At this moment Sammy came up, and he was charmed with the idea.
'What ho!' he cried. 'Splendid! Talk of batteries of four-inch field-guns! Just wait till those Black Mountaineers see our batteries of four-inch field-monkeys!'
It was the Rabbit's regiment of scouts that was being drilled next to the Flanagans, but he allowed them all to 'stand at ease' to watch the disgrace of his friend Patsey, and professed to think their new title exceedingly funny.
'Oh, who'd be a four-inch field-monkey?' he squeaked, and he slapped his knees and laughed till the tears ran down his whiskers.
'Well,' said Baby Jane, turning sharply upon him, 'you seem very pleased with yourself, but what can your regiment do?'
The Rabbit dried his tears with his paw. 'Do?' he said shrilly. 'Why, look at this!'
Truly it was magnificent. Squatting still as statues, at the word of command five hundred bunnies cocked their thousand ears in unison. 'Up—down—right—left!'
'And that's nothing,' said the Rabbit calmly; 'they can do the same with their tails!'
'Wonderful!' said Baby Jane. 'And now, as Sammy says that Miss Crocodile's regiment, and the Lion's, and the Bear's have been doing wonderful things, every one has done a good morning's work——'
'Except the four-inch field-monkeys,' interrupted the Rabbit spitefully.