i^iUKiiiK'- Class J^AV.^ Book t Copyright N"_J>^- COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. FOUR NEW YORK BOYS NEW YORK IN ABORIGINAL AND COLONIAL DAYS BY JOHN W. DAVIS Principal Public School Xo. S, Proiix, .Yew York City. EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY BOSTON New York Chicago San Franc^co (VU^ *2.- '3 ■>-'- LIBRARY of CONGRESS Two Copies Received FEB 12 1906 -1 Copyright Entry , CLASS C^ XXc, No. /3 % /^2L COPY B. Copyrighted By JOHN W. DAVIS 1903. CONTENTS Bright-Eyes, the Indian Ko\- . . . . .7 Hans, the Dutch Boy . . . . . .81 George, the EngHsh Boy . . . . . 137 Robert, the American Boy . . . . .181 ILLUSTRATIONS An Indian Village . . . . . . . . Frontispiece Bright-Eyes . . . . - . . . . . . ,7 An Early View of Manhattan ........ 10 Indian Weapons ........... 24 Indian Bowls ........... 29 Indian Dress . . . . _. . . . . . . -30 Bright-Eyes, with His Bow and Arrow . . . . . . . 32 Indian Medicine Bag, Mystery Whistle, Rattle and Drum . . . .64 Indians Traveling on .Snow-shof s ........ 74 Indian Baskets ........... 76 The //(7^M/('(';; Ascendii ^ ih. llu ?in . . . . . 78 Map of Holland .80 Purchasing Manhattan .......... 82 Edict of William the Te^ty 84 Haarkni, [loUand ........... 85 New Amsterdam . . . . . . •. . . . .86 A Scene ill Amsterdam, Holland ........ 87 Map of New Netherlands 1656 88 Goverror Stuyvesant .......... 90 The Dock and River Eroi.t to Wall Street, 1667, and View of the " Schoeinge,"' 1658 ......... 92 The Building of the Kesll ss ......... g6 The City in 1642 ........... loi The Water Gale and Position of Original Wharf, fn m Map, 1061 . . no Soap Making . . . . . . . „ , . . • i>5 Brooklyn Ferry . . , . . . . . , . .120 4 ILLUSTRATIONS. 5 The Duke's Plan : New Amstenlam in 1664 . . . . . .122 'I'he Stadhuys, or City Hall, of New York, 1679 ..... 125 Indian \\'anipum . . . . . . . . . ^ .129 (^l.l Dutch Windmill ,31 Old Dutch Houses ..... i ^^ New York at the Beginninj^ i)f the I'.ighteenth Cei turv .... 136 New "S'urk, 1695 ........... 140 A South Truspect of Ye Floui-i-shing City of New York .... 146 Old Jail 1^8 Canal in Broad Street, 1659 . . . . . . . . .1:0 Manetta \Yater . . . . . , . . . . . i S4 Old Dutch Sleigh j 7c The Meal and the Slave Market, 1746, and the Battery in 1746 . . .180 American Stage Coach . . , . . . . , . .184 Trinity Church as Enlarged, 1737 ........ 186 Trinity Church . . . . . . . . . . .188 St. Paul's Church, 1850 . , . . . . . . , .194 A Pirate . ........... 197 Bowling Green in iSoo . . . , . . . . ^ -199 The Battery and Bowling Creen ••...... 200 King's Bridge, New York ••••..... 202 Stone House, Kingsbridge Road ........ 204 Hudson River from Hoboken 205 New York Colonial Currency . . . . . . . .210 Spuy ten Duyvil of To-day . . . . . . . , .211 New York and Brooklyn, with Their Environs, 1776 • . . . 216 Fly Market . . . . . . , . . . . .218 Bellin's Map ........... 226 The Flying Machine .......... 228 Aisle in St. Paul's, Showing Washington's Pew . . . . . 2'"o House in Which the Non-Im]iortation Agreement was Signed . . .251 Old City Hall, Wall Street 216 AX INDIAN VILLAGE. From i\f, fntjsh's " The Origin of the North American Indians." NEW YORK IN ABORIGINAL AND COLONIAL DAYS BRIGHT-EYES, THE INDIAN BOY. Many years ago there lived in what is now New York City, a little boy named Bright- Eyes, He had big, black eyes, straight, black 8 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS hair and reddish-brown skin. He was an Indian. Only Red Men lived in our country in those days. When Bright - Eyes was a baby he was called a papoose. His mother did not put him into a cradle as your mother did you when you were little. She put him into a bag, fixed to a board nearly three feet long and about eighteen inches wide. When she had to cut wood or grind the corn for meals, little Bright -Eyes and his little bed were hung up in the nearest tree. There the wind rocked him and sang him to sleep with gentle lullabies. Bright-Eyes, with his father and mother, grandfather and grandmother, lived in a long bark hut. This hut had no windows and only one door. A hole in the roof was the only chimney. There were no beds such as we FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 9 sleep on. The beds were evergreen boughs, covered with skins and furs. There were no streets in those days. The forests were as God had made them and w^ere all about where Bright-Eyes lived. His father could find his way through the woods as easily as you find your way in going home from school. When his father went hunting or fishing, he might be gone for days, for he had to bring home food for his family, and he sometimes had to go a long way to get game ; but he never lost his way. All his hunting had to be done on foot. Horses were not known to the Indian until the White Man brought them over. Bright-Eyes never cried. He was trained to keep quiet. Sometimes when he was fas- tened to his sleeping-board, his mother would loosen his arms. Then he would play with FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 11 the bone toys tied to the wooden bow arched over his face and fastened to the board at each side. This was to protect his head and