Meadows, around the Smiling Pool, and along the Laughing Brook, knew
how he had put his tail between his legs and run with all his might at
the first glimpse of the strange creature which had rolled down the
hill of Prickly Porky. And he was right; everybody _did_ know it, and
everybody _was_ laughing about it. Unc' Billy Possum, Jimmy Skunk,
Prickly Porky, and Peter Rabbit had seen him run, and you may be sure
they told everybody they met about it, and news like that travels
very fast.

It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't boasted beforehand that if
he met the strange creature he would wait for it and find out what it
was. As it was, he had run just as Peter Rabbit had run when he saw
it, and he had been just as much frightened as Peter had. Now, as he
sneaked along trying to find something to eat, for he was hungry, he
did his very best to keep out of sight. Usually he is very proud of
his handsome red coat, but now he wished that he could get rid of it.
It is very hard to keep out of sight when you have bright colored
clothes. Presently Sammy Jay's sharp eyes spied him as he tried to
crawl up on the young family of Mrs. Grouse. At once Sammy flew over
there screaming at the top of his lungs:

"Reddy Fox is very brave when there's no danger near;
But where there is, alas, alack! he runs away in fear."

Reddy looked up at Sammy and snarled. It was of no use at all now to
try to surprise and catch any of the family of Mrs. Grouse, so he
turned around and hurried away, trying to escape from Sammy's sharp
eyes. He had gone only a little way when a sharp voice called:
"Coward! Coward! Coward!" It was Chatterer the Red Squirrel.