A few days after Doctor Rabbit had helped Farmer Roe's big gray goose
to escape from Brushtail the Fox, Doctor Rabbit saw something that
interested him greatly. Farmer Roe was working at something out in the
woods. There was a briar patch near by, so Doctor Rabbit crept into
this and watched.
Yes, sir! Farmer Roe was actually setting a trap, or rather, he was
setting four traps. And he was surely arranging things so that if
Brushtail could ever be fooled at all he could be fooled here, or so
it seemed, at least. Farmer Roe had chosen a low place in the woods,
full of the finest white sand. He staked the traps and set them in the
sand, and covered them all over with sand so that they could not be
seen. Then he dragged an old cow's head right in the center of the
four traps.
Now, you see, it looked just as if some animal had been eating the
cow's head and had left it right in that nice fine white sand. And if
Mr. Fox should happen along, it looked as if he might try to go right
up to that head. Then he would be sure to step into one of those
traps!
Well, all the rest of that day and most of the night Doctor Rabbit
watched those traps and that cow's head. At last, far along in the
night, he heard a noise in the bushes close by. The moon shone very
brightly through the trees, and on that patch of white sand and the
cow's head. A dark form came slipping out of the shadows and kept
coming nearer. Pretty soon Doctor Rabbit saw who it was. It was
Brushtail the Fox.
Brushtail sniffed toward the cow's head and said, "Well, well, fresh
beef! This is pretty fine!" And he began walking around and around
that cow's head. But he seemed a little suspicious, for he did not
walk right up to the head. Still, he kept getting closer and closer.
And then, all of a sudden, he stumbled over something.
"Hello! What's this!" Brushtail exclaimed. He dug around a little in
the sand, then said, "Oho, I see! It's a stake I stumbled over, and
here is a chain and--why sure enough! There's a trap fastened to the
chain. Ha! ha! ha! No beef to-night, thank you! I'll just wait.
Perhaps some foolish animal will drag that head away and hide it. Then
I'll just help myself. Sooner or later I'll get that head!" And
Brushtail trotted away.
It was a queer procession!
But he did not go far until he stopped and sniffed again in the
direction of the cow's head.
"My!" exclaimed Brushtail, "That meat certainly does smell good, so
good that I am almost tempted to go back and try to get it. But I'm
afraid. I'll just wait as I said. And I'll get that cow's head as sure
as anything."
And laughing to himself because he believed he was so clever,
Brushtail stole softly away into the woods.
Well, Brushtail _is_ clever, but some one else was just a bit
cleverer, and that was Doctor Rabbit.