It
was two days since he had caught a glimpse of Peter, but he knew that
Peter was still in the Old Pasture, for he had found fresh tracks each
day. That very morning he had visited his favorite feeding ground, only
to find Peter's tracks there. It had made him so angry that he had lost
his appetite, and he had gone straight back to his bull-briar castle to
think it over. At last Old Jed Thumper stopped chewing on his temper. He
scowled more fiercely than ever and stamped the ground impatiently.
"I'll hunt that fellow till I kill him, or drive him so far from the Old
Pasture that he'll never think of coming back. I certainly will!" he
said aloud, and started forth to hunt.
Now it would have been better for the plans of Old Jed Thumper if he had
kept them to himself instead of speaking aloud. Two dainty little ears
heard what he said, and two soft, gentle eyes watched him leave the
bull-briar castle. He started straight for the far corner of the Old
Pasture where, although he didn't know it, Peter Rabbit had found a warm
little sunning-bank. But he hadn't gone far when, from way off in the
opposite direction, he heard a sound that made him stop short and prick
up his long ears to listen. There it was again--thump, thump! He was
just going to thump back an angry reply, when he thought better of it.
"If do that," thought he, "I'll only warn him, and he'll run away, just
as he has before."
So instead, he turned and hurried in the direction from which the thumps
had come, taking the greatest care to make no noise.
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