“I think Jip is asleep in the house,” said Bunny.

“I think Mr. Man is eating his dinner,” said Bobtail.

“Let’s hurry,” said Bunny.  “We can reach the garden without any one seeing us, I am sure.”

So the two little rabbits laid their ears down on their heads and hopped away.

They hopped behind the barn.

Mr. Rooster saw them coming.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!” he said.  “Who are you?  Where are you going in such a hurry?”

“We are going to the garden to get our dinner,” said Bunny.

“Mr. Man never lets me go to the garden,” said Mr. Rooster.

“Mr. Man never lets me go to the garden if he knows about it,” laughed Bunny.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!” said the rooster, as he flapped his wings and flew up on the fence.

“Please do not make so much noise,” begged Bobtail.  “Mr. Man will hear you and come out to see what is the matter.”

But the rooster just flapped his big wings and crowed again.

“Come,” said Bunny.  “This is no place for us.

“Let’s hop into the garden and get some cabbage.”

II

The two rabbits hopped off across the yard and into the garden.

There they found the biggest cabbages they had ever seen.

There were rows and rows of them.

They were great big green cabbages.  How good they did look to the hungry little rabbits!

“I aim going to eat this one,” said Bunny.  And he stopped at a big, big cabbage at the end of one long row.

Bobtail picked out a big one for himself and began to nibble the sweet leaves.

Nibble, nibble, nibble!  Not a word did the little rabbits speak.

They could not talk.  They were so busy eating that they could not say a word.

Nibble, nibble, nibble!  How still it was in the garden!

Bunny heard the bees humming as they flew among the flowers.

Once Blacky Crow flew over and called to the rabbits.

But he did not fly down to the garden.  There was nothing there for him to eat, now.

He liked the corn when it had just peeped out of the ground.

Then it was tender and sweet, and he often pulled it up for his dinner.

Nibble, nibble, nibble!  How still it was everywhere.

Then all at once there was a noise.

It was a noise the rabbits knew too well.

“Bow-wow-wow!” said Jip, as he bounded across the field.

“Bow-wow-wow!  I think some one is in my master’s garden.”

Bunny and Bobtail knew who was coming.  They did not have to wait and see.

Off through the garden they hopped.

They hopped so fast that they were soon out of sight.

But Jip knew where they had gone, and he ran after them, barking louder and louder at every step.

“Oh, dear me!” cried Bobtail.  “What shall we do?  Jip will catch us before we reach home.”