Then Peter Rabbit stopped laughing, for Mr. Black Snake can run
very fast. Away went Peter Rabbit down the Crooked Little Path as
fast as he could go, and away went Mr. Black Snake after him.

But Jimmy Skunk didn't even look once to see if Mr. Black Snake
had caught Peter Rabbit to teach him a lesson, for Jimmy Skunk had
found some beetles and was eating his breakfast.




CHAPTER VIII BILLY MINK'S SWIMMING PARTY

Billy Mink was coming down the bank of the Laughing Brook. Billy
Mink was feeling very good indeed. He had had a good breakfast,
the sun was warm, little white cloud ships were sailing across
the blue sky and their shadows were sailing across the Green
Meadows, the birds were singing and the bees were humming. Billy
Mink felt like singing too, but Billy Mink's voice was not meant
for singing.

By and by Billy Mink came to the Smiling Pool. Here the Laughing
Brook stopped and rested on its way to join the Big River. It
stopped its noisy laughing and singing and just lay smiling and
smiling in the warm sunshine. The little flowers on the bank
leaned over and nodded to it. The beech tree, which was very old,
sometimes dropped a leaf into it. The cat-tails kept their feet
cool in the edge of it.

Billy Mink jumped out on the Big Rock and looked down into the