face should the board fall. When he grew old enough to walk, he was no longer put to bed on his sleeping-board. That was then put awa}', and he never used it again. When his mother went out to till the ground, or to gather wood for the fire, Bright-Eyes went with her and played about the spot where she was working. In the FOUR NEW YORK BOYS spring he watched the birds and the squirrels, and listened to their calls. He learned to know the robin, the thrush, the black- bird, the blue jay, and the oriole. He loved the robin best of all. When he awoke at daybreak and went out into the woods, it was Robin Redbreast's morning song that said to him, " Fine day, fine day, Bright-Eyes ! " At twilight, when he went into the lodge to go to sleep, he could hear the robin singing to him, ^y4^ -' Good-night, good-night, Bright- f'Tp'^^iM^^Q^ Eyes ! Sleep well ! Sleep well ! " i^^ -1 here was one bird he was ^^^^ afraid of, though — the owl. At ^§^ times during the night. Bright- FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 13 Eyes would be wakened out of a sound sleep by the hooting of an owl. This would frighten him. His mother would tell him, then, in a low voice, so as not to waken any of the other sleepers, of the little Indian boy who was once carried away by an owl because he cried. Then Bright-Eyes, to show he was not afraid, would try to go to sleep again. Bright-Eyes was very proud when he was given his first pair of moccasins. These were made of deerskin, and were fastened up the front with deerskin thongs. He wore no stockings. There were no heels on his new 14 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS shoes, as there are on yours. So, when he walked, his toes turned in. One day, to try his new moccasins, he took a walk by himself in the woods. He had not gone far, when he heard a rattle. This was a new sound to him. He stood still, as he had been taught to be very cautious. Looking about him, he saw in front of him, some little distance away, something waving a vicious looking head to and fro. Bright-Eyes was frightened, as he had never seen anything of this kind before. He heard another rattle. This time he turned and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him towards home. When he reached the lodge, he rushed up to his grandfather, who was sit- ting outside, and breathlessly told him his adventure. When he had finished, his grand- father told him the story of FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 15 The Snake. In old times there -._,-...=_ _ was a tribe of Indians ^' who were very saucy J^ri Theyoften talked too much, and said too little. Kuloskap, the Good Spirit, was very angry with them. But in his great love for all Indians, he told them when the Great Flood was coming, so that they might secure themselves against it. Instead of trying to save themselves, how- ever, they only laughed at him and said they did not care. Kuloskap told them the water would come over their heads. To this they replied that they would be very wet. He told them to be good and quiet, and to pray. They 16 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS only shouted, and shook their rattles at him. These rattles were made of turtle-shells fastened together, with pebbles inside, and, when shaken hard, made a great noise. To show their contempt for Kuloskap, they had a great dance, shaking their rattles all the time. Then the rain began to fall ; but they kept on dancing. The thunder pealed. They yelled at the thunder, and shook their rattles at it. Then Kuloskap determined to punish them. He did not wish to see them drown in the flood, so he changed them into rattle- snakes. Thus the bad Indians became bad snakes. When they see an Indian coming, they lift up their heads, and move them to and fro — for that is the way snakes dance — and then they shake the rattles in their tails, as Indians shake their rattles when they dance. FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 17 So it was that Bright-Eyes learned about the bad snakes. One day, not long after, Bright-Eyes saw, in a nearby meadow, a lot of golden flowers, such as he had never seen before. He ran to the meadow and plucked some of the flowers, which he took to his grandfather, asking him what they were. His grandfather, instead of telling him the name directly, told him the story of The Dandelion. I am going to tell you of the sorrow of the South Wind. He is soft, and sweet, and gentle. He breathes upon us and soothes us. The fruits and flowers love him, for his 18 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS breath is sweet to them. But alas ! he is very lazy. One day he looked toward the north and saw a dear little golden-haired girl dancing in a meadow. She seemed to nod and smile at him. He loved this little girl, and wished to have her near him. Every day he would say, " I will go to her some day and bring her to my home in South Land." -.