Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue in the Big Woods Part 24

"He certainly is fierce all right," answered Tom. "He's coming with a rus.h.!.+"

As he spoke the turkey made a rush for him, keeping off the ground with outstretched wings and claws. He went: "Gobble-obble-obble!" in loud tones as though trying to scare the children.

Tom was ready with a heavy stick he had caught up, and as the big bird sailed at him through the air the lad aimed a blow at the gobbler.

But the turkey seemed to be on the lookout for this, and dodged. Then, before Tom could get ready for another blow, the gobbler landed back of the lad, and came on with another rush.

"Look out!" cried Bunny, but his warning came too late. The turkey landed on Tom's back and began nipping and clawing him.

"Get off! Get off!" cried the poorhouse lad, trying in vain to reach up with his club and hit the gobbler hard enough to knock him to the ground.

But Tom's club was of little use, with the big bird on his back. Bunny saw this and cried:

"Wait a minute and I'll throw some stones at him."

"You might hit Tom instead of the gobbler," said Sue, who was safe out of harm's way behind a big pile of wood. "Don't throw any stones, Bunny."

"No, you'd better not," said Tom. "I'll try to shake him off."

So he rushed about here and there, swaying his back from side to side, trying to make the turkey fall off. But the gobbler had fastened his claws in the back of Tom's ragged coat, and there he clung, now and then nipping with his strong bill Tom's head and neck.

"Here comes Splas.h.!.+" cried Bunny. "He'll soon make that turkey gobbler behave."

Up the sandy beach of the lake sh.o.r.e came Splash racing. He had stopped to look at a little crayfish, and it had nipped his nose, so Splash was not feeling any too pleasant. Most of you children know that a crayfish is like a little lobster.

"Here, Splas.h.!.+ Splas.h.!.+" cried Bunny. "Come and drive this bad turkey off Tom!"

"Bow-wow!" barked the big dog, as he came running.

"Tell him to hurry," begged Tom. "I can't shake him off and he's biting deep into my neck. I'm feared he'll bore a hole in it!"

"Hurry up, Splas.h.!.+ Hurry up!" urged Bunny.

"Bow-wow!" barked Splash again, which, I suppose, was his way of saying he would.

On he came, and, all this while, the gobbler was on top of Tom's back, gobbling away, fluttering his wings and now and then making savage pecks at the boy's shoulders and neck.

"Splash will make him go away," said Bunny. "Splash likes you now, Tom.

He's a friend of yours, for he shook hands, and he'll do anything you want."

"Well, all I want is for him to get this gobbler off me," said the ragged boy.

"Hi, Splas.h.!.+" cried Bunny. "Get at this bad gobbler!"

Splash rushed up to Tom, and then, raising up on his hind legs, nipped at the gobbler. The big bird made a louder noise than ever, and suddenly jumped down from Tom's back.

"Ha! I knew you'd do it!" cried Bunny in delight. But just then something queer happened.

Splash, seeing the bird flop down to the ground, made a dash for the gobbler with open mouth, barking the while.

"Now watch that old gobbler run!" cried Bunny, capering about.

But instead it was Splash that ran. Unable to stand the sight of the big bird, with outspread and drooping wings, with all his feathers puffed out to make him look twice as large as he really was, and with an angry "Gobble-obble-obble" coming from his beak, Splash ran. It was no wonder, for the turkey was a terrifying sight. I think even a tiger, a lion or perhaps an elephant would have run.

"Come back! Come back, Splas.h.!.+" called Bunny. "We want you to drive the turkey gobbler away from us."

But the gobbler was already going away. He was going right after Splash, who was running down the road as fast as he could go.

"Well, we're all right," said Tom. "That bird won't bother us any more."

"And I hope he doesn't come for me," said Sue. "He scared me."

"But what about poor Splash?" asked Bunny quickly. "He'll scare our nice dog awful."

"Splash seems to be getting away," remarked Tom, rubbing the place in the back of his neck where the turkey had nipped him.

"Oh! Oh, dear!" cried Bunny. "Look what's happening now. Splash is coming back this way and the turkey is coming with him. Oh, what shall we do?"

"He won't bother us as long as he has Splash to chase," said Tom.

"But I don't want him to chase Splas.h.!.+" said Bunny.

The children watched what happened.

Splash, with the turkey close behind him, was running back to a spot in front of the barn, where Bunny, his sister Sue and Tom were standing.

Just as the dog reached there the turkey caught him by the tail.

And I just wish you could have heard Splash howl! No, on second thoughts, it is just as well you did not. For you love animals, I am sure, and you do not like to see them in pain. And Splash was certainly in pain or he would not have howled the way he did. And I think if a big, strong turkey gobbler had hold of your tail, and was pulling as hard as he could, you would have howled too. That is, if you had a tail.

Anyhow Splash howled and tried to swing around so he could bite the gobbler, but the big bird kept out of reach.

"Oh, what can we do?" asked Sue.

"Get sticks and beat the gobbler!" cried Tom.

"No, wait. I know a better way," said Bunny.

"What?" asked his sister.

"I'll show you," answered the little boy. He had seen on the green lawn of the farmhouse a water hose. It was attached to a faucet near the ground and the water came from a big tank on the house into which it was pumped by a gasolene engine.

Bunny ran to the hose. The water was turned off at the nozzle, but it was the same kind of nozzle as the one on the Brown's hose at home, so Bunny knew how to work it.

In an instant he turned the nozzle, and aimed the hose at the turkey which still had hold of the poor dog's tail.

All over the turkey splashed the water, and as the big bird tried to gobble, and keep hold of Splash's tail at the same time, and as the water went down its throat, the noise, instead of "Gobble-obble-obble,"

sounded like "Gurgle-urgle-urgle."