The Floating Island

Two boys played together. They spun tops and bowled hoops, threw the dart, and learned how to swing far out over the river on a long bent pole, dropping and diving into the water below and swimming to the shore.

The father of one of them made a new kite for each, shaped like a bird with outspread wings, and with a long tail hanging where the bird's tail would be.

In flying them the tails became entangled. The boys pulled too hurriedly at the strings, and both kites fell broken to the ground.

"Your fault ! You pulled too fast," said Ono. « I will sțraighten them," said Rima, stooping to disentangle the tails.

Ono kicked them ill-temperedly. "If my father could not make better kites than those he would not make any," he said.

Rima sprang up, aflame at the ingratitude. « Your father never does make any," he cried. He never makes anything, or does anything. He is out to-day fishing in my father's boat, using my father's lines, because he has nothing of his own. He is a good-for-nothing."

Afraid of the anger he had provoked, Ono slunk away to brood upon the insult.

When his father returned at night, Ono re- peated Rima's words. He called you a good-for-nothing," he said.

Ono's father was not only a good-for-nothing, he was also violent-tempered. The sneer roused in him a fury of rage against the man who had lent him his things so kindly and been a good friend to him always.

He rushed out into the night and strode along the river-bank, wondering how to be revenged on the people who had angered him.“I wish I could be rid of them," he said aloud.

"I will help you," said a voice.

He turned. A River-fairy stood beside him, one of that dark tribe who come only to those whose thoughts are evil.

You wish to be rid of some one he asked. The man pointed to Rima's home, standing with three others on a point of land that stretched into the river. Those people have insulted me,"he said. "I wish to be rid of them."

“I will teach you a magic song that will carry off that strip of land and send it floating down the river to the sea," said the fairy.

"I will gladly learn it," said the man.

The fairy sang the song, and the man repeated it until he knew it. Stand on the hill behind the land you wish to move, and sing the song until the land goes floating down the river,"said the fairy. He disappeared into the water.

The man stood on the hill, singing the magic song until the land broke loose and moved into the current of the river. Louder and louder he sang. The land, becoming a floating island, passed down the tide and out into the open sea. Good!" he said. «I am revenged." He went home well pleased.

The people on the floating island woke in the morning to find themselves moving on the tossing sea, drifting past the woods and mountains of their home, far from all their friends.

The children wept, the mothers, pale with fear, wailed mournfully, the fathers gravely faced the situation. Some enemy has worked a spell," said Rima's father. But we have our homes, our lines, our nets and gardens. We shall not starve. Maybe we shall soon drift upon the shore. In the meantime we can fish from our floating island and be happy."

Rima ran to bring the lines. Soon everybody was in good spirits, even enjoying their unheard-of trip on a floating island. They fished, played games, flew kites, watched the wonders of the sea and sky, told the old stories of their country. The mothers cooked when it rained they caught water enough to last till the next shower.

Day after day they floated on, for three long weeks. Up the east coast they went, along the north, and down the west. In all this time no storm had risen, no harm had come to them. One morning a black cloud spread upwards from the wide horizon. From the cloud came the wild west wind. The sea was lashed to foaming waves the floating island fled heavily before the storm.

Again the children would have wept with fear, but the fathers said: "The wind drives us toward the shore. We move to safety."

The children looked ahead. They were driving fast upon a new land, wilder and more beautiful than any they had passed. Mountain peaks stood high against the sky down their wooded sides dashed silvery cascades, falling to the sea. Nearer they drew, till the island grounded on the shelving beach. Rima sprang to the new land, waving gay hands to urge the others on. They followed, and would have entered the bush, but Rima's father said: Wait. There may be hidden enemies. I will look."

Taking his weapons, he crept into the bush. Presently he returned with the welcome news that no signs of habitation were to be found. It is a new country," he said, and a good one. Here is water, and here are wild birds and berries and the roots we eat. Living near the sea, we shall not want fish. It is indeed a good land."

Rearing a shelter of branches for the night, they carried to it the things they valued from their houses, for fear the island should float away. Next day they took their strong stone axes, felled trees, and began to build new houses.

They soon settled down in the new country, growing up, marrying, building fresh homes, until their families spread through all the land. They have lived there ever since.

As for the island, it rested several days where it had grounded, then slowly glided off and floated out to sea again. Where it voyaged the people never knew. Perhaps it is floating yet.