o grab whatever it is!"
With a sudden push Bunker upset the box. Out ran a gray and brown
animal.
"Oh, look!" cried Bunny.
"Is it a fox? Oh, don't let it bite me!" cried Sue, and she ran toward
Bunker, who caught her up in his arms.
Splash, with a bark, sprang toward the little animal that had run out of
Bunny's box trap. But the little animal, instead of running away, just
curled up into a ball and stayed there. And Splash stopped short. He
barked at the animal but did not try to bite it.
"He's afraid of it, and no wonder!" said Bunker. "Best leave that alone,
Splash!"
"What is it?" asked Bunny.
"It's a hedgehog, or a prickly porcupine," said Bunker. "That animal is
all covered with sharp quills, like a lot of toothpicks. They aren't
very tightly fastened to him, and if a dog, or some other animal, tries
to bite, he gets his mouth full of sharp, slivery quills from the
hedgehog. That makes the dog's mouth very sore, and he can't bite
anything again for a long time. That's why the hedgehog curls himself up
into a little ball. In that way he is all covered with quills that stick
out in every way. No dog or any other animal, can bite without getting
badly hurt. I guess you'd better let the porcupine go, Bunny."
"I will," said the little fellow. "I don't want Splash hurt. Come away,
Splash!"
Splash did not care very much about biting or worrying the hedgehog. The
dog barked once or twice, and then came away. Then the porcupine
uncurled himself, and ran off into the wood.
"Well, I caught _something_ in my trap, anyhow," said Bunny.
"That's what you did," said Bunker Blue. "And the hedgehog, walking
around under the box, kept pushing it along with his head. He was trying
to find a way out. Come on back to camp now. Supper is ready and your
mother sent me to find you."
The next two days it rained, and Bunny and Sue did not have much fun at
Camp Rest-a-While. They had to stay in the tents. But the third day it
cleared off, and the wind blew away the storm clouds.
That afternoon Bunker took Bunny and Sue out in the boat, fishing. They
took with them some lunch to eat, and a bottle of milk to drink if they
got thirsty. Sue also took an old umbrella to keep the sun off herself
and her doll.
Bunker rowed the boat half way across the lake, and tied it to one of
the trees that grew on a little island. There he and Bunny fished, but
they did not catch anything.
"Maybe if we went on the island we wou
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