A FRIEND IN NEED.
Though Hal's crossness at breakfast had made Drusie feel rather sad, it
was impossible for her to unhappy for long on such a beautiful morning;
and when Helen suggested that they should take a few of the rabbits
with them to the clover field she cheerfully agreed.
"Punch and Judy and Toby went with us last time," she said, "and they
didn't behave very well, so we won't take them with us to-day. Let's
take Jumbo."
Jumbo was the oldest of all the rabbits, and he belonged to Hal, which
was perhaps the reason that Drusie wished to take him. She thought it
would please Hal.
Partly because Jumbo was so old, and partly because he was also very
bad tempered, he lived by himself in a comfortable, roomy hutch, with a
soft bed of hay at one end and a great wide space at the other, in
which he took his meals and looked out of the door at the other
rabbits. Helen, who did not care very much for Jumbo, declared that he
did that on purpose to aggravate them, for they all finished their food
long before he was half-way through his, and then they had nothing else
to do but to sit and watch him. And that made them feel hungry again.
He was sitting before his door now munching bran and oats, and at the
mention of his name he pricked up his long ears and sleepily blinked
his eyes. "H'm," said Helen, looking at him rather distrustfully;
"Jumbo too can be dreadfully naughty when he likes, and he rather looks
as if he meant it to-day."
But that, Drusie said laughing, was all nonsense, for no rabbit could
have looked meeker or better-behaved than Jumbo that morning. So it
was decided that he should accompany them; and as Punch and Judy and
Toby scratched at their doors when they saw him on the ground, Jim said
it would be unkind not to take them as well. And Drusie declined to
leave Salt and Pepper behind, for they were always good. Thus, when
the four children started for the clover field, it was a very big party
of rabbits that went with them. But as Jumbo followed a great deal
better than many dogs do, and as all the other rabbits followed Jumbo,
the children had no trouble at all with them.
The way to the clover field lay through their own garden, and then
across a big, sunny meadow. By the time they reached the meadow it was
growing very hot, and the children sauntered along under the shade of a
high hedge, and talked about the fight to be held on the following
Tuesday.
Drusie felt more hopeful than she had done before breakfast, and she
was perfectly sure that Hal would defend the fort. She was full of
plans for making the fight a better and more exciting one than any they
had yet had, and she was suggesting a scheme by which Tommy could act
both as scout and advanced outpost, when a strong, delicious scent from
the clover field was wafted towards them on the soft summer, breeze.
Jumbo smelt it, and lifting up his black nose gave one or two sniffs,
and then darting past them at a rate surprising in a rabbit of his age
made straight for the gap in the hedge; and, of course, after that
there was no more time for conversation, for where Jumbo went the other
rabbits followed. It was quite as much as the children could do to
keep them in sight, and when they scrambled through the gap five of the
six rabbits were sitting in a row contentedly munching away at the
juicy stalks and cool green leaves of the clover. But Jumbo would not
condescend to eat anything but pink, honey-filled flowers, and going
from plant to plant he sat up on his hind legs and bit off the stalk
just below the head.
"Jumbo _is_ a clever rabbit," said Helen admiringly; "the others don't
know the difference between the flowers and the leaves."
Then suddenly they all burst out laughing. For Jumbo, getting tired
perhaps of sitting up so much on his hind legs, tried to support
himself against a stalk while he nibbled at the flowers. But the stalk
gave way, and Jumbo fell heavily across Pepper's neck, who, indignant
at such a liberty, gave a squeak and darted away. Jumbo, trying hard
to look as though he had tumbled down on purpose, began to wash his
face and ears in a very diligent manner.
[Illustration: "_Jumbo began to wash his face and ears_"]
It was some time before the children thought of returning; but
presently Jim, who never cared to sit still for very long, said that
they might as well be going, and added that as the rabbits had been so
good they would give them an extra ramble, and take them home by the
lane that ran along the top of the hill.
But that, as Helen remarked, was saying one word for the rabbits and
two for himself; for the lane bordered the land belonging to an old
gentleman, named Grey, who had lately come to live there, and from a
gate at the top of the hill a glimpse could be caught of the river,
where, too, a lovely pair of swans might be seen. Jim took a great
interest in these swans, and longed to get down to the water so as to
be close to them. But the gamekeeper was a surly fellow, and if he saw
the children lingering near he would tell them that his master
"couldn't abear boys nor girls either," and always was most severe if
any people were caught trespassing on his land. Thus Jim had never
dared to climb the gate. But Jumbo this morning was to give him an
excuse for so doing. When they reached it, the children paused to gaze
down at the river, which there broadened out into a sort of lake, with
a grassy islet in the centre. The six rabbits paused also.
