father carried her, and soon the two
children, and Mr. Brown, were looking down into the hole at which Splash
was barking.

All at once a light brown animal, covered with fur, and larger than the
muskrat Splash had barked at in the lake, stuck its head out of the
hole.

"Oh, look!" cried Bunny. "It's a little bear!"

"No, that's a ground-hog, or woodchuck," explained Mr. Brown. "They
won't hurt you. This must be the old father or mother, and there may be
little ones in the hole, or burrow, so the old folks want Splash to go
away."

But Splash did not want to go. He barked louder than ever at the sight
of the woodchuck, and pawed at the dirt with his fore paws. But he could
not reach the brown, furry animal.

"Come away, Splash!" called Mr. Brown.

Still Splash barked.

Then, all at once, the woodchuck thrust out his head quickly, and made
a grab for one of Splash's paws. The dog howled, and ran down the hill.

"There!" exclaimed Mr. Brown. "Now I guess you'll leave the woodchucks
alone, Splash."

"Oh, is Splash hurt?" asked Bunny, for the dog was running along on
three legs, holding the other up off the ground.

"Oh, I guess he isn't hurt much," Mr. Brown said. "Come here, Splash,
until I look at your foot."

Splash limped up. He was not badly bitten. The woodchuck had just
pinched him to drive him away. Splash looked at the hole and barked. But
he did not offer to go near it again. So the old lady, or old gentleman,
ground-hog--whichever it was--with the little ones, was left safe in the
burrow on the side of the hill.

Mr. Brown, Bunny, Sue and Splash went on to the village. They bought the
things Mother Brown wanted and then started for camp again. Nothing much
happened on the way back. Mrs. Brown was told of the visit to Mr.
Trimble's, and how the fox ran out of the smoke-house.

"And now," said Bunny, as his father finished telling what had happened,
"now I'm going up to see if we've caught a fox or a ground-hog in my box
trap. Come on, Sue."

"All right. I'm coming, Bunny, but if it is a fox or a ground-hog, you
won't let him bite me; will you?"

"Course I won't, Sue!" said the little fellow, picking up a stick from
beside the sleeping-tent. "Come on!"

Bunny Brown and his sister Sue were soon at the place where Bunny had
set the box-trap, with the stone on top to hold it down, in case an
animal got beneath.

"Now go easy, Sue!" whispered Bunny, as they crept through the bushes.
"If there'