that Digger the Badger
and Old Man Coyote, both of whom had come to the Green Meadows from the
Far West, were full of stories about their neighbors of the distant
prairies, folk whom Peter never had seen. Sometimes when he had nothing
else to do, Old Man Coyote would come over to the dear Old Briar-patch
and tell stories to Peter, who sat safe behind the brambles. Perhaps Old
Man Coyote hoped that Peter would become so interested that he would
forget and come out of the dear Old Briar-patch. But Peter never did.

But most of the stories of the people of the Far West Peter got from
Digger the Badger because, you see, he wasn't afraid to go beg for them.
He knew that Digger couldn't catch him if he wanted to, and so when
Grandfather Frog hadn't a story for him, Peter would go tease Digger for
one. It was thus that he heard about Thunderfoot the Bison and where he
got that great hump of his.

"I don't suppose," said Peter, "that there are any very big people out
there on those prairies where you used to live any more than there are
here on the Green Meadows. All the very big people seem to prefer to
live in the Green Forest."

"It is that way now, I must admit," said Digger the Badger, "but it
wasn't so in the old days, in the good old days when there were no
terrible guns, and Thunderfoot and his followers shook the ground with
their feet." Digger shook his head sadly.

Instantly Peter pricked up his ears. "Who was Thunderfoot?" he demanded.

Digger looked at Peter with such a look of pity for Peter's ignorance
that Peter felt almost ashamed. "He doesn't live here and never did, so
far as I have heard, so how should I know anything about him?" he added
a wee bit defiantly.

"If that's the case," replied Digger, "it is time you learned about the
Lord of the Prairies."

"But I want to know about Thunderfoot first!" cried Peter. "You can tell
me about the Lord of the Prairies another time."

"Were you born stupid or have you grown so?" asked Digger impatiently.
Then without waiting for an answer he added: "Thunderfoot was the Lord
of the Prairies. He ruled over the Wide Prairies just as Old King Bear
ruled in the Green Forest. He ruled by might. He ruled because no one
dared deny him the right to rule. He ruled because of his great size and
his great strength. And all who lived on the Wide Prairies looked up to
him and admired him and bowed before him and paid him the utmost
respect. When he and his followers ran th