The bear looked all around as he heard Uncle Wiggily and Johnnie
running away, and when he saw where they had gone he laughed until his
whiskers twinkled, almost like the rabbit gentleman's pink nose, and
then the bear said:

"Ha, ha! and Ho, ho! So you thought you could get away from me that
way, did you? Well, you can't. I can see you hiding under that bush
almost as plainly as I can see the sun shining. Here I come after you."

"Oh, dear!" cried Uncle Wiggily. "What shall we do, Johnnie? I don't
want the bear to get you or me."

"And I don't either," spoke the little squirrel boy.

"I wonder if I could scare him away with my umbrella, Johnnie?" went on
Uncle Wiggily. "I might if I could make believe it was a gun. Have
you any talcum powder to shoot?"

"No," said Johnnie, sadly, "I have not, I am sorry to say."

"Have you any bullets?" asked the bunny uncle.

"No bullets, either," answered Johnnie, more sadly.

"Then I don't see anything for us to do but let the bear get us,"
sorrowfully said Mr. Longears. "Here he comes, Johnnie."

"But he sha'n't get us!" quickly cried the squirrel boy, as the bear
made a jump for the bush under which the bunny and Johnnie were hiding.
"He sha'n't get us!"

"Why not?" asked Uncle Wiggily.

"Because," said Johnnie, "I have just thought of something. You asked
me for bullets a while ago. I have none, but the hazel nut bush has.
Come, good Mr. Hazel Bush, will you save us from the bear?" asked
Johnnie.

"Right gladly will I do that," the kind bush said.

"Then, when he comes for us!" cried Johnnie, "just rattle down, all
over on him, all the hard nuts you can let fall. They will hit him on
his ears, and on his soft and tender nose, and that will make him run
away and leave us alone."

"Good!" whispered the hazel nut bush, rustling its leaves. "But what
about you and Uncle Wiggily? If I rattle the nuts on the bear they
will also fall on you two, as long as you are hiding under me."

"Have no fear of that!" said the bunny uncle. "I have my umbrella, and
I will raise that and keep off the falling nuts."

Then the bear, with a growl, made a dash to get Uncle Wiggily and
Johnnie. But the hazel bush shivered and shook himself and
"Rattle-te-bang! Bung-bung! Bang!" down came the hazel nuts all over
the bear.

"Oh, wow!" he cried, as they hit him on his soft and tender nose. "Oh,
wow! I guess I'd better run away. It's hailing!"

And he did run.