THE SLUMBER TREE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 886, 1 February 1930, Page 35

THE SLUMBER TREE

And How Three Rabbits Outwitted a Wizard

Gnomeland. the country of tho Gnomes, stretches far away into the distant hills and mountains, and the Gnomes who live in those far-away places are the country Gnomes who are seldom seen in Gnometown. Bloggs, too, live many miles atvay from Bloggtown. Where the hills are dry, and big rivers run rapidly, and everything seems wild, the Bloggs will be found—some farming, some cutting down the bush, so that the ! land can be turned into farms, and ! some making roads. And where the Bloggs are living far away from their own town, is where Bisca met the rabbit. Bisca was a Blogg girl, only -seven years old, and her home was on a farm in the hilly country. Not far away was a bush reserve, a large area of bush which no one was allowed to cut down, and Bisca loved to wander in the shade of the big trees, and gather ferns, and bathe her feet m the tumbling creek. One day, while wa Iking across the farm toward the bush, she found a rabbit which was in great pain, as it had a broken leg. She took it home and placed it on dry hay in a corner of the wood shed. She nursed it for many days, and fed it with milk and lettuce leaves and carrots, and when tho broken leg was mended again, and tho rabbit ran back to its burrow, all the rabbits who lived on that hillside said: "How well she looks! How plump she is! What lovely feeding she must have had!” As the months rolled by, this rabbit became married to Jock Springtail, and they set up housekeeping in a sunny valley. One day when Jock came home to lunch, his wife took him by the front paw and led him into their burrow, and there, in a heap of dry grass, wjere three tiny baby rabbits. Jock Springtail was very proud of his family, and he said to his wife: “It will be hard to find food for them all, for there are so many rabbits living in this valley; when they get big enough to look after themselves they must learn a trade.” And in a few months' time one was working for the rabbit carpenter, one for the rabbit tailor, and one for the rabbit tinsmith; and every Saturday evening each was able to take home a shilling to his mother. Xow all this time Bisca was getting very fond of the bush country, and almost every afternoon she went walking into the bush reserve, where she always sat down to rest at the same spot. One day Bogley, the wicked old wizard, was prowling about among the trees and he saw Bisca where she was resting. He saw that she was beautiful, and lie said to himself: “If I could only carry her off and take her miles away into the bush where the Bloggs would never be able to find her!” As he lay curled up that night in his hollow log he niade plans, and , when daylight came again he went j out and searched for three das r s until ho found a plant that would make everyone near it go to sleep. He took some seeds from it, and hurried back to plant One where he had seen Bisca resting. When this was done, lie held a wizard’s stick over the place, and sang: Send your branches high Send your roots down deep, When the maiden’s nigh Bend her head in sleep. Even as he sang, the seed tliat lie had placed in the earth began to grow, and the next day, when Bisca came to her usual resting place, she saw a new tree there. It was a handsome tree, and she sat beneath its long branches and almost at once she fell into a deep sleep.

An hour later, Bogley came that way, and laughed as lie saw Bisca sleeping so soundly. She was too heavy for him to carry, and his wizard’s power was not strong enough for him to be able to take her away by magic means. So ho took a long rope from around his waist, and tied her down by the arms and legs, saying to himself: “When she has hungered here for a few days she will be weak, and then I can force her to go with me.” Soon after Bogley hod gone away, a i a obit came running swiftly along the track into the bush. It was Mrs. Springtail, the wife of Jock Springtail, for she had seen Bisca’s footmarks arid was folliwing them. She found Bisca asleep and tied up underneath the Slumber Tree, and she ran back to her home in the valley with grreat speed She told Jock Springtail . everything and said that she was frightened* to go near the Slumber Tree, for fear that she would fall asleep. “And so you would have done,” said Jock, “yet no one need be frightened of it. Place a sprig of parsley underneath your tongue and keep your tai.': always pointing to the north, and nr Slumber Tree will have any effect or you.” That evening, when the sons of the family came home from work, tliev were told all about what their mothei had seen, and it was decided that thev would all go at daylight and set Bisca free. The carpenter rabbit said:

