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So Jimmy Skunk got ready and Peter Rabbit began to count.

“One!” said Peter. “Two!” said Peter. “Three!”

Jimmy Skunk grabbed the black string and pulled as hard as ever he could and out came–Mr. Black Snake! The string Jimmy Skunk had pulled was Mr. Black Snake’s tail, and Mr. Black Snake was very, very angry indeed.

“Ha! Ha! Ha!” laughed Peter Rabbit.

“What do you mean, Jimmy Skunk,” said Mr. Black Snake, “by pulling my tail?”

“Was that your tail?” said Jimmy Skunk, politely. “I won’t do it again. Have you seen any beetles?”

But Mr. Black Snake hadn’t seen any beetles, and he was so cross that Jimmy Skunk went on over the hill to look for some beetles.

Peter Rabbit was still laughing and laughing and laughing. And the more he laughed the angrier grew Mr. Black Snake, till finally he started after Peter Rabbit to teach him a lesson.

Then Peter Rabbit stopped laughing, for Mr. Black Snake can run very fast. Away went Peter Rabbit down the Crooked Little Path as fast as he could go, and away went Mr. Black Snake after him.

But Jimmy Skunk didn’t even look once to see if Mr. Black Snake had caught Peter Rabbit to teach him a lesson, for Jimmy Skunk had found some beetles and was eating his breakfast.

CHAPTER VIII BILLY MINK’S SWIMMING PARTY

Billy Mink was coming down the bank of the Laughing Brook. Billy Mink was feeling very good indeed. He had had a good breakfast, the sun was warm, little white cloud ships were sailing across the blue sky and their shadows were sailing across the Green Meadows, the birds were singing and the bees were humming. Billy Mink felt like singing too, but Billy Mink’s voice was not meant for singing.

By and by Billy Mink came to the Smiling Pool. Here the Laughing Brook stopped and rested on its way to join the Big River. It stopped its noisy laughing and singing and just lay smiling and smiling in the warm sunshine. The little flowers on the bank leaned over and nodded to it. The beech tree, which was very old, sometimes dropped a leaf into it. The cat-tails kept their feet cool in the edge of it.

Billy Mink jumped out on the Big Rock and looked down into the Smiling Pool. Over on a green lily pad he saw old Grandfather Frog.

“Hello, Grandfather Frog,” said Billy Mink.

“Hello, Billy Mink,” said Grandfather Frog. “What mischief are you up to this fine sunny morning?”

Just then Billy Mink saw a little brown head swimming along one edge of the Smiling Pool.

“Hello, Jerry Muskrat!” shouted Billy Mink.

“Hello your own self, Billy Mink,” shouted Jerry Muskrat, “Come in and have a swim; the water’s fine!”

“Good,” said Billy Mink. “We’ll have a swimming party.”

So Billy Mink called all the Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind, who were playing with the flowers on the bank, and sent them to find Little Joe Otter and invite him to come to the swimming party. Pretty soon back came the Little Breezes and with them came Little Joe Otter.

“Hello, Billy Mink,” said Little Joe Otter. “Here I am!”

“Hello, Little Joe Otter,” said Billy Mink. “Come up here on the Big Rock and see who can dive the deepest into the Smiling Pool.”

So Little Joe Otter and Jerry Muskrat climbed up on the Big Rock side of Billy Mink and they all stood side by side in their little brown bathing suits looking down into the Smiling Pool.

“Now when I count three we’ll all dive into the Smiling Pool together and see who can dive the deepest. One!” said Billy Mink. “Two!” said Billy Mink. “Three!” said Billy Mink.

And when he said “Three!” in they all went head first. My such a splash as they did make! They upset old Grandfather Frog so that he fell off his lily pad. They frightened Mr. and Mrs. Trout so that they jumped right out of the water. Tiny Tadpole had such a scare that he hid way, way down in the mud with only the tip of his funny little nose sticking out.