I looked around. We were surrounded by
W
o
w
!
H
o
w
b
r
e
a
t
h
t
a
k
i
n
g
!
W
h
a
t
a
m
a
r
v
e
l
o
u
s
s
i
g
h
t
!
56
Just then, I remembered a story that I had
read about Niagara Falls. I told it to the
class.
I
f
e
l
t
l
i
k
e
I
w
a
s
i
n
a
d
r
e
a
m
.
A
l
o
n
g
,
l
o
n
g
t
i
m
e
a
g
o
.
.
.
any years ago, a tribe of Native Americans lived
peacefully near the Niagara River. In order to
protect themselves from diseases and hunger,
the tribe always asked the god of thunder, who
lived in a cave under the falls, for protection.
One day, the god saw Lelawala, the daughter of the
great chief Eagle Eye, and decided to keep her for
himself. The Native Americans offered him canoes full
of flowers, fruit, and game, but the god insisted on
marrying her. Lelawala was courageous and decided to
protect her tribe by marrying the god. She showed up
dressed in white, with a garland of flowers. She boarded
a white birch canoe and bravely hurled herself over the
falls. But when she fell from the top, the god stretched
out his arms and saved her. The
courageous young girl remained
forever in the cave under the
falls. She was called the Maid
of the Mist, because at the
base of the falls, there is
always a dense mist
made of droplets
of water.
M
T
H
E
L
E
G
E
N
D
O
F
T
H
E
M
A
I
D
O
F
T
H
E
M
I
S
T
58
don’t Move,
Punk rAt!
When I finished telling the STORY, I
looked up. The boat was returning to shore.
Right then, I noticed something. It was quiet.
Too quiet. I began to get the feeling that
something —or someone — was missing.
I ran up and down the boat counting the
little mice.
I was right. We were short one rodent.
Can you guess who was
missing? Here’s a hint: He’s the loudest
mouse in the class and a pain in my tail.
That’s right, it was Punk Rat.
Suddenly, I spotted the little pest on the
“One
two
three
four
five
six
seven
eight...”
59
shore. He must have been left behind when
the boat took off.
“Don’t move, Punk Rat!” I yelled. “It’s
dangerous!
We’ll come and pick you up.”
“
D
o
n
’
t
m
o
v
e
!
!
!
”
“
I
t
’
s
D
a
n
g
e
r
o
u
!
!
!
”
60
But at that moment, disaster struck. Punk
Rat slipped on a wet rock. He tumbled into
the water.
H
e
d
i
s
a
p
p
e
a
r
e
d
i
n
t
o
a
m
e
n
a
c
i
n
g
w
h
i
r
l
p
o
o
l
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H
e
l
l
l
p
!
A dive . . .in the
icy WAter!
A little voice inside my head began
screaming at me. “Don’t just stand there!
Save him!” it yelled. I dove into the
wat e r. That’s when the other little voice
began screaming. It shrieked,
Icy-cold water soaked into my ears, my
nose, even my throat. It blocked out the
voices. All I could think about was SAVING
Punk Rat.
I swam desperately toward him. I could
“
Geronimo, are you crazy?
Y
ou
’re not
a swimmer. You can barely do two
laps at the Cheddarville
Y
!
”
see his little head bobbing up and down in
the waves. His
little paws
waved in the air.
He looked like he was doing a perfect water
ballet dance. I wondered if he had ever
thought about taking lessons.
I was still thinking about water ballet
when things went from bad to worse. Yep,
Punk Rat went under.
U
p
a
n
d
d
o
w
n
,
w
a
v
e
.
U
p
a
n
d
d
o
w
n
,
w
a
v
e
.
What could I do?
It was dark under the water.
I could
hardly see a thIng
. Everything was so fuzzy.
Everything was so blurry. Maybe I need a
new pair of glasses, I thought. Then I realized
I wasn’t wearing glasses. I had lost them in
the water!
Luckily, my paw felt something. It was
Punk Rat’s tail. I grabbed it. I pulled him
up.
Someone threw me a life buoy from the
boat. Then they pulled us in.
Cheesecake! We were saved!
I
d
o
v
e
d
o
w
n
a
f
t
e
r
h
i
m
.
65
crunching
scraggly
You Are Not
A Mouse . . .
You Are A Hero!
The boat’s captain patted me on the back.
“Nice going, Mr. Stilton!” he exclaimed.
Then he led the crowd in a chorus of
cheers.
they shouted.
A
large
,
beefy
tourist threw his paws
around me. “That was beautiful,” he squeaked.
“Who would think a little rodent
like you could do something like that?” He
embraced me in a hug. I felt all
the bones in my body sna
pping. Then he
accidentally stepped on my foot.
66
I screamed at the top of my lungs.
I quickly wrapped my foot in my nephew’s
bandanna.
Next, a little old lady mouse gave me a
kiss. She had tears in her eyes.
“Bravo, young man! You are not a
mouse . . . you are a hero!” she exclaimed.
While she was kissing me, the handle of
her purse went into my eye.
I screamed at the top of my lungs. My eye
felt like it was on fire. I tied a handkerchief
around my head to soak up the tears. Now I
looked just like a PIRATE.
The whole class stared at me. I could
tell they were impressed. Little mice love
pirates.
67
HOT
“You’re so lucky to have such a
cool
uncle
,” Sakura told Benjamin.
My nephew BEAMED with pride.
Punk Rat and I were wet and shivering. A
sailor wrapped us in a blanket. He gave us
each a cup of chocolate.
My paws were shaking so much I spilled
mine all over me. I
screamed at the top of my lungs.
Oh, when would this day come to an
end
?
Friends . . . Furever!
When Punk Rat stopped shivering, he
wrapped his paws around my neck.
“Thank you, Geronimo! You saved my life!
I’m sorry I played all those dumb tricks
on you,” he gushed.
I tried to say something, but I couldn’t
squeak. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe.
Punk Rat was squeezing my neck so
tightly I was choking!
At last, he let go. Then he
shook my paw.
“Friends the
little rodent squeaked.
I gave him a weak smile.
FUREVER I
croaked, still gasping
for breath.
F
r
i
e
n
d
s
The Adventure Seekers of Niagara Falls
Many people have come to Niagara Falls seeking fame and
adventure. Here are just a few of the most famouse.
splash!
Isn’t It
MagnIfIcent,
geronIMo?
Before we got off the boat, Benjamin
spotted something floating in the water. It
was my glasses. I reached over the side to
fish them out, and . . .
I fell in.
I swam to shore. I was wet. I was cold.
But I could see! I was in mouse heaven! I
wondered if my glasses had missed me as
much as I missed them.
We hiked back toward the camp.
We took a
I looked around. The leaves on the trees
were
such beautiful colors