Introduction:
By the moon we sport and play,
With the night begins our day;
As we dance the dew doth fall.
Trip it, little urchins all,
Lightly as the busy bee,
Two by two and three by three;
And about we go, and about go we.
THE HOBYAHS
Once upon a time a little old man and a little old woman lived in
a cornstalk house. It was at the top of a little hill. Little
dog Turpie lived with the little old man and the little old woman, and
he liked to bark.
The Hobyahs lived a long way off. The were queer little folk who sleep all day and play pranks at night. Turpie did not like the Hobyahs and the Hobyahs were afraid of Turpies bark.
One night the biggest Hobyah said, "Let us go to the top of the hill. Let us tear down the cornstalk house. Then let us kill the little old man and bring the little old woman back with us. She can do our work." "Yes, yes, yes," said all the little Hobyahs. "Let us go. The little old woman shall do our work."
So they skipped through the forest as quietly as mice, but when they
come to the foot of the hill, Turpie barked and they ran off
home. "Why does Turpie bark?" said the little old man. "I can
not sleep. In the morning I will take off his tail to cure him of barking."
And in the morning he did take off Turpies tail to cure him of barking.
The next night the Hobyahs came tripping through the forest as quietly
as leaves fall. But when they came to the foot of the hill,
Turpie barked and they ran off home. "Why does Turpie bark?" said
the little old man. "I can not sleep. In the morning
I will take off his legs to cure him of barking." So in the morning
he took off Turpies legs to cure him of barking.
The next night the Hobyahs came trooping through the forest as quietly
as snow falls. But when they came to the foot of the hill,
Turpie barked more that ever and the Hobyahs ran home. "Why
does Turpie bark?" said the little old man. "I can not sleep.
In the morning I will take off his head to cure him of barking."
So in the morning he took off Turpies head to cure him of barking.
The next night the Hobyahs came stealing through the forest like a gentle wind. They came to the foot of the hill. They stopped and listened. They Heard nothing. They crept half way up the hill. Then they stopped and listened. They heard nothing. Then they crept to the top of the hill. They stopped and listened. They heard nothing. So they ran at the cornstalk house. They tore it all to pieces, and they caught the little old woman and put he into a bag. They hunted here and there for the little old man, but they could not find him. He had crawled under the bed. So the biggest Hobyah took up the bag and threw it over his shoulder; they went home shouting and singing -
"Hobyahs brave are we, are we,
The little old woman weve bagged and she
For-ever-more our drudge shall be.
"Hobyahs brave are we, are we,
The little old woman weve bagged and she
For-ever-more our drudge shall be."
When the Hobyahs came to their home, the sun was just coming up,
and it was time to go to bed. They hung the bag up on a nail;
then they poked at it with their fingers and sang -
"Hobyahs brave are we, are we,
The little old woman is here and she
For-ever-more our drudge shall be.
Then all the Hobyahs went off to bed. As soon as the Hobyahs
left the hill, the little old man looked our. When he was sure
that they had gone, he crawled out. He looked about for the little
old woman. He called, "Little old woman, little old woman,
where are you? Where are you?" But he could not find her.
Then he said "Oh, why did I take off Turpies tail, and legs and head.
Turpie would have driven the Hobyahs away." He thought and thought.
Then he said, "I know what I will do. I will give Turpie his
tail and his legs and his head, and Turpie will find the little old woman."
So he gave Turpie his tail and his legs and his head. Turpie
jumped up and began to bark, and the little old man was glad.
"Find the little old woman, Turpie," said the little old man.
So Turpie sniffed here and he sniffed there, then he ran off with his nose
down to the ground. He ran on and on and on and on until he came
to the home of the Hobyahs. He listened at the door.
He could hear the little old woman crying softly in the bag.
The Hobyahs were snoring. He crept into the house. He
tore a big hole in the bag and let the little old woman out.
She ran off home. But Turpie got into the bag and turned the
hole to the wall.
As soon as the sun went down, the Hobyahs stretched and yawned.
Then they sat up in bed and looked at the bag. They said, "No
more work for Hobyahs. No more work for Hobyahs.
The little old woman our drudge shall be." The ran over to the bag
to let he our to get their breakfast. But our jumped Turpie
and killed them every one. So there is not a Hobyah in the
whole world.
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