So Buddy put on his hat and coat and went out of the front door and into the dark night, where, for all he knew, a bad fox might be waiting to grab him.  But Buddy took a long stick, and he filled his pockets with stones, and he made up his mind he would throw them at the fox if he saw him.

The little guinea pig boy went on, and on, through the woods, toward Dr. Possum’s home, and, after a while, he was not so frightened as he had been at first.  Then, all of a sudden, as he was passing a big, black bush, he heard a funny noise.  First he thought it was a wolf or a bear, and then he heard a voice say: 

“Oh, come on down into the burrow, Waddy.”

Then Buddy knew it was the two groundhog boys, Woody and Waddy, who had made the funny noises, but they didn’t mean to scare him, and he wasn’t at all frightened now.  Woody and Waddy had heard Buddy coming along, and, a moment later, they saw him and asked where he was going.

“I’m going after Dr. Possum, because my papa is sick,” said Buddy.

“Wait and we’ll let you take our lantern,” said Woody, and he hurried down into the burrow, and came back with a large bottle, filled with lightning bugs, which gave plenty of light.  And it had a string on, to carry it by.  As Buddy took it, very thankfully, Waddy said he hoped he would find the doctor at home.

Then Buddy started off again, but he hadn’t gone much farther through the woods before he heard another noise.  This noise was a real loud one, like some giant tramping up and down, and stamping his feet, and suddenly there came a great snort, and the earth seemed to shake, and a big, black thing jumped up in front of Buddy, scaring him frightfully.

He trembled so that the cork nearly came out of the bottle of lightning bugs, and, if it had, the fireflies would have been spilled all over the ground, worse than when you spill your ice cream cone—­only it didn’t happen, I’m glad to say, but almost.  Then the black shape stood still, and a great voice called out: 

“Where are you going with that lantern?”

“If you please, kind sir,” answered the little boy guinea pig, “I’m going for Dr. Possum for my papa, who has a terrible pain.  The groundhog boys lent me this lantern.  But who are you, if you please, kind sir?”

“Why, I am Gup, the horse,” was the answer.  “So you are going for Dr. Possum, eh?  He is a friend of mine.  I’m sorry if I frightened you.  Yes, I’m only Gup, the horse.  You see, my name is Gup because there is a little boy at our house, and he can’t talk very plainly, and he calls me ‘Gup’ when he wants to say ‘get up,’ you see.  However, it doesn’t much matter, and I don’t mind.

“But, speaking of doctors, I know where Dr. Possum lives, and I’ll take you right to his house in less than no time.  Besides, you and your sister were so kind as to drive the cows home for the man who cut his foot, and as he is a friend of mine I want to return your kindness to him.  Jump upon my back, Buddy.”