Of course it was n't long before all the little people in the Green Forest knew what was going on . They knew all about that game of hide and seek just as they had known all about that other game of hide and seek with the hunters . But now , instead of trying to help Lightfoot as they did then , they gave him no help at all . The fact is , they were enjoying that game . Mischievous Sammy Jay even went so far as to warn the stranger several times when Lightfoot was approaching . Of course Lightfoot knew when Sammy did this , and each time he lost his temper . For the time being , he quite forgot all that Sammy had done for him when he was the one that was being hunted . Once Lightfoot almost ran smack into Buster Bear and was so provoked by his own carelessness that instead of bounding away he actually threatened to fight Buster . But when Buster grinned good-naturedly at him , Lightfoot thought better of it and bounded away to continue his search . Then there were times when Lightfoot would sulk and would declare over and over to himself , `` I do n't care anything about that stranger . I wo n't spend another minute looking for her . '' And then within five minutes he would be watching , listening and seeking some sign that she was still in the Green Forest . CHAPTER XXXIV : A Startling New Footprint The game of hide and seek between Lightfoot the Deer and the beautiful stranger whose dainty footprints had first started Lightfoot to seeking her had been going on for several days and nights when Lightfoot found something which gave him a shock . He had stolen very softly clown to the Laughing Brook , hoping to surprise the beautiful stranger drinking there . She was n't to be seen . Lightfoot wondered if she had been there , so looked in the mud at the edge of the Laughing Brook to see if there were any fresh prints of those dainty feet . Almost at once he discovered fresh footprints . They were not the prints he was looking for . No , Sir , they were not the dainty prints he had learned to know so well . They were prints very near the size of his own big ones , and they had been made only a short time before .
The finding of those prints was a dreadful shock to XXXXX .
Brook Buster Jay Lightfoot XXXIV days footprints minute minutes nights