The Sa'-Zada Tales

by Burt L. Standish

  ELEVENTH NIGHT

  THE STORIES OF OOHOO, THE WOLF, AND SHER ABI, THE CROCODILE

  "To-night," said Sa'-zada, the Keeper, "we shall have a story fromWhite Wolf of his home in the frozen North, and also one from Sher Abi,the Crocodile, of the warm land in which he lived, Burma."

  "I am glad there is to be a tale of the North-land," said Mooswa, "forit's a lovely place."

  "And Sher Abi is so stupid," added Magh the Orang, "that he's sure tofall to boasting of some of his murders."

  "There's little to choose between them in that respect," commentedMuskwa, "except that for cunning there is no one but Carcajou of thesame wit as Wolf."

  "Thank you, Comrade," cried Oohoo, the Arctic Wolf; "those of my landwho are short of wit go with a lean stomach, I can tell you. But yet itis just the sweetest place that any poor animal ever lived in."

  "It is," concurred Mooswa; "forests of green Spruce trees----"

  "Not so, Brother Tangle-leg," objected Oohoo; "true I have been withinthe Timber Boundaries, but that was far to the south of my home. Iremember, once upon a time, thinking to better my condition, for it wasa year of scarce Caribou; I trailed down past Great Slave Lake to thehome of my cousin, Blue Wolf, who was Pack Leader of the Timber Wolves.Ghurrh-h! but they led a busy life. Almost day and night they were onthe hunt, for their kill was small; a Grey Rabbit, or a Grouse, or aMarten--a mere mouthful for a full-hungered Wolf.

  "But in the Northland where one could travel for days and days over thewhite snow and the hunt meant a free run with no chance of cover forthe prey, it was all a matter of strength and speed. Leopard hasboasted of the merit of his spotted coat for hiding in the sun-splashedJungle; and also Bagh has told how the stripes on his sides hide him inthe strong grass. But look at me, my Comrades----"

  "You are pretty," sneered Magh.

  "Here I am dirty brown," resumed Oohoo, paying no attention to thetaunt, "and what does that mean?"

  "That you are dirty and a Wolf," answered Magh, innocently.

  "It shows that I live in a dirty brown place," asserted Wolf. "We areall dirty brown here."

  "I'm not," objected Python.

  "ONE COULD TRAVEL FOR DAYS OVER THE WHITE SNOW."]

  "You would be if you didn't lie in the water all day; but, as I wasgoing to say, in that land of snow I was all white, and, by my cunning,with a careful stalk I always got within a running distance of--of--Imean anything I wanted to look at closely, you know."

  "A Babe Caribou, I suppose," grunted Muskwa; "just to see how he wascoming on. Have I not said that he has the cunning of a great thief?"Bear whispered to Hathi.

  "But if he talks much the truth will come out," answered the Elephant.

  "There were just three of us Plain Dwellers in all that great BarrenLand," proceeded Oohoo; "my kind, and Caribou, and Musk-Ox."

  "Eu-yah! the Musk-Ox are cousins of mine," remarked Bison. "Queer tastethey have to live in that terrible land of rock and snow. What do theyeat, Oohoo? Surely the sweet Buffalo Grass does not grow there?"

  "They do not mind the cold," answered Wolf; "they have the loveliestlong black hair you ever saw on any Animal. And under that again is thesoft grey fur----"

  "Yes," interrupted Sa'-zada to explain, "the Musk-Ox seems to havehair, and fur, and wool all on one pelt--much like a Sheep, and a Goat,and a Bison combined."

  "And as for eating," resumed Oohoo, the Wolf, "the rocks are thicklycovered with moss----"

  "Engh-h-h! what a diet!" grunted Bison. "But you know of their mannerof life, Brother Wolf--you must have paid much attention to their ways.Now in my land when Wolves came too close we gathered our Calves in thecenter of the herd----"

  "A most wise precaution," asserted Mooswa. "In the Calf time with usthe moan of the Wolf pack caused us to make ready for battle; the GreyRunners seemed always in the way of a great hunger."

