Danny Meadow Mouse shut his eyes and held his breath. Down, down,down he fell. It seemed to him that he never would strike thesnow-covered meadows! Really he fell only a very little distance.But it seemed a terrible distance to Danny. He hit something thatscratched him, and then--plump!--he landed in the soft snow rightin the very middle of the Old Briar-patch, and the last thing heremembered was hearing the scream of disappointment and rage ofHooty the Owl.
XI
Peter Rabbit Gets a Fright
Peter Rabbit sat in his favorite place in the middle of the dearOld Briar-patch, trying to decide which way he would go on histravels that night. The night before he had had a narrow escapefrom old Granny Fox over in the Green Forest. There was nothingto eat around the Smiling Pool and no one to talk to there anymore, and you know that Peter must either eat or ask questions inorder to be perfectly happy. No, the Smiling Pool was too dull aplace to interest Peter on such a beautiful moonlight night, andPeter had no mind to try his legs against those of old Granny Foxagain in the Green Forest.
Early that morning, just after Peter had settled down for hismorning nap, Tommy Tit the Chickadee had dropped into the dearOld Briar-patch just to be neighborly. Peter was just dozing offwhen he heard the cheeriest little voice in the world. It wassaying:
"_Dee-dee-chickadee! I see you! Can you see me?_"
Peter began to smile even before he could get his eyes open andlook up. There, right over his head, was Tommy Tit hanging headdown from a nodding old bramble. In a twinkling he was down onthe snow right in front of Peter, then up in the brambles again,right side up, upside down, here, there, everywhere, never stilla minute, and all the time chattering away in the cheeriestlittle voice in the world:
"_Dee-dee-chickadee! I'm as happy as can be! Find it much the better way To be happy all the day. Dee-dee-chickadee! Everybody's good to me!_"
"Hello, Tommy!" said Peter Rabbit. "Where'd you come from?"
"From Farmer Brown's new orchard up on the hill. It's a fineorchard, Peter Rabbit, a fine orchard. I go there every morningfor my breakfast. If the winter lasts long enough, I'll have allthe trees cleaned up for Farmer Brown."
Peter looked puzzled. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Just what I say," replied Tommy Tit, almost turning a somersaultin the air. "There's a million eggs of insects on those youngpeach trees, but I'm clearing them all off as fast as I can.They're mighty fine eating, Peter Rabbit, mighty fine eating!"And with that Tommy Tit had said good-by and flitted away.
Peter was thinking of that young orchard now, as he sat in themoonlight trying to make up his mind where to go. The thought ofthose young peach trees made his mouth water. It was a long wayup to the orchard on the hill, a very long way, and Peter waswondering if it really was safe to go. He had just about made uphis mind to try it, for Peter is very, very fond of the bark ofyoung peach trees, when thump! something dropped out of the skyat his very feet.
It startled Peter so that he nearly tumbled over backward. Andright at the same instant came the fierce, angry scream of Hootythe Owl. That almost made Peter's heart stop beating, although heknew that Hooty couldn't get him down there in the Old Briar-patch.When Peter got his wits together and his heart didn't go sojumpy, he looked to see what had dropped so close to him out ofthe sky. His big eyes grew bigger than ever, and he rubbed themto make quite sure that he really saw what he thought he saw.Yes, there was no doubt about it--there at his feet lay DannyMeadow Mouse!
XII
The Old Briar-Patch Has a New Tenant
Danny Meadow Mouse slowly opened his eyes and then closed themagain quickly, as if afraid to look around. He could hear someonetalking. It was a pleasant voice, not at all like the terriblevoice of Hooty the Owl, which was the very last thing that DannyMeadow Mouse could remember. Danny lay still a minute andlistened.
"Why, Danny Meadow Mouse, where in the world did you drop from?"asked the voice. It sounded like--why, very much like PeterRabbit speaking. Danny opened his eyes again. It was PeterRabbit.
"Where--where am I?" asked Danny Meadow Mouse in a very weak andsmall voice.
