r three swam right in close to where he was sitting. Now Buster Bear
may be big and clumsy looking, but there isn't anything that can move
much quicker than one of those big paws of his when he wants it to. One
of them moved now, and quicker than a wink had scooped one of those
foolish fish out on to the bank.

Buster's little eyes twinkled, and he smacked his lips as he moved on
to the next little pool, for he knew that it was of no use to stay
longer at the first one. The fish were so frightened that they wouldn't
come back for a long, long time. At the next little pool the same thing
happened. By this time Buster Bear was in fine spirits. It was fun to
catch the fish, and it was still more fun to eat them. What finer
breakfast could any one have than fresh-caught trout? No wonder he felt
good! But it takes more than three trout to fill Buster Bear's stomach,
so he kept on to the next little pool.

But this little pool, instead of being beautiful and clear so that
Buster could see right to the bottom of it and so tell if there were any
fish there, was so muddy that he couldn't see into it at all. It looked
as if some one had just stirred up all the mud at the bottom.

"Huh!" said Buster Bear. "It's of no use to try to fish here. I would
just waste my time. I'll try the next pool."

So he went on to the next little pool. He found this just as muddy as
the other. Then he went on to another, and this was no better. Buster
sat down and scratched his head. It was puzzling. Yes, Sir, it was
puzzling. He looked this way and he looked that way suspiciously, but
there was no one to be seen. Everything was still save for the laughter
of the Laughing Brook. Somehow, it seemed to Buster as if the Brook were
laughing at him.

"It's very curious," muttered Buster, "very curious indeed. It looks as
if my fishing is spoiled for to-day. I don't understand it at all. It's
lucky I caught what I did. It looks as if somebody is trying to--ha!" A
sudden thought had popped into his head. Then he began to chuckle and
finally to laugh. "I do believe that scamp Joe Otter is trying to get
even with me for eating that fat trout!"

And then, because Buster Bear always enjoys a good joke even when it is
on himself, he laughed until he had to hold his sides, which is a whole
lot better than going off in a rage as Little Joe Otter had done.
"You're pretty smart, Mr. Otter! You're pretty smart, but there are
other people who are smart too," sai