  "And what of grass-eating for those cousins of mine, the Caribou--whatate they?" sharply demanded Elk.

  "Caribou have this manner of life," answered Oohoo. "Just at the end ofthe great Cold Time all the Mothers go far into the Northland, for thatis the Calf time with them; and by the shores of the great Northlandwater their Babe Caribou come forth in peace. And for food the Motherseat moss, even as Musk-Ox does, for there is nothing else. Near to thecoming of the Cold Time again the Mothers come back with their Calves,and the Bulls, who have been in the Southland, meet them."

  "Do you eat moss, Oohoo, the Wolf?" queried Magh.

  "Am I a Grass-feeder? Did I eat my straw bedding and become ill, like awide-mouthed Monkey that I know of?"

  "But have you not said, Brother Wolf, that in the Northland Musk-Ox andCaribou eat moss because there is nothing else? Then what manner offood do you find?"

  "Ghurr-r-h! Eh, what?" gasped Oohoo, feeling that Magh had laid barehis mode of life.

  "Am I different from the others?" he snarled, seeing a broad grinhovering about the mouth of even Sher Abi, the Crocodile. "Because I ama Wolf, is there a law in the Boundaries that I shall not eat? Bagh,and Pardus, and Python, and Sher Abi, they are the Blood Kind, and dothey eat moss or grass? Boar has said that all the evil of the Jungleis fastened upon the Pig, and in my land it is the Wolf that is wicked.This has been said by the Man, but are they not worse than we are? Whenthe hunger, which is not of my desire, comes strong upon me, I go forthto seek food. I kill not Man; but if Caribou comes my way, and thatwhich is inside of me says to make a kill, shall I do so, or lie downand die because of hunger? If a Wolf makes a kill, and feasts until hishunger is dead, and lies down to sleep, and kills no more until he isagain hungered, it is all wrong, and evil words are spoken of him. Butthe Men kill, and kill, never stopping to eat, showing that it is notbecause of hunger--they kill until there is no living thing left; thenthey boast together of the slaughter.

  "I have seen this happening at Fond du Lac, which is a narrow crossingbetween two lakes in my own land. There the Caribou pass when they goto the Northland; and I have seen the Redmen killing these Moss-eatersas they swam from land to land--killing them beyond all count. In theNorthland the Caribou were even as Buffalo on the Plains, they werethat many; and they came like a running river to the crossing at Fonddu Lac. The Men-kind were hidden behind stones, and when the Caribouwere in the water these Red Slayers followed in canoes, and killed withtheir spears, and their knives, and their guns, until everything wasred with blood. Not that they needed the sweet flesh because of hunger,for from many they took out the tongue, and left all the rest to rot.We, who are Wolves, and of evil repute, are not so bad as the Men, Ithink.

  "And also the killing of the Musk-Ox is by the Redmen," declared Oohoo.

  "I am afraid we must believe that," muttered Magh, "for Musk-Ox is nothere, and it is a long way to the Northland for proof."

  "Neither here nor in any other animal city are there Musk-Ox,"explained Sa'-zada; "for none have been brought out alive."

  "None!" added Wolf solemnly. "The Redmen say that if any are takenalive the others will all pass to some other land as did Buffalo. Notbut that one of the White Men tried it once; but there is also a storyof Head-taking I could tell."

  "Tell it," snapped Pardus; "one lie is as good as another when told ofa distant Jungle."

  "Well I remember that year," began Oohoo. "It was colder than anyother time that I have memory of. We had gathered into a mighty Pack,Comrades; all white we were--all but our Leader, who was Black Wolf.And such hunger! E-u-uh, au-uh! I was almost blind because of thehunger pains.

  "The Caribou that should have passed did not come; why, I cannot say,for it was their time of the year, the ending of the Cold Time."

