“Follow the wind, Buster,” replied Sleepy, “and travel day and night until you get there. That’s all I know.”
The wind was blowing from the north, and after traveling in that direction all night, crossing fields, woods and swamps, he came to rest in a dense thicket. “I’ll sleep here,” he said, “until night, and then go on.”
He didn’t want to show himself in the day time, and so he slept soundly all day. When he stretched himself toward sundown, he saw Curly the Skunk nearby watching.
“How far is it to the North Woods, Curly?” he asked. “And which way do I go?”
“It’s far again as you’ve traveled, Buster,” was the reply, “and it will take you twice as long to reach it, for there’s a big river to cross. Follow the moon, and you won’t miss it.”
Buster thanked him for this information, and as there was a bright moon he had no trouble in keeping in the right direction. As on the previous night he traveled until the dawn of a new day, and then once more sought refuge in a dense swamp to sleep.
He was awake bright and early, rising before the moon was up. This time he asked Washer the Raccoon, who responded promptly:
“Follow the trail made by White Tail the Deer until you come to the river. Then cross it, if you can. It’s a long swim, and I wouldn’t like to undertake it.”
Again Buster thanked his little forest friend, and resumed his hard journey. He was pretty tired and dirty by this time, for he had walked through swamps and thickets of briars in the dark, and had fallen and stumbled a number of times. But he had to reach the North Woods where he would be in no further danger of capture. Now that he had decided to return to his old home, he wasn’t going to be turned aside by anything.
He reached the bank of the river by dawn. It was certainly a wide river, and very swift. He walked in it and drank his fill of cool, refreshing water. Seeing Billy the Mink washing himself on the bank, he called to him: “Must I swim the river to reach the North Woods, Billy?”