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Bunnyboy Learns a Lesson

Clarence Hawkes

Did you know that even a little rabbit has lessons to learn? One of these is to listen to his mother, for she knows many ways by which a rabbit may protect himself from his enemies. This story tells you how a little bunny got into trouble because he did not obey his mother.

MOTHER RABBIT' S PLAN

Bunnyboy was a half-grown “cotton-tail” rabbit, whose home was in the woods. He lived with his mother and brothers and sisters in the burrow—a nice warm hole that went down into the ground under an old tree stump.

One bright morning Mother Rabbit thought that she would go to a field where she knew there were some early cabbages.

“Children, ” she said, “if you are good while I am gone, I will bring you some juicy cabbage leaves. You must stay quietly at home.”

But Bunnyboy followed his mother out of the burrow, saying, “I don' t want to stay at home, Mother. Please take me with you.”

“No, no, Bunnyboy! ” said Mother Rabbit, “You are too young to go on such a long trip. But if you will keep very quiet, I will let you stay in a clumpof bushes while I am gone. You can see all around you, and it will be almost as much fun as if you went with me.”

So Mother Rabbit took Bunnyboy to a thick clump of bushes near the burrow and left him there alone. Then away she hopped to the cabbage field.

For a while Bunnyboy slept, dreaming of juicy cabbage leaves. But before long he awoke, sat up, and yawned. How he wished that his mother had taken him with her! Surely he was large enough to go. He was certain that he could run almost as fast as she could. He did not think his mother really knew how much he had grown or how well he could take care of himself.

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN BUNNYBOY RAN AWAY

For a long time Bunnyboy sat very still in the clump of bushes. But by and by he crept out carefully, and looked about.

As he sat there with the sunlight falling on his head and shoulders, he was the most beautiful little creature in the whole great woods. When he thought he heard a sound, his long ears wiggled this way and that, trying to find out what it was. His large, bright eyes looked care-fully at everything near him. His nose tried to smell all the different scentsof the woods.

Bunnyboy' s mother had given him and his little brothers and sisters many lessons on the dangers of the woods. She had taught him to listen, to look, and to smell. For these were the three ways of protecting himself from his enemies—listening, looking, and smelling.

The woods were very quiet. Bunnyboy was sure that not one of his enemies was about. “There is no hawk or owl or fox in the whole woods, ” he said. “What fun it would be to jump around on the green forest carpet! ”So he took a few hops away from the bushes.

Something said to him just as plainly as though his mother had spoken, “Go back, go back! ” At first he listened to the voice and went back, but soon he was out in the green woods again, hopping from place to place.

He hopped upon an old log and ran back and forth on it; then he jumped into a clump of green ferns, Soon Bunnyboy was friskingand running through the woods, having the very best time he had ever had in his life.

But suddenly a strange scent came to him. It was not like anything that he had ever smelled before. At once he“froze”and waited. Freezing is one of the ways in which the wild creatures hide. It means to stay perfectly still. If a rabbit does not move, it is very hard to see him among the ferns and leaves. So Bunnyboy froze and waited.

Presentlyhe saw a very strange animal coming slowly through the woods. He was a queer-looking fellow, covered with long, sharp quills. It was Mr. Porcupine, but as Mother Rabbit had never shown her children a porcupine, the young bunny did not know this stranger.

Bunnyboy kept so still that Mr. Porcupine passed very close to him without seeing him. The young rabbit was terribly frightened. At last Mr. Porcupine was gone, and Bunnyboy was very glad. Then he thought he would go back to his clump of bushes. Off he started, but he could not find the bushes. Faster and faster he ran, but the more he ran, the farther away the bushes seemed.

At last he sat down to think. Where was the clump of bushes? His mother must have come home by this time. She would be very angry with him for running away.

Just at that moment he saw a large, white, round ball sticking to the inside of an old tree trunk. Never in his life had he seen such a ball as that; he would find out what it was.

So he crept up to the ball slowly, stopping to sniff the air and to listen. There was a strange buzzing noise coming from the ball that sounded like flies. Bunnyboy liked to catch flies, and here was a whole ball of them. What a fine time he would have! With a quick hop he went up and sniffed at the ball.

At the very first sniff he leaped into the air. For the ball was a hornets' nest, and hornets do not like to have rabbits hopping about their nest.

At once they flew out to punish him. They stung him on the nose and about the eyes. They stung his ears and shoulders and back. Bunnyboy ran wildly this way and that, with the hornets sticking to him. He jumped into the thickest ferns, rolling and tumbling, until at last he had rubbed them all off.

His nose, eyes, and ears burned as though they were on fire. Poor Bunnyboy rubbed them with his paw, but the more he rubbed, the more they burned. At last his eyelids began to swell and to close around his eyes.

This frightened Bunnyboy terribly, and he started running again. If he could only find his mother before his eyes closed! But he could not find her, though he ran and ran.

Soon his eyelids were closed tightly, and he could not see to run. Then the poor little rabbit sat down in the woods, far, far from home.

Suddenly an awful thought came to him. Now that he could not see, any of his enemies could get him. The fox could creep up on him. The owl could swoopdown upon him. Every sound he heard frightened him. At last he crawled into some bushes and lay there quietly, the most unhappy little bunny in the whole world.

HOW BUNNYBOY GOT HOME

Bunnyboy lay there a long time. At last he heard a noise; the sound was coming toward him. Was it an enemy or a friend? It sounded like a rabbit hopping along the path. But it might be a fox! Bunnyboy listened hard.

The sound came very close to him. He was almost sure that it was a rabbit hopping slowly along the path. So he made a queer little cry.

Then Bunnyboy' s mother came hopping quickly along the path toward him. When she saw how terribly he had been punished for not obeying her, she did not scold him. He had learned his lesson. Very gently she led him down to the brook. Then she made him rub his face in the cool mud until it was covered. “Keep your eyes shut, ” she said. “Tomorrow we will come back to the brook and wash the mud off.”

When Bunnyboy reached the burrow, he was so muddy that his brothers and sisters did not know him. But they made a soft place for him in the burrow and were very quiet all the rest of the day.