  "Were there no Musk-Ox?" insinuated Magh.

  "A Wolf can make few kills of Musk-Ox," explained Oohoo, unguardedly;"that is--I mean--a bad Wolf who might seek a Kill of that sort. Theyare like Bison, or Arna, bunching up close in a pack with theirbig-horned heads all facing out; and even if the circle is broken, whatthen? their fur is so thick that it would take longer jaws th
an I haveto cut a throat."

  "You've tried it, Oohoo," suggested Magh.

  "No, I've heard of this matter," he answered. "But the story was thisway. That time two White Men came to the Big Lake----"

  "Artillery Lake, I think," explained Sa'-zada.

  "I know not, but it is a Big Water, and far north. And there they builta shack."

  "You were interested," remarked Muskwa.

  "There were cousins of ours, the Train Dogs, with them, so I sometimeswent close for the chance of a chat----"

  "The chance of a Pup, most likely," growled Gidar.

  "Then one Man, with two Redmen and the Dog Train, went north afterMusk-Ox. Some of us followed, for we knew that where the Men were therewould be much killing, and much eating left for those of a leanstomach. It might be that some of the Dogs would die of toil, and wewere that hungry, that starved, that even a Huskie would be sweeteating.

  "As you know, Comrades, there is no timber grows in all that landbeyond the Big Lake, so the Man carried a little wood in the Dog Sledto make hot his drinking----"

  "Tea," suggested Sa'-zada.

  "Day after day he tramped to the North, not seeing anything to kill;and all the time we were getting hungrier and leaner of stomach. Atnight we would come close to the little tepee wherein the Hunter slept,and I fear that something would have happened to him if it had not beenfor the wisdom of our Leader, Black Wolf.

  "'Wait, Pack Comrades,' he would say, 'there will surely be a kill ofmany Musk-Ox. I know the way of the White Men--they come here but forthe shedding of blood.'

  "But one night, being close to the edge of starvation, seeing one ofthe Huskies come forth from the tepee, not knowing what I did--Ghur-rh!I had him by the throat. Even now as I remember it, perhaps it wasanother of the Pack that put his strong jaws on the Dog's gullet--yes,I think it was another.

  "'Ki, yi-i-i-i! E-e-eh!' he whined.

  "'Buh!' loud the Firestick barked as the White Man smote at the Packwith it.

  "After a manner there was some eating that night, what with the Huskieand three of our kind the Man slew with the Firestick."

  "Cannibal!" exclaimed Magh in disgust.

  "It was to save our lives," exclaimed Oohoo. "At last the White Mancame to a herd of Musk-Ox; but what think you of the temper Black Wolfhad when he saw that the Men-kind were not for making a big Kill atall; just the matter of a Head or two to take back with them."

  "Queer taste, sure enough," cried Cockatoo. "Now, if it had been a headwith a crest like mine----"

  "Or even if it had been Magh's head," insinuated Pardus.

  "Eu-wh, eu-u-u-h! to think that a Pack of famished Wolves had trailedso far through the snow, holding back from a Kill of the Men-kind, andto get--nothing! True, the Men killed for their own eating and theDogs', but what was that to a whole Pack? Buh-h-h! even now it makes melaugh when I think of the manner we tore down the tepee one night, forthe Men had taken the eating inside to keep it from us.

  "After that, having learned wisdom, they killed one of these fatcreatures for us each day. Ghurrh! but a bite!

  "And from listening beside the tepee at night, I learned that theRedmen were angry because of the Head-taking. These Forest-Dwellersthink, Comrades, that if they sell or give away the head of a Kill alltheir strength in the hunt will depart."

  "It's a wondrous good thing to believe, too," declared Coyote. "Many anhonest meal I've come by when I was woefully hungry through the matterof a head stuck on a pole, or stump, as a gift to Matchi-Manitou. Iremember one particularly fat head of Muskwa--I mean--but you weresaying, Brother Oohoo, a most interesting happening of the Musk-Ox whenI interrupted you."

