travel very far that day to seek his fortune.
He slept that night in a doghouse, where a kind puppy named Towser lived,
and Towser covered the old gentleman rabbit up with leaves and straw and
kept watch so that no one would hurt him.
"For I have heard about you from Percival, the old circus dog," said
Towser, the next morning when the rabbit awakened, "and I feel quite like
a friend to you. Will you gnaw one of my juicy bones?"
"No, thank you," said Uncle Wiggily, "but if I had a bit of carrot I would
be very glad."
"Don't say another word!" cried Towser. "I will have it for you in less
than two shakes of a crooked stick, or a straight one, either."
So he ran out into the vegetable garden, and, very carefully he dug up a
fine yellow carrot, which Uncle Wiggily ate for his breakfast. Then the
rabbit rested all that day, and stayed another night with Towser. And
Towser invited some of his friends over to call on the rabbit, and they
had quite an evening's entertainment.
Towser sang a funny song and stood on his tail, and Uncle Wiggily jumped
over two chairs and a footstool, and a dog named Rover stood up on his
hind legs and begged, and made believe he was a soldier with a broom for a
gun, and did lots of tricks like that.
Well, the next day Uncle Wiggily felt well enough to go on with his
travels again and so he started off.
"I will go part of the way with you," said Towser, "to see that no harm
comes to you."
"Thank you, very much," said the rabbit, and so they set off together, the
puppy dog carrying Uncle Wiggily's valise for him.
Pretty soon, not so very long, they came to a pond of water, and as soon
as Towser saw it, he cried out:
"Oh, it is such a hot day I think I'll jump in and have a swim. Come on,
Uncle Wiggily, have a swim with me."
"Oh, no, I can't swim," said the old gentleman rabbit.
"What! You can't swim?" cried the dog. "Well, every one ought to swim,
for when they go on their vacation if they fall in the water they won't
drown if they know how to keep themselves up. Watch me and see how easy it
is."
So Towser set the satchel down on the bank and, taking off some of his
clothes, into the water he jumped with a big splashy dive. Right down
under the water he disappeared.
"Oh, he'll be drowned, sure!" cried Uncle Wiggily, who was much
frightened. But, no. In a second up came Towser, shaking the water from
his hair and eyes, and then he began swimming around as easily as a
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