The day after Doctor Rabbit cured the little Chipmunk children, he
thought of a new plan for catching Brushtail the Fox, and he decided
to try it at once.
Doctor Rabbit knew very well that somehow he must drive Brushtail out
of the Big Green Woods. None of the little creatures would be safe for
a moment until this was done. Yes, cruel, sly old Brushtail must be
driven away, and everything depended on our clever Doctor Rabbit.
As Doctor Rabbit started hopping along through the woods he said
quietly to himself, "Of course this scheme I have in mind may not
work. But it is worth trying anyway. I won't tell any of my friends
about it, and then if I don't catch Brushtail they won't be
disappointed. But if I _do_ catch him!"
Right here Doctor Rabbit stopped and laughed and laughed. "My," he
continued, "if I _do_ catch him, won't Stubby Woodchuck and Cheepy
Chipmunk and all the others be surprised! Well, I should say they
_will_ be surprised!"
And Doctor Rabbit went hopping along, chuckling to himself and feeling
mighty fine. He is always happy when he has thought of a plan to get
rid of some big, cruel animal.
Doctor Rabbit kept going until he came to a part of the Big Green
Woods where the Murmuring Brook was widest and deepest. He knew just
what he was looking for, too. You see, Farmer Roe's boy had been
setting his fishing lines here every night. Each morning he would pull
his lines out of the water, take the fish off, and then leave one or
two of the lines lying on the bank until evening.
Doctor Rabbit wanted one of these fishing lines, and when he reached
the place, sure enough, there was a long, stout fishing line lying
right on the ground. There were some hooks on the end of the line, but
Doctor Rabbit did not want these, so with his sharp teeth he cut them
off. Then he picked up the line and took it some distance away to a
big thicket. Here Doctor Rabbit began making a loop in one end of that
fishing line and chuckling as he worked.
Well, in just a little while he had that loop all fixed. Then he
spread out the loop, which was made so it would slip, on a nice patch
of open ground near the thicket. The other end of the line he hid in
the thicket. Then he went over to the edge of the Murmuring Brook. He
moved along the edge of the brook and watched ever so carefully. Now
what do you suppose Doctor Rabbit was looking for this time? Well,
sir, he was looking for a live fish. He saw several and made a grab
for them, but they all got away. But Doctor Rabbit is very patient,
and presently he seized a nice one and carried it, wiggling in his
mouth, back to the loop he had made in that line. He dropped the small
fish in the center of the loop. The fish didn't jump much now; it only
wiggled and flapped its tail a little, and that was just what Doctor
Rabbit wanted it to do.
He ran into the thicket where the other end of the line was and waited
for Brushtail the Fox to come along.
As Doctor Rabbit waited and listened he heard footsteps approaching.
He peeped out to see who it was. It wasn't Brushtail at all; it was
Ray Coon. And my, you should have seen Mr. Coon run for that fish when
he saw it!
"Hurrah!" Ray Coon shouted. "Some one has lost a fish. Here's my
breakfast right here!"
And he was just about to pounce upon the fish when he was almost
scared out of his wits by Doctor Rabbit calling out, "Boo! Let that
fish alone, Neighbor! I put it there to catch Brushtail the Fox! Come
here, into the thicket."
And so Ray Coon, looking rather foolish, went into the thicket where
Doctor Rabbit was hiding.
"Keep right still!" Doctor Rabbit whispered to his friend. "I was
going to try to catch old Brushtail all by myself," he continued, "but
now that you have happened along you'd better stay, for I may need
some help."
"How are you going to catch him, Doctor Rabbit?" Ray Coon asked. And
Doctor Rabbit just pointed one foot out toward the loop and the
squirming fish. Then Ray Coon understood, and how he did chuckle! He
was just as much amused as was Doctor Rabbit and they both laughed and
laughed, but they had to be very quiet, of course, because at any
minute Brushtail might come along.
Suddenly Doctor Rabbit peeked out and whispered, "Sh! sh! Keep as
still as anything! There comes old Brushy now. And yes, he's coming
this way!"