Brushtail finished his song and jumped for the fish. He jumped, of
course, right into that loop Doctor Rabbit had made in the stout
fishing cord. Well, sir, just as soon as Brushtail's feet touched the
ground inside that loop, Doctor Rabbit and Ray Coon jerked the line as
quickly and as firmly as they could. The loop slipped up and caught
Brushtail around the body. My, but he was surprised and scared! I
should say he was! He forgot the fish instantly, and he yelled ever so
loud, "Let me go," although he did not know, of course, just what it
was that had caught him.

The way he yelled and started pulling to get away was so funny that
Doctor Rabbit and Ray Coon laughed until they could scarcely hold the
line.

They wrapped the line around their paws and held on as hard as ever
they could. And my, how Brushtail did dig his claws into the ground
and pull!

When he found he couldn't free himself he was more frightened than
ever and shouted (because, you see, he could not see what held him),
"You let go of me, you old ghost, or goblin man! You let go of me or
I'll claw you to pieces! Let go of me or I'll come back there and pull
all your hair out, and I'll throw you in the briars so far you'll
never get out and they will stick you forever!"

And all the time Brushtail was talking this he was digging his claws
into the ground and pulling with all his might.

Doctor Rabbit could not have held him alone, but Ray Coon is pretty
plump and stout, and he helped a great deal. But Brushtail pulled so
hard that he pulled them right out of the thicket before they knew it!

Doctor Rabbit was so anxious to hold Brushtail that he cried right
out, "Hold him, Ray Coon! Hold on to him! Hold on to him!"

Then Doctor Rabbit saw his mistake, for when Brushtail the Fox heard
that voice he stopped pulling and turned around quickly. When he
turned toward them, Ray Coon seized the fish, and he and Doctor Rabbit
ran for their lives. And Brushtail was close behind them.

Doctor Rabbit skipped away as easily as could be, and Ray Coon, with
the fish in his mouth, started up a tree. Brushtail ran for Ray Coon
and gave a big spring for him. He almost got him, too, for he bit him
on the hind foot. But Ray Coon managed to get up on a limb just out of
reach. Brushtail was so angry at losing the fish and being completely
fooled that he jumped several times as high as he could, but he could
not jump quite high enough. So Ray Coon just sat there and at