e a great leap of hope, and he began at once to dig away the snow
from around the stake, and then settled himself to gnaw the stake in
two.

Peter had been hard at work on the stake a long time and had it a
little more than half cut through, when he heard a loud sniff down
at the other end of the orchard. He looked up to see--whom do you
think? Why, Bowser the Hound! He hadn't seen Peter yet, but he had
already found Peter's tracks, and it would be but a few minutes
before he found Peter himself.

Poor Peter Rabbit! There wasn't time to finish cutting off the
stake. What could he do? He made a frightened jump just as he had
when he first felt the wire tugging at his leg. Just as before, he
was thrown flat on his face. He scrambled to his feet and jumped
again, only to be thrown just as before. Just then Bowser the Hound
saw him and opening his mouth sent forth a great roar. Peter made
one more frantic jump. Snap! the stake had broken! Peter pitched
forward on his head, turned a somersault, and scrambled to his feet.
He was free at last! That is, he could run, but after him dragged a
piece of the stake.

How Peter did run! It was hard work, for you know he had to drag
that piece of stake after him. But he did it, and just in time he
crawled into the old stone wall on one side of the orchard, while
Bowser the Hound barked his disappointment to the moon.

CHAPTER XVI

_Peter Rabbit's Hard Journey_

Peter Rabbit sat in the old stone wall along one side of Farmer
Brown's orchard, waiting for Mrs. Moon to put out her light and
leave the world in darkness until jolly, round, red Mr. Sun should
kick off his rosy bedclothes and begin his daily climb up in the
blue, blue sky. In the winter, Mr. Sun is a late sleeper, and Peter
knew that there would be two or three hours after Mrs. Moon put out
her light when it would be quite dark. And Peter also knew too that
by this time Hooty the Owl would probably have caught his dinner. So
would old Granny Fox and Reddy Fox. Bowser the Hound would be too
sleepy to be on the watch. It would be the very safest time for
Peter to try to get to his home in the dear Old Briar-patch.

So Peter waited and waited. Twice Bowser the Hound, who had chased
him into the old wall, came over and barked at him and tried to get
at him. But the old wall kept Peter safe, and Bowser gave it up. And
all the time Peter sat waiting he was in great pain. You see that
shiny wire was drawn so tight t