started after him, and this time he made good use of his speed.
But he was too late. Old Jed Thumper reached his castle with Reddy
two jumps behind him. Reddy knew now that there was no chance to catch
Old Jed that day, and for a few minutes he felt more bitter than ever.
Then all in a flash Reddy Fox became the shrewd, clever fellow that he
really is. he grinned.

"It's of no use to try to fill an empty stomach on wishes," said he.

"If I had come straight here and minded my own business, I'd have
caught old Jed Thumper. Now I'm going to get some food and I'm not
going home until I do."

Very wisely Reddy put all unpleasant thoughts out of his head and
settled down to using his wits and his eyes and his ears and his nose
for all they were worth, as Old Mother Nature had intended he should.

All through the Old Pasture he hunted, taking care not to miss a single
place where there was the least chance of finding food. But it was
all in vain. Reddy gulped down his disappointment.

"Now for the Big River," said he, and started off bravely.

When he reached the edge of the Big River, he hurried along the bank
until he reached a place where the water seldom freezes. As he had
hoped, he found that it was not frozen now. It looked so black and
cold that it made him shiver just to see it. Back and forth with his
nose to the ground he ran. Suddenly he stopped and sniffed. Then he
sniffed again. Then he followed his nose straight to the very edge of
the Big River. There, floating in the black water, was a dead fish!