They were pretty creatures, these baby deer, with their soft orange-brown coats spotted with white, and their great innocent brown eyes! Everything about them, from their slender legs to their swinging stride, was graceful.
Now the mothers formed in line, the little ones trailing along behind them. “Ah!” thought Frisky Fox, “a game of ‘Follow the Leader’.” He and his brothers had often played it with Father and Mother Red Fox.
At first the does ran slowly around the clearing, then they quickened their pace, the little ones trying their best to keep up.
Suddenly Fleet Foot, who was in the lead, leaped over a fallen log at the edge of the glade and off into the woodland. The other does followed. Then came Fleet Foot’s youngest. This little scamp only ran around the log, while her brother crawled under.
But that was not what Fleet Foot wanted. She came back, stamping her foot for attention.
“Do just as I do!” she insisted. “Now come back and try it over again.” And she trotted out into the glade, and circled around it, the tinier fawn close at her heels, till she came to the log again.
“Now!” she stamped, taking the leap once more. The fawn followed till she came to the log, then stopped short, with her nose against it. Fleet Foot hurdled back, and coming up behind, butted the youngster with her head till the fawn tried to jump. This time the little creature went over, as light as a bit of thistle-down—probably much to her own surprise.
Then Fleet Foot turned to the larger fawn. “Come, now, there’s nothing like trying,” she urged. But he only gave a ba-a-ah! and wriggled under the tree-trunk again.
“Follow me,” his mother bade him. First she led him several times around the glade. “Now!” she stamped, leaping the log once more. This time he followed without stopping to think about it.
The other fawns behaved much the same way, but at last their mothers had them all in line. Then what a race they had! First around and around the opening, faster and faster and faster. Then, without warning, across the log and back again, till every infant buck and doe of them could do it perfectly.