it took a lot of hard work to build the big bridge. every single teenie weenie worked with might and main. even the mice who pulled the wagons and cannon, helped the work along by dragging the heavy logs up to the place where the bridge was being built.
the little army was a full day and a half building the bridge and when the task was finished the wagons were loaded, the mice hitched to them, and led by the general, the army marched safely across the bridge.
a big squirrel who lived in a tree near by was hired to watch the bridge.
“we may want to get across this stream in a hurry,” the general told the squirrel. “if the wild men should push us back to this stream, and the bridge is destroyed, we certainly will be in a pretty pickle.”
“i’ll guard it with my life,” answered the squirrel, who had been promised ten sunflower seeds and four hickory nuts for his work.
the army once more took up the march and presently they drew nearer and nearer the forest. great bushes overhung the path along which the soldiers marched. tall, bright-colored toadstools grew by the wayside and everything was dark and mysterious.
at noon the army was halted for lunch. the little soldiers sat on the soft moss under a big fern and each man ate the grain of boiled rice and bit of dried raisin which he had tucked into his tiny haversack that morning.
when the men had eaten, the general ordered them to fall into line and stepping in front of them he said: “men, i have been informed by our aviator and by our scouts that we are rapidly drawing near the land of the wild men, so from now on straggling will not be permitted. soldiers wandering away from the army run the chance of being captured and we will soon have need of all our brave men.”
the general’s talk impressed the little soldiers, and the dunce and gogo, who often wandered away from the line of march, were very much “on the job” all afternoon.
as the army marched beneath a bush, late in the day, it suddenly came face to face with a small garter snake that lay near a big stone.
“o-o-o-o-o-oh, j-j-j-imminie c-c-c-c-christmas!” screamed the dunce.
the mouse on which the general rode gave one frightened look at the snake and quickly ran up the bush, dumping the dignified general off on his teenie weenie head. the rest of the army fled in all directions, in spite of the old soldier, who tried with all his might to stop the frightened soldiers. the snake was almost as badly scared as the army and it wriggled into a hole near by with remarkable speed.
“well, this is a fine army, i must say!” growled the general when the old soldier had finally got the soldiers back in line. “if you men run at the sight of a little snake, what will you do when you face real wild men?”
“pardon me, sir,” said gogo, saluting the general. “we-all don’t mind fightin’ the wild men, but—we-all done object to bein’ et.”
“forward, march!” shouted the general, and the little army moved on towards the wild men’s land.
