66 FLUFF-BUTTON THE RABBIT 
the path, and listened to the wind among the 
branches, he saw a shadow move among the withered 
fern stumps, and steal quickly towards him. White- 
Lamb watched it approach with his pink-tinted 
ears spread wide, and his innocent face pressed 
against the lower bar of the gate. At first he 
thought that the strange beast was a sheep, but 
a furtive gleam of sunshine touched its back and 
pointed ears and turned them ruddy. It came on 
with an easy silent gait, glancing from side to side, 
and did not perceive White-Lamb until it was quite 
close to him. Then it stopped, and eyed him 
narrowly with a pair of keen yellow eyes. White- 
Lamb felt a vague misgiving, and ran back a few 
steps towards the flock. The other slunk forward 
and slipped through a little hole at the side of the 
gate-post, whence his sharp nose peeped out. A 
dozen rabbits were playing a little distance down 
the fence, close to the sheep, and his attention was 
fixed upon these. Suddenly White-Lamb realised 
that all was not to his liking, and he uttered a loud 
and plaintive bleat. Instantly his mother raised 
her head, saw the intruder, and cried to her com- 
panions. The whole flock rushed together, each ewe 
with her lamb galloping beside her ; and forming 
into a close circle they faced the enemy and stamped 
an insistent warning : ' Fox ! fox ! ' The rabbits 
