Year: 1877

Peters Rabbit-Hunt.


Peter Koorikof was funny old fellow
who lived in village in Russia. He
did not know very much about anything
but his business, which was that of a
farmland, and the people in the village
said he did not know much about that.


But Peter had an idea that he was not
only the best farmer in the part of the
country where he lived, but that he un-
derstood great many things about fish
ing, hunting, gardening and other mat
ters which were entirely above the COM
prehension of ordinary people.


The villagers, and the men and women
on the farm where Peter worked, were
kind to him because he was a good. ma
tured, obliging fellow, always willing to
do a good turn for a friend, but they
could not help laughing at him when
they saw what n curious way he had,
sometimes, of doing good turn.


But Peter knew what he was about, he
said, and perhaps, some day, the people
in the village would see that he was not
the man they took him for.


One summer there was long series of
heavy rains, and the river which ran by
the village where Peter lived was greatly
swollen. SO much so, indeed, that the
water ran up into the fields, and even
into the woods that lay a little back
from the river. All the houses in the
village which were near the river bank
were entirely surrounded by water,
which in some cases was two or three feet
deep on the lower floors, so that the
people had to live altogether in the
little rooms in the upper part OF their
houses.


The farmhouse Jared better, for it
stood on high ground, some distance
from the river; but the water came up
very close to it, where it had never been
before, and the whole country presented
a very curious appearance, with the river
spreading itself out so far and wide, and
flowing swiftly on, over fields and roads
and fences, and even in and out among
the trees of the forest.


After the rains had ceased, the freshet
still continued; for all the little streams,
swelled up above their banks, and, loaded
with the waters from the hills, came
pouring into the river.


But everybody knew that the waters
would fall before many days, and so they
tried to get along as well as they could
meantime.


One day-it was one of the first days
after the rains-Peter came rushing into
the farm house, where most of the people
were just about to sit down to their din
ner, and cried out:


''I say Look here Who's got a
boat-hook?" Z"


GA what ?" said one of the men.


II
don't keep me. I'm in hurry. have
something to do while you are eating
your dinner. / saw boat-hook here
yesterday; where is it now2"


"What are you going to do, Peter ?"
asked a woman.


"Now, look here, good folks y said
Peter. "There is time for all things
"a time for joking, and time not to
joke. 1 am going rabbit-hunting in a
hurry, and L want boat-hook."


ella ha ha I" laughed half dozen
people. "That's good Hunting rab-
bits with boat-hook Hal ! ha Are
you going to hook them by the ears?"


"That's my affair."" said Peter. "I'll
attend to my business. Now, will any
body tell me where 1 shall find boat
hook ?"


"Oh don't make such disturbance,
Peter" said one of the older men. Il
expect the boat-hook is down in the
boat. Go down and look for it"


"I never thought of that" said Peter,
and away he went.


The farm-hands had another good
laugh at him, as he hurried away, and
then they went in to their dinner


d. lo.1
AS he happened to be down by the river
near the woods, that morning, he saw a
sight which puzzled him great deal
On logs and branches of trees which
were floating down with the current he
saw q great many rabbits, who seemed
to be going off together on grand boat
ing excursion.


"Hello !" said he to himself. "What
can those rabbits be about ?"


When he had considered the matter a
short time, however, he saw through the
mystery. The water, in spreading
through the woods, had flooded these
rabbits out of their homes, and had cut
off their retreat to dry land. So there
had been nothing lett for them to dc
but to get on such pieces of wood as
they might be able to reach, and float
along with the stream.


"They're in n bad way" thought
Peter. "for they don't like water, and
they'll stick on those logs till they starve
to death rather than try to swim ashore
And it's dreadful pity to see so many
fine rabbits wasted"


But Just then the idea came into hii
head that perhaps they need not b'
wasted. Suppose he were to get boa
and go and catch them all They coulC
not get away from him. Splendid HI
would do it. With boat-hook he coulC
draw the logs and branches up to hi