  "So, when the Redmen knew that it was heads their White Comrade wasafter, they were filled with anger, and a fear of the wrath of Manitou;they declared that something of an evil nature would happen to them ifhe took from that land the Heads. And, would you believe it, Comrades,whether there was truth in the power of this Head-matter or not, I amunable to say, being but Oohoo the Wolf, but two days from that time,as they journeyed back toward the Big Water, they fell in with a largeHerd of the round-nosed Musk-Ox, and the Wind wrath came upon them. TheRedmen, thinking to stop the taking of Heads, talked to theMoss-eaters in a loud voice, as though they were men, bidding them gofar over the Barren Lands and tell all the other Musk-Ox to keep away,for here was a taker of Heads. But the White Man only laughed, andkilled a Bull Leader who had a beautiful long black beard, swearingthat such a Head was a prize indeed.

  "Comrades, perhaps there is someone looking over the lives of Animalswho has power with the Wind and the White Storm. Of this I know not,but it is a true tale that even as he cut the head from the deadMoss-eater, such a storm as had not been in the memory of any Dwellercame with the full fury of a hungry Wolf Pack down upon that land. LikePups of one litter all of us Wolves huddled together, pulling the coverof our tails over our noses to keep the heat in. We waited; and movednot that day, nor that night, nor the next day, nor the night afterthat again. Bitter as the storm was, I almost laughed at Black Wolf'slament. 'Now the men will be dead and lost to us when we might have hadthem,' he kept whimpering; 'there will be no more killing of Musk-Ox,and we shall go hungry.'

  "As we crawled out when the storm ceased, our Leader went to where thesnow was rounded up a little higher than the rest. 'Here is theMusk-Ox,' said Black Wolf; 'let us eat.'

  "I remember, as we dug at the snow there was a strong scent of Man. 'Itis the Hunter dead, I think,' Black Wolf said, poking his nose downinto the snow.

  "But all at once, 'Buh!' came a hoarse call from the Firestick, andBlack Wolf, our Leader, 'E-e-he-uh!' fell over backward, dead. Then Iknew what it was. The Huntman had cut open the Musk-Ox, and crawlinginside, had kept his life warm through the fierce storm. But the Redmenhad gone. Whether they had died because of the storm, or trailed awaybecause of the Head-taking, I know not; but there they were not. Closecurled against the Musk-Ox had lain the Hunter's three Dogs, and they,too, were alive.

  "Then commenced such a trail of a Man, Comrades, as I, Wolf though Iam, never wish to see again. E-u-uh! eu-u-uh! but it was dreadful, forin his face there was the Fear Look that Hathi has spoken of. Night andday it was there, I think, for he dared not sleep as he hurried backtoward the Big Water. Being without a Leader, we were like a lot ofMonkeys, fighting and jangling amongst ourselves. Some were for killinghim, but others said, 'Wait, surely he will make a kill of Musk-Oxagain, and then we shall have eating--what is one Man to a Wolf Pack inthe way of food?'

  "That day, coming up with a Herd, he shot two of the Moss-eaters, and,as we ate of them, he trailed to the South; but that availed himlittle, Comrades, for the swing of a Wolf's going is like the run of ariver; and when he camped that night we also camped there. And the nextday, and the next, it was the same; the Huntman pushing on with tiringwalk striving for his life, and, behind the Pack--some howling for aKill of the Man, and some fighting to save him that we might havegreater eating.

  "It was the last day before we came to the Big Water. That day, beingfull famished, for we had passed the land of the Musk-Ox--though to besure he had killed two Caribou for us--we ate his Dogs, and he wasfleeing on foot.

  "I must say, Comrades, though I lay no claim to a sweet nature, yet Iwished not to make a Kill of the Man. But five times, as I remember it,some of the Pack, eager for his life, closed in on him; and five timeswith the Firestick he slew many of my Wolf Brethren. Comrades, he madea brave fight to reach the shack."

