 | The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin |  |
[Description: Watercolor of a squirrel on top of a tree eating nuts]
THIS is a Tale about a tail—
a tail that belonged to a
little red squirrel, and his name
was Nutkin.
He had a brother called
Twinkleberry, and a great many
cousins: they lived in a wood
at the edge of a lake.
IN the middle of the lake there
is an island covered with
trees and nut bushes; and
amongst those trees stands a
hollow oak-tree, which is the
house of an owl who is called
Old Brown.
[Description: Watercolor of a hollow oak tree and Old Brown, the owl, flying to it.]
[Description: Watercolor of lots of squirrels at the edge of the lake with trees.]
ONE autumn when the nuts
were ripe, and the leaves
on the hazel bushes were golden
and green—Nutkin and Twinkleberry
and all the other little
squirrels came out of the wood,
and down to the edge of the
lake.
THEY made little rafts out of
twigs, and they paddled
away over the water to Owl
Island to gather nuts.
Each squirrel had a little sack
and a large oar, and spread out
his tail for a sail.
[Description: Watercolor of squirrels sailing across the lake with their tails on rafts of twigs.]
[Description: Watercolor of squirrels pleading and bargaining with Old Brown, the owl.]
THEY also took with them an
offering of three fat mice
as a present for Old Brown,
and put them down upon his
door-step.
Then Twinkleberry and the
other little squirrels each made
a low bow, and said politely—
"Old Mr. Brown, will you
favour us with permission to
gather nuts upon your island?''
BUT Nutkin was excessively
impertinent in his manners.
He bobbed up and down like a
little red cherry, singing—
A little wee man, in a red red coat!
A staff in his hand, and a stone in his
throat;
If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you
a groat.''
Now this riddle is as old as
the hills; Mr. Brown paid no
attention whatever to Nutkin.
He shut his eyes obstinately
and went to sleep.
[Description: Watercolor of Squirrel Nutkin singing to Old Brown, the owl.]
[Description: Watercolor of squirrels filling their sacks with nuts from the oak tree]
THE squirrels filled their little
sacks with nuts, and sailed
away home in the evening.
BUT next morning they all
came back again to Owl
Island; and Twinkleberry and
the others brought a fine fat mole,
and laid it on the stone in front
of Old Brown's doorway, and
said—
"Mr. Brown, will you favour
us with your gracious permission
to gather some more nuts?''
[Description: Watercolor of squirrels paying more homage to Old Brown the owl for nuts]
[Description: Squirrel Nutking tickling Old Brown, the owl, with a nettle. Watercolor.]
BUT Nutkin, who had no
respect, began to dance up
and down, tickling old Mr. Brown
with a nettle and singing—
Hitty Pitty within the wall,
Hitty Pitty without the wall;
If you touch Hitty Pitty,
Hitty Pitty will bite you!''
Mr. Brown woke up suddenly
and carried the mole into his
house.
HE shut the door in Nutkin's
face. Presently a little thread
of blue smoke from a wood fire
came up from the top of the tree,
and Nutkin peeped through the
key-hole and sang—
And you cannot gather a bowl-full!''
[Description: Squirrel Nutkin singing through a keyhole of a door in the oak tree.]
THE squirrels searched for
nuts all over the island and
filled their little sacks.
But Nutkin gathered oak-apples
—yellow and scarlet—and sat
upon a beech-stump playing
marbles, and watching the door
of old Mr. Brown.
ON the third day the squirrels
got up very early and went
fishing; they caught seven fat
minnows as a present for Old
Brown.
They paddled over the lake
and landed under a crooked chestnut
tree on Owl Island.
[Description: Watercolor of squirrels fishing]
TWINKLEBERRY and six
other little squirrels each
carried a fat minnow; but Nutkin,
who had no nice manners,
brought no present at all. He
ran in front, singing—
`How may strawberries grow in the sea?'
I answered him as I thought good—
`As many red herrings as grow in the wood.’''
