The Little Mountain Goat

"The Little Mountain Goat" by David Cory is a charming children's story that follows the adventures of a young mountain goat as it explores its rugged wilderness home. Through themes of curiosity, resilience, and the bond between mother and child, the tale highlights the goat's journey of learning and discovery among the breathtaking landscapes of the mountains. With engaging illustrations and simple yet captivating prose, the book captures the essence of nature and the joys of growing up in the wild. Perfect for young readers, it encourages a love for animals and the great outdoors.

• Children

								
“Oh, dear, oh, dear, what shall I do?
 I’ll never get him with my old lasso!”
 Cried the Circus Elephant with a sigh,
 As he looked at Hungry Hawk on high.

Now I hope you haven’t forgotten what just took place. How Hungry
Hawk had picked up poor Little Jack Rabbit. Of course you haven’t!
Nor how the big kind Circus Elephant had almost caught this bad
robber bird with a long lasso.

But, dear me! I wonder what is happening to Little Jack Rabbit all
this time. Maybe the cruel hawk has eaten him for dinner or supper or
maybe breakfast.

“Well, I’m not going to give up hope,” said the big Elephant to
himself, again setting off after Hungry Hawk, who now could hardly be
made out up in the sky so far away.

By and by the Elephant came to a mountain. My, but it was a steep old
mountain. Right up and down—almost straight, you know. “Dear me!”
almost sobbed the anxious circus animal, sitting down to consider the
best thing to do—climb up the mountain or walk around it.

    “Right on the top of this mountain’s crest
     Hungry Hawk has his castle nest,”

all of a sudden, just like that, shouted a voice.

“Who spoke?” asked the Elephant, mighty anxious to find out quickly
if there were a road up this steep, high mountain.

“Look!” answered the same kind voice, and the next minute a little
white mountain goat stood before him.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re a mountain goat,” laughed the big animal.
“I’m so glad I could cry. Maybe you can climb up and rescue my Little
Jack Rabbit.”

“I can’t fight old Hungry Hawk,” answered the little Mountain Goat.
“He’s too strong for me.”

“Dear, dear, dearest me!” cried the poor distracted Elephant, “then
how can we save my little bunny friend?”

“I can help you climb the mountain,” answered the little Mountain
Goat.

“Me?” enquired the big animal. “How could you help a great big
elephant up this steep, right-up-and-down, mountain, I should like to
know.”

“That won’t be so hard,” answered the little Mountain Goat. “Give me
your lasso.”

Throwing the loop over his horns, the little Mountain Goat started
to climb up the mountain side. First he jumped to a ledge of rock,
then scrambled up sideways, then sideways the other way, then another
jump, and perhaps two, and then a scramble.

After working his way up almost as far as the length of the long
rope, he braced his forefeet against a rock and called down: “Pull
yourself up with your trunk!”

Well, sir, that’s just what that big kind anxious Circus Elephant
did. He took hold of that rope with his trunk and up he went, hand
over hand—I mean trunk over trunk—just like a fireman, and by and by,
pretty soon, not so very quick, he stood beside the little Mountain
Goat.

“Good for you,” exclaimed that plucky little animal, as the Elephant
took out his big pocket handkerchief to wipe his forehead. “You came
up all right. Now wait here while I climb up higher.” Up and up went
the little Mountain Goat, now sideways, now straight; now the other
way sideways, then a jump and a scramble, or a scramble and a jump,
or two jumps, or two scrambles till, by and by, not so pretty soon,
but after a while, he called down; “Come on, pull yourself up!”

Then up went the big Circus Elephant trunk over trunk—now slipping
and sprawling, or sprawling and slipping till, by and by, after a
while, out of breath, with a dusty smile, he stood by the side of the
little Mountain Goat.

“Good for you! Now wait here till I go up. Don’t slip, but stand
still.” And away went this nimble little goat up, up, up; now
sideways, this way and that; now up straight; then slanting, right
and left, criss-cross, with a jump and a leap, or a scramble and a
scrumble, making the pebbles fly downward, and sometimes a big rock,
till, by and by, after a while, up nearly a mile, he called down:

“Come on, pull yourself up!”

Again bracing his front feet, the little mountain goat held on to the
long rope, the loop of which was over his strong little horns, you
know, until the Elephant had drawn himself up.

“Whew!” exclaimed the big animal. “Aren’t we ’most there?”

“Almost,” answered the little Mountain Goat, and up he went again.
When at last he reached the top the big Elephant could hardly touch
the end of the lasso, and then only by standing up on his hind legs
and stretching ’way up with his trunk. But he just could, all right.
So up he went, trunk over trunk, scrambling and tugging and panting
and puffing, till by and by, after a while, and it seemed like a
mile, he stood by the side of the little goat on the tip-top of the
mountain.

Dearest me, I thought the little Mountain Goat and the big kind
Circus Elephant would never reach the mountain top, didn’t you? I’m
mighty glad, for now I’ll have more room to tell you what happened as
soon as they saw the nest to which old Hungry Hawk had carried Little
Jack Rabbit.

“There he is,” whispered the Elephant, who had wonderful far-sighted
eyes.

“Where?” asked the little goat in another whisper, only of course it
was much softer than the Elephant’s.

“Don’t you see?” replied the big animal.

“Oh, yes, now I do,” answered the little Mountain Goat. “That is, I
can just see the tips of his ears.”

“Dear me, how can I get over to him without Hungry Hawk seeing me?”
asked the big anxious Elephant.

“Hide behind this rock,” advised the little goat. “I’ll skip about
and maybe Hungry Hawk will go for me. If he does, I’ll jump behind
the rock and you can grab him with your long trunk.”

“Good idea,” laughed the Elephant softly. “You’ve got quite a head
under your horns. Yes, sireebus!”

Then with a gentle shuffle he tip-toed behind the rock and the little
Mountain Goat went skip-toeing, hipperty-hop, over toward the big
nest.

All of a sudden there was a great whirring of wings and up flew
Hungry Hawk, circling just above the little goat, stretching down his
long sharp claws, opening his great bill and clapping it together
with a snap.

“Bleat, bleat!” went the little Mountain Goat, pretending he was
frightened. Then back he turned and skip-toed over to the big rock.

“Ha, ha!” thought Hungry Hawk to himself. “I’ll have a nice tender
little goat for dinner. Little Jack Rabbit is only big enough for
supper.”

Perhaps the little goat heard old Hungry Hawk, for he gave two more
little bleats and hid behind the great big stone.

“Ha, ha!” again laughed Hungry Hawk. “I’ll dash down behind that
rock and grab that little goat before he can wink his left eye three
times!”

Whish, whish! went the big robber bird’s wings, and swish! swish!
went his long tail as he swung around the corner of the big rock.

Then something happened. Oh, my, what a scuffle there was for the
next few minutes! Goodness me! The air was full of funny squawky
noises and feathers were flying here and there and everywhere! For no
sooner had Hungry Hawk flown around the big rock to catch the little

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