Down on the White Meadows he could see Jimmy Skunk prowling about . Once he heard a rooster crow sleepily in Farmer Brown 's hen-house , but he thought of Bowser the Hound , and though his mouth watered , he did not dare risk a closer acquaintance with the big dog . So he sat still and barked , and pretty soon he forgot all else but the moon and the sound of his own voice . Now Bowser the Hound had managed to slip his collar . `` Aha , '' thought Bowser , `` now I 'll teach Reddy Fox to make fun of me , '' and like a shadow he slipped through the fence and across the White Meadows towards the Lone Pine . Reddy Fox had just barked for the hundreth time when he heard a twig crack just back of him . It had a different sound from the noisy crack of Jack Frost , and Reddy stopped a yap right in the middle and whirled about to see what it might be . There was Bowser the Hound almost upon him , his eyes flashing fire , his great , red jaws wide open , and every hair on his back bristling with rage . Reddy Fox did n't wait to say `` Good evening , '' or to see more . Oh , no ! He turned a back somersault and away he sped over the hard , snowy crust as fast as his legs could carry him . Bowser baying at the moon he liked to hear , but Bowser baying at his heels was another matter , and Reddy ran as he had never run before . Down across the White Meadows he sped , Bowser frightening all the echoes with the roar of his big voice as he followed in full cry . How Reddy did wish that he had minded Mother Fox ! How safe and snug and warm was his home under the roots of the old hickory tree , and how he did wish that he was safely there ! But it would never do to go there now , for that would tell Bowser where he lived , and Bowser would take Farmer Brown there , and that would be the end of Reddy Fox and of Mother Fox and of all the brother and sister foxes . So Reddy twisted and turned , and ran this way and ran that way , and the longer he ran , the shorter his breath grew . It was coming in great pants now . His bushy tail , of which he was so proud , had become very heavy . How Reddy Fox did wish and wish that he had minded Mother Fox !
He twisted and turned , and doubled this way and that way , and all the time XXXXX the Hound got closer and closer .
Aha Bowser Fox Frost Hound Reddy fire hen-house right twig