CHAPTER XXA VERY MEEK YOUNG OTTER
The wise will never scorn retreatWhen facing swift and sure defeat.Little Joe Otter.
The wise will never scorn retreatWhen facing swift and sure defeat.Little Joe Otter.
The wise will never scorn retreatWhen facing swift and sure defeat.Little Joe Otter.
The wise will never scorn retreat
When facing swift and sure defeat.
Little Joe Otter.
Yes, Sir, it certainly looked bad for that young Otter fighting with Yowler the Bobcat. It looked very much as if in the end Yowler would have that dinner of tender, young Otter for which he was fighting. Such a snarling and spitting! Such a thrashing about in the snow, as they rolled over and over! Never had Yowler fought harder.
But though he was so busy with teeth and claws, he never once forgot to keep his ears open. He never once forgot to listen for sounds that might warn him of the approach of Little Joe Otter or Mrs. Joe. He knew that they were not so far away but that they might hear that fight. So it was with a sudden wrench he tore himself free, and with a screech of disappointment and anger bounded to the nearest tree and climbed it.
He was just in time and that was all. Snarling, her eyes blazing with anger, Mrs. Joe plunged down the trail, and behind her came Little Joe Otter. Had they succeeded in reaching Yowler, the Green Forest would have known him no more.
Mrs. Joe paid no attention to him. She rushed straight to the young Otter and began to lick her wounds and try to comfort her. She examined her all over to see how badly she was hurt, as only an anxious mother could. But Little Joe made straight for the tree up which Yowler had climbed. At the foot of it he glared up and dared Yowler to come down. Yowler was licking a badly bitten paw. Between licks he snarled and growled and spit at Little Joe. But he didn’t come down. No, Sir, Yowler didn’t come down. He was far too wise to do that. And so all that Little Joe could do was to snarl and spit back at him and tell him what he would do to him if ever he had the chance.
It didn’t take Mrs. Joe long to find that the young Otter was not badly hurt. Her coat was torn in places and she was very, very sore, but she was not seriously hurt. As soon as Mrs. Joe was sure of this she called to Little Joe, and regretfully Little Joe left the foot of that tree and once more led the way along the trail. This time Mrs. Joe was the last one. She kept behind the two young Otters. She didn’t intend to give them a chance to get into more trouble.
As for the young Otter, never was there one more meek. She had had a lesson she would never forget. She smarted and ached, but she knew that she deserved it. She knew that it was wholly because of her wilfulness and disobedience.
“I’ll never, never disobey again,” she kept saying over and over to herself. “I’ll never, never disobey again. I guess I don’t know as much about the Great World as I thought I did. Ouch! That fellow’s teeth and claws were sharp. I—I—I wish I hadn’t thought myself so smart. I wonder who that fellow is, anyway.”
Before this she had been too busy to even wonder who she had been fighting with. But now she wanted to know who this enemy was. And so at the first chance she asked her mother.
“That was Yowler the Bobcat,” replied her mother. “He is the greatest sneak in the Green Forest. He wouldn’t have dared to touch your father or me. I wish we had been in time to catch him. There are a lot of people who would have been thankful to us if we had.”
CHAPTER XXIA RACE FOR LIFE
When life’s at stake ’tis no disgraceTo run from what you dare not face.Little Joe Otter.
When life’s at stake ’tis no disgraceTo run from what you dare not face.Little Joe Otter.
When life’s at stake ’tis no disgraceTo run from what you dare not face.Little Joe Otter.
When life’s at stake ’tis no disgrace
To run from what you dare not face.
Little Joe Otter.
Little Joe Otterand his family had traveled many miles from the Laughing Brook on their way to that other brook where Little Joe was sure they would find better fishing. They had left a deep trail through the snow. It happened that this trail was found by an old trapper, who was tramping through the woods.
“Traveling Otter!” he exclaimed, as soon as he saw that trail. Then he examined the trail very carefully. “More than one has been along here,” he decided. “What is more, those Otters are not very far ahead of me. This trail is very fresh. They’re heading straight for the pond just beyond the next ridge. Otter fur brings high prices these days. If I can catch up with them, I may be able to get a skin or two.”
He looked around for a stout club, and as soon as he had found one to suit him he hurried along that trail. He guessed that those Otters were not hurrying. He hoped that if he could get near enough before he was discovered, he would be able to outrun one or two of them. So he hurried on as fast as he could, taking the greatest care to make as little noise as possible.