^^^ But he waited too long, for on looking for her one day he saw his little Golden-Hair was changed. Her hair was no longer gold. It had been changed to silver. " Alas ! " sighed South Wind. " I have waited too long. My FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 19 swift brother, North Wind, has sent his Frost Spirit to touch her with his wand." And when he looked again, the air seemed to be filled with soft, feathery stars. He looked and wondered. Next morning he looked north to find his little girl, but she had gone. ** Ah ! now I know that those little stars were frost spirits, come to take my little girl to my brother in North Land," said the South Wind. He never knew that it was little Miss Dan- 20 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS delion growing in the meadow who had the golden locks, nor that the feathery stars were little seed wings. So he sighs and sighs for her always. The day after, Bright-Eyes took his grand- father to show him the dandelions. On their way, as they passed a stream, they frightened a bird which was nesting on the edge of the bank, and it tried to get into the water. It was very clumsy on land, but as soon as it reached the water it could swim and dive as no other bird Bright-Eyes had ever seen could do. "What is it. Grandfather?" said Bright- Eyes. "It is a diver," was the reply. "He is a small bird, though his cousin, called the loon, who lives where the Frost-spirit does, is larger." "Why are his feet so far behind?" was Bright-Eyes' next question. FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 21 His grandfather's reply was the story of How THE Loon Had His Legs Placed so Far Behind. Nanaboozho, a mischiev- ous spirit, was hungry, and as he was on the shores of a lake at the time, thought he would like some water- fowl for dinner. He called a council of the aquatic birds, saying he had an important secret to tell them. There came to his wigwam geese, ducks, herons, gulls, bitterns and a loon. He asked them in and told them they would have to be blindfolded and dance around in a circle, and after the dance was over he would tell them the secret. 22 FOUR NKW YORK BOYS So he blindfolded them, and started them around. As the loon passed Nanaboozho he heard a peculiar sound as Ox^ some one gasp ing for breath. So, while going around again, he managed to get one eye free, and saw Nana- boozho grasp a wild goose by the leg, wring its neck and throw the body behind him. The loon told the goose who was dancing behind him what Nanaboozho was doing. The goose told the bird behind him, so that in turn everyone soon knew that Nanaboozho was try- ing to get something to eat, and that was his only secret. So the birds rushed out of the wigwam, after taking off their blindfolds, the loon being last. When Nanaboozho saw what was happening, he became very angry, rushed after the loon, and jumped on his back. Ever since the loon has had a flat back, and his legs grow at the end of his body so that he FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 23 has never been able to walk as do other birds. So Bright-Eyes played about summer and winter, spring and fall, learning from his grandfather much about the birds and animals, trees and flowers. When he was six years old, his father began to take him out on little trips. One day in the summer Bright-Eyes went with his father to fish. Near where they lived was a good fish- ing-ground. It was low tide when they reached the shore. The father left his boy on the bank with the 24 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS canoe whilst he went and got some sand- worms. After he had brought these back to the canoe, he waded to a shallow place, where INDIAN WEAPONS. After Catlin. he gathered some oysters. These he brought to shore and put in a cool spot under a tree. Then he told Bright-Eyes to gather some wood FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 25 for a fire. When the wood was made ready, he started the fire by rapidly revolving a short stick in the hollow of a piece of dry wood, and putting the light, which he thus obtained, underneath the pile of wood. He cooked the oysters, and he and his son ate them, after which they divided a watermelon they had found growing nearby. 26 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS After finishing their meal, the father made a drinking-cup out of birch bark from a nearby tree and took a drink out of a clear, cool spring near at hand. He also gave Bright-Eyes a drink. They were now ready to go fishing. The tide had risen, and the father easily slid the canoe into the water. Then he carefully placed his son in the bow. Finally he got into the stern with his paddle, and off they went. He paddled until he reached a good shady place to fish in, near the shore. Here he put the prow of his canoe on the bank, so that his boat would remain steady. He made his line ready. It was made from the sinews of the deer. His hook was made of bone. His sinker was a stone. He put a worm on his hook, and dropped it into the water. Bright- FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 27 Eyes said nothing all this time. His father had told him to watch. Scarcely had the line gone overboard, than there was a tug at it. The father pulled in and landed a nice striped bass. Again he baited, and again he cast his line over. An- other tug, and another fish ; this time a blackfish. So he fished and fished until it was almost sunset — time