Mother West Wind How Stories

  V

  HOW HOWLER THE WOLF GOT HIS NAME

  Peter Rabbit never had seen Howler the Wolf, but he had heard his voicein the distance, and the mere sound had given him cold shivers. It justwent all through him. It was very different from the voice of Old ManCoyote. The latter is bad enough, sounding as it does like many voices,but there is not in it that terrible fierceness which the voice of hisbig cousin contains. Peter had no desire to hear it any nearer. Thefirst time he met his cousin, Jumper the Hare, he asked him aboutHowler, for Jumper had come down to the Green Forest from the GreatWoods where Howler lives and is feared.

  "Did you hear him?" exclaimed Jumper. "I hope he won't take it into hishead to come down here. I don't believe he will, because it is too nearthe homes of men. If the sound of his voice way off there gave you coldshivers, I'm afraid you'd shake all to pieces if you heard him close by.He's just as fierce as his voice sounds. There is one thing about himthat I like, though, and that is that he gives fair warning when he ishunting. He doesn't come sneaking about without a sound, like Tufty theLynx. He hunts like Bowser the Hound and lets you know that he is outhunting. Did you ever hear how he got his name?"

  "No. How did he get his name?" asked Peter eagerly.

  "Well, of course it's a family name now and is handed down and has beenfor years and years, ever since the first Wolf began hunting way backwhen the world was young," explained Jumper. "For a long time the firstWolf had no name. Most of the other animals and birds had names, butnothing seemed to just fit the big gray Wolf. He looked a great deallike his cousin, Mr. Dog, and still more like his other cousin, Mr.Coyote. But he was stronger than either, could run farther and fasterthan either, and had quite as wonderful a nose as either.

  "With Mr. Wolf, as with all the other animals, life was an easy matterat first. There was plenty to eat, and everybody was on good terms witheverybody else. But there came a time, as you know, when food becamescarce. It was then that the big learned to hunt the small, and fear wasborn into the world. Mr. Wolf was swift of leg and keen of nose. Histeeth were long and sharp, and he was so strong that there were few hefeared to fight with. In fact, he didn't know fear at all, for he simplykept out of the way of those who were too big and strong for him tofight.

  "Most people like to do the things they know they can do well. Mr. Wolfearly learned the joy of hunting. I can't understand it myself. Canyou?"

  Peter shook his head. You see neither Jumper nor Peter ever have huntedany one in all their lives. It is always they who are hunted.

  "Perhaps it was because he was so strong of wind and leg that he enjoyedrunning, and because he was so keen of nose that he enjoyed following atrail. Anyway, he scorned to spend his time sneaking about as did hiscousin, Mr. Coyote, but chose to follow the swiftest runners and tomatch his nose and speed and skill against their speed and wits. Hedidn't bother to hunt little people like us when there were big peoplelike Mr. Deer. The longer and harder the hunt, the more Mr. Wolf seemedto enjoy it.

  "At first he hunted silently, running swiftly with his nose to theground. But this gave the ones he hunted very little chance; he was uponthem before they even suspected that he was on their trail. It alwaysmade Mr. Wolf feel mean. He never could hold his head and his tail upafter that kind of a hunt. He felt so like a sneak that he just had toput his tail between his legs for very shame. There was nothing to beproud about in such a hunt.

  "One night he sat thinking about it. Gentle Mistress Moon looked down athim through the tree-tops, and something inside him urged him to tellher his troubles. He pointed his sharp nose up at her, opened his mouthand, because she was so far away, did his best to make her hear. Thatwas the very first Wolf howl ever heard. There was something very lonelyand shivery and terrible in the sound, and all who heard it shook withfear. Mr. Wolf didn't know this, but he did know that he felt better forhowling. So every night he pointed his nose up at Mistress Moon andhowled.

  "It happened that once as he did this, a Deer jumped at the first soundand rushed away in great fright. This gave Mr. Wolf an idea. The nextday when he went hunting he threw up his head and howled at the veryfirst smell of fresh tracks. That day he had the longest hunt he everhad known, for the Deer had had fair warning. Mr. Wolf didn't get theDeer, because the latter swam across a lake and so got away, but hereturned home in high spirits in spite of an empty stomach. You see, hefelt that it had been a fair hunt. After that he always gave fairwarning. As he ran, he howled for very joy. No longer did he carry hisbushy tail between his legs, for no longer did he feel like a coward anda sneak. Instead, he carried it proudly. Of all the animals who hunted,he was the only one who gave fair warning, and he felt that he had aright to be proud. All the others hunted by stealth. He alone huntedopenly and boldly.

  "Old King Bear, who was king no longer, would growl adeep, rumbly-grumbly growl." _Page_ 66.]

  "Now this earned for him first the dislike and then the hatred of theother hunters. You see, when he was hunting, he spoiled the hunting ofthose who stole soft-footed through the Green Forest and caught theirvictims by surprise. The little people heard his voice and either hidaway or were on guard, so that it was hard work for the silent huntersto surprise them. At the sound of his hunting cry, old King Bear, whowas king no longer, would growl a deep, rumbly-grumbly growl, though hedidn't mind so much as some, because he did very little hunting. Hewouldn't have done any if food had not been so scarce, because he wouldhave been entirely satisfied with berries and roots, if he could havefound enough. Mr. Lynx and Mr. Panther would snarl angrily. Mr. Coyoteand Mr. Fox would show their teeth and mutter about what they would doto Mr. Wolf if only they were big enough and strong enough and braveenough.

  "Of course, it wasn't long before Mr. Wolf discovered that he had nofriends. The little people feared him, and the big people hated himbecause he spoiled their hunting. But he didn't mind. In fact, helooked down on Mr. Lynx and Mr. Panther and Mr. Coyote and Mr. Fox, andwhen he met them, he lifted his tail a little more proudly than ever.Sometimes he would howl out of pure mischief just to spoil the huntingof the others. So, little by little, he began to be spoken of as Howlerthe Wolf, and after a while everybody called him Howler.

  "Of course, Howler taught his children how to hunt and that the onlyhonorable and fair way was to give those they hunted fair warning. So itgrew to be a fixed habit of the Wolf family to give fair warning thatthey were abroad and then trust to their wind and wits and speed andnoses to catch those they were after. The result was that they grewstrong, able to travel long distances, keen of nose, and sharp of wit.Because the big people hated them, and the little people feared them,they lived by themselves and so formed the habit of hunting together forcompany.

  "It has been so ever since, and the name Howler has been handed down tothis day. No sound in all the Great Woods carries with it more fear thandoes the voice of Howler the Wolf, and no one hunts so openly, boldly,and honorably. Be thankful, Peter, that Howler never comes down to theGreen Forest, but stays far from the homes of men."

  "I am," replied Peter. "Just the same, I think he deserves a better namefor the fair way in which he hunts, though his name certainly does fithim. I would a lot rather be caught by some one who had given me fairwarning than by some one who came sneaking after me and gave me nowarning. But I don't want to be caught at all, so I think I'll hurryback to the dear Old Briar-patch." And Peter did.

  VI

  HOW OLD MR. SQUIRREL BECAME THRIFTY