Little Joe, Mrs. Joe and the two young Otters had almost reached the pond when Little Joe’s ears caught a sound that caused him to stop and look back along their trail. He saw that man running. He recognized him instantly as one of those two-legged creatures called men, the only enemies Little Joe really feared. “We must run for our lives!” he cried and led the way, breaking the path through the snow.
Then began a race for life. Little Joe knew that if that man caught up with them, they would have no chance for their lives. He knew all about that pond just ahead. He knew that at one end there were springs and that when all the rest of the pond was covered with ice, there usually was open water above those springs. If they could reach open water they would be safe.
Such a race as that was! Though the Otters did their best, they could not travel as fast through the snow as the man. He gained on them with every step. How thankful Little Joe and Mrs. Joe were that he had no terrible gun. Had he carried a terrible gun they would have had no chance at all. But even without a terrible gun he would surely kill them all unless they could reach that open water.
Through the trees they saw the black, smooth ice of that pond just ahead of them. They bounded and plunged ahead with all their strength. Little Joe was ahead to break the way through the snow. Then came the two young Otters, and Mrs. Joe was last. That trapper was almost within striking distance as she sprang out on to the ice. Out there the Otters could travel faster than the trapper. They would make several bounds forward and then throw themselves on their stomachs and slide. It was surprising how fast they traveled over that ice. But the trapper couldn’t run fast on the ice. It was too slippery. He did his best, but he fell farther and farther behind. Finally he threw his club at Mrs. Joe. It just missed her. A minute later, one after another, Little Joe and his family disappeared in the open water. They had won their race for life.
CHAPTER XXIITHE CLEVER TRAPPER
The trapper knows his wits must matchThe wits of those whom he would catch.Little Joe Otter.
The trapper knows his wits must matchThe wits of those whom he would catch.Little Joe Otter.
The trapper knows his wits must matchThe wits of those whom he would catch.Little Joe Otter.
The trapper knows his wits must match
The wits of those whom he would catch.
Little Joe Otter.
Thetrapper who had tried to run down Little Joe Otter and his family and kill them with a club was not one to give up easily. Of course, he was disappointed at his failure to get one of those Otter coats. But he was not at all discouraged. As soon as Little Joe Otter and his family had disappeared in the open water at one end of that pond, the trapper stopped running. He was glad to stop, for he was quite out of breath.
“Those Otters won’t stay in this pond long,” said he to himself. “They know that I know they are here, so they will move on as soon as they think they safely can. I can guess just where they are bound for. They are bound for the big brook where there is a lot of swift water that doesn’t freeze, and where they will be sure of good fishing. They will stay there for some time. That will be the place to set some traps. The thing for me to do is to leave them alone for awhile so that they will not be at all suspicious. Then I’ll set some traps. Their fur is in the best of condition now, and if I can get two or three of their skins they will pay me several times over for all the trouble I may take to get them.”
So the trapper turned back and tramped home. He didn’t go back to that pond for two days. When he did go back he found just what he expected to find, and he chuckled when he found it. It was a trail in the snow leading away from that pond in the direction of the big brook. He followed it. As he approached the big brook he was careful to keep out of sight. He could see that the trail led straight to the water. For a long time he remained hidden, patiently watching. At last he saw a brown head out in the water. A moment later one of the young Otters with a fish in his mouth climbed out on a big, flat rock and ate the fish.
“They are there,” chuckled the trapper, “and they will stay, for there are plenty of fish there. I won’t worry them for awhile, but I will study their habits and find out where they are in the habit of going and what their favorite places are. They will be sure to have a slide. That will be one place for a trap. I’ll put it right at the foot of the slide. I’ll find out where they are in the habit of climbing out on the bank to go up to the top of the slide and I’ll put a trap there. Perhaps I can discover the den where they sleep. That will be another place for a trap. I suspect that those old Otters (he meant Little Joe and Mrs. Joe) have learned a lot about traps, and it will not be easy to catch them. But I ought to be able to catch those two young Otters without much trouble.”
So for a week that trapper spent most of his time watching the place where Little Joe and his family were living, and studying the signs to learn all he could about their habits. But all the time he took the greatest care that they shouldn’t know he was about. He knew that if he should be seen by one of them, Little Joe Otter would at once become suspicious. When at last he felt he had learned all he could he selected a dozen cruel, steel traps and went over to set them.
CHAPTER XXIIITHE SETTING OF THE TRAPS
There’s always some one setting trapsWhile honest folk are taking naps.Little Joe Otter.
There’s always some one setting trapsWhile honest folk are taking naps.Little Joe Otter.
