“Looking up into the tree, saw Kaytak standing by his nest”
“Indeed I can,” said Red Fox. “I have an ax, and with my ax I will cut that tree down and then eat up all your little robins.”
When the robin heard that he was terribly frightened. Then, rather than lose all his babies, he took one of them in his beak and dropped it down to the fox, who grabbed the little bird and ran away. After that Red Fox came back twice and did as before, the poor father robin being afraid to refuse to do what was asked. Trembling with fright and very sad, the poor bird looked about for some one to help him. The only living thing in sight was a crow flying by, and he called to him for help. The crow flew down into the tree and said, “What is it you want?”
Then the robin told him all about the wicked red fox, and how there were only three baby robins left, and that he feared the fox would get them all.
The crow laughed. “Haw, haw! Red Fox thinks he is smart, but he is really foolish. He fooled you, though. He really has no ax, and he could not cut down this tree. When he comes again, you say to him, ‘I will give you no more of my baby birds. You have no ax.’ If he says, ‘Who told you that?’ you say, ‘Crow told me,’” and the crow flew away.
The next day Red Fox came back to the tree and demanded a little bird for his breakfast.
“No, no, Mr. Red Fox,” said the robin. “No little bird any more for you out of my nest.”
“You had better give me one quick,” said the fox, “or I will chop the tree right down and eat them all.” But the robin felt very safe and saucy now, so he sang a little song and said, “No, you won’t chop down this tree, because you haven’t any ax, and you are not as smart as you think you are, only foolish.”
“Who told you all that stuff?” asked the fox angrily. The robin sang another teasing song, then said, “Crow told me all that—about the ax and the ‘foolish’ and everything. So you had better get away, for you get no more of my babies.”
Then the red fox was very angry indeed and went off swearing he would get even with the crow for depriving him of the tender baby robins for breakfast and calling him “foolish.” He vowed he would find that crow and kill him.