Whitefoot the Wood Mouse | Page 9

for the scent of some one whom he could kill. In
a few minutes he would be sure to find where Jumper had been, and
then his nose would lead him straight to that tree at the foot of which
Jumper was crouching.
Nearer and nearer came Shadow. He was slim and trim and didn't look
at all terrible. Yet there was no one in all the Green Forest more feared
by the little people in fur, by Jumper, by Peter Rabbit, by Whitefoot,
even by Chatterer the Red Squirrel.
"Perhaps," thought Jumper, "he won't find my scent after all. Perhaps
he'll go in another direction." But all the time Jumper felt in his bones
that Shadow would find that scent. "When he does, I'll run," said
Jumper to himself. "I'll have at least a chance to dodge Whitey. I am
afraid he will catch me, but I'll have a chance. I won't have any chance
at all if Shadow finds me."
Suddenly Shadow stopped running and sat up to look about with fierce
little eyes, all the time testing the air with his nose. Jumper's heart sank.
He knew that Shadow had caught a faint scent of some one. Then
Shadow began to run back and forth once more, but more carefully than
before. And then he started straight for where Jumper was crouching!
Jumper knew then that Shadow had found his trail.
Jumper drew a long breath and settled his long hind feet for a great
jump, hoping to so take Whitey the Owl by surprise that he might be
able to get away. And as Jumper did this, he looked over to that stump
where Whitey had been sitting so long. Whitey was just leaving it on
his great silent wings, and his fierce yellow eyes were fixed in the

direction of Shadow the Weasel. He had seen that moving black spot
which was the tip of Shadow's tail.
Jumper didn't have time to jump before Whitey was swooping down at
Shadow. So Juniper just kept still and watched with eyes almost
popping from his head with fear and excitement.
Shadow hadn't seen Whitey until just as Whitey was reaching for him
with his great cruel claws. Now if there is any one who can move more
quickly than Shadow the Weasel I don't know who it is. Whitey's claws
closed on nothing but snow; Shadow had dodged. Then began a game,
Whitey swooping and Shadow dodging, and all the time they were
getting farther and farther from where Jumper was.
The instant it was safe to do so, Jumper took to his long heels and the
way he disappeared, lipperty-lipperty-lip, was worth seeing. Whitey the
Snowy Owl had saved him from Shadow the Weasel and didn't know it.
An enemy had proved to be a friend.

CHAPTER XIII
: Whitefoot Decides Quickly
Your mind made up a certain way Be swift to act; do not delay. -
Whitefoot.
When Whitefoot had discovered Whitey the Snowy Owl, he had
dodged down in the little hole in the snow beside which he had been
sitting. He had not been badly frightened. But he was somewhat upset.
Yes, sir, he was somewhat upset. You see, he had so many enemies to
watch out for, and here was another.
"Just as if I didn't have troubles enough without having this white
robber to add to them," grumbled Whitefoot. "Why doesn't he stay
where he belongs, way up in the Far North? It must be that food is
scarce up there. Well, now that I know he is here, he will have to be
smarter than I think he is to catch me. I hope Jumper the Hare will have
sense enough to keep perfectly still. I've sometimes envied him his long
legs, but I guess I am better off than he is, at that. Once he has been
seen by an enemy, only those long legs of his can save him, but I have
a hundred hiding-places down under the snow. Whitey is watching the
hole where I disappeared; he thinks I'll come out there again after a
while. I'll fool him."

Whitefoot scampered along through a little tunnel and presently very
cautiously peeped out of another little round hole in the snow. Sure
enough, there was Whitey the Snowy Owl back to him on a stump,
watching the hole down which he had disappeared a few minutes
before. Whitefoot grinned. Then he looked over to where he had last
seen Jumper. Jumper was still there; it was clear that he hadn't moved,
and so Whitey hadn't seen him. Again Whitefoot grinned. Then he
settled himself to watch patiently for Whitey to become tired of
watching that hole and fly away.
So it was that Whitefoot saw all that happened. He