There’s always some one setting trapsWhile honest folk are taking naps.Little Joe Otter.
There’s always some one setting traps
While honest folk are taking naps.
Little Joe Otter.
Thetrapper had found out the things he wanted to know. He had found out where the Otters left the water to climb up to the top of their slippery slide. He had found out where they were in the habit of making a short cut across from one part of the brook to another where it made a bend. He had found certain favorite places where they brought the fish they had caught to eat. He felt that the time now had come to set traps.
Now this trapper knew that an Otter has a keen nose and is very suspicious. He knew that if he handled those traps with his bare hands, Little Joe or Mrs. Joe would be likely to get the dreaded man smell and would keep away from those traps. So he took care not to touch them with bare hands.
He first took great care to make sure that none of the Otter family were about. Then he set those cruel traps. One he placed in the water right at the foot of the bank where the Otters were in the habit of climbing out to go up to their slippery slide. He placed it in such a way that the first Otter who tried to climb up that bank would be sure to step in the trap.
In the short cut that Little Joe and his family had made so as not to have to go way around the bend he placed two traps, one at each end of the little path. He covered them lightly with snow so that they could not be seen. Other traps were hidden in a similar way at places he knew the Otters often visited. One trap was set right at the foot of the slippery slide. There was no bait with any of these traps. In another part of the brook, which he knew the Otters visited occasionally to fish, traps were set, each baited with a fish.
“There,” said the trapper, when the last trap had been set, “if those Otters manage to keep out of all those traps they will prove themselves to be smarter than I think they are. This is the first day of the new year, and unless I am greatly mistaken, one or more of those Otters will have a New Year surprise party.”
Then the trapper hurried away. He had worked fast, for he didn’t want to be seen. He knew that if Little Joe or Mrs. Joe should see him, they would at once become suspicious. He was sure that he hadn’t been seen, and all the way home he chuckled as he thought of how clever and smart he had been. He didn’t once think of how dreadful it would be for one of those little people in brown fur to be caught in one of those cruel traps. All he thought about was the money that one of those brown fur coats would bring him.
While the trapper had been so busy setting those traps, Little Joe Otter, Mrs. Joe, and the two young Otters had been taking a nap. They knew nothing of the trapper’s visit to the brook. They were care-free and happy and life was very good to them.
CHAPTER XXIVLITTLE JOE OTTER IS SUSPICIOUS
Suspicious folk avoid mishapsBy always watching out for traps.Little Joe Otter.
Suspicious folk avoid mishapsBy always watching out for traps.Little Joe Otter.
Suspicious folk avoid mishapsBy always watching out for traps.Little Joe Otter.
Suspicious folk avoid mishaps
By always watching out for traps.
Little Joe Otter.
Hardlyhad the trapper disappeared in the woods when Little Joe Otter awoke and crept forth from his hiding-place. He left Mrs. Otter and the two young Otters still asleep. Little Joe yawned, stretched, and then decided that he wanted a trout. It didn’t take him long to catch one. With it in his mouth he swam straight to a certain old log, one end of which was in the water. He intended to climb out on that old log and eat that trout. It was his favorite eating place.
But just as he reached that old log and before he had started to climb out on it, a queer feeling of uneasiness took possession of him. He had a feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Now when Little Joe has that feeling he always heeds it. He didn’t climb out on that log. He turned and swam over to a flat rock. He climbed out on that and laid the fish down. Somehow he had lost his appetite. He looked long and hard over at that old log.
“It looks all right,” said Little Joe. “Yes, Sir, it looks all right. Just the same I have a feeling that there is something wrong there. I believe I’ll go back there and see if I can find out whatiswrong.”
So once more Little Joe swam to that old log. But he didn’t climb out on it. He studied it and studied it. He used both eyes and nose. Presently he noticed some fresh mud on that old log. That was queer. He was sure there had been no mud there before. Very carefully he looked all around the place where that fresh mud was, and in doing this he discovered a chain. He got hold of the chain and pulled gently. What do you think happened? Why, he pulled a trap up out of a place that had been cut in that old log, and then covered with mud to hide the freshly cut wood.
“Ha!” exclaimed Little Joe, as the trap dropped down into the water beside the old log. “I’ve been afraid of this ever since we were chased by that terrible two-legged creature on our way over here. He must be the one who set this trap. If he set this trap, he has set other traps. I must warn Mrs. Joe and the children. That trapper has been watching us. He knows that I have been using this old log. He probably knows all the other places where we are in the habit of going. We must find out where those traps are.”
