“Well, there’s no use standing here,” murmured Bert to himself. “I’ve got to travel on and bring help to Nan and the old lady. I’m glad Nan has some shelter, anyhow. And I s’pose mother will be worrying about us. But we couldn’t help it. Nobody would guess a storm would come up so quickly.”
Throwing back his shoulders as he had seen men do when they had some hard task before them, Bert started off again. Through the snow he trudged, tossing the white flakes aside with his small but sturdy legs.
All at once, on the white expanse in front of him, Bert saw a movement. At first he thought it was just some loose snow, blown about by the wind, which came in fitful gusts. But as he looked a second time he saw that it was not the wind.
“It’s some animal!” exclaimed the boy, speaking aloud, for he wanted company, and, like the men of the desert or wilderness, he fell naturally into the habit of talking to himself. “It’s some animal.”
Having said this Bert came to a stop, for he knew there might be many sorts of animals in the woods.
“I wonder what it is,” he whispered. Somehow or other a whisper seemed more the sort of voice to use in that lonesome place.
A moment later he saw a patch of brown, and then two big ears appeared to be thrust out of a hole in the snow.
“It’s a rabbit—a bunny!” cried Bert, and he did not whisper this time.
As he shouted Bert sprang forward through the snow and toward the brown rabbit that had so unexpectedly appeared. Whether it was the boy’s shout or his quick movement, or both, was not certain, but the rabbit was frightened and dashed away over the snow, sometimes sinking down almost out of sight, and again, by some means, keeping on the surface of the snow, which was packed harder in some places than in others.
“If I can only get you!” gasped Bert, for his speed through the snow was making him pant and his breath come short. “I’ll get you and take you back to Nan and Mrs. Bimby! They won’t have enough to eat unless I do, maybe, for it may take me a long while to get back to camp.”