"I'd like a purple velvet vest," said Prof. Jim Crow; "it will go very nicely with my black swallow-tail coat."
Then the funny little old man pulled out his hand, and, would you believe it? he handed Little Jack Rabbit a diamond pin. And then he put his hand in the bag again and drew out a watch, a ring, and a lovely purple vest.
"Goodness gracious me, but you are generous," said Uncle John Hare. "How can we ever repay you?"
"I will tell you," answered the little old man. "And I hope you will be willing to do what I ask."
"Oh, dear me," thought Little Jack Rabbit, "I know he's going to ask us to do something dangerous."
"In yonder forest," said the little old man, "lives an old witch who keeps in a wicker cage a lovely bird. Now this little bird is really my daughter, but the wicked witch has cast a spell over her. And the only way she can be set free is for someone to touch her with a little blue flower which grows all by itself near a big oak tree, not far from here."
"I will fly away and bring back the flower," said Professor Jim Crow.
"Now then," said the funny little old man, "I will tell you what to do. The little pig must go around to the back of the witch's hut and dig up her garden, and when she runs out to send him away, you two rabbits hop up on the porch and carry off the cage. And as soon as you have it safe in the Bunnymobile, come back to me. I will wait for you here."
Well, by this time, as Prof. Jim Crow had flown after the flower, the two little rabbits and the pig started off for the witch's hut and by and by, after a while, they stopped in the wood and got out. And when they were quite near, the little pig ran around to the back and began to dig up the garden.
Pretty soon, the old witch ran out of the back door to chase the pig and by this time Little Jack Rabbit had placed the birdcage in the Bunnymobile. But, oh dear me. Just as he and his uncle were driving away they heard a dreadful scream, and in the next story I'll tell you what happened after that.