Mother West Wind's Animal Friends
Page 10
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BILLY MINK GOES DINNERLESS
Down the Laughing Brook came Billy Mink. He was feeling very good thatmorning, was Billy Mink, pleased with the world in general and withhimself in particular. When he reached the Smiling Pool he swam out tothe Big Rock. Little Joe Otter was already there, and not far away,lazily floating, with his head and back out of water, was Jerry Muskrat.
"Hello, Billy Mink," cried Little Joe Otter.
"Hello yourself," replied Billy Mink, with a grin.
"Where are you going?" asked Little Joe Otter.
"Nowhere in particular," replied Billy Mink.
"Let's go fishing down to the Big River," said Little Joe Otter.
"Let's!" cried Billy, diving from the highest point on the Big Rock.
So off they started across the Green Meadows towards the Big River. Halfway there they met Reddy Fox.
"Hello, Reddy! Come on with us to the Big River, fishing," called BillyMink.
"Come on with us to the Big River, fishing," called BillyMink.]
Now Reddy Fox is no fisherman, though he likes fish to eat well enough.He remembered the last time he went fishing and how Billy Mink hadlaughed at him when he fell into the Smiling Pool. He was just about tosay "no" when he changed his mind.
"All right, I'll go," said Reddy Fox.
So the three of them raced merrily across the Green Meadows untilthey came to the Big River. Now Billy Mink and Little Joe Otter arefamous fishermen and can swim even faster than the fish themselves. ButReddy Fox is a poor swimmer and must depend upon his wits. When theyreached the bank of the Big River they very carefully crawled down to asandy beach. There, just a little way out from shore, a school of littlestriped perch were at play. Billy Mink and Little Joe Otter prepared todive in and each grab a fish, but Reddy Fox knew that he could not swimwell enough for that.
"Wait a minute," whispered Reddy. "Billy Mink, you go up the river alittle way and swim out beyond where the fish are at play. Little JoeOtter, you go down the river a little way and swim out to join BillyMink. Then both together rush in as fast as you can swim. The fish willbe so frightened they will rush in where the water is shallow. Of courseyou will each catch one, anyway, and perhaps I may be so lucky as tocatch one in the shallow water."
Billy Mink and little Joe Otter agreed, and did just as Reddy Fox hadtold them to. When they were between the playing fish and deep waterthey started in with a rush. The little striped perch were young andfoolish. When they saw Billy Mink and Little Joe Otter they rushed madlyaway from them without looking to see where they were going to. As ReddyFox had foreseen would be the case, a lot of them became stranded wherethe water was too shallow for swimming, and there they jumped andflapped helplessly.
Reddy was waiting for them and in a twinkling his little black paw hadscooped half a dozen fish high and dry on the beach. Billy Mink andLittle Joe Otter were too busy watching the fish to see what Reddy wasdoing. He had caught six fish and these he hid under a log. When BillyMink and Little Joe Otter swam ashore, Reddy was the picture ofdisappointment, for he had nothing to show, while the others each had aplump little fish.
"Never mind," said Little Joe Otter, "I'll give you the next one Icatch."
But Billy Mink jeered at Reddy Fox. "Pooh! you're no fisherman, ReddyFox! If I couldn't catch fish when they are chased right into my handsI'd never go fishing."
Reddy Fox pretended to be indignant. "I tell you what, Billy Mink," saidhe, "if I don't catch more fish than you do to-day I'll bring you theplumpest chicken in Farmer Brown's dooryard, but if I do catch more fishthan you do you will give me the biggest one you catch. Do you agree?"
Now Billy Mink is very fond of plump chicken and here was a chance toget one without danger of meeting Bowser the Hound, who guards FarmerBrown's chickens. So Billy Mink agreed to give Reddy Fox the biggestfish he caught that day if Reddy could show more fish than he could atthe end of the day. All the time he chuckled to himself, for you knowBilly Mink is a famous fisherman, and he knew that Reddy Fox is a poorswimmer and does not like the water.
By and by they came to another sandy beach like the first one. Theycould see another school of foolish young fish at play. As before, ReddyFox remained on shore while the others swam out and drove the fish in.As before Reddy caught half a dozen, while Billy Mink and Little JoeOtter each caught one this time. Reddy hid five and then pretended to beso tickled over catching one, the smallest of the lot, that Billy Minkdidn't once suspect a trick.
Two or three times more Reddy Fox repeated this. Then he discovered abig pickerel sunning himself beside an old log floating in deep water.Reddy couldn't catch Mr. Pickerel, for the water was deep. What shouldhe do? Reddy sat down to think. Finally he thought of a plan. Verycautiously he backed away so as not to scare the big fish. Then hecalled Billy Mink. When Billy saw the big pickerel, his mouth watered,too, and his little black eyes sparkled.
Very quietly Billy slipped into the water back of the old log. There wasnot so much as a ripple to warn the big pickerel. Drawing a long breath,Billy dived under the log, and coming up under the big pickerel, seizedit by the middle. There was a tremendous thrashing and splashing, andthen Billy Mink swam ashore and proudly laid the big fish on the bank.
"Don't you wish it was yours?" asked Billy Mink.
"It ought to be mine, for I saw it first," said Reddy Fox.
"But you didn't catch it and I did," retorted Billy Mink. "I'm going tohave it for my dinner. My, but I do like fat pickerel!" Billy smackedhis lips.
Reddy Fox said nothing, but tried his best to look disappointed anddejected. All the time he was chuckling inwardly.
For the rest of the day the fishing was poor. Just as Old Mother WestWind started for the Green Meadows to take her children, the MerryLittle Breezes, to their home behind the Purple Hills, the three littlefishermen started to count up their catch. Then Reddy brought out allthe fish that he had hidden. When they saw the pile of fish Reddy Foxhad, Billy Mink and Little Joe Otter were so surprised that their eyespopped out and their jaws dropped. Very foolish they looked, veryfoolish indeed, for Reddy had four times as many as either of them.
Reddy walked over to the big pickerel and picking it up, carried it overto his pile. "What are you doing with my fish?" shouted Billy Minkangrily.
"It isn't yours, it's mine!" retorted Reddy Fox.
Billy Mink fairly danced up and down he was so angry. "It's not yours!"he shrieked. "It's mine, for I caught it!"
"And you agreed that your biggest fish should be mine if I caught morefish than you did. I've caught four times as many, so the pickerel ismine," retorted Reddy, winking at Little Joe Otter.
Then Billy Mink did a very foolish thing; he lost his temper completely.He called Reddy Fox bad names. But he did not dare try to take the bigpickerel away from Reddy, for Reddy is much bigger than he. Finally heworked himself into such a rage that he ran off home leaving his pile offish behind.
Reddy Fox and Little Joe Otter took care not to touch Billy Mink's fish,but Reddy divided his big pile with Little Joe Otter. Then they, too,started for home, Reddy carrying the big pickerel.
Late that night, when he had recovered his temper, Billy Mink began togrow hungry. The more he thought of his fish the hungrier he grew.Finally he could stand it no longer and started for the Big River tosee what had become of his fish. He reached the strip of beach where hehad so foolishly left them just in time to see the last striped perchdisappear down the long throat of Mr. Night Heron.
And this is how it happened that Billy Mink went dinnerless to bed. Buthe had learned three things, had Billy, and he never forgot them--thatwit is often better than skill; that it is not only mean but is veryfoolish to sneer at another; and that to lose one's temper is the mostfoolish thing in the world.