Just then Little Joe heard a splash in the water. There was Mrs. Joe with a trout in her mouth. He called her over there, and showed her the trap and where it had been set. “Where are the children?” he demanded.
“They are fishing,” replied Mrs. Otter, with a most anxious look in her eyes. “We must find them at once. They never have seen a trap and they know nothing about traps. Oh, dear, I hope they will not get caught before we can find them and warn them!”
Just then the smallest young Otter climbed out on a rock, and a moment later her brother climbed out on another rock. Mrs. Otter and Little Joe swam swiftly over to them. The young Otters stopped eating the fish they had caught to stare in surprise at the way in which their parents were hurrying.
CHAPTER XXVTHE YOUNG OTTERS ARE WARNED
The young who heed an elder’s warningShow evidence of wisdom’s dawning.Little Joe Otter.
The young who heed an elder’s warningShow evidence of wisdom’s dawning.Little Joe Otter.
The young who heed an elder’s warningShow evidence of wisdom’s dawning.Little Joe Otter.
The young who heed an elder’s warning
Show evidence of wisdom’s dawning.
Little Joe Otter.
“Doyou remember the terrible two-legged creature who chased us on our way from the Laughing Brook to this brook?” Little Joe Otter asked the two young Otters.
Both nodded their heads. “I guess I do!” exclaimed one. “He gave me a dreadful fright.”
“Have you seen anything of him since we have been staying over here?” Mrs. Joe asked.
This time both the young Otters shook their heads. “No,” said the one who had spoken before. “The truth is, I had forgotten all about him. I guess he doesn’t know we are over here.”
“I guess he does,” said Little Joe Otter. “Iknowhe does. He has set traps for us.”
“What are traps?” asked one of the young Otters.
“They are terrible things with awful jaws which are hidden where they are not likely to be seen and are always ready to jump up and seize an Otter by the leg. Then they will never let go, and there is no way of making them let go,” explained Little Joe.
The eyes of the young Otters grew round with wonder and fear. “But what have they to do with that terrible creature who chased us?” asked one of them.
“Those traps belong to him,” replied Little Joe. “He is the one who has hidden those traps, hoping to catch us. If one of you should be caught in one of those traps, that terrible two-legged creature would come and kill you.”
“But how do you know that he has hidden any of those dreadful traps around here?” inquired the smallest Otter.
“Your father has just found one,” replied Mrs. Joe. “It was set over on that old log where your father has been in the habit of eating his fish. Probably there are more traps, and so it is not going to be safe for any of us to go to the places we have been in the habit of going. That means that you must not use the slippery slide again, not even once. You must keep away from the bank at the place where we have been in the habit of climbing it to reach the top of the slippery slide. Each of you must promise not to once use that little path we have made across the point to reach that other bend in the brook.”
“But can’t we slide any more?” asked one young Otter, looking very much disappointed. “There won’t be any fun if we can’t go sliding.”
“It is better to go without fun than to lose your life,” said Little Joe Otter gravely. “However, we will make a new slippery slide. There is one thing more: If one of you should find a dead fish, keep away from it.”
“Why?” demanded one of the young Otters.
“Because the only safe fish for an Otter is a live fish. No matter how hungry you are or how hard it is to catch a fish, don’t be tempted by a dead fish. There is likely to be a trap hidden close by. If the fishing were not so good here, we would move on at once. Now remember to keep away from every place you have been in the habit of going to, and don’t touch a dead fish.”
CHAPTER XXVITHE FOOLISH YOUNG OTTER
Youth too often scorns adviceAnd in the end must pay the price.Little Joe Otter.
Youth too often scorns adviceAnd in the end must pay the price.Little Joe Otter.
Youth too often scorns adviceAnd in the end must pay the price.Little Joe Otter.
Youth too often scorns advice
And in the end must pay the price.
Little Joe Otter.
Little Joe Ottertook the two young Otters over to the log where he had found the trap and showed it to them. It looked so harmless that it was difficult for the young Otters to believe that it was such a terrible thing as their father said it was. Then he took them over to the foot of the slippery slide, and while they swam about at a safe distance he looked carefully until he found a trap right at the bottom of the slippery slide. He showed it to them.
“Now you see why I said you mustn’t go down the slippery slide even once,” said he. “I didn’t know that this trap was here, but I suspected it. I suspect that there are traps in the other places I have warned you to keep away from. If you want to live long and be happy, don’t once forget the warnings your mother and I have given you.”
