Among the Forest People Read online

  THE SWAGGERING CROW

  When the Crows who have been away for the winter return to the forest,all their relatives gather on the tree-tops to welcome them and tell thenews. Those who have been away have also much to say, and it sometimesseems as though they were all talking at once. They spend many days invisiting before they begin nest-building. Perhaps if they would taketurns and not interrupt each other, they would get the news morequickly, for when people are interrupted they can never talk well.Sometimes, too, one hungry fellow will fly off for a few mouthfuls ofgrain, and get back just in time to hear the end of a story. Then hewill want to hear the first part of it, and make such a fuss that theyhave to tell it all over again just for him.

  At this time in the spring, you can hear their chatter and laughter,even when you are far away; and the song-birds of the forest look ateach other and say, "Dear me! The Crows are back." They have very goodreasons for disliking the Crows, as any Robin will tell you.

  There was one great shining black Crow who had the loudest voice of all,and who was not at all afraid to use it. This spring he looked very leanand lank, for it had been a long, cold winter, and he had found butlittle to eat, acorns, the seeds of the wild plants, and once in agreat while a frozen apple that hung from its branch in some lonelyorchard.

  He said that he felt as though he could reach around his body with oneclaw, and when a Crow says that he feels exceedingly thin. But nowspring was here, and his sisters and his cousins and his aunts, yes, andhis brothers and his uncles, too, had returned to the forest to live. Hehad found two good dinners already, all that he could eat and more too,and he began to feel happy and bold. The purple gloss on his feathersgrew brighter every day, and he was glad to see this. He wanted to lookso handsome that a certain Miss Crow, a sister of one of his friends,would like him better than she did any of the others.

  That was all very well, if he had been at all polite about it. But oneday he saw her visiting with another Crow, and he lost his temper, andflew at him, and pecked him about the head and shoulders, and tore thelong fourth feather from one of his wings, besides rumpling the rest ofhis coat. Then he went away. He had beaten him by coming upon him frombehind, like the sneak that he was, and he was afraid that if he waitedhe might yet get the drubbing he deserved. So he flew off to the top ofa hemlock-tree where the other Crows were, and told them how he hadfought and beaten. You should have seen him swagger around when he toldit. Each time it was a bigger story, until at last he made them thinkthat the other Crow hadn't a tail feather left.

  The next day, a number of Crows went to a farm not far from the forest.Miss Crow was in the party. On their way they stopped in a field wherethere stood a figure of a man with a dreadful stick in his hand.Everybody was frightened except Mr. Crow. He wanted to show how muchcourage he had, so he flew right up to it. They all thought him verybrave. They didn't know that down in his heart he was a great coward. Hewasn't afraid of this figure because he knew all about it. He had seenit put up the day before, and he knew that there was no man under thebig straw hat and the flapping coat. He knew that, instead of athinking, breathing person, there was only a stick nailed to a pole. Heknew that, instead of having two good legs with which to run, thisfigure had only the end of a pole stuck into the ground.

  Of course, he might have told them all, and then they could havegathered corn from the broken ground around, but he didn't want to dothat. Instead, he said, "Do you see that terrible great creature with astick in his hand? He is here just to drive us away, but he dares nottouch me. He knows I would beat him if he did." Then he flew down, andate corn close beside the figure, while the other Crows stood back andcawed with wonder.

  When he went back to them, he said to Miss Crow, "You see how brave Iam. If I were taking care of anybody, nothing could ever harm her." Andhe looked tenderly at her with his little round eyes. But she pretendednot to understand what he meant, for she did not wish to give up herpleasant life with the flock and begin nest-building just yet.

  When they reached the barn-yard, there was rich picking, and Mr. Crowmade such a clatter that you would have thought he owned it all and thatthe others were only his guests. He flew down on the fence beside acouple of harmless Hens, and he flapped his wings and swaggered arounduntil they began to sidle away. Then he grew bolder (you know bulliesalways do if they find that people are scared), and edged up to themuntil they fluttered off, squawking with alarm.

  Next he walked into the Hen-house, saying to the other Crows, "You mighthave a good time, too, if you were not such cowards." He had no morethan gotten the words out of his bill, when the door of the Hen-houseblew shut and caught there. It was a grated door and he scrambled wildlyto get through the openings. While he was trying, he heard the hoarsevoice of the Crow whom he had beaten the day before, saying, "Thank you,we are having a fairly good time as it is"; and he saw Miss Crow pickingdaintily at some corn which the speaker had scratched up for her.

  At that minute the great Black Brahma Cock came up behind Mr. Crow. Hehad heard from the Hens how rude Mr. Crow had been, and he thought thatas the head of the house he ought to see about it. Well! one cannot sayvery much about what happened next, but the Black Brahma Cock did seeabout it quite thoroughly, and when the Hen-house door swung open, itwas a limp, ragged, and meek-looking Crow who came out, leaving many ofhis feathers inside.

  The next morning Mr. Crow flew over the forest and far away. He did notwant to go back there again. He heard voices as he passed a tall tree bythe edge of the forest. Miss Crow was out with the Crow whom he hadbeaten, and they were looking for a good place in which to build. "Idon't think they will know me if they see me," said Mr. Crow, "and I amsure that I don't want them to."