ted as fast as he could go around the pond one
way, and Reddy Fox started around the pond the other way. They were
so excited that neither noticed a little splash in the pond. That was
Spotty the Turtle who had let go of Reddy's tail and now was swimming
across the pond, for you know that Spotty is a splendid swimmer. Only
once or twice he stuck his little black nose up to get some air. The
rest of the time he swam under water and no one but the Merry Little
Breezes saw him. Right across he swam, and climbed up the bank right
under the big hickory tree.

Now there were just three nuts left under the hickory trees. Two of
these Spotty took down to the edge of the pond and buried in the mud.
The other he took in his mouth and started back across the pond. Just as
he reached the other shore up trotted Billy Mink, but Billy Mink didn't
see Spotty. He was too intent watching Reddy Fox and Peter Rabbit, who
were now half way around the pond. In he jumped with a splash. My! How
good that cool water did feel! He didn't have to hurry now, because he
felt sure that the race was his. So he swam round and round and chased
some fish and had a beautiful time in the water. By and by he looked up
and saw that Peter Rabbit was almost around the pond one way and Reddy
Fox was almost around the pond the other way. They both looked tired and
hot and discouraged.

Then Billy Mink swam slowly across and climbed out on the bank under the
big hickory tree. But where were the nuts? Look as he would, he could
not see a nut anywhere, yet the Merry Little Breezes had said there were
three nuts lying under the hickory tree. Billy Mink ran this way and
ran that way. He was still running around, poking over the leaves and
looking under the twigs and pieces of bark when Peter Rabbit and Reddy
Fox came up.

Then they, too, began to look under the leaves and under the bark. They
pawed around in the grass, they hunted in every nook and cranny, but
not a nut could they find. They were tired and cross and hot and
they accused Billy Mink of having hidden the nuts. Billy Mink stoutly
insisted that he had not hidden the nuts, that he had not found the
nuts, and when they saw how hard he was hunting they believed him.

All the afternoon they hunted and hunted and hunted, and all the
afternoon Spotty the Turtle, with the nut in his mouth, was slowly, oh,
so slowly, crawling straight back across the Green Meadows towards the
old butternut tree. Round, red Mr