The young Otters promised they wouldn’t forget, and then the whole family went fishing. Of course, they didn’t go fishing together. They separated, each one fishing in a different place. All the time she was looking for a trout, the smallest Otter kept thinking about those traps. She made up her mind that nothing would tempt her to be heedless of the warnings she had been given. You see, she had not forgotten the lesson she had learned when Yowler the Bobcat had caught her because of her heedless wilfulness.
But her brother had had no such lesson, and as he hunted for trout he smiled to himself at what he thought were the foolish fears of his parents. “Father and mother are just trying to scare us,” said he. “I don’t believe there is anything to be afraid of as long as that dreadful two-legged creature isn’t about. Those traps look perfectly harmless to me. I’m not afraid of them. I guess if I use my eyes and my nose I can find them without getting into one of them. I wonder where all the fish have gone to. My, I’m hungry! I believe I’ll go farther up the brook. There is some swift, open water up there and it hasn’t been fished much.”
So the young Otter swam to the upper end of the open water where he then was, climbed out on the ice and traveled over this until he came to another stretch of open water. He swam along close to the bank on one side and presently came to a sort of little pen of sticks. He didn’t remember having seen it before, and he looked at it suspiciously. He swam around it at a safe distance, and then he smelled fish. It didn’t take him long to discover that inside of that little pen, at the back, was a fat trout. That trout wasn’t alive. It seemed to be held by a stick at the back of that little pen.
The young Otter remembered the warning not to touch a dead fish. But he was hungry, very hungry, and here was a dinner he wouldn’t have to take the trouble to catch. He swam back and forth in front of that little pen of sticks and examined them carefully. He went close to them and smelled of them. They seemed nothing but harmless sticks. His mouth began to water at the smell of the fish.
“There isn’t a particle of danger,” said the foolish young Otter. “There wouldn’t be a trap way up here, anyway. I want that fish and I’m going to have it.”
CHAPTER XXVIIA SUDDENLY LOST APPETITE
By pain and fright is wisdom bought,And thus respect for elders taught.Little Joe Otter.
By pain and fright is wisdom bought,And thus respect for elders taught.Little Joe Otter.
By pain and fright is wisdom bought,And thus respect for elders taught.Little Joe Otter.
By pain and fright is wisdom bought,
And thus respect for elders taught.
Little Joe Otter.
Little Joe Otter’sfoolish young son, who had found a dead fish at the back of a little pen of sticks on the edge of the water, remembered the warning to leave dead fish alone. But he was hungry, and it wouldn’t take but a second to get that fish.
“Father and mother were just trying to scare us,” he repeated to himself. “I guess they don’t realize that I am big enough to take care of myself. It won’t be long before I will be leaving them and going out into the Great World for myself, anyway. Then I’ll have to depend on my own judgment. This fish is just waiting for me. I don’t know how it happened to get here, but that doesn’t make any difference. I would be a silly fellow to waste my time hunting for a live fish when a dead one is waiting for me right under my nose.”
So with a look all around to make sure that no one was watching him, the foolish young Otter entered the little pen of sticks through a narrow opening, his eyes shining as he reached for the dead fish at the back of the pen.
And then something happened! Yes, indeed, something happened! Something grabbed the foolish young Otter by one of his toes! Yes, Sir, it grabbed him and it grabbed him tight! What it was he hadn’t the least idea. But whatever it was, it hurt dreadfully.
And the young Otter suffered more from fright than he did from pain. He twisted around and plunged for the deep water, but he was brought up short. The thing that had grabbed him by the toe was holding on. He struggled, but he was held fast. The dreadful thing was pulling him down under water. If it should succeed in holding him down there he would drown. My, how he did thrash about and struggle! Even yet he didn’t know what it was that was holding him.
By and by he had to stop struggling in order to get his breath. His foot ached dreadfully. Without really thinking of what he was doing, he swam towards the shore. Then he found that this thing that had him by the toe didn’t pull him under water. He twisted around to see what it was that was holding him. It was a cruel, steel trap. He knew what it was as soon as he saw it, for his father, Little Joe Otter, had shown him one that very morning.
Right within reach was that fish which had been the cause of all this trouble. The young Otter didn’t even look at it. He, who had been so hungry a few minutes before, had lost his appetite. Yes, Sir, he had lost his appetite completely. Just then he felt as if he didn’t care ever to eat again.
All he wanted was to get away from that dreadful trap. He bit at it, but this only hurt his teeth. It held him as tightly as ever. He remembered what Little Joe Otter had told him, about how if he should be caught in a trap that dreadful two-legged creature would come and kill him. Once more he began to struggle. He pulled with all his might. It hurt, but he kept on pulling. But for all his pulling he was held fast.
