Farmer Brown's young trees, felt something tugging at one of his
hind legs, he was so startled that he jumped to get away. Instead
of doing this, he fell flat on his face. The thing on his hind
leg had tightened and held him fast. A great fear came to Peter
Rabbit, and lying there in the snow, he kicked and struggled
with all his might. But the more he kicked, the tighter grew that
hateful thing on his leg! Finally he grew too tired to kick any
more and lay still. The dreadful thing that held him hurt his
leg, but it didn't pull when he lay still.
When he had grown a little calmer, Peter sat up to examine the
thing which held him so fast. It was something like one of the
blackberry vines he had sometimes tripped over, only it was
bright and shiny, and had no branches or tiny prickers, and one
end was fastened to a stake. Peter tried to bite off the shiny
thing, but even his great, sharp front teeth couldn't cut it.
Then Peter knew what it was. It was wire! It was a snare which
Farmer Brown had set to catch him, and which he had walked right
into because he had been so greedy for the bark of the young
peach tree that he had not used his eyes to look out for danger.
Oh, how Peter Rabbit did wish that he had not been so curious to
know what Farmer Brown had been doing that day, and that he had
gone straight home as he had meant to do, instead of trying to
get one more meal of young peach bark! Big tears rolled down
Peter's cheeks. What should he do? What could he do? For a long
time Peter sat in the moonlight, trying to think of something to
do. At last he thought of the stake to which that hateful wire
was fastened. The stake was of wood, and Peter's teeth would cut
wood. Peter's heart gave a great leap of hope, and he began at
once to dig away the snow from around the stake, and then settled
himself to gnaw the stake in two.
Peter had been hard at work on the stake a long time and had it a
little more than half cut through, when he heard a loud sniff
down at the other end of the orchard. He looked up to see--whom
do you think? Why, Bowser the Hound! He hadn't seen Peter yet,
but he had already found Peter's tracks, and it would be but a
few minutes before he found Peter himself.
Poor Peter Rabbit! There wasn't time to finish cutting off the
stake. What could he do? He made a frightened jump just as he had
when he first felt the wire tugging at his leg. Just as before,
he was thrown flat on his face. He scrambled to his feet and
jumped again, only to be thrown just as before. Just then Bowser
the Hound saw him and opening his mouth sent forth a great roar.
Peter made one more frantic jump. Snap! The stake had broken!
Peter pitched forward on his head, turned a somersault, and
scrambled to his feet. He was free at last! That is, he could
run, but after him dragged a piece of the stake.
How Peter did run! It was hard work, for you know he had to drag
that piece of stake after him. But he did it, and just in time he
crawled into the old stone wall on one side of the orchard, while
Bowser the Hound barked his disappointment to the moon.
XVI
Peter Rabbit's Hard Journey
Peter Rabbit sat in the old stone wall along one side of Farmer
Brown's orchard, waiting for Mrs. Moon to put out her light and
leave the world in darkness until jolly, round, red Mr. Sun
should kick off his rosy bed-clothes and begin his daily climb up
in the blue, blue sky. In the winter, Mr. Sun is a late sleeper,
and Peter knew that there would be two or three hours after Mrs.
Moon put out her light when it would be quite dark. And Peter
also knew that by this time Hooty the Owl would probably have
caught his dinner. So would old Granny Fox and Reddy Fox. Bowser
the Hound would be too sleepy to be on the watch. It would be the
very safest time for Peter to try to get to his home in the dear
Old Briar-patch.
So Peter waited and waited. Twice Bowser the Hound, who had
chased him into the old wall, came over and barked at him and
tried to get at him. But the old wall kept Peter safe, and
Bowser gave it up. And all the time Peter sat waiting he was in
great pain. You see, that shiny wire was drawn so tight that it
cut into his flesh and hurt dreadfully, and to the other end of
the wire was fastened a piece of wood, part of the stake to which
the snare had been made fast and which Peter had managed to gnaw
and break off.
It was on account of this that Peter was waiting for Mrs. Moon to
put out her light. He knew that with that stake dragging after
him he would have to go very slowly, and he could not run any
more risk of danger than he actually had to. So he waited and
waited, and by and by, sure enough, Mrs. Moon put out her light.
Peter waited a little longer, listening with all his might.
Everything was still. Then Peter crept out of the old stone wall.
Right away trouble began. The stake dragging at the end of the
wire fast to his leg caught among the stones and pulled Peter up
short. My, how it did hurt! It made the tears come. But Peter
shut his teeth hard, and turning back, he worked until he got the
stake free. Then he started on once more, dragging the stake
after him.
