The Adventures of Prickly Porky Page 3

  Reddy didn't sleep at all well that afternoon, and when at dusk hestarted to hunt for his supper, he found that he had lost hisappetite. Instead of hunting, he spent most of the night in trying tothink of some good reason for not appearing at Prickly Porky's hill atdaybreak. But think as he would, he couldn't think of a single excusethat would sound reasonable. "If only Bowser the Hound wasn't chainedup at night, I would get him to chase me, and then I would have thevery best kind of an excuse," thought he. But he knew that Bowser_was_ chained. Nevertheless he did go up to Farmer Brown's dooryard tomake sure. It was just as he expected,--Bowser was chained.

  Reddy sneaked away without even a look at Farmer Brown's hen-house. Hedidn't see that the door had carelessly been left open, and even if hehad, it would have made no difference. He hadn't a bit of appetite.No, Sir. Reddy Fox wouldn't have eaten the fattest chicken there if ithad been right before him. All he could think of was that queer storytold by Peter Rabbit and Unc' Billy Possum, and the scrape he had gothimself into by his foolish boasting. He just wandered aboutrestlessly, waiting for daybreak and hoping that something would turnup to prevent him from going to Prickly Porky's hill. He didn't dareto tell old Granny Fox about it. He knew just what she would say. Itseemed as if he could hear her sharp voice and the very words:

  "Serves you right for boasting about something you don't know anythingabout. How many times have I told you that no good comes of boasting?A wise Fox never goes near strange things until he has found out allabout them. That is the only way to keep out of trouble and live to aripe old age. Wisdom is nothing but knowledge, and a wise Fox alwaysknows what he is doing."

  So Reddy wandered about all the long night. It seemed as if it neverwould pass, and yet he wished it would last forever. The more hethought about it, the more afraid he grew. At last he saw the firstbeams from jolly, round, red Mr. Sun creeping through the GreenForest. The time had come, and he must choose between making his boastgood or being called a coward by everybody. Very, very slowly, ReddyFox began to walk towards the hill where Prickly Porky lives.

  XII

  WHAT REDDY FOX SAW AND DID

  Who guards his tongue as he would keep A treasure rich and rare, Will keep himself from trouble free, And dodge both fear and care.

  The trouble with a great many people is that they remember this toolate. Reddy Fox is one of these. Reddy is smart and sly and clever insome ways, but he hasn't learned yet to guard his tongue, and half thetrouble he gets into is because of that unruly member. You see it is aboastful tongue and an untruthful tongue and that is the worstcombination for making trouble that I know of. It has landed him inall kinds of scrapes in the past, and here he was in another, all onaccount of that tongue.

  Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun had kicked his rosy blankets off and wassmiling down on the Great World as he began his daily climb up in theblue, blue sky. The Jolly Little Sunbeams were already dancing throughthe Green Forest, chasing out the Black Shadows, and Reddy knew thatit was high time for him to be over by the hill where Prickly Porkythe Porcupine lives. With lagging steps he sneaked along from tree totree, peering out from behind each anxiously, afraid to go on, andstill more afraid not to, for fear that he would be called a coward.

  He had almost reached the foot of the hill without seeing anything outof the usual and without any signs of Unc' Billy Possum. He was justbeginning to hope that Unc' Billy wasn't there, as he had said hewould be, when a voice right over his head said:

  "Ah cert'nly am glad to see that yo' are as good as your word, BrerFox, fo' we need some one brave like yo' to find out what this strangecreature is that has been chasing we-uns."

  Reddy looked up with a sickly grin. There sat Unc' Billy Possum in apine tree right over his head. He knew now that there was no backingout; he had got to go on. He tried to swagger and look very bold andbrave.

  "I told you I'm not afraid. If there's anything queer around here,I'll find out what it is," he once more boasted, but Unc' Billynoticed that his voice sounded just a wee bit trembly.

  "Keep right on to the foot of the hill; that's where Ah saw ityesterday. My, Ah'm glad that we've got some one so truly brave!"replied Unc' Billy.

  Reddy looked at him sharply, but there wasn't a trace of a smile onUnc' Billy's face, and Reddy couldn't tell whether Unc' Billy wasmaking fun of him or not. So, there being nothing else to do, he wenton. He reached the foot of the hill without seeing or hearing a thingout of the usual. The Green Forest seemed just as it always hadseemed. Redeye the Vireo was pouring out his little song of gladness,quite as if everything was just as it should be. Reddy's courage beganto come back. Nothing had happened, and nothing was going to happen.Of course not! It was all some of Peter Rabbit's foolishness. Some dayhe would catch Peter Rabbit and put an end to such silly tales.