CHAPTER XXVIIITHE PRICE OF FREEDOM
For freedom who is there will sayThere’s any price too much to pay?Little Joe Otter.
For freedom who is there will sayThere’s any price too much to pay?Little Joe Otter.
For freedom who is there will sayThere’s any price too much to pay?Little Joe Otter.
For freedom who is there will say
There’s any price too much to pay?
Little Joe Otter.
Haveyou ever been terribly frightened? Have you ever been so frightened that you couldn’t even think? That is the way it was with the foolish young Otter when he realized that he was caught in a trap. He was so filled with terror that he didn’t even think about the pain in his foot. There is nothing quite so awful as the helpless feeling that comes when one is caught in a trap. Had that young Otter been seized by an enemy twice his size he would have fought bravely to the last breath. But one cannot fight a steel trap.
After awhile the young Otter was so tired out with struggling that he had to be quiet to get his breath and to rest. He trembled all over. Every time he heard the least little sound he was sure it was the trapper coming to kill him. How he did wish he had heeded the warnings of his father and mother!
For a long, long, long time he was held a prisoner by that dreadful trap. From time to time he tried to cut the chain that held the trap, but of course he tried in vain. His teeth, sharp as they were, didn’t even scratch the steel of that chain. He wondered if his father and mother would miss him and look for him. He wondered if they would ever find out what had happened to him.
“If I could only get away from this thing, I never, never would disobey again,” he sobbed. “No, Sir, I never,neverwould disobey again. I do wish father and mother would come. Perhaps if they came they could get me free from this dreadful thing.”
It is said that if you wish long enough and hard enough for a thing you may get your wish. Certainly the foolish young Otter wished long and hard. And at last he did get his wish. His father, Little Joe Otter, suddenly appeared. He was looking for that young Otter. He had worried when that young Otter did not return and had started out to look for him.
Little Joe didn’t scold that young Otter. Instead, he did the best he could to comfort him. The first thing he did was to look to see how the young Otter was held by that dreadful trap. He saw right away that he was held only by one toe.
“You are lucky, very lucky,” declared Little Joe Otter.
The young Otter thought he was very unlucky. He said so. He couldn’t see that there was anything lucky about it. Then Little Joe explained.
“That trap,” said he, “has got you only by one toe. It might have you by the whole foot. If it had you by the whole foot, and that is the way the trapper meant that it should catch you, there would be very little hope for you. As it is, if you pull hard enough, you may lose your toe, but that will be all.”
“But I don’t want to lose my toe!” wailed the young Otter.
“All right,” replied Little Joe. “If you had rather lose your life than your toe, there is nothing I can do about it. You can get free if you really want to, but the price of freedom will be that toe.”
CHAPTER XXIXTHE YOUNG OTTER PAYS THE PRICE
If life and freedom be the cost,What matter if a toe is lost?Little Joe Otter.
If life and freedom be the cost,What matter if a toe is lost?Little Joe Otter.
If life and freedom be the cost,What matter if a toe is lost?Little Joe Otter.
If life and freedom be the cost,
What matter if a toe is lost?
Little Joe Otter.
Haveyou ever tried to make up your mind to have an aching tooth pulled? If you have, you remember what hard work it was and how you kept putting it off and putting it off and putting it off. It was the same way with the young Otter caught in a steel trap by one toe. His father, Little Joe Otter, had told him that there was only one way in which he could gain freedom, and that was by losing that toe. He had told him that he would have to lose that toe or lose his life.
But the young Otter didn’t want to lose his toe. He said so over and over. He just couldn’t make up his mind to it. It seemed to him a dreadful thing to lose a toe.
“What is losing your toe compared with losing your life?” his father asked.
“But perhaps I won’t lose my life,” protested the young Otter.
“Yes, you will,” replied Little Joe Otter. “It is just as certain as it is that you are now caught in this trap. I can’t help you; your mother can’t help you; no one can help you. That two-legged creature who set this dreadful trap will come to see if any one has been caught in it. Then he’ll kill you. If you want this to happen rather than lose that toe, why I may as well go back to your mother and sister. It is useless for me to stay here. There is no knowing when that trapper may come and he may have a terrible gun with him. A good hard pull with all your might will set you free. I’m going now. Come on!”
The young Otter shook his head. His eyes were filled with tears. He couldn’t bear the thought of being left alone, yet he couldn’t make up his mind to lose that toe. That toe was numb now. That trap didn’t hurt so very much. But he was sure that if he should try to pull himself free, it would hurt dreadfully. It was because of this that he couldn’t make up his mind to try.
