doctor rabbit and jack rabbit hurried along across the wide prairie until they came to the first tree. here doctor rabbit said they had better stop and look around a bit. so cautious jack rabbit went up on a little hill and looked all around, but he said he couldn’t see a thing.
“did you look mighty close in the direction of the big green woods?” doctor rabbit wanted to know. (you see this was the direction in which they were going.)
“indeed, i did look!” replied jack rabbit. “i looked more closely in that direction than in any other, and there wasn’t a thing in sight.”
[pg 22]“all right,” said doctor rabbit, “we’ll go for the next tree.”
they came safely to the next tree, and pretty soon they came to the last tree. doctor rabbit was feeling fine now. they stopped by the tree and talked for a little while.
doctor rabbit said, “i don’t think i should care much if ki-yi coyote did come after us. i could run away from him and be in the big green woods in no time!”
but jack rabbit had run away from ki-yi coyote a good many times, and he knew. so he said pretty seriously, “i don’t know about that, doctor rabbit. ki-yi can run something awful.”
“i know,” said doctor rabbit, “but the big green woods look so close that i feel sure i could beat him that far.”
then what do you suppose he said?[pg 23] well, he didn’t realize what he was saying, of course, but this is what he said: “ha, ha, ha! why, friend jack rabbit, i feel so sure about it that i wish old ki-yi would come tearing out this way right now! yes, sir! i wish he would. just let him come whenever he wants to. if he came, i’d run away and be in the big green woods so quick he could hardly see me.”
and then something happened, something that doctor rabbit was not ready for at all, because he really was not expecting it. just then ki-yi coyote did come tearing over the great wide prairie after them. and he came from the direction of the big green woods! doctor rabbit had forgotten all about that. he certainly was very much surprised, and very badly scared. he could have darted into the hole under the tree, of[pg 24] course, and that is just what he should have done. but sometimes when rabbits, like little boys and girls, get scared, they forget all about what is the best thing to do. what doctor rabbit ought to have done the very first thing when he saw ki-yi coming was to say to himself, “now, i mustn’t be so scared that i don’t know what i’m doing. i must be careful and get out of this, because i have no one to help me.”
but he didn’t stop to think. no, he was so frightened he just hiked out across the wide prairie!
then kind jack rabbit was certainly scared, not for himself, but for doctor rabbit. so he started out after doctor rabbit, and when he caught up he shouted in his ear as loud as he could, “what’s the matter with you, doctor rabbit? you must be crazy! now, i’ll[pg 25] take care of ki-yi coyote and you dodge back for that hole under the tree.” then doctor rabbit remembered. crafty ki-yi was right close and tried hard to seize him, but he didn’t, and doctor rabbit darted safely into the hole.
it was a mighty close call. ki-yi coyote’s sharp teeth had snapped twice at doctor rabbit, once so close that some of his tiny round tail was bitten off.
all this time clever jack rabbit was close beside doctor rabbit, shouting (just to fool ki-yi coyote, of course), “oh, my! i’ve got a broken leg! i’ve got a broken leg! what shall i do if ki-yi coyote comes after me! oh, good ki-yi, please don’t come after me, ’cause i’ve got a broken leg!”
well, if it hadn’t been for this, i think that ki-yi would certainly have caught doctor rabbit, but after he had missed[pg 26] him once, and was just going for him again, he heard jack rabbit’s moan. so he said, “i’ll go after jack rabbit. he has a broken leg, and i can catch him without half trying.” and off he started after jack rabbit.
