How Master Rabbit sought to rival Keeoony, the Otter_.
Of old times, _Mahtigwess_, the Rabbit, who is called in the
Micmac tongue _Ableegumooch_, lived with his grandmother, waiting
for better times; and truly he found it a hard matter in midwinter,
when ice was on the river and snow was on the plain, to provide even
for his small household. And running through the forest one day he
found a lonely wigwam, and he that dwelt therein was _Keeoony_,
the Otter. The lodge was on the bank of a river, and a smooth road of
ice slanted from the door down to the water. And the Otter made him
welcome, and directed his housekeeper to get ready to cook; saying
which, he took the hooks on which he was wont to string fish when he
had them, and went to fetch a mess for dinner. Placing himself on the
top of the slide, he coasted in and under the water, and then came out
with a great bunch of eels, which were soon cooked, and on which they
dined.
"By my life," thought Master Rabbit, "but that is an easy way of
getting a living! Truly these fishing-folk have fine fare, and cheap!
Cannot I, who am so clever, do as well as this mere Otter? Of course I
can. Why not?" Thereupon he grew so confident of himself as to invite
the Otter to dine with him--_adamadusk ketkewop_--on the third day
after that, and so went home.
"Come on!" he said to his grandmother the next morning; "let us remove
our wigwam down to the lake.
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