“Good-by,” said Little Joe Otter, and began to swim away swiftly. He didn’t even look back. At first the young Otter couldn’t believe that he was really being left alone. But his father kept straight on. Every second he was getting farther and farther away. At last the young Otter realized that his father had meant just what he said.
The young Otter stood it just as long as he could. Then the thought of being left alone in that cruel trap became more than he could bear. He plunged after his father. The trap brought him up short. But with all his might he struggled. He didn’t even notice the pain. The thought of being left alone there was worse than any pain.
Suddenly that trap let go. At least he thought it had let go. He was free! I wish you could have seen him shoot through the water. How he did swim! Little Joe Otter heard him coming and waited for him. “So you decided that freedom is worth the price of a toe,” said he.
Such a funny look as the face of that young Otter wore. It was not until then that he realized that he had left his toe behind.
CHAPTER XXXTHE OTTERS MOVE ON
Who doth the law of safety heedWill not be influenced by greed.Little Joe Otter.
Who doth the law of safety heedWill not be influenced by greed.Little Joe Otter.
Who doth the law of safety heedWill not be influenced by greed.Little Joe Otter.
Who doth the law of safety heed
Will not be influenced by greed.
Little Joe Otter.
Theyoung Otter, who had left a toe behind in a trap, was so happy to be free again that he hardly gave the loss of that toe a thought. The cold water was good for the sore foot, and as the young Otter was healthy, his foot healed rapidly. In fact, in two or three days his foot was practically well. But the young Otter didn’t forget his dreadful experience. He never would forget it. He had learned a lesson that he would remember as long as he lived. All his life he would be suspicious of traps and on the watch for them. Never again would that young Otter be caught in a trap.
Of course, the trapper found that toe in his trap. Such a disappointed trapper as he was! “There won’t be a chance of catching that Otter again,” said he. “I must have been careless in setting that trap. It should have caught him by the whole foot and not just by a toe. Probably those other Otters know all about it now.”
When he discovered the new slippery slide he knew that his traps at the old slippery slide had been found. He set another trap at the foot of the new slide, but he didn’t have much hope of catching any one in it. He understood perfectly that Little Joe Otter and Mrs. Joe were wise in the ways of trappers. “I guess,” muttered the trapper, “that my best chance of getting one of those Otters will be to hide for a chance to shoot one of them. To-morrow I’ll spend the day over here with my gun.”
So he spent all the next day hidden near the slippery slide, watching with his terrible gun. But he didn’t have a chance to use it. He didn’t get so much as a glimpse of a sleek, brown head. And the reason was that Little Joe Otter and his family were far away down the brook. They had started early the night before. They were on their way down to the Big River.
Little Joe and Mrs. Joe had talked the matter all over. “It isn’t safe to stay here any longer,” declared Little Joe. “I don’t like to leave the good fishing, for we may not find another place where it is so easy to get plenty of fish. But that terrible two-legged creature will give us no peace. There is a trap now at the foot of our new slippery slide.”
“You are quite right, my dear,” replied Mrs. Otter. “I am worried to death for fear, in spite of all their watchfulness, one of the children will get caught in a terrible trap and be killed. I think the sooner we move along the better. Safety is the most important thing.”
So once more Little Joe and his family went traveling. There was a crust on the snow now, and they had a lot of fun sliding. Moreover, they didn’t leave a trail as when they had left the Laughing Brook in the soft snow. They followed the big brook on its way towards the Big River. Now and then they came to open places where the water was swift and hadn’t frozen. There they stopped to fish. Sometimes they swam for quite a distance under the ice.
CHAPTER XXXIA FISH DISAPPEARS
Before you boast be sure you knowThat you have got the fish to show.Little Joe Otter.
Before you boast be sure you knowThat you have got the fish to show.Little Joe Otter.
Before you boast be sure you knowThat you have got the fish to show.Little Joe Otter.
Before you boast be sure you know
That you have got the fish to show.
Little Joe Otter.
Atthe place where the big brook, down which Little Joe Otter and his family had traveled, enters the Big River, the latter never freezes over. Little Joe Otter knew this. You see, he had been there before more than once. He knew that there was good fishing in the Big River, and that if no trapper discovered them they would not be disturbed. No men lived near that part of the Big River. There was green forest on both banks. There were snug, dry, hiding-places, and Little Joe knew them all. They would stay until spring and then work down the Big River and so return to the Laughing Brook from which they had started.
