And there was a tent near them, and it
looked as if people lived in the white tent, only no one was there just
then.
[Illustration]
"I guess I'd better keep away," thought the old gentleman rabbit, "or they
may catch me." And just then he saw something like a long, straight stick,
standing up against a tree. "Ha, that will be a good stick to take along
to chase the bears away with," he thought. "I think no one wants it, so
I'll take it."
Well, he walked up and took hold of it in his paws, but, mind you, he
didn't notice that on one end of the stick was a piece of powder string,
like the string of a firecracker, sticking down, and this string was
burning. No, the poor old gentleman, rabbit never noticed that at all. He
started to take the stick away with him when, all of a sudden, something
dreadful happened.
With a whizz and a rush and a roar that stick shot into the air, carrying
Uncle Wiggily with it, just like a balloon, for he hadn't time to let go
of it.
Up and up he went, with a roar and a swoop, and just then he saw a whole
lot of boys rushing out of the woods toward the white tent. And one boy
cried:
"Oh, fellows, look! A rabbit has hold of our sky-cracker and it's on fire
and has gone off and taken him with it! Oh the poor rabbit! Because when
the sky-cracker gets high enough in the air the firecracker part of it
will go off with a bang, and he'll be killed.
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