“He won’t bother us as long as he has Splash to chase,” said Tom.

“But I don’t want him to chase Splash!” 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.”

“There!  Take that!” cried Bunny squirting the water over the turkey.  “That will make you stop pulling dogs’ tails, I guess.”

Indeed the water was too much for the gobbler.  He let go of Splash’s tail, for which the dog was very thankful, and then the big bird ran toward the farmyard, just as the farmer came out to see what all the trouble was about.

“I had to splash your turkey to make him let go of our dog,” explained Bunny.

“Oh, that’s all right,” answered the farmer.  “I guess that bird is a leetle better off for being cooled down.  Glad you did it.  None of you hurt, I hope?”

“My neck’s picked a bit,” said Tom.

“Well, come in and I’ll have my wife put some salve on it.”

“No, thank you, we’re in a hurry to get home,” said Bunny.  “My mother has some goose grease.”

“Well, that’s just as good, I reckon.  Next time I’ll keep the old gobbler locked up.”

Mr. Brown was at home, when Bunny, Sue and the ragged boy reached the tent.  The father and mother listened while Bunny and Sue explained what had happened, from going into the cave to the turkey gobbler.