“Don’t be afraid,” whispered White Rabbit, who had dug away the earth from over the hole under the manger and had come out behind Gray Mouse. “Whip him, Gray Mouse; here is a straw; now give him a good beating.”
All three are very good friends.
Elephants are afraid of mice. So Gray Mouse, with his paws all shaking, took the straw and walked toward the elephant. He heard the hinges of the barn door creaking.
“Come away, Gray Mouse,” cried White Rabbit, “Small Dog is coming.”
“I’ll let you alone on one condition, Elephant,” said Gray Mouse, trying to be brave, although he was trembling so that he could hardly hold the straw, “and that is when you see any of my enemies trying to annoy me, that you teach him a good lesson.”
Small Dog got the door open and came jumping with his mouth wide open and his white teeth shining. Gray Mouse and White Rabbit ran into the hole under the manger. The Elephant, who feared nothing on earth except mice and flies, for he had once killed a tiger, wound his trunk around Small Dog. He lifted Small Dog up to the rafters and threw him down on the ground so hard that all the bark went out of him.
“If you disturb my little friends again,” roared the Elephant, “I’ll break every bone in your body.”