"I shall take my Uumiuel. to smash tlie branches she is tieU to." The tailor rabbit said: "I shall take my needle, to sew up her dress if it is torn." The tinsmith rub.bit said: "And X shall take my snips, tci cut j tho ropes she is tied -with.’ j At the first sign of morning light a I procession went quietly along tile | valley and down the track into the j bush. It was; the Springtail family going to save Bisca. As they came near to I where l.lseu was. they stopped, and ; the mother rabbit gave to each a sprig of parsley. “Put it under your tongues, lads, and point your tails t< the north, and there is" nothing t.> fear.” said Jock Springtail to the young rabbits. They did this, and then they went forward again. They ran as they saw l.isca, and tore at the branches and cut the ropes “Good boys.” cried Jock. Then a noise | of breaking branches teas heard and i as Bogley came into sight each rabbii I jumped for safety into a heap of j branches and leaves that was close at I hand. . Bogley laughed at Bisca and asked her if she was still sleepy: then he bent over her and, looking into her face said, ‘ "Would you like to live with Bogiey ?” At this moment Jock Springtail raised his paw as a signal, and the three young rabbits jumped togethertho carpenter on to Bogley’.-; head, and the other two on to his shoulders. The carpenter’s- hammer was raised and icame down, giving Bogley a. sounding crack on the skull which made him jump three feet into the air with pain and fright. With a yell that frlghtehed everything living in tho hush round about, he took a flying lean oyer the heap of branches and ran nt great speed into the depths of the bush Again and again the rabbi: banged tlie hammer on to his head. while the rabbits on his shoulders pricked him with the needle and tore his hair oa’ with the snipSoon he could run no longer, for the pain of his wounds was too great to be borne, and he staggered into on,, tree trunk and then another and at la-- 1 he fell on to his face, and the wicked wizard was punished at last. As he fell the three rabbits jumped to the ground, and each one carrying his j hammer, his needle or his snips, thev raced back to their parents and Bisca Tlie girl was already freed from the , ropes, and the Slumber Tree had dried - up and tho dead branches were drop ping off. They all set out for the rabbits' ] home in the valley, and .Bisca said j th at she would live with them, and I cook their meals and moke their beds So the burrow was made tigger, with a special room for Bisca, and every morning before the young ones had left for their work, Bisca had cooked for each a little bowl of porridge, made tasty with chopped-up parsley leaves Vi hen they returned in ti e evening they found their little round beds of dry grass all shaken up and cosy. Be Bisca lives on with the rabbits, and they are all very happy.

A “DEAD” CIRCUS

Bittle Johnny had been taken by his mother t o a museum of natural history and he was particularly interested in the big stuffed animals. “Well. Johnny, where have you been tins afternoon?" asked his lather when ne got home. “it was wonderful. Bad,” exclaimed Johnny. '.Mother took me to a dend circus ”

JUMPING BRIDGES

For this jolly out-of-doors game, tho team divides Into half, and the players stand in pairs bolding hands above their heads. When the whistle is Mown, the first pair divide, run down behind tho sides of their team meet at the end, bold hands, and run under the arches made by the handof other players. When they get back to their places, they sit on the ground facing each other, with legs outstretched and feet touching, immediately the next pair Jump over their legs, divide, and run down sides to end. hold hands, run under arches, till they regain their original places. They then sit and touch feet. Then, the third couple starts, jump over two bridges (made by the first two couples! run to end. hold hands, run under arches, and sit and make a bridge Immediately the next couple start, and so on. The first team to be sitting down with feet touching after all h.y> run wins.

TIT FOR TAT

The mother missed her tijiv sot, when out shopping. She found him at last near a doorway making faceat a very passive Knglish bulldog. “Whatever are you doing, making faces like that?" she asked.

"But. mother." protested the bov tie started it!”