Nibble thought this kind of hide and seek was pretty good fun. He was quite disappointed when Tommy went off without looking for him any longer. Still, the grass tasted very sweet where the cows had scraped off the snow for him. Pretty soon he said to himself: “I guess I’d better be thinking about getting back to the Woods again. I’ll be safer if I can reach the Clover Patch without meeting—”
And he stopped right on that word. For there, following his trail, was the very beast he was thinking of—Silvertip! And Silvertip doesn’t have to see any one to follow him!
“There’s only one thing for me to do,” thought the Bunny. “I’ll make a new triangle and end up on that big Brown Log over there.” So he did. And he crouched down on it as close as ever he could and held his breath while Silvertip came closer and closer. Now he was by the stone! Now he was at the grassy spot! Now—
Now that big Brown Log did a very queer thing. It began to move. It rocked and it heaved and then it raised itself right off the ground. Nibble was so stiff with fright that all he could do was dig in his toes and hold on. And then it switched its tail. It was a cow who had chosen a chilly spot to lie down!
That tail sent Nibble spinning. Luckily he landed right side up and went bouncing off faster than when Glider was chasing him. But Silvertip didn’t see him. Silvertip was too busy on his own account.
For that cow wasn’t the sleepy and serious kind. She was young and active. But Silvertip, coming along with his nose to the ground, didn’t see her.
She lowered her horns and rolled her eyes around, pawing footfuls of snow about her shoulders. “Wolf!” she suddenly bellowed and ran at him.
Nibble Rabbit thought his end had come. But his feet didn’t think at all; they just ran. They ran while he was turning a somersault through the air and they ran faster when they felt the fluffy snow. And if they hadn’t run right into the big haystack at the end of the pasture there’s no knowing how far they would have taken him. But there was a nice little hole under it, waiting for him to come right in and hide.
But you know Nibble. First he’s scared, and next he’s curious. Just as soon as he thought nothing was following him he stuck out his little whiskers to sniff about and put up his long ears to listen. And he heard a lot of little birds cheeping and gossiping up above him. One of them said, “There he is! I say, Bunny, what did you do that for?”
“Do what?” demanded Nibble, craning his neck so he could see who he was talking to. “What did I do, Mr. Chirp?”