[Illustration]
[Illustration: Chapter III
_Mr. Bushy-tail goes Tobogganing_]
The next morning as soon as it was light enough to start, Mr. Bushy
Tail set off through the woods to the Chipmunks’ house. He arrived
long before dinner time, and found to his amazement, that his cousin
Red Squirrel with his wife and children, were making the Chipmunks’ a
visit.
They were all delighted to see Mr. Bushy Tail but very sorry to hear
that his winter provisions had given out. However Mr. Chipmunk had a
very large supply, and he at once filled his friend’s bag full of corn,
rolled oats and dried peas. Willingly would he have given him twice as
much, had Mr. Bushy Tail been able to carry it.
[Illustration]
The family urged him to stay to dinner, but the sky looked grey and
threatening, and Bushy Tail had a long journey before him, so he ate a
hasty luncheon, thanked Mr. Chipmunk once more for his kindness, and
with his heavy bag over his shoulder, he scurried off as fast as he
could go.
Very soon the snow began to fall, first, in large single flakes, and
then faster and thicker. Scarcely could Mr. Bushy Tail see the way;
and after bumping into first a tree, and then a big bush, he lost his
footing, scrambled about for a minute in the deep snow, and then sank
_down_, ~down~, DOWN, and landed kerplunk!
[Illustration]
For an instant he was half-stunned, then he sat up and looked about him.
“Thank goodness, my bag is safe,” thought he, as he spied it in a
corner, where it had rolled. “What should I have done if I had lost
that? I could not possibly have walked up that toboggan slide to find
it.”
Then he saw that he was sitting in a bed of soft ashes, and realized
that he had fallen down somebody’s chimney.
“Lucky there wasn’t a fire,” said he, to himself, “or there would have
been toasted squirrel for supper.”
[Illustration]