  "Ah! What was that?" Reddy's sharp ears had caught a sound up near thetop of the hill. He stopped short and looked up. For just a little weeminute Reddy couldn't believe that his eyes saw right. Coming downthe hill straight towards him was the strangest thing he ever hadseen. He couldn't see any legs. He couldn't see any head. He couldn'tsee any tail. It was round like a ball, but it was the strangestlooking ball that ever was. It was covered with old leaves. Reddywouldn't have believed that it was alive but for the noises it wasmaking. For just a wee minute he stared, and then, what do you thinkhe did? Why, he gave a frightened yelp, put his tail between his legs,and ran just as fast as he could make his legs go. Yes, Sir, that'sjust what Reddy Fox did.

  Reddy wouldn't have believed that it was alive._Page 69._]

  XIII

  REDDY FOX IS VERY MISERABLE

  When Reddy Fox put his tail between his legs and started away fromthat terrible creature coming down the hill where Prickly Porky lives,he thought of nothing but of getting as far away as he could in theshortest time that he could, and so, with a little frightened yelpwith every jump, he ran as he seldom had run before. He forgot allabout Unc' Billy Possum watching from the safety of a big pine-tree.He didn't see Jimmy Skunk poking his head out from behind an old stumpand laughing fit to kill himself. When he reached the edge of theGreen Forest, he didn't even see Peter Rabbit jump out of his pathand dodge into a hollow log.

  When Reddy was safely past, Peter came out. He sat up very straight,with his ears pointing right up to the sky and his eyes wide open withsurprise as he stared after Reddy. "Why! Why, my gracious, I dobelieve Reddy has had a fright!" exclaimed Peter. Then, being Peter,he right away began to wonder what could have frightened Reddy so, andin a minute he thought of the strange creature which had frightenedhim a few days before. "I do believe that was it!" he cried. "I dobelieve it was. Reddy is coming from the direction of Prickly Porky's,and that was where I got my fright. I--I--"

  Peter hesitated. The truth is he was wondering if he dared go up thereand see if that strange creature without head, tail, or legs reallywas around again. He knew it would be a foolish thing to do, for hemight walk right into danger. He knew that little Mrs. Peter waswaiting for him over in the dear Old Briar-patch and that she wouldworry, for he ought to be there this very blessed minute. But he wasvery curious to know what had frightened Reddy so, and his curiosity,which has led him into so many scrapes, grew greater with everypassing minute.

  "It won't do any harm to go part way up there," thought Peter."Perhaps I will find out something without going way up there."

  So, instead of starting for home as he should have done, he turnedback through the Green Forest and, stopping every few hops to look andlisten, made his way clear to the foot of the hill where Prickly Porkylives. There he hid under a little hemlock-tree and looked in everydirection for the strange creature which had frightened him so thelast time he was there. But nobody was to be seen but Prickly Porky,Jimmy Skunk, and Unc' Billy Possum rolling around in the leaves at thetop of the hill and laughing fit to kill themselves.

  "There's no danger here; that is sure," thought Peter shrewdly, "and Ibelieve those fellows have been up to some trick."

>   With that he boldly hopped up the hill and joined them. "What's thejoke?" he demanded.

  "Did you meet Reddy Fox?" asked Jimmy Skunk, wiping the tears oflaughter from his eyes.

  "Did I meet him? Why, he almost ran into me and didn't see me at all.I guess he's running yet. Now, what's the joke?" Peter demanded.

  When the others could stop laughing long enough, they gathered aroundPeter and told him something that sent Peter off into such a fit oflaughter that it made his sides ache, "That's a good one on Reddy, andit was just as good a one on me," he declared. "Now who else can wescare?"

  All of which shows that there was something very like mischief beingplanned on the hill where Prickly Porky the Porcupine lives.

