dewdrops from the briers were fit for a rabbit 

 to drink, as water which has once touched the 

 earth must surely bear some taint. Thus he 

 began the study of woodcraft, the oldest of all 

 sciences. 



As soon as Rag was big enough to go out 

 alone, his mother taught him the signal code. 

 Rabbits telegraph each other by thumping on 

 the ground with their hind feet. Along the 

 ground sound carries, far ; a thump that at six 

 feet from the earth is not heard at twenty yards 

 will, near the ground, be heard at least one 

 hundred yards. Rabbits have very keen hear- 

 ing, and so might hear this same thump at two 

 hundred yards, and that would reach from end to 

 end of Olifant's Swamp. A single thump means 

 ' look out ' or ' freeze. ' A slow thump thump 

 means ' come.' A fast thump thump means 

 1 danger ; ' and a very fast thump thump thump 

 means ' run for dear life.' 



At another time, when the weather was fine 

 and the bluejays were quarrelling among them- 

 selves, a sure sign that no dangerous foe was 

 about, Rag began a new study. Molly, by 

 flattening her ears, gave the sign to squat. Then 



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