"I don't care very much about it," spoke Brighteyes. "I would rather find another box of peanut candy;" but because she loved Buddy, and did not want him to start off alone, she consented to climb the big hill with him. So they started off. At first it was rather easy, and they went up quite fast. At the foot of the hill were blackberry bushes and the guinea pig children gathered as many berries as they could eat.
But, as they went farther and farther up, the bushes grew more scarce, until there were none. Then came a place where there was tall grass and many stones, so that it was hard to walk. But Buddy and Brighteyes kept on, and pretty soon they met a grasshopper.
"Where are you going?" asked the grasshopper.
"To the top of the hill, to see the view," answered Buddy.
"You will never get there, the way you are going," said the grasshopper. "You should jump as I do," and he gave three big hops and a little one to show how well he could do it.
"We cannot hop," remarked Brighteyes, "but we have a friend who can."
"Who?" asked the grasshopper, as he scratched his two big hind legs together, like a man playing the fiddle.
"Sammie Littletail, the rabbit," said Buddy. "He can hop."
"Yes, Sammie is a good jumper," admitted the grasshopper, and he hid under a stone, for just then he saw a big bird looking hungrily at him. Well, Buddy and Brighteyes went on and on, and up and up, and pretty soon they met an ant.
"Where are you going?" asked the ant.