The clover they had eaten had made them feel rather sleepy, but now
they were beginning to recover from the effects of it, and now they
suddenly became quite frisky. Punch leaped over Judy's back, and then
chased her into the middle of the road and back again. Even old Jumbo
caught the infection, and though he very seldom condescended to take
any notice of the other rabbits, now he gave Toby a playful poke with
his nose, following it up by a bite on his ear that was not quite so
playful. Toby gave a loud squeak of pain, and Jumbo, afraid perhaps
that he might receive a bite in return, jumped through the bars and
scampered down the field. He was half-way to the river before the
children recovered from their surprise, and shouted to him to come
back. But the more they shouted the faster he ran. And that was not
the worst either, for the other rabbits were after him in a twinkling.
But quick as they were Jim was quicker. He had no intention of
allowing such an excellent opportunity of exploring the forbidden
ground to slip, and crying that it was of no use to call to Jumbo he
scrambled over the gate and rushed helter-skelter down the field,
taking great care, however, not to get in front of Jumbo, but running
behind him shouting and waving his hands.
[Illustration: Jim climbing gate]
To the interested onlookers at the gate, whom an uneasy fear of the
gamekeeper kept from entering the field, it really seemed much more as
though Jim were chasing Jumbo down the field than trying to capture him.
But, perhaps, even if Jim had wished to catch Jumbo he could not have
done so, for the old rabbit was thoroughly enjoying his scamper, and
with his little, short tail cocked up and his long ears streaming
behind him he raced along like the wind.
And then a dreadful thing happened. Some twenty feet from the river
the ground sloped very steeply, and such was the rate at which Jumbo
was going that, when he reached this part, he could not stop himself,
but tumbled head over heels, and rolling down the bank disappeared with
a big, loud splash into the water.
Jim uttered a shout of dismay, which was echoed by all the others, who,
hastily climbing over the gate, came rushing pell-mell down the field.
"Oh, where is he? Oh, is poor darling Jumbo drowned?" Drusie gasped.
But he was not drowned. Even as Drusie spoke his soft, black nose came
to the surface, and kicking vigorously he struck out for the opposite
bank.
"Why, he can swim!" Drusie cried joyfully. "But don't go that way,
Jumbo; come here. Jumbo! Jumbo!"
[Illustration: Drusie kneeling on bank of stream]
Kneeling down on the bank she called to him; but Jumbo had quite lost
his presence of mind, and, far too bewildered and alarmed to heed the
children's cries, he paddled away from them as fast as ever he could.
"Oh, what shall we do?" Drusie cried in great distress. "His long fur
will soon get so heavy that he will not be able to keep himself up. O
Jumbo darling, come here!"
Jim was quite as frightened as she was. If only he had known how to
swim, he would have plunged in to the rescue at once.
Then, as if matters were not already bad enough, they suddenly became
worse. The swans, which Jim had been so anxious to see, suddenly
sailed majestically round the bend of the small island, and came
towards the children, expecting crumbs.
[Illustration: swans]
But none of the children, not even Jim, had any attention to spare for
them, beautiful though they were. Their eyes were fixed on Jumbo,
whose breath was coming in quick, short pants, and whose poor, short,
little legs were growing more and more tired.
Disappointed at not getting the crumbs, the swans slowly turned round
and were sailing away again when they caught sight of Jumbo, and with
angry hisses and long necks outstretched they bore down upon him as he
swam about half-way between the island and the bank.
"Oh, go to the island; it is nearer!" Drusie shrieked; "and O Jumbo,
make haste!"
It almost seemed as if Jumbo understood what she said. At any rate he
began to swim towards the island as fast as ever he could. But
weighted with his long fur, and unaccustomed to swimming--for he had
never in his life before been in the water, and how he had learned to
swim always remained a mystery to the children--he yet struck out
valiantly. He knew that he was swimming for his very life, and he
never ceased paddling for one moment.