  XIV

  REDDY FOX TRIES TO KEEP OUT OF SIGHT

  Never in all his life was Reddy Fox more uncomfortable in his mind. Heknew that by this time everybody in the Green Forest, on the GreenMeadows, around the Smiling Pool, and along the Laughing Brook, knewhow he had put his tail between his legs and run with all his might atthe first glimpse of the strange creature which had rolled down thehill of Prickly Porky. And he was right; everybody _did_ know it, andeverybody _was_ laughing about it. Unc' Billy Possum, Jimmy Skunk,Prickly Porky, and Peter Rabbit had seen him run, and you may be surethey told everybody they met about it, and news like that travelsvery fast.

  It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't boasted beforehand that ifhe met the strange creature he would wait for it and find out what itwas. As it was, he had run just as Peter Rabbit had run when he sawit, and he had been just as much frightened as Peter had. Now, as hesneaked along trying to find something to eat, for he was hungry, hedid his very best to keep out of sight. Usually he is very proud ofhis handsome red coat, but now he wished that he could get rid of it.It is very hard to keep out of sight when you have bright coloredclothes. Presently Sammy Jay's sharp eyes spied him as he tried tocrawl up on the young family of Mrs. Grouse. At once Sammy flew overthere screaming at the top of his lungs:

  "Reddy Fox is very brave when there's no danger near; But where there is, alas, alack! he runs away in fear."

  Reddy looked up at Sammy and snarled. It was of no use at all now totry to surprise and catch any of the family of Mrs. Grouse, so heturned around and hurried away, trying to escape from Sammy's sharpeyes. He had gone only a little way when a sharp voice called:"Coward! Coward! Coward!" It was Chatterer the Red Squirrel.

  No sooner had he got out out of Chatterer's sight than he heardanother voice. It was saying over and over:

  "Dee, dee, dee! Oh, me, me! Some folks can talk so very brave And then such cowards be."

  It was Tommy Tit the Chickadee. Reddy couldn't think of a thing to sayin reply, and so he hurried on, trying to find a place where he wouldbe left in peace. But nowhere that he could go was he free from thosetaunting voices. Not even when he had crawled into his house was hefree from them, for buzzing around his doorway was Bumble Bee andBumble was humming:

  "Bumble, grumble, rumble, hum! Reddy surely can run some."

  Late that afternoon old Granny Fox called him out, and it was clear tosee that Granny was very much put out about something. "What is this Ihear everywhere I go about you being a coward?" she demanded sharply,as soon as he put his head out of the doorway.

  Reddy hung his head, and in a very shamefaced way he told her aboutthe terrible fright he had had and all about the strange creaturewithout legs, head, or tail that had rolled down the hill wherePrickly Porky lives.

  "Serves you right for boasting!" snapped Granny. "How many times haveI told you that no good comes of boasting? Probably somebody hasplayed a trick on you. I've lived a good many years, and I neverbefore heard of such a creature. If there were one, I'd have seen itbefore now. You go back into the house and stay there. You are adisgrace to the Fox family. I am going to have a look about and findout what is going on. If this is some trick, they'll find that oldGranny Fox isn't so easily fooled."

  XV

  OLD GRANNY FOX INVESTIGATES

  In-vest-i-gate is a great big word, but its meaning is very simple. Toin-vest-i-gate is to look into and try to find out all aboutsomething. That is what old Granny Fox started to do after Reddy hadtold her about the terrible fright he had had at the hill wherePrickly Porky lives.

  Now old Granny Fox is very sly and smart and clever, as you all know.Compared with her, Reddy Fox is almost stupid. He may be as sly andsmart and clever some day, but he has got a lot to learn before then.Now if it had been Reddy who was going to investigate, he would havegone straight over to Prickly Porky's hill and looked around andasked sly questions, and everybody whom he met would have known thathe was trying to find out something.

  But old Granny Fox did nothing of the kind. Oh, my, no! She went abouthunting her dinner just as usual and didn't appear to be paying theleast attention to what was going on about her. With her nose to theground she ran this way and ran that way as if hunting for a trail.She peered into old hollow logs and looked under little brush piles,and so, in course of time, she came to the hill where Prickly Porkylives.

  Now Reddy had told Granny that the terrible creature that had sofrightened him had rolled down the hill at him, for he was at thebottom. Granny had heard that the same thing had happened to PeterRabbit and to Unc' Billy Possum. So instead of coming to the hillalong the hollow at the bottom, she came to it from the other way."If there is anything there, I'll be behind it instead of in front ofit," she thought shrewdly.

