"I—I—guess that Peter Rabbit is a good enough name, after all," he panted.
IV. Peter Rabbit Fools Jimmy Skunk
Peter Rabbit came hopping and skipping down the Crooked Little Path. Unc' Billy Possum always calls him Brer Rabbit, but everybody else calls him Peter. Peter was feeling very fine that morning, very fine indeed. Every few minutes he jumped up in the air, and kicked his heels together, just for fun. Presently he met Jimmy Skunk.
Jimmy was on his way back from Farmer Brown's corn field, where he had been helping Blacky the Crow get free from a snare. Jimmy was still tickling and laughing over the way Blacky the Crow had been caught. He had to tell Peter Rabbit all about it.
Peter thought it just as good a joke as did Jimmy, and the two trotted along side by side, planning how they would spread the news all over the Green Meadows that Blacky the Crow, who thinks himself so smart, had been caught.
"That reminds me," said Jimmy Skunk suddenly, "I haven't had my breakfast yet. Have you seen any beetles this morning, Peter Rabbit?"
Peter Rabbit stopped and scratched his long left ear with his long left hind foot.
"Now you speak of it, it seems to me that I did," said Peter Rabbit.
"Where?" asked Jimmy Skunk eagerly.
Peter pretended to think very hard.
"It seems to me that it was back at the top of the Crooked Little Path up the hill," said Peter.
"I think I will go look for them at once," replied Jimmy.
"All right," replied Peter, "I'll show you the way."
So up the Crooked Little Path hopped Peter Rabbit, and right behind him trotted Jimmy Skunk. By and by they came to an old pine stump. Peter Rabbit stopped. He put one hand on his lips.
"Hush!" whispered Peter. "I think there is a whole family of beetles on the other side of this stump. You creep around the other side, and I'll creep around this side. When I thump the ground, you spring right around and grab them before they can run away."
So Jimmy Skunk crept around one side of the stump, and Peter Rabbit crept around the other side. Suddenly Peter thumped the ground hard, twice. Jimmy Skunk was waiting and all ready to spring. When he heard those thumps, he just sprang as quickly as he could. What do you think happened?
Why, Jimmy Skunk landed thump! right on Reddy Fox, who was taking a sun nap on the other side of the pine stump!
"Ha, ha, ha," shouted Peter Rabbit, and started down the Crooked Little Path as fast as his long legs could take him.
V. Reddy Pox Gets into Trouble
Reddy Fox, curled up behind the big pine stump, was dreaming of a coop full of chickens, where there was no Bowser the Hound to watch over them. Suddenly something landed on him with a thump that knocked all his breath out. For an instant it frightened Reddy so that he just shook and shook. Then he got his senses together and discovered that it was Jimmy Skunk who had jumped on him.
Jimmy was very polite. He begged Reddy's pardon. He protested that it was all a mistake. He explained how Peter Rabbit had played a trick on both of them, and how he himself was just looking for beetles for breakfast.
Now, Reddy Fox is very quick tempered, and as soon as he realized that he had been made the victim of a joke, he lost his temper completely. He glared at Jimmy Skunk. He was so angry that he stuttered.
"Y-y-you, y-y-y-you, y-y-y-you did that on p-p-purpose," said Reddy Fox.
"No such thing!" declared Jimmy Skunk. "I tell you it was a joke on the part of Peter Rabbit, and if you don't believe me, just look down there on the Green Meadows."
Reddy Fox looked. There sat Peter, his hands on his hips, his long ears pointed straight up to the blue sky, and his mouth wide open, as he laughed at the results of his joke.
Reddy shook his fist.
"Ha, ha, ha," shouted Peter Rabbit.
Reddy Fox looked hard at Jimmy Skunk, but like all the other little meadow and forest people, he has a very great respect for Jimmy Skunk, and though he would have liked to quarrel with Jimmy, he thought it wisest not to. Instead, he started after Peter Rabbit as fast as his legs could go.
Now, Reddy Fox can run very fast, and when Peter saw him coming, Peter knew that he would have to use his own long legs to the very best of his ability. Away they went across the Green Meadows. Jimmy Skunk, sitting on top of the hill, could see the white patch on the seat of Peter Rabbit's trousers bobbing this way and that way, and right behind him was Reddy Fox. Now, Peter Rabbit could run fast enough to keep away from Reddy for a while. You remember that Peter's eyes are so placed that he can see behind him without turning his head. So he knew when Reddy was getting too near.
In and out among the bushes along the edge of the Green Meadows they dodged, and the more he had to run, the angrier Reddy Fox grew. He paid no attention to where they were going; his whole thought was of catching Peter Rabbit.
Now, when Peter began to grow tired he began to work over towards Farmer Brown's corn field, where he knew that Farmer Brown's boy was hiding, with Bowser the Hound. Dodging this way and that way, Peter worked over to the fence corner, where Jimmy Skunk had watched Blacky the Crow get caught in a snare. He let Reddy almost catch him, then he dodged out into the open corn field, and Reddy, of course, followed him, "Bow-wow, bow-wow-wow!"
Reddy did not need to turn to know what had happened. Bowser the Hound had seen him and was after him. Peter just ducked behind a big bunch of grass and sat down to get his breath, while Reddy started off as hard as he could go, with Bowser the Hound behind him.
VI. Reddy Fools Bowser the Hound
Away across the Green Meadows and up the hill through the Green Forest raced Reddy Fox at the top of his speed. Behind him, nose to the ground, came Bowser the Hound, baying at the top of his lungs. Reddy ran along an old stone wall and jumped as far out into the field as he could.
"I guess that will fool him for a while," panted Reddy, as he sat down to get his breath.
When Bowser came to the place where Reddy had jumped on the stone wall, he just grinned.
"That's too old a trick to fool me one minute," said Bowser to himself, and he just made a big circle, so that in a few minutes he had found Reddy's tracks again.
Every trick that Reddy had heard old Granny Fox tell about he tried, in order to fool Bowser the Hound, but it was of no use at all. Bowser seemed to know exactly what Reddy was doing, and wasted no time.
Reddy was beginning to get worried. He was getting dreadfully out of breath. His legs ached. His big, plumey tail, of which he is very, very proud, had become dreadfully heavy. Granny Fox had warned him never, never to run into the snug house they had dug unless he was obliged to to save his life, for that would tell Bowser the Hound where they lived, and then they would have to move.
How Reddy did wish that wise old Granny Fox would come to his relief. He was running along the back of Farmer Brown's pasture, and he could hear Bowser the Hound altogether too near for comfort. He looked this way and he looked that way