XXII
OLD MAN COYOTE LOSES HIS APPETITE
Hardly was Sammy Jay out of sight, flying towards the Old Orchard,before Old Man Coyote started for the Green Forest. He is very sharp,is Old Man Coyote, so sharp that it is not very often that he isfooled. If Sammy Jay had gone to him and told him what a splendidchance he would have to catch Peter Rabbit if he hurried up to theGreen Forest right away, Old Man Coyote would have suspected a trickof some kind. Sammy had been clever enough to know this. So he hadjust mentioned in the most matter-of-fact way that he had seen Peterover on Prickly Porky's hill and that Peter appeared to have been introuble, so that he was too lame to go to his home in the dear OldBriar-patch. There wasn't even a hint that Old Man Coyote should goover there. This was what made him sure that the news about Peter wasprobably true.
Now as soon as Sammy was sure that Old Man Coyote couldn't see him, heheaded straight for the Green Forest and the hill where Prickly Porky,Jimmy Skunk, Unc' Billy Possum, and Peter and Mrs. Peter Rabbit werewaiting. As he flew, he saw Reddy Fox and old Granny Fox stretchedflat behind an old log some distance away, but where they could seeall that might happen.
"I knew they would be on hand," he chuckled.
When he reached the others, he reported that he had delivered themessage to Old Man Coyote, and that he was very sure, in fact he waspositive, that Old Man Coyote was already on his way there in the hopethat he would be able to catch Peter Rabbit. It was decided thateverybody but Peter should get out of sight at once. So Unc' BillyPossum climbed a tree. Jimmy Skunk crawled into a hollow log. SammyJay hid in the thickest part of a hemlock tree. Prickly Porky gotbehind a big stump right at the top of the hill. Little Mrs. Peter,with her heart going pit-a-pat, crept into the old house between theroots of this same old stump, and only Peter was to be seen when atlast Old Man Coyote came tiptoeing along the hollow at the foot of thehill, as noiseless as a gray shadow.
He saw Peter almost as soon as Peter saw him, and the instant he sawhim, he stopped as still as if he were made of stone. Peter took acouple of steps, and it was very plain to see that he was lame, justas Sammy Jay had said.
"That good-for-nothing Jay told the truth for once," thought Old ManCoyote, with a hungry gleam in his eyes.
Whenever Old Man Coyote thought that Peter was not looking his way, hewould crawl on his stomach from one tree to another, always getting alittle nearer to Peter. He would lie perfectly still when Peter seemedto be looking towards him. Now of course Peter knew just what wasgoing on, and he took the greatest care not to get more than a coupleof jumps away from the old house under the big stump, where Mrs. Peterwas hiding and wishing with all her might that she and Peter were backin the dear Old Briar-patch. It was very still in the Green Forestsave for the song of happiness of Redeye the Vireo who, if he knewwhat was going on, made no sign. My, but it was exciting to those whowere watching!
Old Man Coyote had crept half-way up the hill, and Peter was wonderinghow much nearer he could let him get with safety, when a suddengrunting broke out right behind him. Peter knew what it meant andjumped to one side. Then down the hill, rolling straight towards OldMan Coyote, started the strange, headless, tailess, legless creaturethat had so frightened Reddy and Granny Fox.
Old Man Coyote took one good look, hesitated, looked again, and thenturned tail and started for the Green Meadows as fast as his long legswould take him. It was plain to see that he was afraid, very muchafraid. Quite suddenly he had lost his appetite.
XXIII
BUSTER BEAR GIVES IT ALL AWAY
It was very clear that Old Man Coyote wasn't thinking about hisstomach just then, but about his legs and how fast they could go. Hehad been half-way up the hill when he first saw the terrible creaturewithout head, tail, or legs rolling down straight at him. He stoppedonly long enough for one good look and then he started for the bottomof the hill as fast as he could make his legs go. Now, it is a verybad plan to run fast down-hill. Yes, Sir, it is a very bad plan. Yousee, once you are started, it is not the easiest thing in the world tostop. And then again, you are quite likely to stub your toes.
This is what Old Man Coyote did. He stubbed his toes and turned acomplete somersault. He looked so funny that the little scampswatching him had all they could do to keep from shouting right out.Old Granny Fox and Reddy Fox, looking on from a safe distance, didlaugh. You know they had not been friendly with Old Man Coyote sincehe came to live on the Green Meadows, and as they had themselves had aterrible fright when they first saw the strange creature, theyrejoiced in seeing him frightened.
But Old Man Coyote didn't stop for a little thing like a tumble. Oh,my, no! He just rolled over on to his feet and was off again, harderthan before. Now there are very few people who can see behind themwithout turning their heads as Peter Rabbit can, and Old Man Coyoteis not one of them. Trying to watch behind him, he didn't see wherehe was going, and the first thing he knew he ran bump into--guess who!Why, Buster Bear, to be sure.
Where Buster had come from nobody knew, but there he was, as big aslife. When Old Man Coyote ran into him, he growled a deep, provokedgrowl and whirled around with one big paw raised to cuff whoever hadso nearly upset him. Old Man Coyote, more frightened than ever, yelpedand ran harder than before, so that by the time Buster Bear saw who itwas who had run into him, he was safely out of reach and stillrunning.
Then it was that Buster Bear first saw, rolling down the hill, thestrange creature which had so frightened Old Man Coyote. Unc' BillyPossum, Jimmy Skunk, Sammy Jay, Peter Rabbit and Mrs. Peter, watchingfrom safe hiding places, wondered if Buster would run too. If he did,it would be almost too good to be true. But he didn't. He looked firstat the strange creature rolling down the hill, then at Old Man Coyoterunning as hard as ever he could, and his shrewd little eyes began totwinkle. Then he began to laugh.
"Ha, ha, ha! Ho, ho, ho! Ha, ha, ho! I see you are up to your oldtricks, Prickly Porky!" he shouted, as the strange creature rolledpast, almost over his toes and brought up against a little tree at thefoot of the hill.
"I see you are up to your old tricks, Prickly Porky!"he shouted. _Page 114._]
Old Man Coyote heard him and stopped short and turned to see what itmeant. Very slowly the strange creature unrolled and turned over.There was a head now and a tail and four legs. It was none other thanPrickly Porky himself! There was no doubt about it, though he stilllooked very strange, for he was covered with dead leaves which clungto the thousand little spears hidden in his coat. Prickly Porkygrinned.
"You shouldn't have given me away, Buster Bear, just because you haveseen me roll down hill before in the Great Woods where we both camefrom," said he.
"I think it was high time I did," replied Buster Bear, stillchuckling. "You might have scared somebody to death down here wherethey don't know you."
Then everybody came out of their hiding places, laughing and talkingall at once, as they told Buster Bear of the joke they had played onOld Man Coyote, and how it had all grown out of the fright PeterRabbit had received when he just happened along as Prickly Porky wasrolling down hill just for fun. As for Old Man Coyote, he sneakedaway, grinding his teeth angrily. Like a great many other people, hecouldn't take a joke on himself.
So Prickly Porky made himself at home in the Green Forest and took hisplace among the little people who live there. In just the same way OldMan Coyote came as a stranger to the Green Meadows and establishedhimself there. In the next book you may read all about how he came tothe Green Meadows and of some of his adventures there and in the GreenForest.
THE END
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