ts and little
rabbits.

Sometimes one of them would stop and thump the ground with his hind
feet. This seemed to be a signal; for when one thumped, another would
come hopping toward him. The two would touch noses and then turn to on
the sweet, young clover, that had grown up since the July mowing.

Their feast lasted for an hour or more. Then the fun began. Several
of them would hop close together in the centre of the field. Then they
would skip slowly about in a sort of stately dance. Little by little the
movement became faster and faster until they were spinning around like
a pinwheel in a brisk breeze. Round and round they went until it made
little Luke's head dizzy to watch them.

Suddenly a rabbit stamped with his hind feet,--thump! thump! thump!
Instantly every rabbit squatted motionless. It was a danger signal, but
a false one. Nothing happened.

Soon the fun began again. Several of the rabbits had a game of tag.
Round and round they went, leaping ten feet or more at each bound.
Sometimes in the midst of their race, one of them would take a sky-hop.
Up straight into the air he would go as if he were trying to reach the
moon.

"Why do they do that?" asked little Luke of Father Wa-poose, who had
come back and was sitting quietly beside him.

"They do that," answered the old rabbit, "to get a clear look all
around them. You know we always have to be on the lookout for our foes."

Not far from little Luke two rabbits were having a boxing match. They
stood up to each other just like men. Little Luke could hear a soft
spat, spat, spat, as the blows went home. Their paws were so soft that
the blows did not hurt and it was great fun.

Suddenly thump! thump! thump! sounded the danger signal again. Not for
nothing this time! Ko-ko-ka the Great Owl came sailing over the clover
field as silently as a ghost. But for all his great eyes, the old owl
could not see a single rabbit. Neither could little Luke.

"Where have they all gone to?" he asked Father Wa-poose.

"Oh," said he, "they're all there. So long as they sit perfectly still
old Ko-ko-ka can't see them."

"Why didn't they run away?" asked little Luke.

[Illustration]

"What's the use?" replied the old rabbit; "so long as we know he is
coming, we aren't afraid of Ko-ko-ka. If he should swoop at one of them,
he'd just give a bound and get out of danger. Old Ko-ko-ka can't catch
a rabbit who knows he's coming. It's the way he comes that makes us fear
him.