ad curled up in there
for a nap. Now Jimmy was awake, very much awake. You see, for once in
his life he was moving fast, very much faster than ever he had moved
before since he was born. And it wasn't at all comfortable. No, Sir, it
wasn't at all a comfortable way in which to travel. He went over and
over so fast that it made him dizzy. First he was right side up and then
wrong side up, so fast that he couldn't tell which side up he was. And
every time that old barrel jumped when it went over a hummock, Jimmy was
tossed up so that he hit whatever part of the barrel happened to be
above him. Of course, he couldn't get out, because he was rolled over
and over so fast that he didn't have a chance to try.

Now Reddy didn't know who was in the barrel. He just knew by the sounds
that some one was. So he started down the hill after the barrel to see
what would happen when it stopped. All the time Peter Rabbit was dancing
about in the greatest excitement, but taking the greatest care to keep
close to that old house of Johnny Chuck's so as to pop into it in case
of danger. He saw that Reddy Fox had quite forgotten all about him in
his curiosity as to who was in the barrel, and he chuckled as he thought
of what might happen when the barrel stopped rolling and Reddy found
out. Sammy Jay was flying overhead, screaming enough to split his
throat. Altogether, it was quite the most exciting thing Peter had ever
seen.

Now it just happened that Old Man Coyote had started to cross the Green
Meadows right at the foot of the hill just as the barrel started down.
Of course, he heard the noise and looked up to see what it meant. When
he saw that barrel rushing right down at him, it frightened him so that
he just gave one yelp and started for the Old Pasture like a gray
streak. He gave Peter a chance to see just how fast he can run, and
Peter made up his mind right then that he never would run a race with
Old Man Coyote.

Down at the bottom of the hill was a big stone, and when the barrel hit
this, the hoops broke, and the barrel fell all apart. Peter decided that
it was high time for him to get out of sight. So he dodged into the old
house of Johnny Chuck and lay low in the doorway, where he could watch.
He saw Jimmy Skunk lay perfectly still, and a great fear crept into his
heart. Had Jimmy been killed? He hadn't once thought of what might
happen to Jimmy when he planned that joke. But presently Jimmy began to
wave first one leg and the