Myths and Legends of British North America/The Venturesome Hare (Eastern Eskimo)
THE VENTURESOME HARE
Eastern Eskimo
A LONG time ago, Hare lived with his grandmother. They were poor, and Hare was hungry. One day he said, "Grandmother, I shall set a trap and catch fish." The old woman laughed. She said, "If you can! Go set the net, grandson. But even if you should catch one, we have no fire."
"I'll see to that," said Hare.
Off went Hare with the net, and he set it. The next morning in every mesh of the net was a fish, caught by its fins. Hare said, "Oh, my!' He could not even pull up the net, so he shook out some of the fish and pulled the rest in. Many of these he buried. The rest he took home, and dropped them outside the lodge while he went in.
"Grandmother," said Hare, "Here are the fish. You clean them. The Indians across the river have fire, and I shall go over and steal some."
Grandmother was frightened. She said, "Oh, no!" But Hare had now dried his net, so he folded it up and put it under his arm.
Then Hare went to the river, but the river was wide. Hare could not possibly jump across, so he sat down and thought. Then he called to the whales to help him. Many whales at once came up the river, and side by side they lay across the river. Hare jumped from one to the other. Thus he crossed. Then Hare jumped into the water to wet his fur.
Now Hare laid himself down in the sand along the shore, for he had seen some Indian children. Then the children came to where Hare lay. They saw him there. At once a boy picked him up and carried him home. Someone said, "Well, put him in the pot." And a pot stood ready there, near a bright, crackling fire. So the boy put down Hare. An old man said, "You must kill him first."
Hare was greatly frightened. He opened one eye just a little to see if there was any way of escape beside the door. In the top of the tepee was a large round smoke hole. Hare said, "I wish a spark of fire would fall on my net." Instantly the brands burned through and rolled apart and a great spark fell on the net and began to burn it.
Hare, in a flash, sprang out of the smoke hole—sprang out through the top of the tepee. The Indians saw him leap, and they ran after Hare shouting. Now when Hare came to the river bank he had not time to call his friends, the whales, to help him. Hare was running very fast, and he gave one great leap across the river and landed on the other side.
"Did I not tell you, Grandmother, that I would get fire?" said Hare when he reached home.
"How did you get across the river, Grandson?" asked Grandmother.
"Oh, I just jumped across," said Hare indifferently.