The young Otters liked this place. They soon had a fine slippery slide on which to play when they were not sleeping or fishing. It was fun to explore under the ice along the banks of the Big River. It was fun to catch a fish and climb out on the ice to eat it. There was nothing to worry about. There were no enemies to fear. By day as well as by night they felt perfectly safe.
One day the young Otter who had lost his toe caught an extra big fish. It was the biggest fish he ever had caught. He was very proud of it as he climbed out on the ice. Now he had caught that fish more for the fun of catching it than because he was hungry. The fact is, he wasn’t hungry. Fish were plentiful, and he had already eaten about all he could. So he merely took a couple of bites from what he considered the best part—just back of the head. Then he saw his sister over on the slippery slide and went over to join her, leaving the big fish on the ice. He wanted to tell her about that big fish. He wanted to boast a little. He was sure that it was a bigger fish than she ever had caught. So when he got over to the slippery slide he at once began to boast. His sister stood it as long as she could. Then she declared that she didn’t believe he had such a wonderful fish.
“Come on over and I’ll show it to you,” said the young Otter. “It’s twice as big as any fish you’ve ever caught.”
“I don’t believe it,” declared his sister. “I’ll have to see it before I’ll believe it.”
“All right, come on!” cried her brother, and down the slippery slide he glided into the water. Flat on her stomach behind him went his sister. Together they climbed out on the ice where the big fish had been left.
“Here it——” began the young Otter, and stopped abruptly.
“Well, where is it?” demanded his sister.
Her brother simply stared all about him with a foolish look on his face. There was no fish there! What could have become of it? He knew that he had killed it and so it couldn’t possibly have flopped back into the water. He ran all around with his nose to the ice, but there was no scent of Reddy Fox or of any one else.
“I don’t believe you caught a big fish,” declared his sister. “You must have dreamed it. If you caught it, where is it?”
CHAPTER XXXIITHE LIVING HEAP OF SNOW
Don’t think, but make quite sure youknowA thing is thus or mayhap so.Little Joe Otter.
Don’t think, but make quite sure youknowA thing is thus or mayhap so.Little Joe Otter.
Don’t think, but make quite sure youknowA thing is thus or mayhap so.Little Joe Otter.
Don’t think, but make quite sure youknow
A thing is thus or mayhap so.
Little Joe Otter.
Ofall the puzzled people in all the Great World none was more puzzled than was the young Otter whose big fish had disappeared. He had certainly killed that fish, He had even taken two big bites out of the choicest part of it. So he knew that the fish couldn’t have flopped off the ice into the water while he was away. He had been gone only a few minutes, just long enough to get his sister and bring her over to see that big fish. He had boasted that it was bigger than any fish she ever had caught. Now there wasn’t a trace of it anywhere.
His sister tossed her head. “I don’t believe you caught a big fish at all,” said she.
“But I tell you I did,” protested her brother. “I caught him and I left it right here.”
“Then where is it?” demanded his sister.
But this the young Otter couldn’t say. He wished he could. He had a queer and most uncomfortable feeling. It made him uneasy. Actually it made him afraid. He didn’t know what he was afraid of, but he was afraid. So when his sister disgustedly plunged into the water and swam back to the slippery slide on the bank, he followed her.
But somehow he couldn’t enjoy that slippery slide. He kept thinking about that lost fish. To make matters worse, his sister kept teasing him about it. She called him a boaster. It was clear that she didn’t believe he had caught that big fish he had boasted about. So after going down the slippery slide a few times, he swam back to the place where he had left the big fish. He climbed out on the ice and once more looked around everywhere for signs of some one who might have stolen that big fish. But not a sign could he find.
A little way off on the ice was a little heap of snow. At least the young Otter thought it was a heap of snow. He looked at it carelessly two or three times. But he didn’t go over to it. He wasn’t interested in heaps of snow. The only thing of interest to him just then was what had become of that fish. It was very mysterious. He didn’t like a mystery. His uneasiness increased, so after awhile he once more swam away. He wanted to ask his father or his mother what could have become of that fish, but he didn’t. He was afraid he would be laughed at. He was afraid that they wouldn’t believe he had caught it any more than his sister believed it.
Now hardly had that young Otter disappeared when what he had taken for a little heap of snow disappeared too. It disappeared without a sound. You see, it was alive. It really wasn’t a heap of snow at all. If the young Otter had seen it go, he might possibly have guessed what had become of his big fish. But he didn’t see it go, and the next time he visited that place he didn’t even notice that that little white heap was no longer there.