for them to go home. Just as they were about to make ready to go home, there came a very heavy tug on the line. The father tried to pull the line in. It would not come at first ; it seemed as if the fish were stronger than the man. The fish pulled, and the man pulled. The man said " Ugh ! " but even that did not bring the fish in. The man said " Ugh ! " again, and pulled harder. This time the fish didn't come, but 28 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS the line did ; and the man nearly tumbled out of the boat. Then Bright-Eyes spoke. He said, " Biggest fish got away, didn't he? " It has been so ever since. The biggest fish always gets away. Home they paddled. The mother was wait- ing for them. She took the fish and cooked them, just as they w^ere, in an earthen vessel placed over the fire burning in the middle of the floor of the lodge, and put some cakes, made of Indian meal, to cook in the hot ashes. FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 29 When the meal was ready, the pot was taken from over the fire and placed on the floor, the cakes alongside it. The men and boys gathered around it, and sat down, each with a wooden bowl and a wooden spoon. INDIAN BOWLS. Each took out of the pot what he thought he needed, the oldest helping himself first, put it into his bowl, and began to eat. When they had finished, the women were permitted to eat, not before. Bright-Eyes was now old enough to learn how to use a bow and arrow. One day, in the INDIAN DRESS. FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 31 early summer, he went with his father into the woods. Here his father looked for a hickory sapling. When he found it, he cut off a straight piece with his stone hatchet. They took it home, where the father soon made it into a bow, scraping it with a piece of sharp stone. He strung it with deer sinew. The arrows he made from alder. One end of each was sharpened by burning, afterwards being rubbed to a point on a stone. Bright-Eyes was very proud of his bow and arrow, and practised with it all day long. FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 33 Soon he could hit a mark at twenty feet ; then at twenty-five feet. When he could do this, he took part with the other boys of the village in the Arrow Game. All the smaller boys, who were just learning to use the bow and arrow, gathered around one of the larger boys, in the centre of the village. Each, large and small, had his bow and arrow. The big boy would say " Ready ! " when each little fellow would fix an arrow to his bow. Then, when they were all ready, the big boy would shoot his arrow upward, and all the other boys would shoot theirs upward, too, trying to make their arrows go as high as his 34 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS had gone. The one who did this the oftenest won the game. At first Bright-Eyes thought he would never win, as many of the other boys were bigger and stronger than he. But he kept on trying and trying. His muscles became harder and stronger, and in time he could use his bow as well as any of his comrades. Sometimes, after the arrow game, the boys played foot-ball. When Bright-Eyes became a good shot, he told his mother one day he would try to stop the chipmunks from stealing her corn. So he took his bow and arrow and went out to watch for the thieves. He watched all day until nearly sunset before he saw them. When he did catch sight of them, he shot an arrow at one and killed it. He picked it up and went home with it, where he showed it in FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 35 great glee. His mother cooked it for his supper. After supper they sat around the fire, and his grandfather told the story of How THE Chipmunk was Marked. PORCUPINE. In old times the animals thought they would make a tribe and have a chief. They made the porcupine the chief, because nothing could hurt him. One day the chief sent word to all the tribe 36 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS to meet him that night by the big oak tree for a talk. There came the bear, the beaver, the fox, the wild-cat, the wolf, the rabbit, the weasel, the raccoon, the squirrel, the skunk, the otter, the marten, the muskrat, the chip- ''''fcji-'",,','' 'Xf munk, and the deer. They sat in a wide circle around a fire of logs, and waited for the porcupine to speak. When he saw all the tribe was there, he said : FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 37 "Some of you have told me that there is not enough daylight for you ; others that there is not enough night. I have called you together to talk it over. Let Mr. Bear begin." The bear stood up and said he didn't want any daylight at all. What he wanted was night all the time, and so did his brothers, the wildcat, the wolf, the fox, the weasel, and the skunk. But the other animals wanted day- light, and said so. The bear kept grunting, " Night always, 38 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS night always," while the others were talking, and the chipmunk kept chattering, " Light, light, light." This kept on for some time and before the animals knew it, dawn began to appear in the eastern sky. When the bear saw the