But old Mr. Brown took no
interest in riddles—not even
when the answer was provided
for him.
ON the fourth day the squirrels
brought a present of six fat
beetles, which were as good as
plums in plum-pudding for Old
Brown. Each beetle was wrapped
up carefully in a dock-leaf, fastened
with a pine-needle pin.
But Nutkin sang as rudely as
ever—
Flour of England, fruit of Spain,
Met together in a shower of rain;
Put in a bag tied round with a string,
If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a
ring!''
Which was ridiculous of Nutkin,
because he had not got any ring
to give to Old Brown.
THE other squirrels hunted up
and down the nut bushes;
but Nutkin gathered robin's pin-
cushions off a briar bush, and
stuck them full of pine-needle
pins.
ON the fifth day the squirrels
brought a present of wild
honey; it was so sweet and sticky
that they licked their fingers as
they put it down upon the stone.
They had stolen it out of a bumble
bees' nest on the tippity top of
the hill.
But Nutkin skipped up and
down, singing—
buzz!
As I went over Tipple-tine
I met a flock of bonny swine;
Some yellow-nacked, some yellow backed!
They were the very bonniest swine
That e'er went over the Tipple-tine.''
[Description: Watercolor of squirrels with wild honey]
OLD Mr. Brown turned up
his eyes in disgust at the
impertinence of Nutkin.
But he ate up the honey!
THE squirrels filled their little
sacks with nuts.
But Nutkin sat upon a big flat
rock, and played ninepins with a
crab apple and green fir-cones.
[Description: Watercolor of squirrels with a new-laid egg. Nutkin jumps in front.]
ON the sixth day, which was
Saturday, the squirrels
came again for the last time; they
brought a new-laid egg in a little
rush basket as a last parting present
for Old Brown.
But Nutkin ran in front laughing,
and shouting—
With a white counterpane round his neck,
Forty doctors and forty wrights,
Cannot put Humpty Dumpty to rights!''
NOW old Mr. Brown took an
interest in eggs; he opened
one eye and shut it again. But
still he did not speak.
[Description: Watercolor of squirrels showing Old Brown, the owl, the egg.]
[Description: Watercolor of squirrels and Nutkin dancing and jeering Old Brown, the owl.]
NUTKIN became more and
more impertinent—
Hickamore, Hackamore, on the King's
kitchen door;
All the King's horses, and all the
King's men,
Couldn't drive Hickamore, Hackamore,
Off the King's kitchen door!''
Nutkin danced up and down
like a sunbeam; but still Old
Brown said nothing at all.
NUTKIN began again—
He comes roaring up the land!
The King of Scots with all his power,
Cannot turn Arthur of the Bower!''
Nutkin made a whirring noise
to sound like the wind, and he
took a running jump right onto
the head of Old Brown! . . . .
Then all at once there was a
flutterment and a scufflement and
a loud "Squeak!''
The other squirrels scuttered
away into the bushes.
[Description: Watercolor of squirrels peering around the tree at Old Brown, the owl.]
WHEN they came back very
cautiously, peeping round
the tree—there was Old Brown
sitting on his door-step, quite
still, with his eyes closed, as if
nothing had happened.
* * * * *
But Nutkin was in his waist-
coat pocket!
THIS looks like the end of the
story; but it isn't.
[Description: Watercolor of Old Brown, the owl, with his talon on Squirrel Nutkin.]
OLD BROWN carried Nutkin
into his house, and held him
up by the tail, intending to skin
him; but Nutkin pulled so very
hard that his tail broke in two,
and he dashed up the staircase
and escaped out of the attic
window.
[Description: Watercolor of tailless Squirrel Nutkin scolding the other squirrels on a tree branch.]
AND to this day, if you meet
Nutkin up a tree and ask
him a riddle, he will throw sticks
at you, and stamp his feet and
scold, and shout—
"Cuck-cuck-cuck-cur-r-r-
cuck-k-k!''
| The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin | |