The Adventures of Old Man Coyote

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  THE ADVENTURES OF OLD MAN COYOTE

  By Thornton W. Burgess

  Author of "Old Mother West Wind Series," "Mother West Wind HowStories," "The Bedtime Story-Books," etc.

  With Illustrations by Harrison Cady

  Boston: Little, Brown, And Company 1916

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  ADVENTURES OF OLD MAN COYOTE

  I. THE STRANGE VOICE

  |LISTEN!" It was Jimmy Skunk speaking. He had just met Peter Rabbithalfway down the Crooked Little Path just where the moonlight wasbrightest. But he did not need to tell Peter to listen. Peter _was_listening,-listening with all his might. He was sitting up verystraight, and his long ears were turned in the direction of the strangesound. Just then it came again, a sound such as neither Peter Rabbit norJimmy Skunk had ever heard before. Peter's teeth began to chatter.

  "Wha--wha--what is it?" he whispered.

  "I don't know, unless it is Hooty the Owl gone crazy," replied Jimmy.

  "No," said Peter, "it isn't Hooty the Owl. Hooty never could make such anoise as that."

  "Maybe it's Dippy the Loon. I've heard him on the Big River, and hesounds just as if he had gone crazy," replied Jimmy.

  "No," said Peter, looking behind him nervously. "No, it isn't Dippy theLoon, for Dippy never leaves the water, and that voice came from theGreen Meadows. I wouldn't be surprised--" Peter didn't finish, for justthen the strange voice sounded again, and it was nearer than before.Never had the Green Meadows or the Green Forest heard anything like it.It sounded something like Hooty the Owl, and Dippy the Loon, and two orthree little dogs howling all together, and there was something in thesound that made cold chills run up and down Peter Rabbit's backbone. Hecrept a little closer to Jimmy Skunk.

  "I believe it is Farmer Brown's boy and some of his friends laughing andshouting together," said Jimmy.

  "No, it isn't! Farmer Brown's boy and his friends can make some dreadfulnoises but nothing so dreadful as that. It makes me afraid, JimmySkunk," said Peter.

  "Pooh! You're afraid of your own shadow!" replied Jimmy Skunk, who isn'tafraid of much of anything. "Let's go down there and find out what itis."

  Peter's big eyes grew rounder than ever with fright at the very thought."D-d-don't you think of such a thing, Jimmy Skunk I D-d-don't y-y-youthink of such a thing!" he chattered. "I know it's something terrible.Oh, dear! I wish I were safe at home in the dear Old Briar-patch."

  Again sounded the strange voice, or was it voices? It seemed sometimesas if there were two or three together. Then again it sounded like onlyone. Each time Peter Rabbit crept a little closer to Jimmy Skunk. Prettysoon even Jimmy began to feel a little uneasy.

  "I'm going home," said he suddenly.

  "I want to, but I don't dare to," said Peter, shaking all over withfright.

  "Pooh! Any one who can run as fast as you can ought not to be afraid,"said Jimmy. "But if you really are afraid, you can come up to my house."

  "Oh, thank you, Jimmy Skunk. I believe I will come sit on your doorstepif you don't mind."

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  So together they went up to Jimmy Skunk's house, and sat on his doorstepin the moonlight, and listened to the strange voice all the long night;and then, when he saw Old Mother West Wind coming down from the PurpleHills in the early dawn, Peter Rabbit became courageous enough to startfor his home in the dear Old Briar-patch.

  II. PETER RABBIT'S RUN FOR LIFE

  |IT was very, very early in the morning when Old Mother West Wind camedown from the Purple Hills with her big bag and out of it emptied herchildren, the Merry Little Breezes, to play on the Green Meadows. PeterRabbit, watching her from the doorstep of Jimmy Skunk's house, felthis courage grow. All the night long he and Jimmy Skunk had sat onthe doorstep listening to a strange voice, a terrible voice Peter hadthought. But with the first light of the coming day the voice had beenheard no more, and now, as Peter watched Old Mother West Wind just ashe had done so often before, he began to wonder if that dreadful voicehadn't been a bad dream.

  So he bade Jimmy Skunk good-by, and started for his home in the dearOld Briar-patch. He wanted to run just as fast as he knew how, but hedidn't. No, Sir, he didn't. That is, not while he was in sight of JimmySkunk. You see, he knew that Jimmy would laugh at him. He wasn't braveenough to be laughed at.

  The bravest boy is not the one

  Who does some mighty deed;

  Who risks his very life perchance

  To serve another's need.

  The bravest boy is he who dares

  To face the scornful laugh

  For doing what he knows is right,

  Though others mock and chaff.

  But as soon as Peter was sure that Jimmy Skunk could no longer see him,he began to hurry, and the nearer he got to the Old Briar-patch, thefaster he hurried. He would run a little way as fast as he could,lipperty-lipperty-lip, and then stop and look and listen nervously. Thenhe would do it all over again. It was one of these times when he waslistening that Peter thought he heard a soft footstep behind him. Itsounded very much like the footstep of Reddy Fox. Peter crouched downvery low and sat perfectly still, holding his breath and straining hisears. There it was again, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, very soft and comingnearer. Peter waited no longer. He sprang forward with a great leap andstarted for the dear Old Briar-patch as fast as he could go, which,you know, is very fast indeed. As he ran, he saw behind him a fierce,grinning face. It was very much like the face of Reddy Fox, only largerand fiercer and gray instead of red.

  Never in all his life had Peter run as he did now, for he knew that hewas running for his life. It seemed as if those long legs of his hardlytouched the ground. He didn't dare try any of the tricks with which hehad so often fooled Reddy Fox, for he didn't know anything about thisterrible stranger. He might not be fooled by tricks as Reddy Fox was.

  Peter began to breathe hard. It seemed to him that he could feel the hotbreath of the fierce stranger. And right down inside, Peter somehowfelt sure that this was the owner of the strange voice which had sofrightened him in the night. Snap! That was a pair of cruel jaws rightat his very heels. It gave Peter new strength, and he made longer jumpsthan before. The dear Old Briar-patch, the safe Old Briar-patch, wasjust ahead. With three mighty jumps, Peter reached the opening of one ofhis own private little paths and dived in under a bramble bush. Andeven as he did so, he heard the clash of sharp teeth and felt some hairpulled from his tail. And then, outside the Old Briar-patch, broke forththat same terrible voice Peter had heard in the night.

  Peter didn't stop to look at the stranger, but hurried to the verymiddle of the Old Briar-patch and there he stretched out at full lengthand panted and panted for breath.

  III. REDDY FOX MAKES A DISCOVERY

  |REDDY FOX had boasted that he was not afraid of the unknown strangerwho had frightened Peter Rabbit so, and whose voice in the night hadbrought the great fear to the Green Meadows and the Green Forest. ButReddy Fox is always boasting, and a boaster is seldom very brave. Rightdown deep in his heart Reddy _was_ afraid. What he was afraid of, hedidn't know. That is one reason that he was afraid. He is always afraidof things that he doesn't know about. Old Granny Fox had taught Reddythat.

  "If you are afraid of things you don't know all about, and just keepaway from them, they never will hurt you," said wise old Granny Fox, andthat is one reason that Farmer Brown's boy had never been able to catchher in a trap. But Granny was too smart to boast that she wasn't afraidwhen she was, while Reddy was forever bragging of how bra
ve he was, whenall the time he was one of the greatest cowards among all the littlemeadow and forest people.

  When he had first heard that strange voice, little cold chills hadchased each other up and down his backbone, just as they had with nearlyall the others who had heard it, and Reddy had not gone hunting thatnight. But Reddy has a big appetite, and a hungry stomach doesn't letone think of much else. So after a day or two, Reddy grew brave enoughto go hunting. Somehow he had a feeling that it was safer to hunt duringthe day instead of during the night. You see, it was only after jolly,round, red Mr. Sun had gone to bed behind the Purple Hills that thatstrange voice was heard, and Reddy guessed that perhaps the strangerslept during the day.

  So Reddy started out very early in the morning, stepping as softly as heknew how, looking behind every bush and tree, and with his sharp littleears wide open to catch every sound. Every few feet he stopped andsniffed the wind very carefully, for Reddy's nose can tell him of thingswhich his eyes do not see and his ears do not hear. And all the timehe was ready to run at the first sign of danger. He had left the GreenForest and was out on the Green Meadows, hoping to catch Danny MeadowMouse, when that sharp little nose of his was tickled by one of theMerry Little Breezes with a smell that Reddy knew. Reddy turned and wentin the direction from which the Merry Little Breeze had come. Just a fewsteps he went, and then he stopped and sniffed.

  "Um-m-m," said Reddy to himself, "that smells to me like chicken. Itcertainly does smell like chicken!"

  Very, very slowly and carefully Reddy moved forward in the directionfrom which that delicious smell came. Every few steps he stopped andsniffed. Sniff, sniff, sniff! Yes, it certainly was chicken. Reddy'smouth watered. A few more steps and there, a little way in front ofhim, partly hidden in a clump of tall grass and bushes, lay a half-eatenchicken. Reddy stopped short and sat down to look at it. Then he lookedall around it to see if there was any one about. Then he walked cleararound it in a circle, but he was very careful not to go too near.Finally he sat down again where he could smell the chicken. His tonguehung out with longing, and water dripped from the corners of his mouth.His stomach said, "Go get it;" but his head said, "Don't go any nearer;it may be some sort of a trap."

  Then Reddy remembered one of the sayings of wise old Granny Fox:

  "When you are tempted very much

  Just turn your back and go away.

  Temptation then can harm you not,

  But only those who choose to stay."

  "I hate to do it, but I guess it's the best way," said Reddy Fox andturned his back on the chicken and trotted away.

  IV. REDDY FOX CONSULTS BOBBY COON

  |WHEN Reddy Fox had turned his back on the half-eaten chicken that hehad found hidden in a bunch of grass and bushes on the Green Meadowsit had been the hardest thing to do that Reddy could remember, for hisstomach fairly ached, he was so hungry. But there might be danger there,and it was best to be safe. So Reddy turned and trotted away where hecould neither see nor smell that chicken. He caught some grasshoppers,and he found a family of fat beetles. They were not very filling, butthey were better than nothing. After a while he felt better, and hecurled up in a warm sunny spot to rest and think. "It may be thatFarmer Brown's boy has set a trap there," said Reddy to himself. Then heremembered that the chicken was half-eaten, and he knew that it wasn'tlikely that Farmer Brown's boy would have a half-eaten chicken unless hehad found one that Jimmy Skunk had left near the hen-yard, and for somereason he didn't know, he had a feeling that Jimmy Skunk had not hadanything to do with that chicken. The more he thought about it, the morehe felt sure that that chicken had something to do with the strangerwhose voice had brought so much fear to the Green Meadows. The verythought made him nervous and spoiled his sun-bath.

  "I believe I'll run over and see Bobby Coon," said Reddy, and off hestarted for the Green Forest.

  Bobby Coon bad been out all night, but he had not been very far awayfrom his hollow-tree, because he too had felt little chills of fear whenhe heard that strange voice, which wasn't the voice of Hooty the Owl orof Dippy the Loon or of a little yelping dog and yet sounded somethinglike all three together. So Bobby's stomach wasn't as full as usual, andhe felt cross and uncomfortable. You know it is hard work to feel hungryand pleasant at the same time. He had just begun to doze when he heardReddy Fox calling softly at the foot of the tree.

  "Bobby! Bobby Coon!" called Reddy.

  Bobby didn't answer. He kept perfectly still to try to make Reddy thinkthat he was asleep. But Reddy kept right on calling. Finally Bobbyscrambled up to the doorway of his house in the big hollow-tree andscowled down at Reddy Fox.

  "Well, what is it?" he snapped crossly. "You ought to be ashamed ofyourself to disturb people who are trying to get a little honest sleep."

  Reddy grinned. "I'm very sorry to wake you up, Bobby Coon," said Reddy,"but you see I want your advice. I know that there is no one smarterthan you, and I have just discovered something very important aboutwhich I want to know what you think."

  The scowl disappeared from Bobby Coon's face. He felt very muchflattered, just as Reddy meant that he should feel, and he tried to lookvery important and wise as he said:

  "I'm listening, Reddy Fox. What is it that is so important?"

  Then Reddy told him all about the half-eaten chicken over on the GreenMeadows, and how he suspected that the stranger with the terrible voicehad had something to do with it. Bobby listened gravely.

