“But don’t worry too much,” said Mr. Squirrel. “I have seen the hunter in time—him and his dog and gun—and we will get safely away from him. Come now, we will separate, each going a different way; then the hunter will not find us, I hope.”
“But where shall we go?” asked Slicko. “And what shall we do for something to eat, and a place to sleep nights, if we go away from our home-nest?”
“Well, you squirrels are old enough now, to hunt food for yourselves,” said Mrs. Squirrel. “I am glad of that, for I shall not worry so much about you. And you know how to run and jump.”
“I am glad we learned how to jump in time,” said Slicko.
“Yes, if you had waited, and kept on putting it off,” said Mr. Squirrel, “you would not now be ready to run and hide away from the hunter, and be able to take care of yourselves. As for a place to sleep, your mother and I are going to send you all on visits to our friends, or relations. You can stay with them for a while, until it will be safe for us all to come back to our nest again.”
“Oh, then we are going on a visit!” exclaimed Slicko.
“Something like that, yes,” answered her father. “And we must hurry, too, for the hunter may be here any minute. I passed him in the woods, and he was coming this way.”
“Did he see you, Papa?” asked Nutto.
“No, for I kept well behind the leaves, and hurried on. My! how that dog did bark, though. He seemed very savage.”
“Squinty, the comical pig, told me of a dog he knew,” said Slicko, “but he said that dog was kind and gentle. His name is Don.”