YAPPY CHASES KI-YI COYOTE

All the little creatures of the Big Green Woods were looking toward the big elm where Ki-yi Coyote was hiding and were wondering what would happen.

Then all of a sudden they heard big-mouthed Yappy baying away out on the Wide Prairie. Pretty soon they heard another hound¹ baying.

It was quite true that Jack² Rabbit had been started up at last. He had waited at the tree, and it had seemed as though nine o’clock never would come. At last when he saw Yappy and his friend coming, he was really glad.

When they were pretty close, Jack Rabbit sprang up, put his long ears straight in the air, and away he went. You see, when he doesn’t have to run[Pg 90] very fast, he keeps his ears straight up in the air; but when he has to run as fast as he can—the way he did when Speedy Grey Hound got after him—then he lays his long ears down flat to his head. And how he does run! He looks like a streak³, he goes so fast.

Jack Rabbit was not much afraid of Yappy, because you see, Yappy was only a fox hound. Now a fox hound is dangerous enough at night, when he is on the trail of Ray Coon or O. Possum, but he can’t do any harm in the daytime to swift Jack Rabbit on the Wide Prairie.

Big Yappy and his friend, the other fox hound, had been trained to trail, at night, nothing but Ray Coon and O. Possum and Tom Wildcat. But in the daytime they certainly did like to start up Jack Rabbit. Most of all, though, they liked to start up Ki-yi Coyote.

[Pg 91]“There he goes!” shouted happy Yappy to his friend, as Jack Rabbit jumped up; and away they all went. And Jack Rabbit, of course, led them straight away for the Big Green Woods.

As they ran, Jack Rabbit kept thinking to himself, “I surely do hate to run so close to Ki-yi Coyote. Indeed, I do! Just suppose he should go after me as hard as ever he could.” Then he would comfort himself by thinking, “But then, he’ll never do it with the two hounds⁴ chasing him. I’ll be all right. Yes, I’ll just keep going. My, but I wish I could kick old Ki-yi right on the nose as I go past him!”

But wise Jack Rabbit said to himself that as soon as he had started up Ki-yi Coyote, he would run right back to the Wide Prairie, where there was plenty of room, because he might need it.

[Pg 92]While all the little creatures of the Big Green Woods were looking and wondering, Doctor Rabbit bounded into the woods from somewhere. In a jiffy he was in his tree, looking out from an upper window.

The two hounds were coming after Jack Rabbit as fast as they could, yelling⁵ terribly at each other, and saying that this time they certainly would catch him.

But Jack Rabbit was very wise. He ran a little slower until the two hounds were fearfully close, and all the little creatures of the Big Green Woods looking on were dreadfully scared for poor Jack Rabbit. In fact, Mother Chipmunk⁶ and Sophy Woodchuck began to weep, and wipe their eyes with the corners of their aprons⁷, because they said something had surely gone wrong with Jack Rabbit and this was the last of him. It would be[Pg 93] terrible, they said; and how would Mrs. Jack Rabbit ever make a living for all that family of little rabbits out on the Wide Prairie?

The next minute Jack Rabbit ran straight for the big elm. He saw Ki-yi Coyote lying with his body close to the ground. Old Ki-yi Coyote had seen them coming, but he thought, of course, he would just watch and see Jack Rabbit and the hounds go by. Then suddenly, before he could realize it, Jack Rabbit leaped clear over startled⁸ Ki-yi. “Ki-yi! Ki-yi!” he shouted, “I’ve brought you some company. Here they are. Good day! I must be going!” And away went Jack Rabbit out of sight.

Well, Ki-yi Coyote was both surprised and angry. He was about the angriest he had ever been in his life. But what could he do? Well, he couldn’t do a[Pg 94] thing except tear out of the woods as hard as he could go. And then how all the little creatures of the Big Green Woods did laugh, even Mother Chipmunk and Sophy Woodchuck!

Now when Yappy and his friend saw Ki-yi Coyote jump up, they shouted for joy. “Woo! woo! woo!” shouted Yappy gaily⁹ to his friend. “Sly old Ki-yi! Woo, woo, woo! Here he is right under our noses! Now we’ll see about him! Woo, woo, woo!” And away they went after Ki-yi Coyote. Ki-yi was so mad he could have bitten a nail if there had been one handy, but, mad or no mad, he had to run as hard as he could.

Now the little creatures of the Big Green Woods all hurried to the edge of the woods and looked on as Yappy and his friend started out across the Wide Prairie after Ki-yi Coyote.

1 hound   

n.猎狗，卑鄙的人；vt.用猎狗追，追逐

参考例句：

• The hound found the trail of the rabbit.猎狗发现了兔子的踪迹。
• The police have promised to hound down those responsible for the explosion.警方已保证要追查此次爆炸事件有责任的人员。

2 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

3 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

4 hounds   

猎狗，猎犬( hound的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The huntsman was whipping in his pack of hounds. 猎人正在用鞭子把他那群猎犬赶到一处。
• The hunter has twenty more hounds. 那猎人有二十几条猎狗。

5 yelling   

v.叫喊，号叫，叫着说( yell的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The coach stood on the sidelines yelling instructions to the players. 教练站在场外，大声指挥运动员。
• He let off steam by yelling at a clerk. 他对一个职员大喊大叫，借以发泄怒气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 chipmunk   

n.花栗鼠

参考例句：

• This little chipmunk is hungry.这只小花栗鼠肚子饿了。
• Once I brought her a chipmunk with a wound on its stomach.一次，我带了只腹部受伤的花栗鼠去找她。

7 aprons   

围裙( apron的名词复数 )； 停机坪，台口（舞台幕前的部份）

参考例句：

• Many people like to wear aprons while they are cooking. 许多人做饭时喜欢系一条围裙。
• The chambermaid in our corridor wears blue checked gingham aprons. 给我们扫走廊的清洁女工围蓝格围裙。

8 startled   

adj.受惊吓的v.使惊跳，使大吃一惊( startle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A crowd of 2000 was startled near the end of the concert. 2000名观众在音乐会将近结束时大吃一惊。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Startled by the sudden whistle of the train, the horse broke away. 火车突然鸣笛，那匹马受惊脱逃。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 gaily   

adv.欢乐地，高兴地

参考例句：

• The children sing gaily.孩子们欢唱着。
• She waved goodbye very gaily.她欢快地挥手告别。