FLUFF-BUTTON THE RABBIT 67 
took the alarm at once, without pausing to discover 
the reason for the stampede. A dozen scuts 
whisked in the air, and then vanished into the 
hedgerow. There was, however, one small rabbit 
who had evidently but just left the nesting burrow, 
for he showed no fear. He hopped a few feet nearer 
the hedge, and then raised himself upon his fluffy 
pad of a tail to peer over the grass. 
The fox saw his ears twitch, and glided forward 
a few feet before making a spring. But the old 
ewes took the alarm again, and stampeded. As 
White-Lamb scampered by his mother, his flying 
hoof struck the little rabbit, and brushed him 
aside. The flock then wheeled again upon the fox, 
just in time to see the rabbit's scut uppermost as he 
rolled head over heels into the runway, and hear 
the click of the fox's jaws which closed on the empty 
air at the end of his spring. He stood sulkily 
watching the sheep for a minute or two ; but 
though he did not fear them individually, yet 
collectively the old ewes looked dangerously ready 
to trample upon an enemy in defence of their lambs, 
and he thought better of it. He turned away 
and cantered off towards the moor. 
That was the first time that White-Lamb saw 
Fluff-Button the Rabbit, and but for his happy 
instinct to baa for his mother, it 
