Part 5 (1/2)

Doctor Rabbit knew very well that somehow he must drive Brushtail out of the Big Green Woods. None of the little creatures would be safe for a moment until this was done. Yes, cruel, sly old Brushtail must be driven away, and everything depended on our clever Doctor Rabbit.

As Doctor Rabbit started hopping along through the woods he said quietly to himself, ”Of course this scheme I have in mind may not work. But it is worth trying anyway. I won't tell any of my friends about it, and then if I don't catch Brushtail they won't be disappointed. But if I _do_ catch him!”

Right here Doctor Rabbit stopped and laughed and laughed. ”My,” he continued, ”if I _do_ catch him, won't Stubby Woodchuck and Cheepy Chipmunk and all the others be surprised! Well, I should say they _will_ be surprised!”

And Doctor Rabbit went hopping along, chuckling to himself and feeling mighty fine. He is always happy when he has thought of a plan to get rid of some big, cruel animal.

Doctor Rabbit kept going until he came to a part of the Big Green Woods where the Murmuring Brook was widest and deepest. He knew just what he was looking for, too. You see, Farmer Roe's boy had been setting his fis.h.i.+ng lines here every night. Each morning he would pull his lines out of the water, take the fish off, and then leave one or two of the lines lying on the bank until evening.

Doctor Rabbit wanted one of these fis.h.i.+ng lines, and when he reached the place, sure enough, there was a long, stout fis.h.i.+ng line lying right on the ground. There were some hooks on the end of the line, but Doctor Rabbit did not want these, so with his sharp teeth he cut them off. Then he picked up the line and took it some distance away to a big thicket. Here Doctor Rabbit began making a loop in one end of that fis.h.i.+ng line and chuckling as he worked.

Well, in just a little while he had that loop all fixed. Then he spread out the loop, which was made so it would slip, on a nice patch of open ground near the thicket. The other end of the line he hid in the thicket. Then he went over to the edge of the Murmuring Brook. He moved along the edge of the brook and watched ever so carefully. Now what do you suppose Doctor Rabbit was looking for this time? Well, sir, he was looking for a live fish. He saw several and made a grab for them, but they all got away. But Doctor Rabbit is very patient, and presently he seized a nice one and carried it, wiggling in his mouth, back to the loop he had made in that line. He dropped the small fish in the center of the loop. The fish didn't jump much now; it only wiggled and flapped its tail a little, and that was just what Doctor Rabbit wanted it to do.

He ran into the thicket where the other end of the line was and waited for Brushtail the Fox to come along.

As Doctor Rabbit waited and listened he heard footsteps approaching.

He peeped out to see who it was. It wasn't Brushtail at all; it was Ray c.o.o.n. And my, you should have seen Mr. c.o.o.n run for that fish when he saw it!

”Hurrah!” Ray c.o.o.n shouted. ”Some one has lost a fish. Here's my breakfast right here!”

And he was just about to pounce upon the fish when he was almost scared out of his wits by Doctor Rabbit calling out, ”Boo! Let that fish alone, Neighbor! I put it there to catch Brushtail the Fox! Come here, into the thicket.”

And so Ray c.o.o.n, looking rather foolish, went into the thicket where Doctor Rabbit was hiding.

”Keep right still!” Doctor Rabbit whispered to his friend. ”I was going to try to catch old Brushtail all by myself,” he continued, ”but now that you have happened along you'd better stay, for I may need some help.”

”How are you going to catch him, Doctor Rabbit?” Ray c.o.o.n asked. And Doctor Rabbit just pointed one foot out toward the loop and the squirming fish. Then Ray c.o.o.n understood, and how he did chuckle! He was just as much amused as was Doctor Rabbit and they both laughed and laughed, but they had to be very quiet, of course, because at any minute Brushtail might come along.

Suddenly Doctor Rabbit peeked out and whispered, ”s.h.!.+ s.h.!.+ Keep as still as anything! There comes old Brushy now. And yes, he's coming this way!”

BRUSHTAIL THE FOX IS ALMOST CAUGHT

Doctor Rabbit and Ray c.o.o.n kept perfectly quiet in the thicket and watched Brushtail the Fox as he came creeping along. When he saw the fish lying in that loop, my, how wide Brushtail's eyes did open! The fish jumped and squirmed just enough to make Brushtail want it very badly. He was so delighted that he stood up on his hind legs and danced toward the fish.

”Ha! ha!” he laughed. ”It was probably old Bald Eagle who flew over the woods and dropped his fis.h.!.+ Ha! ha! ha! That's luck for me--a fine fish for breakfast. And I did not have to get my feet wet to catch it.” Then Brushtail began to sing:

”Great flying Bald Eagle caught a fish, And flew away to eat him; But down it fell through green treetops, And Brushy Fox will cheat him!”

Brushtail finished his song and jumped for the fish. He jumped, of course, right into that loop Doctor Rabbit had made in the stout fis.h.i.+ng cord. Well, sir, just as soon as Brushtail's feet touched the ground inside that loop, Doctor Rabbit and Ray c.o.o.n jerked the line as quickly and as firmly as they could. The loop slipped up and caught Brushtail around the body. My, but he was surprised and scared! I should say he was! He forgot the fish instantly, and he yelled ever so loud, ”Let me go,” although he did not know, of course, just what it was that had caught him.

The way he yelled and started pulling to get away was so funny that Doctor Rabbit and Ray c.o.o.n laughed until they could scarcely hold the line.

They wrapped the line around their paws and held on as hard as ever they could. And my, how Brushtail did dig his claws into the ground and pull!

When he found he couldn't free himself he was more frightened than ever and shouted (because, you see, he could not see what held him), ”You let go of me, you old ghost, or goblin man! You let go of me or I'll claw you to pieces! Let go of me or I'll come back there and pull all your hair out, and I'll throw you in the briars so far you'll never get out and they will stick you forever!”

And all the time Brushtail was talking this he was digging his claws into the ground and pulling with all his might.