Doctor Rabbit and all his friends stood back and watched to see
whether the tree would fly back, but it did not. It held as firm and
quiet as could be.
"Now," said Doctor Rabbit, "old Brushy will come back to where that
head was, and, seeing it gone, he will naturally think that O. Possum
or somebody has dragged it away. So Brushtail will smell along the
ground where we have dragged the head, and he will finally find it
right here. I have hidden the noose in the thicket so that Mister Fox
will not notice it, and he'll walk right in to get that head. In doing
so, he'll put his head through that noose and pull on it, trying to
get to the head. Well, when Mr. Brushtail pulls, he'll break that
slender twig that holds the tree down, because that twig is about
ready to break as it is. Then we'll see what'll happen!"
"Let's hurry away now," Doctor Rabbit added. "If foxy Brushtail
happened to see all of us here at once he might become suspicious.
I'll come back soon and watch, and if anything happens I'll let all of
you know at once."
So away went Stubby Woodchuck and O. Possum and all the others,
talking quietly yet excitedly, and now and then laughing a little.
They said they hoped Brushtail would come soon, and they also said
that something just told them away down deep in their hearts that
Brushtail was surely going to be caught this time. And all that day
they could scarcely eat, they were so eager to know whether Brushtail
would get caught in that noose in the thicket.
Doctor Rabbit hid not far from the cow's head and waited all day. Then
he went to supper and came quickly back. Pretty soon night came, and
the big round moon came up. Along about midnight Doctor Rabbit heard a
sound. Pit-a-pat! pit-a-pat! pit-a-pat! Some one was coming along
slowly through the woods! Then, as the form came nearer, Doctor Rabbit
saw Brushtail the Fox trotting along with his sharp nose to the
ground, smelling the trail where that cow's head had been dragged.
Well, sir, Brushtail went right up to the thicket where the noose was.
Then he laughed and laughed and laughed.
"Well, well, well!" said Brushtail. "I guess I'm just a little too
smart for anybody around these woods. Ha! ha! ha! It's just as I
thought. That silly old fat possum or somebody has been foolish enough
to walk right in among those traps that Farmer Roe set and drag that
head up here. Well, I'll just go on into this thicket and bring that
head out and take charge of it myself. There's enough meat to last me
several days." And Brushtail started into the thicket.