Very slowly across the orchard and under the fence on the other
side crept Peter Rabbit, his leg so stiff and sore that he could
hardly touch it to the snow, and all the time dragging that piece
of stake, which seemed to grow heavier and harder to drag every
minute. Peter did not dare to go out across the open fields, for
fear some danger might happen along, and he would have no place
to hide. So he crept along close to the fences where bushes grow,
and this made it very, very hard, for the dragging stake was
forever catching in the bushes with a yank at the sore leg which
brought Peter up short with a squeal of pain.
This was bad enough, but all the time Peter was filled with a
dreadful fear that Hooty the Owl or Granny Fox might just happen
along. He had to stop to rest very, very often, and then he would
listen and listen. Over and over again he said to himself:
"Oh dear, whatever did I go up to the young peach orchard for
when I knew I had no business there? Why couldn't I have been
content with all the good things that were mine in the Green
Forest and on the Green Meadows? Oh dear! Oh dear!"
Just as jolly, round, red Mr. Sun began to light up the Green
Meadows, Peter Rabbit reached the dear Old Briar-patch. Danny
Meadow Mouse was sitting on the edge of it anxiously watching for
him. Peter crawled up and started to creep in along one of his
little private paths. He got in himself, but the dragging stake
caught among the brambles, and Peter just fell down in the snow
right where he was, too tired and worn out to move.
[Illustration]
XVII
Danny Meadow Mouse Becomes Worried
Danny Meadow Mouse limped around through the dear Old
Briar-patch, where he had lived with Peter Rabbit ever since he
had squirmed out of the claws of Hooty the Owl and dropped there,
right at the feet of Peter Rabbit. Danny limped because he was
still lame and sore from Hooty's terrible claws, but he didn't
let himself think much about that, because he was so thankful to
be alive at all. So he limped around in the Old Briar-patch,
picking up seed which had fallen on the snow, and sometimes
pulling down a few of the red berries which cling all winter to
the wild rose bushes. The seeds in these were very nice indeed,
and Danny always felt especially good after a meal of them.
Danny Meadow Mouse had grown very fond of Peter Rabbit, for Peter
had been very, very good to him. Danny felt that he never, never
could repay all of Peter's kindness. It had been very good of
Peter to offer to share the Old Briar-patch with Danny because
Danny was so far from his own home that it would not be safe for
him to try to get back there. But Peter had done more than that.
He had taken care of Danny, such good care, during the first few
days after Danny's escape from Hooty the Owl. He had brought good
things to eat while Danny was too weak and sore to get things for
himself. Oh, Peter had been very good indeed to him!
But now, as Danny limped around, he was not happy. No, Sir, he
was not happy. The truth is, Danny Meadow Mouse was worried. It
was a different kind of worry from any he had known before. You
see, for the first time in his life, Danny was worrying about
someone else. He was worrying about Peter Rabbit. Peter had been
gone from the Old Briar-patch a whole night and a whole day. He
often was gone all night, but never all day too. Danny was sure
that something had happened to Peter. He thought of how he had
begged Peter not to go up to Farmer Brown's young peach orchard.
He had felt in his bones that it was not safe, that something
dreadful would happen to Peter. How Peter had laughed at him and
bravely started off! Why hadn't he come home?
As he limped around, Danny talked to himself:
"_Why cannot people be content
With all the good things that are sent,
And mind their own affairs at home
Instead of going forth to roam?_"
It was now the second night since Peter Rabbit had gone away.
Danny Meadow Mouse couldn't sleep at all. Round and round through
the Old Briar-patch he limped, and finally sat down at the edge
of it to wait and watch. At last, just as jolly, round, red Mr.
Sun sent his first long rays of light across the Green Meadows,
Danny saw something crawling toward the Old Briar-patch. He
rubbed his eyes and looked again. It was--no, it couldn't
be--yes, it was Peter Rabbit! But what was the matter with him?
Always before Peter had come home lipperty-lipperty-lipperty-lip,
but now he was crawling, actually crawling! Danny Meadow Mouse
didn't know what to make of it.
Nearer and nearer came Peter. Something was following him. No,
Peter was dragging something after him. At last Peter started to
crawl along one of his little private paths into the Old
Briar-patch. The thing dragging behind caught in the brambles,
and Peter fell headlong in the snow, too tired and worn out to
move. Then Danny saw what the trouble was. A wire was fast to one
of Peter's long hind legs, and to the other end of the wire was
fastened part of a stake. Peter had been caught in a snare! Danny
hurried over to Peter and tears stood in his eyes.