morning breaking, he was very angry and ran to catch the chip- munk to punish him for calling " Light." The chipmunk saw the bear coming and ran for an oak tree with the bear after him. Just as the chipmunk reached the tree and sprang up the trunk, the bear reached forth his paw to catch the little chatterer. He was not near enough to catch Chippy, but two of the long nails in his paw struck Chippy in the back, and made the two stripes the little fellow has worn ever since. FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 39 When it came time to garner the corn and to gather the pumpkins, Bright-Eyes helped his mother, as he was now big enough to be of use in gathering their crops. When the corn had all been gathered and the pumpkins safely stored for the winter, his grandfather told him the story, one evening, as they sat around the fire, of How Corn and Beans were Brought to THE Indians. When the Indians came to the earth the first bird they saw was the crow. He was not afraid of the Red Men, because they were good to him. 40 ¥OUR NEW YOUK BOYS The Red Men had no corn nor beans. The crow thought and thought as to how he could return the many kindnesses of the Red Men. He said to himself one day, "Suppose I should get the seed of corn and beans for them? They would then have something to eat beside game and fish." He made up his mind to get the seed. So, one day, oft" he flew, far, far away to the south- west. Here lived the Spirit of the South Wind, a lazy, old man. The crow flew and flew until he saw the old man. Then he flew down to the feet of the old man and said to FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 41 him. " Please give me one grain of corn and one bean." " For whom do you want them ? " said the South Wind. " For my friend, the Red Man. He has neither corn nor beans," was the reply. " Why do you wish to give them to the Red Man ? " said the South Wind. " Because he has been good to me," said the crow. The South Wind then gave the grain of corn and the bean to the crow, and told him how they should be planted to make them grow. The crow put the grain into one M\ ear and the bean into the other. Then he thanked the South Wind and away he flew. He flew and flew until he got back to his 42 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS friends. He gave the two grains to the Indians and told them how they were to be planted. But the men v/ould not plant them. They were above that kind of work. The seed were given to the squaws to plant, and ever since they have done the planting and the harvesting. Sometimes the crow helps nowadays to gather the corn, because he claims that without him there would have been no corn to plant and therefore none to grow. Bright-Eyes had no school- house to go to. His school was all outdoors and his grand- father was his teacher. The first thing he was taught was FOUR NEW YUHK BOYS 43 respect for his elders. He was not permitted to join in their talks, nor could he speak in their presence unless asked to do so. When Bright-Eyes came from the woods his grandfather would say to him, " What new birds have you seen to-day ? " On which side of the tree does the moss grow?" "What bushes grow near the water?" Other days he would ask questions about the rabbit, or the beaver, or the otter, and thus find out what his grandson was learning. And Grandfather, when Bright-Eyes answered well, would tell 44 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS him stories of the animals and birds. Here are some of them : The Owl and the Raven. The owl and the raven were fast friends. One day the raven made a new dress, dappled white and black, for the owl, who in return made a pair of moccasins for the raven, and also began to make a white coat for him. But when it was time to try it on, the raven kept hopping about and would not stand still. The owl got angry and said: "Now stand still or FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 45 I shall pour out the lamp over you." As the raven continued hopping about, the owl fell into a passion and poured the oil upon him. Then the raven cried "Caw! Caw!" and since that day has been black all over. The Rabbit and the Otter. Once there was a very cold, hard winter, and the Rabbit, who lived with his grandmother, had hard work to get even a little food for his family. Snow and ice were everywhere, and go where he would he could find but little to eat. One day, while going through the forest, he 46 FOUR NEW YORK ROYS came to a river on the bank of which stood a lonely lodge. Going up to it and looking inside, he saw the Otter. The Otter saw him at the same time and asked Rabbit to enter and to stay for dinner. Master Rabbit was very glad to accept. No sooner had Rabbit been welcomed than Otter told his housekeeper to prepare the fire, while he would go down to the river to catch some fish. Down he slid, Master Rabbit watching him, FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 47 and dove into the water through a hole in the ice. Soon he re-appeared from under the ice with a mess of fish, which he gave to the housekeeper to prepare for dinner. These were soon cooked and eaten. After dinner they chatted awhile, but