Chapter VI.
NORSE TALES.
"What are you reading?" asked Tug, who was the last boy in the worldto be interested in a book, unless it was one about animals, but whohad nothing else to do just then.
"A book of old stories."
"What about?--adventures, and things of that sort?"
"Partly. Some of them are fairy stories--about queer little people,and animals that talk, and heavenly beings that help lost children,and people that have hard times."
"Why, those are the very fellows we want to see. Let's hear about'em--mebbe we can give 'em a job."
"Well, if you would like it, I'll read you this story I've justbegun," said Katy, good-naturedly.
"Much obliged. I think that would be tip-top."
So Katy read to him, as he lounged on the straw and gazed into thebright fire, an old myth-story of the North Wind. How, away in a farcorner of Norway, there once lived a widow with one son. It wasmidwinter, and she was weak, so the lad was obliged to go to the"safe" (or cellar dug near the house, where the food was kept) tobring the materials for the morning meal. The first time he went, andthe second, and again, at the third attempt, the fierce North Windblew the food out of his hands. These three losses vexed the ladgreatly, and he resolved to go to the North Wind and demand the foodback. After long travelling he found the home of the giant, fartowards the pole, and made his demand. The North Wind heard him, andgave him a cloth which would serve all the finest dishes in the worldwhenever the boy chose to spread it and call for them. On his way homehe stopped at a tavern for the night, and, spreading his cloth, had afeast. The landlady was astonished, as well she might be, and thinkingwhat a useful thing such a tablecloth would be in a hotel, she stoleit while the lad was asleep, and put in its place one that looked likeit, but which had no secret power.
The lad, not suspecting the change, went home, and boasted gleefullyto his mother of what he had brought. But when he tried it, of coursethe false cloth could do nothing, and the old lady both laughed at himand scolded him. Vexed again, the lad hastened back, and accused theNorth Wind of fraud. So the giant gave him a ram which would coingolden ducats when commanded. Stopping at the tavern as before, thelandlord exchanged this remarkable animal for one from his own commonflock, and the lad found himself fooled a second time. Going back athird time, he told the story to the North Wind, who gave the angrylad a stout stick which, when it had been told to "lay on," wouldnever cease striking till the lad bade it to stop.
At the tavern, the landlord, thinking there was some usefulenchantment in the stick, tried to steal it also, but the boy was wideawake. He shouted, "Lay on," and the landlord found himself beingclubbed till he was nearly dead, and gave back all that he had taken.Then the boy went home, and he and his mother lived rich and happyever afterwards.
Tug's vigorous applause aroused the attention of the other two, whomay have been listening a little, and Aleck asked what the book was.
"Dr. Dasent's 'Norse Tales,'" Katy replied.
"Who or what is 'Norse'?" Jim inquired.
This was a question Tug had been wanting to ask too, but had feltashamed to expose his ignorance--one of the few things not really meanwhich a boy has a right to be ashamed of.
"The Norse people," Katy said, "are the people of Scandinavia (or the_Northmen_, as they were called in ancient times), and these storiesare those that old people have told their children in Norway andSweden for--oh! for hundreds of years. Many are about animals, andothers--"
"Give us one about an animal," Tug interrupted.
Very well, here's one that tells why the bear has so short a tail:
One day the Bear met the Fox, who came slinking along with a string of fish he had stolen.
'Whence did you get these?' asked the Bear.
'Oh, my Lord Bruin, I've been out fishing, and caught them,' said the Fox.
So the Bear had a mind to learn to fish too, and bade the Fox tell him how he was to set about it.
'Oh, it's an easy craft for you,' said the Fox, 'and one soon learned. You've only to go upon the ice, and cut a hole, and stick your tail down into it; and so you must go on holding it there as long as you can. You're not to mind if your tail smarts a little; that's when the fish bite. The longer you hold it, the more fish you'll get; and then, all at once, out with it, with a cross pull sideways, and with a strong pull too.'
