forewarned by rusty, bumper was partly prepared for the trouble that was brewing, but not so old blind rabbit. bumper had intended to tell him the truth, but he didn’t want to raise unnecessary alarm. perhaps, after all, rusty had exaggerated the danger, and nothing would come of spotted tail’s work.
so one morning he was greatly disturbed when there was a noise outside the burrow made by the pattering of many little feet. it was goggle eyes who brought the information in to old blind rabbit.
“there is something in the wind, old blind rabbit!” he exclaimed in excitement. “all the rabbits of the woods have come to visit us. there’s white tail, with his huge family; pink nose and all his big sons; crooked ears, looking surly and angry; brindley the lame, rolly polly, and—oh!—many, many more!”
old blind rabbit did not get excited. it was the way with him. instead of always looking for trouble, he expected the best of everything.
79“perhaps it means,” he replied, after a moment’s thought, “that they have heard of bumper’s coming, and they have come to meet him. i shall go out and see them. they’re all welcome.”
“they don’t look very friendly,” stammered goggle eyes. “they look and act positively rude. i don’t believe their coming is for any good.”
“tut! tut! you’re always looking for the worst, goggle eyes. now i’ll go out and greet my brother leaders. lend me a paw, goggle eyes.”
“no,” interrupted bumper, who had heard the conversation. “you must let me go out first. i’ll speak to them, and if there’s trouble—”
“spoken like a king, bumper,” interrupted old blind rabbit, “but i should meet white tail and his friends first. they know me.”
“listen!” added bumper. “i have not told you before because i didn’t believe anything would come of it. but there may be trouble outside.”
“what trouble, bumper? you mustn’t follow the ways of goggle eyes, and look for evil in everything.”
bumper knew that he ought to tell, and straightway, without hesitation, he related all 80that rusty had told him. old blind rabbit listened in silence, but not without surprise and trembling.
“where is spotted tail?” he asked in a voice of thunder when bumper had finished.
spotted tail was nowhere around. nobody knew where he was.
“he has betrayed us!” added old blind rabbit, solemnly. “he has spread false news to our friends, and used shrike the butcher bird as his messenger. alack! and alas! that i should live to see this day!”
for a moment old blind rabbit dropped back on his haunches and looked very sad and depressed. his age told on him, and his breath came slow and hard. finally arousing himself, he continued:
“if spotted tail has stirred up a revolt, the truth must be told. i will see the leaders. they will listen to me.”
“no, let me go!” interrupted bumper again. “if there’s any danger on my account, i must face it, and not you, old blind rabbit.”
“they will not harm me, but in their passion they might do something to you, bumper. it is the part of wisdom that i should see them first. isn’t it so?”
all the others agreed to this, and much against 81his will bumper stayed in the burrow, while old blind rabbit was led outside by goggle eyes.
and what a sight it was outside the burrow! all the wild rabbits of the woods were assembled there. white tail, pink nose, crooked ears, brindley the lame, rolly polly and a lot of other leaders were there with all their followers. the woods around the rock were literally alive with rabbits.
they were packed ten deep around the big rock, and scattered in groups all through the surrounding bushes. and on every face there was an angry, defiant look, and in every eye sullen discontent. old blind rabbit could not see all these sights, but he sensed them before any one spoke. then a babel of sounds greeted his ears. they were so many, and so confusing, that nobody could understand anybody else.
finally old blind rabbit reared himself on his haunches, and raised a paw for silence. “listen,” he called. “there’s no sense in jabbering like silly babies. what is the trouble? don’t all speak at once, but—”
“where’s bumper the white rabbit!” they shouted back in unison.
once more the senseless chatter made the air ring until brindley the lame took a tree stump and signalled for silence. “this isn’t a tea 82party,” he said, smiling, “and we shouldn’t waste time talking like a lot of magpies. let some of the leaders speak for all.”
there was instant silence, and hundreds of heads were nodded. brindley then continued:
“as for my part, i’m not sure but we’re all here on a fool’s errand. i never knew the shrike to carry news that did any one good. however, we’re here, and a big crowd we are. we’ve brought all of our families with us, big and little, and i’m glad to see them—mrs. white tail with her children, and mrs. pink nose—”
brindley’s jollying pleased the younger rabbits, and they began to laugh and applaud; but not so the leaders. crooked ears rose up, and interrupted.
“come to the point, brindley! we’re here to drive bumper the white rabbit from the woods. that’s the long and short of it. am i not right?”
a terrifying shout greeted these words, and for a moment it seemed as if bedlam had broken loose. even old blind rabbit was frightened, and he trembled so that goggle eyes was afraid he would fall down.
“what has bumper done that you should want to drive him from the woods?” was all that old blind rabbit could say.
83“it’s not what he’s done,” roared white tail, leaping to the top of a fallen tree. “it’s what he’s going to do. he’ll not be king of the woods!”
“no! no!” shouted a hundred voices. “we’ll not be his slaves! we’ll not follow him!”
“listen, friends!” old blind rabbit called back. “you have been deceived. spotted tail has spread false rumors. he knew they were false, and he couldn’t get rusty or mr. woodpecker or towhee or any of the birds, who were his friends, to carry the message to you. then when they all failed him he appealed to shrike the butcher bird.”
he paused, and looked with his sightless eyes over the big assemble. then, raising his voice, he continued: “since when have you come to believe what shrike tells! when has he ever spread anything but lies in the woods? he has no friends among the birds—”
suddenly there was a commotion on the outskirts of the crowd. shrike flew in their midst and whistled sharply. then out of the bushes crashed buster the bear, followed by mr. fox. screams and shouts went up from all sides as every rabbit scurried for cover. they ran pell-mell hither and thither, with mr. fox and buster 84after them, laughing in their glee at the fright they had caused.
it was a miracle that some were not killed, for it hardly seemed there were enough hiding-places in the woods to conceal them. old blind rabbit stumbled back in his burrow, and invited as many to follow him as the place would hold.
