oy, "I have you now, little guinea pig! I'll take
you home with me, that's what I'll do! My, to think of catching a live
guinea pig! I certainly am a lucky chap!"

Then, before Buddy could run away, which he couldn't have done anyhow,
on account of the basket of groceries on his arm, if that boy didn't
grab him up in his hands, and hold him tight!

Oh, how frightened poor Buddy was! He was so scared that he could only
squeak very faintly, but he did manage to ask the boy to let him go,
only the boy didn't understand guinea pig language, as I do, and, even
if he had, I doubt very much if he would have let Buddy go, for he was a
bad boy as I have explained.

Well, the boy didn't care any more about hunting rabbits or squirrels
with his gun that day, as he had caught Buddy, so off he started to take
the little guinea pig home with him, and, maybe, he intended to shut him
up in a box, or put him in a cage, or do something dreadful like that.

But, listen, pretty soon--oh, I guess in about four jumps and a
hop--something is going to happen to that boy. Watch carefully and
you'll see it.

On through the woods he went, holding poor Buddy tightly in his hands,
and, would you believe me, that boy never noticed that Buddy had a
basket of groceries! You see, the basket, of course, was guinea pig
size, and so was the loaf of bread and the butter and the sweet sugar.
They were so small that the boy didn't notice them, but this was partly
because Buddy hid the basket under his paws, for he didn't want anything
to happen to the things for which his mother had sent him to the store,
you know.

Well, as the boy kept going on through the woods, carrying Buddy farther
and farther away from his home, the poor little guinea pig was more
frightened than ever.

"Oh, how will I ever get away!" he thought, "I'll never see my mamma,
nor Brighteyes, nor my papa, Dr. Pigg, any more! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!"

No sooner had Buddy said this than he heard a funny little noise in the
trees above his head, and, looking up, he saw Billie Bushytail bounding
along. There was the squirrel, and he saw right away what the trouble
was. And he could talk to Buddy without the boy knowing it, you see; so
Billie said:

"Hey, Buddy, take some of the bread, crumble it all up, and toss the
crumbs up in the air."

"What for?" asked Buddy.

"Do it, and you'll see," answered Billie. "That will help you to
escape."

Now Buddy didn't like to spoil the nice, ne