LIGHTFOOT THE DEER

BY THORNTON W. BURGESS



CHAPTER I: Peter Rabbit Meets Lightfoot

Peter Rabbit was on his way back from the pond of Paddy the
Beaver deep in the Green Forest. He had just seen Mr. and
Mrs. Quack start toward the Big River for a brief visit before
leaving on their long, difficult journey to the far-away
Southland. Farewells are always rather sad, and this particular
farewell had left Peter with a lump in his throat, -- a queer,
choky feeling.

"If I were sure that they would return next spring, it wouldn't
be so bad," he muttered. "It's those terrible guns. I know what
it is to have to watch out for them. Farmer Brown's boy used to
hunt me with one of them, but he doesn't any more. But even when
he did hunt me it wasn't anything like what the Ducks have to go
through. If I kept my eyes and ears open, I could tell when a
hunter was coming and could hide in a hole if I wanted to. I
never had to worry about my meals. But with the Ducks it is a
thousand times worse. They've got to eat while making that long
journey, and they can eat only where there is the right kind of
food. Hunters with terrible guns know where those places are and
hide there until the Ducks come, and the Ducks have no way of
knowing whether the hunters are waiting for them or not. That
isn't hunting. It's -- it's --"