XV.

Minnie has been running so much that she is quite out of breath, and her hair has fallen all over her shoulders. Bertie, too, is in a most uncomfortable state, and as red as a turkey-cock. Oh! how hot it is. But they cannot lose their time in standing still. They just stop for a few seconds to take breath, and then set off again. But the butterfly has got a good start, and is a long way off already.

All this time the Donkey is lying quite coolly on the grass; but he just takes a look now and then at the hunters.


XVI.

The Donkey, seeing them come quite close to him, is taken by surprise. He is quite sure now that they are running after him. He must be a most conceited ass to suppose that two such hunters as Minnie and Bertie have nothing better to do than to hunt donkeys. He thinks so much of himself, this Donkey, that he is perfectly silly. So Bertie thinks. As for Minnie, she does not trouble herself about him at all. She can think of nothing but her butterfly.