"Poor Peter Rabbit! Oh, I'm so sorry, Peter!" he whispered.
XVIII
Danny Meadow Mouse Returns a Kindness
There Peter Rabbit lay. He had dragged that piece of stake a long
way, a very long way, indeed. But now he could drag it no
farther, for it had caught in the bramble bushes. So Peter just
dropped on the snow and cried. Yes, Sir, he cried! You see, he
was so tired and worn out and frightened, and his leg was so
stiff and sore and hurt him so! And then it was so dreadful to
actually get home and be stopped right on your very own doorstep.
So Peter just lay there and cried. Just supposing old Granny Fox
should come poking around and find Peter caught that way! All she
would have to do would be to get hold of that hateful stake
caught in the bramble bushes and pull Peter out where she could
get him. Do you wonder that Peter cried?
By and by he became aware that someone was wiping away his tears.
It was Danny Meadow Mouse. And Danny was singing in a funny
little voice. Pretty soon Peter stopped crying and listened, and
this is what he heard:
"_Isn't any use to cry!
Not a bit! Not a bit!
Wipe your eyes and wipe 'em dry!
Use your wit! Use your wit!
Just remember that tomorrow
Never brings a single sorrow.
Yesterday has gone forever
And tomorrow gets here never.
Chase your worries all away;
Nothing's worse than just today._"
Peter smiled in spite of himself.
"That's right! That's right! Smile away, Peter Rabbit. Smile
away! Your troubles, Sir, are all today. And between you and me,
I don't believe they are so bad as you think they are. Now you
lie still just where you are, while I go see what can be done."
With that, off whisked Danny Meadow Mouse as spry as you please,
in spite of his lame leg, and in a few minutes Peter knew by
little twitches of the wire on his leg that Danny was doing
something at the other end. He was. Danny Meadow Mouse had set
out to gnaw that piece of stake all to splinters. So there he sat
and gnawed and gnawed and gnawed. Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun
climbed higher and higher in the sky, and Danny Meadow Mouse
grew hungry, but still he kept right on gnawing at that
bothersome stake.
[Illustration: _Danny Meadow Mouse had set out to gnaw that piece
of stake all to splinters_]
By and by, happening to look across the snow-covered Green
Meadows, he saw something that made his heart jump. It was Farmer
Brown's boy coming straight over toward the dear Old Briar-patch.
Danny didn't say a word to Peter Rabbit, but gnawed faster than
ever.
Farmer Brown's boy was almost there when Danny stopped gnawing.
There was only a tiny bit of the stake left now, and Danny
hurried to tell Peter Rabbit that there was nothing to stop him
now from going to his most secret retreat in the very heart of
the Old Briar-patch. While Peter slowly dragged his way along,
Danny trotted behind to see that the wire did not catch on the
bushes.
They had safely reached Peter Rabbit's secretest retreat when
Farmer Brown's boy came up to the edge of the dear Old Briar-patch.
"So this is where that rabbit that killed our peach tree lives!"
said he. "We'll try a few snares and put you out of mischief."
And for the rest of the afternoon Farmer Brown's boy was very
busy around the edge of the Old Briar-patch.
[Illustration]
XIX
Peter Rabbit and Danny Meadow Mouse Live High
Peter Rabbit sat in his secretest place in the dear Old
Briar-patch with one of his long hind legs all swelled up and
terribly sore because of the fine wire fast around it and cutting
into it. He could hear Farmer Brown's boy going around on the
edge of the dear Old Briar-patch and stopping every little while
to do something. In spite of his pain, Peter was curious.
Finally he called Danny Meadow Mouse.
"Danny, you are small and can keep out of sight easier than I
can. Go as near as ever you dare to Farmer Brown's boy and find
out what he is doing," said Peter Rabbit.
So Danny Meadow Mouse crept out as near to Farmer Brown's boy as
ever he dared, and studied and studied to make out what Farmer
Brown's boy was doing. By and by he returned to Peter Rabbit.
"I don't know what he's doing, Peter, but he's putting something
in every one of your private little paths leading into the
Briar-patch from the Green Meadows."
"Ha!" said Peter Rabbit.
"There are little loops of that queer stuff you've got hanging to
your leg, Peter," continued Danny Meadow Mouse.
"Just so!" said Peter Rabbit.
"And he's put cabbage leaves and pieces of apple all around,"
said Danny.
"We must be careful!" said Peter Rabbit.
