I crept slowly out; but beyond a slight rustle as my head appeared outside the tent I heard nothing, though I waited several minutes and searched about among the underbrush.  But no sooner was I back in the tent and quiet than there it was again, and repeated three or four times, now here, now there, within the next ten minutes.  I crept out again, with no better success than before.

This time, however, I would find out about that mysterious noise before going back.  It isn’t so pleasant to go to sleep until one knows what things are prowling about, especially things that make a noise like that.  A new moon was shining down into the little clearing, giving hardly enough light to make out the outlines of the great evergreens.  Down among the ferns things were all black and uniform.  For ten minutes I stood there in the shadow of a big spruce and waited.  Then the silence was broken by a sudden heavy thump in the bushes just behind me.  I was startled, and wheeled on the instant; as I did so, some small animal scurried away into the underbrush.

For a moment I was puzzled.  Then it flashed upon me that I was camped upon the rabbits’ playground.  With the thought came a strong suspicion that Bunny was fooling me.

Going back to the fire, I raked the coals together and threw on some fresh fuel.  Next I fastened a large piece of birch bark on two split sticks behind the fireplace; then I sat down on an old log to wait.  The rude reflector did very well as the fire burned up.  Out in front the fern tops were dimly lighted to the edge of the clearing.  As I watched, a dark form shot suddenly above the ferns and dropped back again.  Three heavy thumps followed; then the form shot up and down once more.  This time there was no mistake.  In the firelight I saw plainly the dangle of Br’er Rabbit’s long legs, and the flap of his big ears, and the quick flash of his dark eyes in the reflected light,—­got an instantaneous photograph of him, as it were, at the top of his comical jump.

I sat there nearly an hour before the why and the how of the little joker’s actions became quite clear.  This is what happens in such a case.  Bunny comes down from the ridge for his nightly frolic in the little clearing.  While still in the ferns the big white object, standing motionless in the middle of his playground, catches his attention; and very much surprised, and very much frightened, but still very curious, he crouches down close to wait and listen.  But the strange thing does not move nor see him.  To get a better view he leaps up high above the ferns two or three times.  Still the big thing remains quite still and harmless.  “Now,” thinks Bunny, “I’ll frighten him, and find out what he is.”  Leaping high he strikes the ground sharply two or three times with his padded hind foot; then jumps up quickly again to see the effect of his scare.  Once he succeeded very well, when he crept up close behind me, so close that he didn’t have to spring up to see the effect.  I fancy him chuckling to himself as he scurried off after my sudden start.