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One afternoon, Mr. Bunnikins was taking half a dozen winks in his hammock, when he was suddenly awakened by the loud squealing of Bobtail in the distance.
[Bunny]
He sprang up wide awake in a moment, remembering that the children had all gone to play at the pond. Calling to Mr. Gray-Squirrel to follow him, Mr. Bunnikins scampered through the woods as fast as his four fat and somewhat gouty paws could carry him. When he reached thepond, he saw Neddy and Bobtail trying vainly to throw the life-preserver to a brown furry object which was struggling in the water, some little distance from shore.
“Come here, Neddy,” called Mr. Bunnikins-Bunny, “and let me get on your back; then you can swim to whatever that is in the water, and I can throw it the life-preserver, when we get near enough.”
“Hee-haw!” said Neddy, whichmeant, “All right, sir”; and Mr. Bunnikins scrambled up on his back, with the life-preserver held tightly in his fore paws, and off they swam.
[Bear]
As soon as they came near the struggling object, with all his might and main, Mr. Bunnikins-Bunny threw the life-preserver.
It landed close to the Furry One,who at once pulled himself on top of it, and was safe, but alas for poor Mr. Bunnikins-Bunny! He had thrown the life-preserver so hard, that he lost his footing on Neddy’s back, which was wet and slippery, and splish! splash! splosh! into the water he fell.
[Wet Bunny]
Neddy grabbed him quickly by his long ears, and swam toward shore with him, towing the life-preserver, with the furry object on it, by a rope.
Such a wet, unhappy Bunnikins as he was when Neddy put him gently down on dry land! He hated water anyhow, and never even wet the ends of his pink toes if he could help it. He kept his beautiful soft fur as white as snow, but paddling in the water he despised. His dignity, besides, had been very much hurt by his having been carried out of the pond by his ears.
[Bunny & Donkey]
[Bunny & Squirrel]
Meanwhile the brown furry object had crawled off the life-preserver, and waded ashore. Bobtail and Ruddy Squirrel, very much excited, rushed up to him, and asked who he was, and how he happenedto be in the water so far from the land.
The Furry One tried to tell them how he had fallen off from a high rock into deep water, and how he had tried to swim to shore, but could not. He was, however, so frightened and confused that Ruddy and Bobtail could not understand much that he said.