  "This is a terrible tale," cried Magh, excitedly. "Did he reach theshack alive, Oohoo?"

  "Yes, but would you believe it, Comrades, the White Man who had beenleft behind, through being alone and through drinking much Firewater,had become mad, even as I have seen a Wolf in the time of great heat;and he knew not his Comrade, the Huntman, but called through the closeddoor, 'Go away, go away!'

  "'I am Jack,' called the Huntman.

  "'Jack is dead!' yelped the Man who was mad. 'He is dead out in thestrong storm
, and you are an evil spirit--go away! go away!'

  "Oh, Hathi, it was dreadful, dreadful.

  "'Let me in, Tom; I am Jack,' pleaded the Huntman who had come so farthrough the snow; and, just beyond, we of the Wolf Pack waited, waited,waited.

  "Sa'-zada, the cry of the lone Wolf is not so dreadful as the yelpingsof the Man who was mad. Even we of the Wolf Pack moved back a littlewhen he called with a fierce voice. And he always answered: 'Go away!You are an evil spirit. Jack is dead! But I did not kill him--Go away!'And, Sa'-zada, though it is dreadful, yet it is true, he struck withhis Firestick full through the door, and killed the Man who was Jack.And in the end he, too, died, and the Wolves buried them both after themanner of Wolves."

  "Chee-hough! it's a terrible tale," said Magh.

  "It is true," answered White Wolf; "and all that is the way of my landwhich is the Northland.

  "In the Hot Time sometimes there are the little red flowers that areroses, but in the long Cold Time it is as I have said, cold and a landof much hunger. But it is my land--the Northland."

  "Engh-h-hu!" sighed Sher Abi, opening his eyes as though just comingout of a dream; "I had an experience one time very much like that,Brother Wolf."

  "'LET ME IN, TOM; I AM JACK,' PLEADED THE HUNT MAN."]

  "Of a snow storm, Sher Abi?" queried Mooswa, doubtingly.

  "No, my solemn friend, I know nothing of snow; I speak of having a Maninside of one. As Sa'-zada has said, I think it's quite possible, andI'm sure they must rest nice and warm, too."

  "Did a Man cut you open, Magar?" sneered Magh.

  "No, little Old Woman, he did not; he was busy that day taking off yourtail for stealing his plantains."

  "Tell us about it, Magar," lisped Python. "Wolf's tale of his snow-landmakes me shiver."

  "There is not much to tell," murmured Sher Abi, regretfully. "It wasall over in a few minutes, and all an accident, too; and, besides, itwas only one Man. You see, I was sunning myself on a mud bank inCherogeah Creek, when I heard 'thomp, thomp, thomp!' which was thesound of a Boatman's paddle against the side of his log dug-out. I slidbackward into the water, keeping just one eye above it to see whatmanner of traveler it might be. It was old Lahbo, a villager who oftenwent up and down that creek, so I started to swim across, meaning tocome up alongside of his canoe and wish him the favor of Buddha. As youknow, Comrades, all Animals love these Buddhists, for their Master hastaught them not to take the life of any Jungle Dweller.

  "As I have said, I was swimming across the creek, when Lahbo, who musthave been asleep, suddenly ran his canoe up on my back. It was such alight little dug-out, too, quite narrow, and being suddenly startled, Ijumped, and by some means Lahbo's canoe was upset. Poor old Lahbo! Howmy heart ached for him when I heard him scream in the water."

  "Oh, the evil liar!" whispered Magh in Hathi's ear.

  "Hush-h!" whistled Elephant, softly, through his trunk; "Sher Abi wasever like this; I know him well. It is just his way of boasting; heknows nobody believes it."

