Bumper thanked him, and decided to begin his journey at once. He was very
anxious to find a home with the wild rabbits, for his chance of getting
back to the garden where the red-headed girl lived was very slim. He had
no idea how far down the river he had floated, nor what direction to take
to find the garden.

"Is there any danger of meeting Mr. Fox on the trail?" he asked a little
anxiously.

"No," replied Rusty, "for Buster the Bear frequents the trail, and Mr. Fox
is dreadfully afraid of him."

"But how about Buster the Bear eating me up?"

"He might," admitted Rusty, "if he caught you, and was very hungry, but
you don't want to let him catch you."

"That's true," replied Bumper, "but I might not be able to avoid him. Is
he as quick as Mr. Fox?"

"Oh, dear, no! You can easily outrun him. He's so clumsy he falls over his
own big feet sometimes, and he makes such a noise you can hear him coming
a mile away."

"Then I don't believe I'm afraid of him," replied Bumper, in a voice of
relief.

When he started out on his travels he felt pretty good, and on the way he
stopped to eat every time he found something he knew was good for him. He