him shakinghis antlers and pawing the snow.
"Now, I remember," he said. "It was on just such a day as this in thegreat forest that my gentle, tender-eyed mate was taken from me. Therewere two fierce dogs that sprang at her throat. But this was not untilthe iron in the man's hand had spoken, and my mate had fallen to herknees, with the blood gushing from her mouth. Look, Pwit-Pwit, littleone, do you see that prong, broken short off?"
"Yes," answered the sparrow, eagerly.
The red deer tossed his head savagely, then bellowed fiercely:
"It was with that same prong that I pinned one of the dogs to a tree,so that he never barked again. I left the prong sticking to his heart."
"Served him right," said Pwit-Pwit. "I can't bear dogs; they're as badas cats."
"But my poor mate was dead," continued Wapiti, "and while I wasmourning over her body, the men came and bound me fast with cords. Thatis why you find me here."
With that, they took leave of the red deer, and with the sparrow in thelead, proceeded to the Elephant House.
"By this time," said Toots, "the lion cubs will have ceased theirchatter over the white carpet the heavens laid on the earth in thenight, and we shall be able to get in a word."
Mahmoud and the Duchess stood as near the front of their house as thechains on their legs would let them, and seemed eager for visitors.They greeted Pwit-Pwit cordially, stretching out their trunks to him.The sparrow hopped upon that of Mahmoud, and said:
"Where are your eyes, old friend? Here is the little Limping Boy backagain, and you give him not so much as a flap of your ear in greeting."
"Alas, my eyes give me small service these days," said the elephant;"yet I would have sworn that the lad who follows you hither with thelittle butterfly maiden is stout and brown and well-clad, and with twogood, straight legs under him. Can it be that my ears are growingdull, also, that I failed to hear the clank of the iron on his leg?"
Thus speaking, Mahmoud put forth his trunk, and with the two fingersat its end felt carefully of Toots' legs, first of one and then of theother. Then he drew back and blew a puff of wind through his trunk thatruffled Pwit-Pwit's feathers, saying playfully:
"And so, Pwit-Pwit, little one, thou wouldst jest with thy mostfaithful of friends? Nay, the lad is well-favored and good to lookupon, but he is not the little Limping Boy."
And Mahmoud, turning his head resolutely, began carrying to his mouththe stack of hay the Keeper had placed before him. Toots felt his hearttorn as by a great sorrow.
"Mahmoud! Mahmoud!" he sobbed, holding out his arms.
But the elephant gave no heed to the boy, and the sparrow had flownaway.
Toots burst into tears.
"It is sad," said the Princess, putting her handkerchief to her eyes,"but it is better to be strong like other boys."
And she led him away, and when next Toots and the Princess visitedtheir friends of the Menial World, he was tall, with hair on his lip,and she was slender and very fair; and they looked only in each other'seyes.
The End]
Transcriber's Note:
Italics are indicated by _underscores_.Small capitals have been rendered in full capitals.A number of minor spelling errors have been corrected without note.
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