  As she drew near where Prickly Porky lives, she kept eyes and earswide open, all the time pretending to pay attention to nothing but thehunt for her dinner. No one would ever have guessed that she wasthinking of anything else. She ran this way and that way all over thehill, but nothing out of the usual did she see or hear excepting onething: she did find some queer marks down the hill as if somethingmight have rolled there. She followed these down to the bottom, butthere they disappeared.

  As she was trotting home along the Lone Little Path through the GreenForest, she met Unc' Billy Possum. No, she didn't exactly meet him,because he saw her before she saw him, and he promptly climbed atree.

  "Ah suppose yo'all heard of the terrible creature that scared Reddyalmost out of his wits early this mo'ning," said Unc' Billy.

  Granny stopped and looked up. "It doesn't take much to scare the youngand innocent, Mr. Possum," she replied. "I don't believe all I hear.I've just been hunting all over the hill where Prickly Porky lives,and I couldn't find so much as a Wood Mouse for dinner. Do you believesuch a foolish tale, Mr. Possum?"

  Unc' Billy coughed behind one hand. "Yes, Mrs. Fox, Ah confess Ah donehave to believe it," he replied. "Yo' see, Ah done see that thing mahown self, and Ah just naturally has to believe mah own eyes."

  "Huh! I'd like to see it! Maybe I'd believe it then!" snapped GrannyFox.

  "The only time to see it is just at sun-up," replied Unc' Billy."Anybody that comes along through that hollow at the foot of BrerPorky's hill at sun-up is likely never to forget it. Ah wouldn't do itagain. No, Sah, once is enough fo' your Unc' Billy."

  "Huh!" snorted Granny and trotted on.

  Unc' Billy watched her out of sight and grinned broadly. "As sho' asBrer Sun gets up to-morrow mo'ning, Ol' Granny Fox will be there," hechuckled. "Ah must get word to Brer Porky and Brer Skunk and BrerRabbit."

  XVI

  OLD GRANNY FOX LOSES HER DIGNITY

  Unc' Billy Possum had passed the word along to Jimmy Skunk, PeterRabbit, and Prickly Porky that old Granny Fox would be on hand atsun-up to see for herself the strange creature which had frightenedReddy Fox at the foot of the hill where Prickly Porky lives. How didUnc' Billy know? Well, he just guessed. He is quite as shrewd andclever as Granny Fox herself, and when he told her that the only timethe strange creature everybody was talking about was seen was atsun-up, he guessed by the very way she sniffed and pretended not tobelieve it at all that she would visit Prickly Porky's hill the nextmorning.

  "The ol' lady suspec
ts that there is some trick, and we-uns have gotto be very careful," warned Unc' Billy, as he and his three friendsput their heads together in the early evening. "She is done bound tocome snooping around before sun-up," he continued, "and we-uns must beout of sight, all excepting Brer Porky. She'll come just the way shedid this afternoon,--from back of the hill instead of along theholler."

  Unc' Billy was quite right. Old Granny Fox felt very sure that someone was playing tricks, so she didn't wait until jolly, round, red Mr.Sun was out of bed. She was at the top of the hill where Prickly Porkylives a full hour before sun-up, and there she sat down to wait. Shecouldn't see or hear anything in the least suspicious. You see, Unc'Billy Possum was quite out of sight, as he sat in the thickest part ofa hemlock-tree, and Peter Rabbit was sitting perfectly still in ahollow log, and Jimmy Skunk wasn't showing so much as the tip of hisnose, as he lay just inside the doorway of an old house under theroots of a big stump. Only Prickly Porky was to be seen, and he seemedto be asleep in his favorite tree. Everything seemed to be just as oldGranny Fox had seen it a hundred times before.

  At last the Jolly Little Sunbeams began to dance through the GreenForest, chasing out the Black Shadows. Redeye the Vireo awoke and atonce began to sing, as is his way, not even waiting to get a mouthfulof breakfast. Prickly Porky yawned and grunted. Then he climbed downfrom the tree he had been sitting in, walked slowly over to another,started to climb it, changed his mind, and began to poke around in thedead leaves. Old Granny Fox arose and slowly stretched. She glanced atPrickly Porky contemptuously. She had seen him act in this stupid,uncertain way dozens of times before. Then slowly, watching outsharply on both sides of her, without appearing to do so, she walkeddown the hill to the hollow at the foot.