rvation. That means to save your own life
first. So perhaps Granny and Reddy are not to be blamed for hoping that
some of their neighbors might be caught easily because of the great
storm. They were very hungry indeed, and they could not eat bark like
Peter Rabbit, or buds like Mrs. Grouse, or seeds like Whitefoot the
Woodmouse. Their teeth and stomachs are not made for such food.

It was hard going for Granny and Reddy Fox. The snow was soft and deep
in many places, and they had to keep pretty close to those places where
rough Brother North Wind had blown away enough of the snow to make
walking fairly easy. They soon found that their hope that they would
find some of their neighbors too weak to escape was quite in vain. When
jolly, round, red Mr. Sun dropped clown behind the Purple Hills to go to
bed, their stomachs were quite as empty as when they had started out.

"We'll go down to the Old Briar-patch. I don't believe it will be of
much use, but you never can tell until you try. Peter Rabbit may take it
into his silly head to come outside," said Granny, leading the way.

When they reached the dear Old Briar-patch they found that Peter was not
outside. In fact, peering between the brambles and bushes, they could
see his little brown form bobbing about as he hunted for tender bark. He
had already made little paths along which he could hop easily. Peter saw
them almost as soon as they saw him.

"Hard times these," said Peter pleasantly. "I hope your stomachs are not
as empty as mine." He pulled a strip of bark from a young tree and began
to chew it. This was more than Reddy could stand. To see Peter eating
while his own stomach was just one great big ache from emptiness was too
much.

"I'm going in there and catch him, or drive him out where you can catch
him, if I tear my coat all to pieces!" snarled Reddy.

Peter stopped chewing and sat up. "Come right along, Reddy. Come right
along if you want to, but I would advise you to save your skin and your
coat," said he.

Reddy's only reply was a snarl as he pushed his way under the brambles.
He yelped as they tore his coat and scratched his face, but he kept on.
Now Peter's paths were very cunningly made. He had cut them through the
very thickest of the briars just big enough for himself and Mrs. Peter
to hop along comfortably. But Reddy is so much bigger that he had to
force his way through and in places crawl flat on his stomach, which was
very slow work, to say not