|REDDY FOX, curled up behind the big pine stump, was dreaming of a coop
full of chickens, where there was no Bowser the Hound to watch over
them. Suddenly something landed on him with a thump that knocked all his
breath out. For an instant it frightened Reddy so that he just shook and
shook. Then he got his senses together and discovered that it was Jimmy
Skunk who had jumped on him.
Jimmy was very polite. He begged Reddy's pardon. He protested that it
was all a mistake. He explained how Peter Rabbit had played a trick
on both of them, and how he himself was just looking for beetles for
breakfast.
Now, Reddy Fox is very quick tempered, and as soon as he realized that
he had been made the victim of a joke, he lost his temper completely. He
glared at Jimmy Skunk. He was so angry that he stuttered.
"Y-y-you, y-y-y-you, y-y-y-you did that on p-p-purpose," said Reddy Fox.
"No such thing!" declared Jimmy Skunk. "I tell you it was a joke on the
part of Peter Rabbit, and if you don't believe me, just look down there
on the Green Meadows."
Reddy Fox looked. There sat Peter, his hands on his hips, his long ears
pointed straight up to the blue sky, and his mouth wide open, as he
laughed at the results of his joke.
Reddy shook his fist.
"Ha, ha, ha," shouted Peter Rabbit.
Reddy Fox looked hard at Jimmy Skunk, but like all the other little
meadow and forest people, he has a very great respect for Jimmy Skunk,
and though he would have liked to quarrel with Jimmy, he thought it
wisest not to. Instead, he started after Peter Rabbit as fast as his
legs could go.
Now, Reddy Fox can run very fast, and when Peter saw him coming, Peter
knew that he would have to use his own long legs to the very best of his
ability. Away they went across the Green Meadows. Jimmy Skunk, sitting
on top of the hill, could see the white patch on the seat of Peter
Rabbit's trousers bobbing this way and that way, and right behind him
was Reddy Fox. Now, Peter Rabbit could run fast enough to keep away from
Reddy for a while. You remember that Peter's eyes are so placed that he
can see behind him without turning his head. So he knew when Reddy was
getting too near.
In and out among the bushes along the edge of the Green Meadows they
dodged, and the more he had to run, the angrier Reddy Fox grew. He paid
no attention to where they were going; his whole thought was of catching
Peter Rabbit.
Now, when Peter began to grow tired he began to work over towards Farmer
Brown's corn field, where he knew that Farmer Brown's boy was hiding,
with Bowser the Hound. Dodging this way and that way, Peter worked over
to the fence corner, where Jimmy Skunk had watched Blacky the Crow get
caught in a snare. He let Reddy almost catch him, then he dodged out
into the open corn field, and Reddy, of course, followed him, "Bow-wow,
bow-wow-wow!"
Reddy did not need to turn to know what had happened. Bowser the Hound
had seen him and was after him. Peter just ducked behind a big bunch of
grass and sat down to get his breath, while Reddy started off as hard as
he could go, with Bowser the Hound behind him.