A TEEASUEY OF ESKIMO TALES 



from its recent fright. " I will be an owl, and in 

 that way be safe," thought the mouse, and with 

 the wish it was changed into a beautiful white 

 owl. 



" Oh, this is fine! " he said. " It is glorious to 

 fly through the air, and go up almost to the sky 

 where I can look down on all the world. I'm 

 glad that I was not content to stay always down 

 in the dirt." 



With slow, noiseless wing flaps the owl set off 

 toward the north, pausing every now and then to 

 catch and eat a mouse. After a long flight 

 Sledge Island came in view and the owl thought 

 it would go there. When far out at sea its un- 

 tried wings became so tired that only with the 

 greatest difficulty did it manage to reach the 

 shore, where it perched upon a piece of driftwood 

 that stood up in the sand. 



In a short time it saw two fine-looking men pass 

 along the shore, and the old feeling of discontent 

 arose again. " Those men were talking in a bet- 

 ter-sounding language than mine. They seemed 

 to understand each other, and they laughed and 

 were having a good time. I will be a man." 



With a single flap of wing it stood upon the 

 ground, where it changed immediately into a fine 

 young man. But, of course, the feath't 



130 