  "Pooh!" said he. "Probably Jimmy Skunk knows something about it."

  "No," replied Reddy, "I'm sure that Jimmy Skunk doesn't know anythingabout it. Come over with me and see it for yourself."

  Bobby began to back down into his house. "You'll have to excuse me thismorning, Reddy Fox. You see, I'm very tired and need sleep," said he.

  Reddy turned his head aside to hide a smile, for he knew that Bobby wasafraid.

  "I'm sure it must have been Jimmy Skunk," continued Bobby. "Why don'tyou go ask him? I never like to meddle with other people's business."

  And with that Bobby Coon backed down out of sight in the hollow-tree.

  V. REDDY FOX VISITS JIMMY SKUNK

  |BOBBY COON is afraid! Yes, Sir, Bobby Coon is afraid! He doesn't darego with me to look at that half-eaten chicken over on the Green Meadows.He's a coward, that's what he is!"

  Reddy Fox muttered this to himself as he trotted away from Bobby Coon'sbig hollow-tree in the Green Forest. Reddy was right, and he was wrong.He was right in thinking that Bobby Coon was afraid. Bobby _was_ afraid,but that didn't make him a coward. You see, he couldn't see what goodit would do him to go see that half-eaten chicken way out there inthe Green Meadows so far away from trees. Bobby is like Happy JackSquirrel,--he never feels really safe unless there is a tree close athand to climb, for Bobby's legs are not very long, and though he can runfast for a little distance, he soon gets out of breath. Then he climbsthe nearest tree. But if there had been any really good reason forgoing, Bobby would have gone even though he was afraid, and that showsthat he wasn't a coward.

  But Reddy Fox likes to think himself very brave and every one else acoward. So he trotted along with his nose turned up in scorn becauseBobby Coon was afraid. He was disappointed, too, was Reddy Fox. You seehe had hoped to get Bobby to go with him and when they got there thatBobby would go close to the half-eaten chicken and try to find out whohad left it on the Green Meadows, and for what reason. Reddy, who isalways suspicious, thought that there might be a trap, and if so, Bobbywould find it, and then Reddy would know without running any dangerhimself. That shows how sly he is.

  But as long as Bobby wouldn't go, there was nothing for Reddy to do butto try the same plan with Jimmy Skunk, and so he headed straight forJimmy Skunk's house. Now deep down in his heart Reddy Fox hated JimmySkunk, and more than once he had tried to get Jimmy into trouble. Butnow, as he saw Jimmy sitting on his doorstep, Reddy looked as pleasantas only Reddy can. He smiled as if Jimmy were his very best friend.
br />   "Good morning, Jimmy Skunk. I'm glad to see you," said Reddy. "I hopeyou are feeling well this morning."

  Now Jimmy had had a good breakfast of fat beetles, and he was feelingvery good-natured. But he wasn't fooled by Reddy's pleasant ways. Tohimself he thought, "I wonder what mischief Reddy Fox is up to," butaloud he said: "Good morning, Reddy Fox. You are looking very fine andhandsome this morning. Of course no one who is as big and brave as youare is afraid of the stranger with the terrible voice who has frightenedthe rest of us so for the last few nights."

  Now all the time he was saying this, Jimmy knew perfectly well thatReddy was afraid, and he turned his head to hide a smile as Reddyswelled up to look very big and important and replied: "Oh, my, no! No,indeed, certainly not! I'm not afraid of anybody or anything. By theway, I saw a strange thing down on the Green Meadows early this morning.It was a half-eaten chicken hidden in a clump of grass and bushes. Iwondered if you left it there."

  Jimmy Skunk pricked up his ears. "No," said he, "I didn't leave itthere. I haven't taken a chicken from Farmer Brown's this spring, andI haven't been up to his hen-house for more than a week. Who do yousuppose could have left it there?"

  "I haven't the least idea unless--" Reddy looked this way and that tomake sure that they were alone--"unless it was the stranger who hasfrightened every one but me," he finished in a whisper.

  Jimmy pricked his ears up more than ever. "Do you really suppose itcould have been?" he asked.

  "Come down there with me and see for yourself," replied Reddy. And Jimmysaid he would.