Peter's leg was in a very bad way, indeed, and Peter suffered a
great deal of pain. The worst of it was, he didn't know how to
get off the wire that was cutting into it so. He had tried to
cut the wire with his big teeth, but he couldn't do it. Danny
Meadow Mouse had tried and tried to gnaw the wire, but it wasn't
the least bit of use. But Danny wasn't easily discouraged, and he
kept working and working at it. Once he thought he felt it slip a
little. He said nothing, but kept right on working. Pretty soon
he was sure that it slipped. He went right on working harder than
ever. By and by he had it so loose that he slipped it right off
Peter's leg, and Peter didn't know anything about it. You see,
that cruel wire snare had been so tight that Peter didn't have
any feeling except of pain left in his leg, and so when Danny
Meadow Mouse pulled the cruel wire snare off, Peter didn't know
it until Danny held it up in front of him.
My, how thankful Peter was, and how he did thank Danny Meadow
Mouse! But Danny said that it was nothing at all, just nothing at
all, and that he owed more than that to Peter Rabbit for being so
good to him and letting him live in the dear Old Briar-patch.
It was a long time before Peter could hop as he used to, but
after the first day he managed to get around. He found that
Farmer Brown's boy had spread those miserable wire snares in
every one of his private little paths. But Peter knew what they
were now. He showed Danny Meadow Mouse how he, because he was so
small, could safely run about among the snares and steal all the
cabbage leaves and apples which Farmer Brown's boy had put there
for bait.
Danny Meadow Mouse thought this great fun and a great joke on
Farmer Brown's boy. So every day he stole the bait, and he and
Peter Rabbit lived high while Peter's leg was getting well. And
all the time Farmer Brown's boy wondered why he couldn't catch
Peter Rabbit.
[Illustration]
XX
Timid Danny Meadow Mouse
Danny Meadow Mouse is timid. Everybody says so, and what
everybody says ought to be so. But just as anybody can make a
mistake sometimes, so can everybody. Still, in this case, it is
quite likely that everybody is right. Danny Meadow Mouse is
timid. Ask Peter Rabbit. Ask Sammy Jay. Ask Striped Chipmunk.
They will all tell you the same thing. Sammy Jay might even tell
you that Danny is afraid of his own shadow, or that he tries to
run away from his own tail. Of course this isn't true. Sammy Jay
likes to say mean things. It isn't fair to Danny Meadow Mouse to
believe what Sammy Jay says.
But the fact is Danny certainly is timid. More than this, he
isn't ashamed of it--not the least little bit.
"You see, it's this way," said Danny, as he sat on his doorstep
one sunny morning talking to his friend, old Mr. Toad. "If I
weren't afraid, I wouldn't be all the time watching out, and if
I weren't all the time watching out, I wouldn't have any more
chance than that foolish red ant running across in front of you."
Old Mr. Toad looked where Danny was pointing, and his tongue
darted out and back again so quickly that Danny wasn't sure that
he saw it at all, but when he looked for the ant it was nowhere
to be seen, and there was a satisfied twinkle in Mr. Toad's eyes.
There was an answering twinkle in Danny's own eyes as he
continued.
"No, Sir," said he, "I wouldn't stand a particle more chance than
that foolish ant did. Now if I were big and strong, like Old Man
Coyote, or had swift wings, like Skimmer the Swallow, or were so
homely and ugly looking that no one wanted me, like--like--"
Danny hesitated and then finished rather lamely, "like some folks
I know, I suppose I wouldn't be afraid."
Old Mr. Toad looked up sharply when Danny mentioned homely and
ugly-looking people, but Danny was gazing far out across the
Green Meadows and looked so innocent that Mr. Toad concluded that
he couldn't have had him in mind.
"Well," said he, thoughtfully scratching his nose, "I suppose
you may be right, but for my part fear seems a very foolish
thing. Now, I don't know what it is. I mind my own business, and
no one ever bothers me. I should think it would be a very
uncomfortable feeling."
"It is," replied Danny, "but, as I said before, it is a very good
thing to keep one on guard when there are as many watching for
one as there are for me. Now there's Mr. Blacksnake and--"
"Where?" exclaimed old Mr. Toad, turning as pale as a toad can
turn, and looking uneasily and anxiously in every direction.
[Illustration: _"Where?" exclaimed old Mr. Toad, turning as pale
as a toad can turn_]
Danny turned his head to hide a smile. If old Mr. Toad wasn't
showing fear, no one ever did. "Oh," said he, "I didn't mean that
he is anywhere around here now. What I was going to say was that
there is Mr. Blacksnake and Granny Fox and Reddy Fox and Redtail
the Hawk and Hooty the Owl and others I might name, always
watching for a chance to make a dinner from poor little me. Do
you wonder that I am afraid most of the time?"