"In the middle of the dear Old Briar-patch with me," repliedPeter Rabbit. "But how did you get here? You seemed to drop rightout of the sky."
Danny Meadow Mouse shuddered. Suddenly he remembered everything:how Hooty the Owl had caught him in great cruel claws and hadcarried him through the moonlight across the snow-covered GreenMeadows; how he had felt Hooty's claws slip and then hadstruggled and kicked and twisted and turned until his coat hadtorn and he had dropped down, down, down, until he had landed inthe soft snow and knocked all the breath out of his little body.The very last thing he could remember was Hooty's fierce screamof rage and disappointment. Danny shuddered again.
Then a new thought came to him. He must get out of sight! Hootymight catch him again! Danny tried to scramble to his feet.
"Ouch! Oh!" groaned Danny and lay still again.
"There, there. Keep still, Danny Meadow Mouse. There's nothing tobe afraid of here," said Peter Rabbit gently. His big eyes filledwith tears as he looked at Danny Meadow Mouse, for Danny was alltorn and hurt by the cruel claws of Hooty the Owl, and you knowPeter has a very tender heart.
So Danny lay still, and while Peter Rabbit tried to make himcomfortable and dress his hurts, he told Peter all about how hehad forgotten to watch up in the sky and so had been caught byHooty the Owl, and all about his terrible ride in Hooty's cruelclaws.
"Oh dear, whatever shall I do now?" he ended. "However shall Iget back home to my warm house of grass, my safe little tunnelsunder the snow, and my little store of seeds in the snug hollowin the old fence post?"
Peter Rabbit looked thoughtful. "You can't do it," said he. "Yousimply can't do it. It is such a long way for a little fellowlike you that it wouldn't be safe to try. If you went at night,Hooty the Owl might catch you again. If you tried in daylight,old Roughleg the Hawk would be almost sure to see you. And nightor day, old Granny Fox or Reddy Fox might come snooping around,and if they did, they would be sure to catch you. I tell youwhat, you stay right here! The dear Old Briar-patch is the safestplace in the world. Why, just think, here you can come out inbroad daylight and laugh at Granny and Reddy Fox and at oldRoughleg the Hawk, because the good old brambles will keep themout if they try to get you. You can make just as good tunnelsunder the snow here as you had there, and there are lots and lotsof seeds on the ground to eat. You know I don't care for themmyself. I'm lonesome sometimes, living here all alone. You stayhere, and we'll have the Old Briar-patch to ourselves."
_"I tell you what, you stay right here!" saidPeter_]
Danny Meadow Mouse looked at Peter gratefully. "I will, and thankyou ever so much, Peter Rabbit," he said.
And this is how the dear Old Briar-patch happened to have anothertenant.
XIII
Peter Rabbit Visits the Peach Orchard
"Don't go, Peter Rabbit! Don't go!" begged Danny Meadow Mouse.
Peter hopped to the edge of the Old Briar-patch and looked overthe moonlit, snow-covered meadows to the hill back of FarmerBrown's house. On that hill was the young peach orchard of whichTommy Tit the Chickadee had told him, and ever since Peter'smouth had watered and watered every time he thought of thoseyoung peach trees and the tender bark on them.
"I think I will, Danny, just this once," said Peter. "It's a longway, and I've never been there before; but I guess it's just assafe as the Meadows or the Green Forest."
"_Oh I'm as bold as bold can be! Sing hoppy-hippy-hippy-hop-o! I'll hie me forth the world to see! Sing hoppy-hippy-hippy-hop-o! My ears are long, My legs are strong, So now good day; I'll hie away! Sing hoppy-hippy-hippy-hop-o!_"
And with that, Peter Rabbit left the dear, safe Old Briar-patch,and away he went lipperty-lipperty-lip, across the Green Meadowstoward the
hill and the young orchard back of Farmer Brown'shouse.
Danny Meadow Mouse watched him go and shook his head indisapproval. "Foolish, foolish, foolish!" he said over and overto himself. "Why can't Peter be content with the good things thathe has?"
