<div><h1 id='ch13'>CHAPTER XIII<br/> <span class='sub-head'>CURIOSITY IS SATISFIED</span></h1></div>
<div class='poetry-container' style=''>
<div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
<div class='stanza-outer'>
<p class='line0'>The curious to gratify,</p>
<p class='line0'>You first will have to satisfy.</p>
<p class='line0'>           <span class='it'>Little Joe Otter.</span></p>
</div>
</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Peter Rabbit</span> sat at the top of
the steep bank of the Laughing
Brook in the Green Forest, as puzzled
a Rabbit as ever lived. The
queer trail he had followed ended
in this long furrow straight down
the steep bank to the water.
Peter hadn’t the least idea who
had made that queer trail. So he
sat there, staring all about rather
foolishly, and now and then
scratching a long ear with a long
hind foot.</p>
<p class='pindent'>“Hello, Peter Rabbit! Isn’t
this great weather? Don’t you
just love it? I do,” said a voice.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Peter stared all around, everywhere
but in the right direction.
Finally he just happened to look
down in the black, cold water of
the Laughing Brook. There in
the very middle of it he saw a
brown head with a pair of bright
eyes full of mischief looking up at
him.</p>
<p class='pindent'>“Little Joe Otter!” cried Peter.
“Goodness, how you startled me!
I couldn’t tell where that voice
came from. Yes, this is fine
weather. I like it too. But I
hope it won’t get any colder.”</p>
<p class='pindent'>“I don’t care how cold it gets,”
declared Little Joe Otter. “By
the way, what brings you over here
to the Laughing Brook?”</p>
<p class='pindent'>That reminded Peter of the
queer trail that had so puzzled
him. “Some one, I haven’t the
least idea who, has been traveling
about in the Green Forest, and has
left the queerest trail I’ve ever
seen,” said he. “In parts of it
there are no footprints at all;
there is just a long furrow in the
snow. Here is one of those furrows
right down this bank.”</p>
<p class='pindent'>Little Joe Otter’s bright eyes
twinkled. “That is queer,” said
he. “Now who under the sun do
you suppose could have made it?”</p>
<p class='pindent'>“That’s what I want to know,”
declared Peter. “But I guess I’ll
have to keep on wanting, for I
don’t see that trail coming out of
the water anywhere.”</p>
<p class='pindent'>“I’ll have to have a little closer
look at that. I’ll join you in a
minute,” said Little Joe Otter.</p>
<p class='pindent'>He swam swiftly up the Laughing
Brook and came out of the
water where the bank was low.
Then he made his way around
up to where Peter was sitting.
“That is a queer trail,” said
he, trying to keep his eyes from
twinkling. “It looks to me as if
some one had slid down there. I
tell you what, Peter, let’s slide
down, too, and see how it seems.”</p>
<p class='pindent'>“No, thank you,” replied Peter
promptly, and backed away in a
rather undignified manner. Just
looking at that cold, black water
made him chilly.</p>
<p class='pindent'>“Oh, come on, Peter! It is
the greatest fun in the world!”
cried Little Joe, and giving a
quick, hard push with his hind feet
he glided right down that furrow
flat on his stomach straight into
the water. Peter looked over at
the trail Little Joe had made getting
up there. Then in a flash he
understood. That trail which had
puzzled him so was made by Little
Joe Otter himself. He had made
those queer furrows by sliding on
his stomach in the same way that
he had gone down that bank.
Peter gave a happy little sigh.
His curiosity was satisfied.</p>
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />
1 of 2
2 of 2
Previous
Next
Update Required
To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.