Yes; the Bear did as the Fox said, and held his tail a long, long time down in the hole, until it was fast frozen in. Then he pulled it out with a cross pull, and it snapped short off. That's why Bruin goes about with a stumpy tail to this day.
"LAY ON!"]
When this short and stirring tale of a tail had been concluded, theCaptain's voice was heard.
"Now for bed!" he ordered, winding up his watch, whose golden handspointed to nine o'clock.
Partially undressing, they tucked themselves into their quilts andblankets on the crackling straw, and silence followed. Sleep was slowto close the eyes of the younger ones, who were kept awake by theirstrange situation; and Rex, lying at Katy's feet, frequently raisedhis head as the roaring wind shrieked through the tall trees outside,or rattled a loose board in the roof with a strange noise.
The first one to awake next morning was Aleck, who looked at his watchby the glimmer of the coals, and was surprised to find it after eighto'clock, though only a gray light came through the little window ofthe cabin. Creeping out, he raked the embers together, laid on somefresh wood, and hung the kettle on the spike. Then he called hiscompanions, who sat up and rubbed their eyes.
"Katy, you lie still till the boys go off. We'll bring you some water,and then you can have the house to yourself for a while. Get out ofthis, you fellows! Jim, bring a pail of water for the cook. Tug, youand I will go and see how the boat has stood the night."
Two minutes later they were gone. After Jim had brought the freshwater (he was slow about it, because he had to rechop the well-hole)the girl sprang up to make herself neat, and was busy at breakfastwhen the boys pounded the door like a battering-ram with theaxe-handle, "so as surely to be heard," and begged to know if theymight come in.
"Good-morning!" she greeted them. "How is the weather?"
"Weather!" exclaimed Tug, spreading his hands before the fire, andworking his ears out from underneath a huge red comforter just as Ihave seen a turtle slowly push his head beyond the folded skin of hisneck. "Weather! It's the roughest day I ever saw. I don't believe oldZach himself could skate a rod against that wind."
(Zach was a six-foot-three lumberman in Monore, who was noted for hisgreat strength.)
"Then how can we go on?" asked Katy, dropping eggshells into thecoffee-pot.
"I'm afraid we can't," Aleck said, soberly; "at least, until this galegoes down. It is very, very cold, and I'm sure we are much better offhere. Don't you all think so?"
"_You_ bet!" shouted Tug.
"You _bet_!" Jim echoed.
"Then I must worry about dinner," said Katy, with a pretended groanwhich made them all laugh.
At breakfast came the promised chops. Then, while Katy and Jim setthe cabin into neat shape, the older lads went after more wood, and,having done this, walked out to the neighboring marsh and cut greatarmfuls of wild rice and rushes, with which to make their straw bedsthicker and softer. This, and other things, took up the morning, andthen all came in to help and hinder Katy while she got dinner.
When it had been set out they found half a boiled ham, potatoes, somefried onions ("arctic voyagers always need to eat onions to preventscurvy, you know," Katy explained), and even bread and butter; but thelast item represented almost the end of their only loaf.
In the afternoon the wind moderated, the clouds that had made it sodark in the morning cleared away, and the sun came out. Under theshelter of the long wharf and breakwater they walked out on the ice tothe lighthouse, where they had been so often in midsummer; but now itwas shut up, for there would
be no use in burning a signal-light onthe lake after the cold weather of the fall had put a stop tonavigation, until spring recalled the idle vessels.
Supper was simple, but they had lots of fun over it, and then all setat work to help Aleck make straps of canvas to put over the shoulderand across the breast when they were hauling on the drag-rope. Thiscontrivance saved chafing, and gave a better pull. Jim had pooh-poohedthe taking of a sail-needle and some waxed twine along asunnecessary, but Aleck had persisted; and here was its service thevery first day. Before the trip was through with, everybody wanted ahundred little articles they did not possess, worse than they wouldhave missed this sail-needle had it not been brought.