all the time Master Rabbit was thinking that what Otter could do, he could do. When they had finished their chat, Master Rabbit arose to go home, and in bidding his host " Goodbye," asked him to be his guest the following day. Otter accepted the invitation. When Master Rabbit reached home, he said 48 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS to his grandmother, " Let us move our wigwam nearer the water." They moved their lodge to the edge of the lake, and Master Rabbit made a smooth, icy path, on which he could slide down from the wigwam to the water. Next day, when Otter called. Master Rabbit said to his grandmother, "Get dinner ready." His grandmother said, " With what, Grand- son ? " Master Rabbit said, '* I'll see to that," and started to slide down the smooth path he had made, so that he might reach the water and catch fish as did the Otter. Not knowing how to guide himself, he slid this way and that, and finally, just before reaching the lake, he turned completely around and fell tail first into the icy water through an air hole. What was he to do ! He did not know how to swim. He gasped for breath, struggled and FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 49 was nearly drowned. All thought of fishing had left his head. What he wanted was to get ashore. Otter, by the wigwam, had noticed Master Rabbit was trying to do something, but what it was he could not make out, so he said to the grandmother standing beside him, "What ails your grandson ? " " It looks to me," said the grandmother, " as if he had seen somebody do that, and that he is trying to do the same." A light broke in on the Otter. He slid quickly down to where Master Rabbit was struggling in the water and helped poor Bunny out. Master Rabbit, shivering, limped into the 50 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS wigwam to be nursed by his grandmother, while Otter slid into the water and soon came up with a string of fish. But, disgusted with Master Rabbit for attempting what he could not perform, he threw the fish on the ground in front of the wigwam and went home without dining. Master Rabbit and the Woodpecker Girls. After Master Rabbit got well, he was wan- dering one day in the woods. As he was walking along, he came to a wigwam, in which was a number of young women, all with red head-dresses — the Misses Woodpecker. Seeing him, the young ladies asked him to come in and have dinner with them. Master Rabbit, well pleased with the invitation, assented. One of the girls, taking a wooden dish, ran FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 51 up the trunk of the nearest tree. She stopped now and then, and, tapping at the bark, took from here and there, little white insects. These she brought down, and, soon after, they were served for dinner. Master Rabbit put on his thinking- cap again, just as he had done after dining with Otter. " That's the easiest way in the world to get a dinner," he said to himself. " I'll have to try it." On bidding farewell to the ladies, he thanked them for their hospitality, asked them to dine with him next day ; and it was so arranged. 52 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS Next day, when the young ladies appeared, Master Rabbit began to play woodpecker. He took a piece of sharpened wood, and fastened it on his nose for a bill. Then he started to climb the trunk of the nearest tree, and sad work he made of that. He pecked and pecked at the bark with his home-made bill, but no insects did he get. He soon resem- bled the woodpeckers in one thing — he had a red crest, for his head was cut by his home- made bill, and the blood ran down over his eyes. " What is he trying to do?" said the Wood- pecker ladies. " It looks to me," said his grandmother, "as if he had seen somebody FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 53 do that, and that he is trying to do the same." The Woodpeckers laughed at his plight, and one of them said, " Come down and give me your dish." He did so, and she ran up the trunk with it, and soon came down with the dinner. But it was a long time before Master Rabbit heard the last of his trying to play woodpecker. The Martp:n and the Rabbit. One day Master Rabbit and Marten sat next each other at a dmner given by Wolf. 54 FOUR NEW YORK ROYS Master Rabbit was putting on airs, trying to show he was used to better society than that around him, and was accustomed to living among great people. Master Rabbit smoothed down his white fur, and said to Marten, " This is the only kind of coat worn by aristocrats." Marten had on a brown coat. Marten quietly asked, " If that be so, how did you come by it ? " " It shows," said Master Rabbit, " that I always associate with gentlemen." " How did you get that slit in your lip?" asked Marten, a^^^ j^^^^^\^ who knew very ';x j^'-^-^^^ well that Mas- **^^ ; ter Rabbit was I^^S^^ drawing the long bow. FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 55 "Ah!" replied Master Rabbit, "in my home we use knives and forks. One day, my knife slipped and I cut my lip." " And why are your mouth and whiskers always going, even when you are still?" "I am thinking; planning great affairs; always worrying. So I am