41. THE RACE OF THE TURTLE AND THE BEAVER.
There was a turtle who lived in a deep hole in a stream. He lingered there and it was a favorite spot for his fishing. On the shore there was a swampy place where he hid himself when not in the stream.
One day it grew very cold and the turtle felt very sleepy. He looked about for a soft spot in the mud and found one beneath some tall sheltering rushes. “Here I will sleep,” said he. So saying he slept.
When he opened his eyes there was a vast expanse of water over his head. Everything had changed and all the rushes had vanished. He threw off the mud blanket that covered him and ambled out on the floor of his resting place. “Iik,” he exclaimed. “Something has happened. Some magician has taken liberties with my home.” So saying he swam to the surface of the water.
Instead of the little stream with its neighboring swamp he saw a big lake. As far as he could see there was a lake. He looked about and saw an island in the lake and to it he swam. It was covered with sticks, and when he crawled upon it there was a hollow sound within, which frightened Turtle and caused him to slip quietly off and conceal himself.
Soon he saw a dark form emerge from the water beneath the island and rise to the surface.
Craftily Turtle raised his head and called. “Who are you?” Then he submerged quickly.
There was a whistling answer, a slap of the water and a voice said, “I am Beaver. Who are you?”
“So that is the case,” thought Turtle. “So someone has stolen my fishing place.” He was very angry and swam to the shore where he saw all kinds of branches broken up by cutting.
Soon he heard someone say, “Get out of my way.”
Turtle looked up and saw Beaver dragging a branch.
“One would think,” answered Turtle that it should be I who said ‘get out of my way’.”
“Well, what right have you here?” asked Beaver.
“This is my home,” said Turtle. “I have lived here a long time.”
“Ho! ho! ho!” laughed Beaver. “If this is your home, where is your house? Now I say this is my home, for there is my house.” He pointed to the thing that Turtle had thought an island.
“How did you get here?” asked Turtle.
“I came here and built a dam, made this lake, and now I have a house here.”
“I came here long ago,” said Turtle, “and built a fishing hole. My abiding place is in the swamp. You, Oh Beaver, have no right to spoil my home. It is my intention to break down your dam and restore my home.”
“Well,” said Beaver, “that would not do us any good for I would build another and others of my tribe would catch you and gnaw your head off.”
“How shall we settle this thing?” asked Turtle.
“We will see who can stay under water longest,” said Turtle.
“No, that would be too easy for me,” said Beaver. “I could sleep a year under water. I was going to ask that as a test myself. I propose that we run a race.”
Turtle was vexed, for he did not wish Beaver to win, and so he did not insist upon the under water test. He was also crafty. So he said:
“Whoever wins the race shall stay here; whoso loses shall depart. First we shall have a trial of racing, and then the race will begin.”
So they both came abreast in the water and started to swim. Soon Turtle called Beaver back. “Now we will begin again,” said he, with a wicked gleam in his black beady eye.
As they were about to start, Turtle said, “I will purposely lag behind. When I pinch your tail then we will both start swimming.”
Soon Turtle bit Beaver’s tail and both started swimming, but crafty Turtle hung onto Beaver and was dragged through the water until within sight of shore, when he bit harder than ever.
Beaver gave a big grunt and whistled, “So you are there behind me? Well, I will win yet!”
Turtle bit again, this time harder than ever, making Beaver squeal with pain. “I’ll fix you for this,” he called, and flopped his tail over his head. Turtle hung on, and when he felt himself over Beaver’s head he let go and continued to speed through the air like a flying squirrel. Far upon the shore he landed, way ahead of Beaver.
“I have won this race,” he called back defiantly. “You must go away from here; this is my fishing pond.”
Thereupon, Beaver was greatly vexed, and swam away to nurse his sore tail. Turtle had outwitted him.