Many, many years ago when the
world was new, there was a beautiful river. Fish in
great numbers lived in this river, and its water was
so pure and sweet that all the animals came there to
drink.
A
giant moose heard about the river and he too came
there to drink. But he was so big, and he drank so
much, that soon the water began to sink lower and
lower.
The
beavers were worried. The water around their lodges
was disappearing. Soon their homes would be
destroyed.
The
muskrats were worried, too. What would they do if the
water vanished? How could they live?
The
fish were very worried. The other animals could live
on land if the water dried up, but they couldn't.
All
the animals tried to think of a way to drive the
moose from the river, but he was so big that they
were too afraid to try. Even the bear was afraid of
him.
At
last the fly said he would try to drive the moose
away. All the animals laughed and jeered. How could a
tiny fly frighten a giant moose? The fly said
nothing, but that day, as soon as the moose appeared,
he went into action.
He
landed on the moose's foreleg and bit sharply. The
moose stamped his foot harder, and each time he
stamped, the ground sank and the water rushed in to
fill it up. Then the fly jumped about all over the
moose, biting and biting and biting until the moose
was in a frenzy. He dashed madly about the banks of
the river, shaking his head, stamping his feet,
snorting and blowing, but he couldn't get rid of that
pesky fly. At last the moose fled from the river, and
didn't come back.
The
fly was very proud of his achievement, and boasted to
the other animals,
"Even
the small can fight the strong if they use their
brains to think."
The author is Ril
Gaiashk.
This
contribution comes from George Dufton's Grade
8 Class at Bessborough Dr. Public School,
Toronto, Canada. The original artwork and
legend hangs in the front hall of the school.
