THE ESCAPE
“Hurry up,” said Hungry Hawk. “I’ll keep watch while you’re gone.”
“Well, there goes one old robber,” thought the little rabbit. “Now, if I could only get rid of the other,” and he wiggled his pink nose and scratched his ear; pretty soon he thought of a way.
“Mr. Hawk, if you and Danny Fox will let me go, I’ll tell you something.” (You see, the little rabbit was pretending he didn’t know that the old fox had gone after the pipe.)
“What is it?” asked Hungry Hawk.
“There’s a nice fat squirrel in this tree,” answered the little rabbit. “I’ll drive him out of the back door if you’ll promise to let me go.”
“All right,” replied Hungry Hawk; “but wait a minute till I talk it over with Danny Fox,” and he made believe he was whispering to that old robber.
“Drive out the squirrel; we’ll let you go,” said Hungry Hawk.
Then Little Jack Rabbit made enough racket to drive out an elephant. “I’ve pushed him half through the back door,” he shouted, “but I can’t shove him any farther. Come around and pull him out.”
Hungry Hawk ran around to the back of the tree. Quicker than a wink Little Jack Rabbit hopped through the front door, over the Sunny Meadow, lipperty-clip, clipperty-lip, straight for the Old Bramble Patch.
And maybe Danny Fox wasn’t angry when he got back to the hollow tree with his big corncob pipe and tobacco pouch!
“You silly old bird, to let a little rabbit fool you,” he cried when Hungry Hawk told him what had happened.
Then he lighted his pipe and sat down to have a smoke.
“Next time I’ll do my rabbit hunting alone,” he growled.
“And so will I,” said Hungry Hawk, spreading his wings and flying away.