The Little Mountain Goat Page #2

"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

								

Mountain Goat than the Circus Elephant reached out his long trunk,
catching by the neck that wicked bird before he could turn away.

Goodness me! again. How Hungry Hawk flapped his wings and wiggled
his tail and clawed with his long hooked toes! But that didn’t do a
bit of good. Dear me, no! It only made matters worse, for the harder
he struggled the more the Elephant swung him around until, goodness
knows, he would have lost every feather if he hadn’t begged in a
squeaky, stifled voice to be allowed to sit down and talk matters
over.

“Talk matters over?” grunted the Elephant, holding on to the tip of
the old hawk’s tail, “what’s the use? I’m going to take Little Jack
Rabbit home with me. As for you, I’ve a good notion to whack your
head against the rock till you see stars and comets.”

“Oh, please don’t,” begged Hungry Hawk, “I’ve had enough banging for
a year. I’ll give you Little Jack Rabbit and a cigar coupon if you’ll
let me go.”

“Come along with me till I see if the little bunny is safe and well,”
answered the big circus animal, and he and the little Mountain Goat
walked over to the old hawk’s nest. There stood poor little Jack
Rabbit tied fast to a ring in the big rock. He was so glad to see his
dear friend the Elephant that he almost cried—maybe he did shed a
tear or three and perhaps four.

Well, sir. Troubles weren’t over, just the same. For now they all had
to climb down the high, steep and straight mountain side.

“Get on my back, little bunny,” said the kind Circus Elephant. “I’ll
go down backwards the same as I came up frontwards, only different.”

Then the little Mountain Goat braced his forefeet against the rock
and the big elephant took hold of the lasso, the loop end of which
was over the little goat’s horns, you know, and down the side of
the steep mountain slid the big animal, first one foot, then two,
then three and finally four, and when he reached the end of the rope
he waited for the little Mountain Goat to come down, and then they
started all over again. The little Mountain Goat braced his feet
against the rock and the big elephant took hold of the rope and slid
and slid and scrambled and scrambled, or jiggled and rumbled, down
and down, until he came to the end of the long lasso.

“My goodness meebus, that was a high mountain,” gasped the Circus
Elephant, when at last his hind feet touched the level meadow.
“Really, I thought I’d never get down.”

“Oh, that’s nothing,” laughed the little Mountain Goat, shaking his
head till the lasso fell off his horns. “I run up and down sometimes
three times a day.”

“All right, but don’t ask me to,” replied the Elephant. “Although I’d
do it all over again for Little Jack Rabbit’s sake.”

“Oh, won’t I be glad to get home to mother,” sighed the little bunny.
“I was so frightened up there on the mountain top with Hungry Hawk.
Dear, dear me! Have I been dreaming?”

“No, not this time,” answered the big circus animal. “But, cheer
up! I’ll take you home in a jiffy,” and saying good-by to the little
Mountain Goat he trotted off at a rapid rate.

By and by it grew dark. Oh, yes, very dark. You couldn’t see your
hand behind your face. So the Circus Elephant stopped to think what
was best to do. He was afraid, you see, that he might bump into
something or other or be arrested by the Policeman Dog. One can never
tell on a dark night what may happen.

Pretty soon a tiny light appeared in the distance. Then it came
nearer and nearer, but never growing much larger. Wasn’t that strange
and queer?

    “My tiny lantern in the dark
     Throws just a little twinkle spark.
     But maybe it will help you see
     Danny Fox behind a tree,”

cried a little voice.

And that’s just what it did, for the little firefly swung her tiny
lantern to and fro until the big elephant said all of a sudden:

“I see him!” Which so frightened the old robber that he turned and
fled.

“Go ahead, little firefly. I’ll follow if you don’t go out,” went on
the big brave circus animal.

“Never fear,” answered the little firefly. “I have a tiny electric
bulb in my lantern. You don’t think I use a flickery candle, do you?”

“Bend your head or maybe you’ll be brushed off my back,” warned the
Circus Elephant, following the tiny light. So Little Jack Rabbit lay
flat down on the big animal’s back and away they went through the
darkness, in and out among the forest trees, while Billy Breeze sang
a sleepy song about rocking chairs and tick-tocky clocks and tired
feet and little pink socks.
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