always talking to myself, you see." " But why do you always hop ? Why don't you walk, as other people do ? " " Ah ! that's our style. We city folks are different from the country people. We have our own way of getting over the ground." Another story Bright-Eyes liked was that of Thp: King Fisher. The Kimr Fisher had two brothers, Crane and Wolf. Crane was very lazy, and would do nothing 66 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS unless he had to. One day he was very hungry, and, being too lazy to cook dinner, he went to see his brother Wolf S "just at d i n n e r- 1 i m e. 5?2^V; ; ^Volf was polite, and ■'/tpi'S'i asked Crane to dinner. So they sat down when dinner was ready. All they had was soup, served in a broad, flat dish. Crane's bill was so long he could get but little of the soup ; but Wolf had no trouble in lapping up all he wanted. Not to be outdone in politenes^^, Crane asked Wolf to sup with him next day. Wolf came at the appointed time, and they sat down to supper. The meal was only soup. It was a very nice soup, and was placed on the table ::i^i FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 57 in a long--neckc(l pitcher. Poor Wolf could get none at all, while Crane, with his long" bill, had no trouble in getting his fill A few days after, Wolf and Crane went to breakfast with King Fisher. King Fisher, it being early in the morning, had no food on hand, so he said, " Please wait until I catch our breakfast." They watched him as he ran out on the bough of a tree overspreading a stream. It was not long before he spied a fish in the 58 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS water. Quickly reaching down, he caught the fish. He brought it to the ground, had it cooked, and they were soon at break- fast. When Wolf saw how easily Blue Jay had caught the fish, he said to himself, " That is a very easy thing to do, and I am going to do it." ■ After breakfast. Wolf asked his two brothers to sup with him next day. When they came, to show how smart he was, he ran down to the shore, and out on a tree, leaning over the river, as he had seen Blue Jay do, to watch for a fish. He saw one, reached out for it, over- FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 69 balanced, fell into the river, and was swept away. So much for trying to do things we do not know how to do. When Bright-Eyes was old enough, his father made him a canoe and a paddle. But he would not let him use it until he learned to swim. His father taught him how, and when he could swim like a frog, he was told to get into his canoe and paddle it. He got into his canoe, but he didn't paddle it. He was not careful enough, so the canoe turned over with him, and into the water he went. When he came up, he swam to his boat, turned it right side up, and got in. But though he tried hard, he could not make it go 60 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS straight. It went first one way and then another, so he gave it up for the day and walked home. He told his grandfather his experiences, and his grandfather told him the story of. The Partridge and THE Canoe. In the old days the Partridge was the canoe builder for all the birds. When he had fin- ished the canoes, the -■'* •* birds came together to try them. First ap- peared the eagle. He got into his canoe and paddled off, using the ends of his wings as paddles. Then came the owl, doing the same, and after him, the heron, the blue jay, the FOUR NEW YORK BOYS 61 snipe, and the crow went sailing proudly by. Even the tiny h u n J m i n g-bi rd h a d a little canoe, wiiich he was propelling with a little paddle hardly an inch lono-. Bat there was no boat for the builder. When he was asked why, he was silent at first and answered only by shaking his head. After much questioning, he finally told them that he was going to build a canoe for himself such as no bird's eye had ever seen. It would be a marvel. And the Partridge built his boat in this wise: He reasoned that if a boat having two ends could be paddled in two directions, backward BLUE JAY. 62 FOUR NEW YORK BOYS and frontward, one which was all ends — all round — could be paddled backwards, front- wards, sideways, and every other way. So he made him a boat in shape like his nest, and sent for the birds to come to see him sail it. They all came, and when they saw the new canoe they wondered that they had never thought of such a thing as building a circular boat. But what was their aston- ishment to find that when Partridge en- tered his canoe and started to paddle, his boat would not go ahead at all ! It just turned around and FOUR NEW YORK HOYS 63 around! Try as he would he could not make it go any other way. So he went ashore and flying far inland hid himself under the low bushes, where he yet remains. Bright-Eyes said nothing after the story was finished, but made up his mind that he would learn to paddle very soon. Next morning, bright and early, he was out on the water with his canoe and paddle. He worked and worked, but he could not make the boat go straight ahead. Suddenly, however, he caught the trick of turning the wrist of the hand near the blade so as to keep the canoe in a straight course. iil(:fiZ5S