  "Poor Lahbo," continued Magar. "I swam quickly to help him, picked himup tenderly in my jaws, and started for the shore. I would have savedhis life in another minute, but his cries had gone to the ears of someVillagers, and they were now on the bank of the creek, and with twoFiresticks, also. I was in a terrible fix, Comrades; if I held my headunder water, poor Lahbo would drown; if I held it up, the Village Menwould kill me with the Firestick."

  "How did it end, Saver of Life?" asked Pardus. "Did poor Lahbo ask youto swallow him to save his life?"

  "I really can't say what did happen," answered Sher Abi. "To this daytears come into my eyes when I think of poor Lahbo. And it was all thefault of the Villagers, for when the Firestick coughed, I think theMan-fear, that Hathi has spoken of, came over him, for he commenced towriggle about so that I couldn't hold him. I was so careful, too, formy teeth are sharp, and I was afraid of hurting him. But, anyway,before I knew it, Ee-eh-he! he had slipped down my throat; poor Lahbo!And do you know, Comrades, I'm a little afraid I'm not done with himyet, for he had a big two-handed dah (sword) in his waist-band, and Iknow that some of the pains I feel at times are due to that; there'snothing so hard to digest as a Burmese dah. And to this day, Comrades,sometimes when I'm jumping about it seems to me that bangles and ringsthat are inside of me string themselves on that sword--I fancy at timesI can hear them jingle."

  "How did you come to have bangles inside of you?" asked Magh mostsolicitously.

  "Engh-hu! little Moon-face, you make me very tired. If any one tells atale you try to put false words into his mouth."

  "And bangles," snapped Magh.

  "Who spoke of bangles?" asked Sher Abi. "I said not that they werebangles, but that it was like that--the pains I mean. Perhaps evenLahbo dropped the dah overboard, for all I know. And look here, littleone, Moon-faced Languar, if you doubt what I say, you may go inside andsee for yourself."

  "How came you to this place, Sher Abi?" asked Mooswa. "Did theVillagers catch you then?"

  "Not that time. But once, hearing a Pariah Dog in great distress, Ithought he called to me for aid, even as poor Lahbo had done, so I swamquickly to lend him help----"

  "Poor Dog," jeered Magh.

  "But it was all a vile trick of the Men-kind," declared Magar; "thoughat the time, not knowing of this, I paid no heed to the matter. Therewere two long rows of stakes in the water coming close together at oneend----"

  "Lough-hu! I know," murmured Buffalo; "the walls of a stockade."

  "Yes," sighed Sher Abi. "And as I pushed through the small end, thepoor Dog being just beyond, and in great distress, a big rope drewtight about my neck, and before I could so much as object, many of theMen-kind pulled me out on to the dry land. Then I was sent here toSa'-zada."

  "Well, well," murmured Hathi, "it seems to me that every Jungle-Dwellerthinks he's badly treated, but judging from all the tales I've heard Ithink we've all got our faults--I think we're nearly as bad as theMen-kind."

  "My people are not," objected Buffalo; "we never did harm to anyone."

  "Neither did we," exclaimed Mooswa.

  "Nor we," added Elk; and soon the clamor became general, all holdingthat the Men-kind who killed almost every animal for the sake oftaking its life, and not because they were driven to it by leanstomachs, were much worse than the Jungle-Dwellers.

  "Well, well," decided Hathi, "it seems that most of you are against me,anyway. I think Buffalo is right in what he says, but some of us havedone much wrong to the Men-kind----"

  "Meaning me, of course," ejaculated Wild Boar. "I, who lay no claim tobeing good, and who am counted the worst of all Animals, say, withBuffalo, that the Men-kind have done more harm to me than I to them,and have been of less benefit to me than I to them."

  Then Sa'-zada spoke: "Comrades, this is a question that we can'tsettle. If we were all like the Buddhists, and took no life exceptbecause of great need, perhaps it would be better. But now you must allgo back to your cages and corrals to sleep."

  Twelfth Night

  The Story of Sa'-Zada, "Zoo" Keeper