Peter Rabbit hurried along through the moonlight, stopping everyfew minutes to sit up to look and listen. He heard the fiercehunting call of Hooty the Owl way over in the Green Forest, so hefelt sure that at present there was nothing to fear from him. Heknew that since their return to the Green Meadows and the GreenForest, Granny and Reddy Fox had kept away from Farmer Brown's,so he did not worry about them.
All in good time Peter came to the young orchard. It was just asTommy Tit the Chickadee had told him. Peter hopped up to thenearest peach tree and nibbled the bark. My, how good it tasted!He went all around the tree, stripping off the bark. He stood upon his long hind legs and reached as high as he could. Then hedug the snow away and ate down as far as he could. When he couldget no more tender young bark, he went on to the next tree.
Now, though Peter didn't know it, he was in the very worst kindof mischief. You see, when he took off all the bark all the wayaround the young peach tree, he killed the tree, for you know itis on the inside of the bark that the sap which gives life to atree and makes it grow goes up from the roots to all thebranches. So when Peter ate the bark all the way around the trunkof the young tree, he had made it impossible for the sap to comeup in the spring. Oh, it was the worst kind of mischief thatPeter Rabbit was in.
But Peter didn't know it, and he kept right on filling that bigstomach of his and enjoying it so much that he forgot to watchout for danger. Suddenly, just as he had begun on another tree, agreat roar right behind him made him jump almost out of his skin.He knew that voice, and without waiting to even look behind him,he started for the stone wall on the other side of the orchard.Right at his heels, his great mouth wide open, was Bowser theHound.
XIV
Farmer Brown Sets a Trap
Peter Rabbit was in trouble. He had got into mischief and now,like everyone who gets into mischief, he wished that he hadn't.The worst of it was that he was a long way from his home in thedear Old Briar-patch, and he didn't know how he ever could getback there again. Where was he? Why, in the stone wall on oneside of Farmer Brown's young peach orchard. How Peter blessed theold stone wall in which he had found a safe hiding place! Bowserhad hung around nearly all night, so that Peter had not dared totry to go home. Now it was daylight, and Peter knew it would notbe safe to put his nose outside.
Peter was worried, so worried that he couldn't go to sleep as heusually does in the daytime. So he sat hidden in the old wall andwaited and watched. By and by he saw Farmer Brown and FarmerBrown's boy come out into the orchard. Right away they saw themischief which Peter had done, and he could tell by the sound oftheir voices that they were very, very angry. They went away, butbefore long they were back again, and all day long Peter watchedthem work putting something around each of the young peach trees.Peter grew so curious that he forgot all about his troubles andhow far away from home he was. He could hardly wait for night tocome so that he might see what they had been doing.
Just as jolly, round, red Mr. Sun started to go to bed behind thePurple Hills, Farmer Brown and his boy started back to thehouse. Farmer Brown was smiling now.
"I guess that will fix him!" he said.
"Now what does he mean by that?" thought Peter. "Whom will itfix? Can it be me? I don't need any fixing."
_All around the trunk of the tree was wrapped wirenetting_]
He waited just as long as he could. When all was still, and themoonlight had begun to make shadows of the trees on the snow,Peter very cautiously crept out of his hiding place. Bowser theHound was nowhere in sight, and everything was as quiet andpeaceful as it had been when he first came into the orchard thenight before. Peter had fully made up his mind to go straighthome as fast as his long legs would take him, but his dreadfulcuriosity insisted that first he must find out what Farmer Brownand his boy had been doing to the young peach trees.
So Peter hurried over to the nearest tree. All around the trunkof the tree, from the ground clear up higher than Peter couldreach, was wrapped wire netting. Peter couldn't get so much as anibble of the delicious bark. He hadn't intended to take any, forhe had meant to go right straight home, but now that he couldn'tget any, he wanted some more than ever--just a bite. Peter lookedaround. Everything was quiet. He would try the next tree, andthen he would go home.
