The reindeer hurried on a little faster. After a while he said, “Fish, are you there?” and still another fish answered him and said, “Yes, Reindeer, I am here, but I could go much faster if I did not have to wait for you.”
Then the reindeer, who thought it was the same fish all the time, ran as fast as the wind for a little way. When he stopped he asked, “Fish, are you there?” and still another fish answered, “O yes, I am here, but you are too slow for me.”
After that the deer fell exhausted on the beach and could run no more. So in that way the tom-cod won the race.
WHY THEY HAVE SUMMER ON ST. LAWRENCE ISLAND
Long, long ago, on St. Lawrence Island, there lived an old woman with her little grandson. They were very poor, so poor that the old woman had a hard time to feed and care for the boy.
It was always cold and stormy, and sometimes they had almost nothing to eat for days at a time, because the wind blew so hard that the little boy could not stay out to catch tom-cods.
One time when it had been stormy for many days, and the old grandmother was nearly dying of hunger, the little boy said to her, “Grandma, do you know what makes storms like this?”
“No,” said she; “I only know that it is always cold and windy; only some days are worse than others. In some places they have sunshine, but never here. We will die of hunger and cold, but the wind will go on blowing just the same, and the snow will fall.”
The poor grandmother bowed her head, and the tears fell on her cheeks.