The children watched the race in a state of frantic excitement, while
Jim ran up and down the bank looking in vain for something to throw at
the swans and drive them away. And now came a moment during which the
children literally held their breath. Jumbo was within two or three
yards of the island when the foremost of the two swans stooped its long
neck and made a savage grab at his hind legs. It seemed impossible
that the cruel beak could miss him, yet it did; for poor Jumbo was by
that time so exhausted that he suddenly sank and disappeared. The
angry, surprised swan dived his head down in search of him; but the
current, which swept round here with some force, carried Jumbo away,
and finally flung him, a bedraggled and most unhappy-looking rabbit, on
to a corner of the island. Drusie always declared afterwards that
Jumbo had dived and swum under water; but whether that was true or not,
saved he certainly was. Luckily for him the swans did not follow him,
but contented themselves with sailing majestically up and down between
the island and the bank, ready, if he showed the least sign of taking
to the water again, to pursue him. But Jumbo had had enough of
swimming to last him all his life, and preferred to stay where he was
rather than venture again into the river.
But what was to happen next? They could not go home and leave Jumbo on
the island, and yet there seemed no way in which they could get at him.
And at any moment the cross gamekeeper might appear, and at this
thought Drusie glanced round uneasily.
As she did so she gave a little jump, for running quickly towards them
was somebody who, she was afraid at first, might be the gamekeeper
himself. But a second glance showed her that the new-comer was only a
boy, and a very nice-looking boy too, with merry, dark-blue eyes and a
friendly manner.
"Hallo!" he said, rather breathlessly. "Is anything the matter? I
heard a lot of shouting, and I came to see if anybody had tumbled into
the river. But you are all quite dry."
"Yes, we are all right," Drusie explained hurriedly. "But one of our
rabbits--Jumbo--has tumbled in, and the swans have chased him on to the
island, and we don't know how to get him back again."
She pointed as she spoke to the island, and the boy, following the
direction of her glance, burst out laughing.
"Is that a rabbit?" he said. "Why, it looks more like a drowned rat
than anything else."
"Jumbo is very handsome when he is dry," Drusie said, inclined at first
to be a little offended. But his laughter was infectious, and Jumbo
did after all look so very much like a drowned rat that she could not
help laughing too.
"I say, what a jolly lot of rabbits you have got!" the boy said,
looking down at the other five, who were busy nibbling away at the
grass, without seeming to care in the least what happened to Jumbo;
"but aren't you afraid of their running away?"
"They generally behave beautifully," Drusie said, who, because the
other three were rather shy, was obliged to do all the talking herself;
"but something must have startled Jumbo when we were at the top of the
hill, for he set off at a tremendous scamper, and tumbled in
headforemost before we knew what was happening to him."
"Poor old Jumbo!" said the boy, as he looked across at the shivering,
melancholy rabbit. "We must rescue him though, and that is easily
done."
As he spoke he led the way along the bank to a spot where a thick clump
of willows grew; and moored to one of these trees was a small, light
canoe.
"I'll paddle across in less than no time," he said, "and if the swans
do not interfere, I'll soon bring him safely back to you."
The swans did not interfere, however, and Jumbo a minute or two later
was clasped in Drusie's arms. She almost cried over him in her joy at
his safety.
Sitting down on the bank she began to dry him with her handkerchief;
but it was soaked through at once, and the boy suggested that they
should rub him with their hands. So Drusie placed him tenderly on the
grass, and they rubbed him until their arms ached; and no doubt Jumbo
ached too, for they all rubbed with a will.
"But at any rate," Drusie said in a tone of satisfaction, "he won't
catch cold now, and he is so old that he might have had a dreadful
attack of rheumatism."
Long before Jumbo was dry they had all become very friendly with their
new acquaintance. Jim and Helen and Tommy forgot to be shy, and they
all chatted away together as if they had known each other for quite a
long time. It was not until half an hour later, as, with Jumbo lying
comfortably in Drusie's arms, for she said he was too weak to walk,
they were all hurrying home, that they remembered they did not even
know what their new friend's name was, or where he lived.
"Perhaps," said Helen, "he lives at the Grange, and Captain Grey is his
father."
[Illustration: gamekeeper]
"Captain Grey hasn't any children," Drusie said. "I heard nurse say
so."
"Then perhaps he is staying there on a visit," Jim said.
But Drusie did not think that that was likely either, for had not the
gamekeeper said that his master "could not abear boys"? And if that
was the case, he certainly would not have one staying in the house.
But whoever he was, they all four agreed that he was an exceedingly
nice boy, and they hoped that they might meet him again.
[Illustration: Chapter II tailpiece]
[Illustration: Chapter III headpiece]