But the next tree was wrapped with wire. Peter hesitated, lookedaround, turned to go home, thought of how good that bark hadtasted the night before, hesitated again, and then hurried overto the third tree. It was protected just like the others. ThenPeter forgot all about going home. He wanted some of thatdelicious bark, and he ran from one tree to another as fast as hecould go.
At last, way down at the end of the orchard, Peter found a treethat had no wire around it. "They must have forgotten this one!"he thought, and his eyes sparkled. All around on the snow were alot of shiny little wires, but Peter didn't notice them. All hesaw was that delicious bark on the young peach tree. He hoppedright into the middle of the wires, and then, just as he reachedup to take the first bite of bark, he felt something tugging atone of his hind legs.
XV
Peter Rabbit Is Caught in a Snare
When Peter Rabbit, reaching up to nibble the bark of one ofFarmer Brown's young trees, felt something tugging at one of hishind legs, he was so startled that he jumped to get away. Insteadof doing this, he fell flat on his face. The thing on his hindleg had tightened and held him fast. A great fear came to PeterRabbit, and lying there in the snow, he kicked and struggledwith all his might. But the more he kicked, the tighter grew thathateful thing on his leg! Finally he grew too tired to kick anymore and lay still. The dreadful thing that held him hurt hisleg, but it didn't pull when he lay still.
When he had grown a little calmer, Peter sat up to examine thething which held him so fast. It was something like one of theblackberry vines he had sometimes tripped over, only it wasbright and shiny, and had no branches or tiny prickers, and oneend was fastened to a stake. Peter tried to bite off the shinything, but even his great, sharp front teeth couldn't cut it.Then Peter knew what it was. It was wire! It was a snare whichFarmer Brown had set to catch him, and which he had walked rightinto because he had been so greedy for the bark of the youngpeach 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 toknow what Farmer Brown had been doing that day, and that he hadgone straight home as he had meant to do, instead of trying toget one more meal of young peach bark! Big tears rolled downPeter's cheeks. What should he do? What could he do? For a longtime Peter sat in the moonlight, trying to think of something todo. At last he thought of the stake to which that hateful wirewas fastened. The stake was of wood, and Peter's teeth would cutwood. Peter's heart gave a great leap of hope, and he began atonce to dig away the snow from around the stake, and then settledhimself to gnaw the stake in two.
Peter had been hard at work on the stake a long time and had it alittle more than half cut through, when he heard a loud sniffdown at the other end of the orchard. He looked up to see--whomdo 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 afew minutes before he found Peter himself.
Poor Peter Rabbit! There wasn't time to finish cutting off thestake. What could he do? He made a frightened jump just as he hadwhen he first felt the wire tugging at his leg. Just as before,he was thrown flat on his face. He scrambled to his feet andjumped again, only to be thrown just as before. Just then Bowserthe 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, andscrambled to his feet. He was free at last! That is, he couldrun
, but after him dragged a piece of the stake.
How Peter did run! It was hard work, for you know he had to dragthat piece of stake after him. But he did it, and just in time hecrawled into the old stone wall on one side of the orchard, whileBowser 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 FarmerBrown's orchard, waiting for Mrs. Moon to put out her light andleave the world in darkness until jolly, round, red Mr. Sunshould kick off his rosy bed-clothes and begin his daily climb upin 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 Peteralso knew that by this time Hooty the Owl would probably havecaught his dinner. So would old Granny Fox and Reddy Fox. Bowserthe Hound would be too sleepy to be on the watch. It would be thevery safest time for Peter to try to get to his home in the dearOld Briar-patch.
So Peter waited and waited. Twice Bowser the Hound, who hadchased him into the old wall, came over and barked at him andtried to get at him. But the old wall kept Peter safe, andBowser gave it up. And all the time Peter sat waiting he was ingreat pain. You see, that shiny wire was drawn so tight that itcut into his flesh and hurt dreadfully, and to the other end ofthe wire was fastened a piece of wood, part of the stake to whichthe snare had been made fast and which Peter had managed to gnawand break off.