Cougar was walking in the forest, and he jumped
onto a fallen log to look around. From inside the log came a tiny
voice.
"Get off the roof of my lodge!" Out from the rotten end of the log
came a tiny Cricket. "You are standing on the roof of my lodge,
Cougar," said the little insect. You must step off now, or the
roof-pole will break and my lodge will fall in."
"Who are you to tell me what to do?" asked Cougar sternly, although he
did step off the log. He lowered his head until his nose was very
close to Cricket. "In this forest, I am the chief of the animals!"
"Chief or no Chief," said Cricket bravely, "I have a cousin who is
mightier than you, and he would avenge me."
I don't believe you, little insect," snarled Cougar, "Believe me or
believe me not," said Cricket. "it is so."
"Let your cousin come to this place tomorrow, when the sun is high,
and we will see who is the mightier," said Cougar. "If your cousin
does not prove himself to me, I will crush you and your entire lodge
with my paw!" Cougar turned and bounded off through the forest.
The next day, when the sun was high, Cougar came back along the same
trail. He stopped over the log and called to cricket. "Cricket, come
out! Let me meet your mighty cousin!"
Just then, a tiny mosquito flew up from the log buzzed into the big
cats ear.
"What is this?" cried the cougar, who had never seen or heard a
mosquito before. The mosquito began to bite the soft inner ear of the
cougar, and drank from his blood. "Ahrr! Ahrr!" cried the cougar in
pain, "Get out of my ear!" The cougar pawed at his ear, and ran around
in a circle shaking his head. The mosquito bit him again and again.
Cricket came out of the log and called up to the cougar. "Are you
ready to leave my lodge alone?"
Cougar said that he would so Mosquito came out of Cougar's ear and
went into the log lodge with Cricket. Cougar ran off down the trail,
and never went that way again.
