The Cunning Little Rabit

Long ago, when only the Red Indians lived in Canada, the cunning Rabbit also lived there, and he had a wonderful time. He was a great thief and would wait until night, when the moon was shining, to creep out into the fields to eat the vegetables that the Indians grew for themselves.

Not far from where Rabbit lived was a fine garden. It belonged to a widow woman, who made her living from the food she grew. What she did not eat, she sold, so all day long she toiled in her garden, growing big green cabbages, fine red carrots, plump golden Indian corn, and fat pumpkins. In return, the Indians gave her fish and meat.

One day, Rabbit passed this garden and saw how fine it was, and when the moon was up, he crept out and helped himself. Night after night, he went back to the garden, and there was so much to eat that he grew fat and lazy. But the poor widow became more and more worried as she saw how many of her vegetables she was losing.

She decided to catch the thief, but Rabbit was so silent that she could never even see him. At last, she said, “I will make a big scarecrow. That will scare away the thief.”

From the spruce and fir trees, she took the sticky gum and balsam. When she had enough, she made the figure of a man and covered it with gum. She put two little glass beads, which would shine in the moonlight, for his eyes, a pine cone for his nose, and the yellow tassels which grew on the top of the corn for his hair and beard.

When the moon rose and Rabbit went along to the garden, he saw, to his surprise, a man by the fence. There was a light mist, and it made the man look huge. He cast a long black shadow like a giant’s shadow on the grass.

Rabbit, very frightened, sat down to watch what happened. The figure did not move, so he crept closer. There was no sound, and soon he grew bolder. He walked up to the scarecrow and said, “Get out of my way.”

The scarecrow did not move, so Rabbit struck him, but his paw stuck to the gum, and he could not move it. Angrily, Rabbit struck out with his other paw, and that stuck too. “If you do not let me go, I will kick you,” yelled Rabbit, and he lashed out with his foot. He could not move that either, so he kicked with his other foot, and then he was really stuck fast.

“Let me go, or I’ll bite you,” he cried in fury, but the scarecrow said nothing and never moved, so Rabbit bit hard with his sharp front teeth, but his teeth stuck too.

Rabbit yelled so loudly that the old woman heard him and came to see what all the noise was about. “Aha! You’re the thief who steals all my vegetables, are you?” she said, as she pulled Rabbit off the scarecrow. “Well, now I shall kill you and rid the world of a thieving nuisance.” She put him in a large sack and tied the mouth of it with string. Then she hurried away to get a sharp axe.

Just then, Fox came along. He did not see the sack in the shadow and tripped over it. He picked himself up and kicked the sack hard. There was a squeal from Rabbit inside.

Fox stopped kicking. “Who are you?” he asked.

“I am your friend, Rabbit,” came the reply.

“What are you doing in that sack?” asked Fox curiously.

Rabbit knew that Fox did not trust him and would certainly not let him out of the sack if he knew the trouble he had gotten himself into, so he thought hard and then said, “I have been put here by that old woman. She wants me to marry her daughter, and although the girl is a very good housewife, I do not want to get married, so I have been shut up here until the old woman brings the girl.”

Fox sat down and thought about this. For a long time, he had been looking for a wife, but no one would trust him because of his treachery and slyness. “Perhaps she will suit me,” said Fox. “Let me take your place inside the sack, Rabbit.”

Rabbit was only too delighted to climb out of the sack and then tie the string again once Fox had got inside.

Soon the old woman returned. “Now, you thieving Rabbit, I will chop off your head,” she called.

When the Fox heard this, he knew how he had been deceived. When the old woman opened the sack, he leaped out and ran away, swearing to have his revenge on Rabbit.

He looked and looked, but for a long time, he could not find him, for Rabbit kept well out of the way.

Then, one night, Fox happened to come across Rabbit, happily eating in a patch of wild vegetables on the other side of the stream. Fox tried to coax Rabbit across to his side, but Rabbit would not go. “I am very hungry,” said Fox pitifully. “Please bring me some vegetables to eat.”

“Why eat vegetables when there is a big round cheese in the middle of the stream there?” replied Rabbit.

Fox looked in the stream, and it seemed to him that there was a big round cheese in the middle of it. He was very fond of cheese, so in he jumped, but all he got was a wetting, for it was only the reflection of the moon, and it disappeared as soon as he touched the water.

Fox was crosser than ever, but although he searched all the next day, he could not find Rabbit to get his revenge. Then, that night, Fox saw Rabbit sitting on the branch of a tree, playing his Indian flute.

“Such luck, Fox,” called Rabbit when he saw him. “The Indian chief’s daughter has just got married, and they asked me to sit here and make music for them as they pass by. Then I must take my flute to the wedding feast and play for them there. I shall be well paid for it, and there will be plenty of food at the wedding feast. Why don’t you join me?”

The angry Fox decided to let the Rabbit get his pay and then kill him and take the money. Then his vengeance would be complete, so he said, “I have no flute, so I can make no music, but I will join you here and watch the wedding procession go by.”

“Take my flute,” said Rabbit, jumping down. “I have another one at home. I will go and get it. Stay here and keep playing in case the guests come past.”

Rabbit turned and ran along the road, but he did not go home. Instead, he lit small fires all around the tree beside which the Fox was sitting, and because the Fox was playing the flute as hard as he could, he did not hear the crackle of the flames. He did not notice the bright light of the flames either, because he thought the light came from the moon. The fire had almost surrounded him before he realized his danger, and then he had to jump through the ring of fire to save his life.

His beautiful, sleek black coat, which had silver spots, was scorched to a red-brown color, and to this day, Fox’s descendants have red eyes and a red-brown coat and never, since that night, have they been on friendly terms with Rabbit or any of his family.

Rabbit, too, is very careful to keep well away from Fox and all his family.