Just then a great commotion back of him made him turn. Out of a big hole in a tree came Great Horn the Owl.
“What is it!” he cried. Then seeing the white rabbit, he added: “Is it true, Bumper, the woods are on fire?”
“I’m afraid they are, Great Horn. Baldy the Eagle said the fire’s coming this way rapidly.”
“Then I must pack up and leave at once. But I’m so blind I can’t see which way to fly.”
“Follow the wind, Great Horn, and you won’t need your eyes. It’s blowing away from the fire.”
“That’s so. I’ll do it. Thank you for the kind advice, Bumper. Now I must hurry.”
“And I, too,” said Bumper.
But once more there was a crash, and through the bushes sprang White Tail the Deer. Bumper expected to see Sneaky the Wolf or Buster the Bear after him, but when neither appeared he hailed the deer.
“Is it the fire you’re running from, White Tail?” he called.
“Yes, all the woods will be burnt up. You’d better run for the river, Bumper. It’s your only chance.”