"No," replied old Mr. Toad. "No, I don't wonder that you are
afraid. It must be dreadful to feel hungry eyes are watching for
you every minute of the day and night, too."
"Oh, it's not so bad," replied Danny. "It's rather exciting.
Besides, it keeps my wits sharp all the time. I am afraid I
should find life very dull indeed if, like you, I feared nothing
and nobody. By the way, see how queerly that grass is moving over
there. It looks as if Mr. Blacksnake--Why, Mr. Toad, where are
you going in such a hurry?"
[Illustration: _"Why, Mr. Toad, where are you going in such a
hurry?" asked Danny_]
"I've just remembered an important engagement with my cousin,
Grandfather Frog, at the Smiling Pool," shouted old Mr. Toad
over his shoulder, as he hurried so that he fell over his own
feet.
Danny chuckled as he sat alone on his doorstep. "Oh, no, old Mr.
Toad doesn't know what fear is!" said he. "Funny how some people
won't admit what everybody can see for themselves. Now, I am
afraid, and I'm willing to say so."
[Illustration]
XXI
An Exciting Day for Danny Meadow Mouse
Danny Meadow Mouse started along one of his private little paths
very early one morning. He was on his way to get a supply of a
certain kind of grass seed of which he is very fond. He had been
thinking about that seed for some time and waiting for it to get
ripe. Now it was just right, as he had found out the day before
by a visit to the place where this particular grass grew. The
only trouble was it grew a long way from Danny's home, and to
reach it he had to cross an open place where the grass was so
short that he couldn't make a path under it.
"I feel it in my bones that this is going to be an exciting day,"
said Danny to himself as he trotted along. "I suppose that if I
were really wise, I would stay nearer home and do without that
nice seed. But nothing is really worth having unless it is worth
working for, and that seed will taste all the better if I have
hard work getting it."
So he trotted along his private little path, his ears wide open,
and his eyes wide open, and his little nose carefully testing
every Merry Little Breeze who happened along for any scent of
danger which it might carry. Most of all he depended upon his
ears, for the grass was so tall that he couldn't see over it,
even when he sat up. He had gone only a little way when he
thought he heard a queer rustling behind him. He stopped to
listen. There it was again, and it certainly was right in the
path behind him! He didn't need to be told who was making it.
There was only one who could make such a sound as that--Mr.
Blacksnake.
Now Danny can run very fast along his private little paths, but
he knew that Mr. Blacksnake could run faster. "If my legs can't
save me, my wits must," thought Danny as he started to run as
fast as ever he could. "I must reach that fallen old hollow fence
post."
He was almost out of breath when he reached the post and scurried
into the open end. He knew by the sound of the rustling that Mr.
Blacksnake was right at his heels. Now the old post was hollow
its whole length, but halfway there was an old knothole just big
enough for Danny to squeeze through. Mr. Blacksnake didn't know
anything about that hole, and because it was dark inside the old
post, he didn't see Danny pop through it. Danny ran back along
the top of the log and was just in time to see the tip of Mr.
Blacksnake's tail disappear inside. Then what do you think Danny
did? Why, he followed Mr. Blacksnake right into the old post, but
in doing it he didn't make the least little bit of noise.
Mr. Blacksnake kept right on through the old post and out the
other end, for he was sure that that was the way Danny had gone.
He kept right on along the little path. Now Danny knew that he
wouldn't go very far before he found out that he had been fooled,
and of course he would come back. So Danny waited only long
enough to get his breath and then ran back along the path to
where another little path branched off. For just a minute he
paused.
"If Mr. Blacksnake follows me, he will be sure to think that of
course I have taken this other little path," thought Danny, "so I
won't do it."
Then he ran harder than ever, until he came to a place where two
little paths branched off, one to the right and one to the left.
He took the latter and scampered on, sure that by this time Mr.
Blacksnake would be so badly fooled that he would give up the
chase. And Danny was right.
"_Brains are better far than speed
As wise men long ago agreed,_"
said Danny, as he trotted on his way for the grass seed he liked
so well. "I felt it in my bones that this would be an exciting
day. I wonder what next."
XXII
What Happened Next to Danny Meadow Mouse
Danny is so used to narrow escapes that he doesn't waste any time
thinking about them. He didn't this time. "He who tries to look
two ways at once is pretty sure to see nothing," says Danny, and
he knew that if he thought too much about the things that had
already happened, he couldn't keep a sharp watch for the things
that might happen.