rawled into an old hollow stump. Now I can't run fast,
because my legs are too short. I can't climb trees like Mr. Squirrel,
and I can't swim like Mr. Muskrat. The only thing I can do is to dig.'

"You see, Mr. Mole always had been very fond of digging, and he had
done so much of it that his front legs and claws had grown very stout.

"'Now if I dig a hole and keep out of sight, I won't have to worry
about Mr. Wolf or anybody else,' continued Mr. Mole to himself. So he
went to work at once and dug a hole on the Green Meadows, and, because
he wanted to be comfortable, he made a big hole. When it was finished,
he was tired, so he curled up at the bottom for a nap. He was awakened
by hearing voices outside. He knew those voices right away. They were
the voices of Mr. Fox and Mr. Badger.

"'These are terrible times,' said Mr. Fox. 'I'm so hungry that I'm
wasting away to a shadow. I wonder who has dug this hole.'

"'Mr. Mole,' replied Mr. Badger. 'I saw him at work here this
morning.

Have you noticed how very plump he looks?'

"'Yes,' replied Mr. Fox. 'He made my mouth water the very last time I
saw him. Seems to me I can smell him now. If he had made this hole
just a little bit bigger I would go down and pull him out, but I am
too tired to do any digging now.'

"'I tell you what,' replied Mr. Badger. 'We'll hunt together a little
longer, and then if we can't find anything to eat, we'll come back,
and I'll help you dig, I hate to hurt Mr. Mole, because he always
minds his own business, but these are hard times, and each one must
look out for himself.'

"With that they went away, leaving Mr. Mole shaking with fright at the
bottom of his hole. 'It's of no use,' thought Mr. Mole. 'If I go
outside, they will soon find me, and if I stay here, they will dig me
out. Oh, dear, oh, dear! What ever can I do?'

"He lay there feeling very helpless and miserable, when all of a
sudden a thought came to him. If he had made his hole small, just big
enough for him to crawl into, Mr. Badger and Mr. Fox would have had to
do a great deal of digging to make it big enough for either of them to
get in! He would make a little tunnel off one side and hide in that.
So he went to work and made a little tunnel off one side just big
enough for him to squeeze into. He worked very hard and very fast, and
by the time Mr. Badger and Mr. Fox returned, Mr. Mole was at the end
of a long tunnel, so far from the hole he had first dug that he knew
it