<div><h1 id='ch16'>CHAPTER XVI<br/> <span class='sub-head'>THE FUN OF TRAVELING</span></h1></div>
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<p class='line0'>Who travels much will wiser be,</p>
<p class='line0'>Provided he has eyes to see.</p>
<p class='line0'>           <span class='it'>Little Joe Otter.</span></p>
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<p class='pindent'><SPAN name='t95'></SPAN><span class='sc'>Gentle</span> Mistress Moon, peeping
down though the tops of the trees
of the Green Forest, saw a queer
procession going up the Laughing
Brook to the pond of Paddy the
Beaver, deep in the Green Forest.
They were Little Joe Otter, Mrs.
Otter, and the two nearly grown
young Otters. Little Joe was leading,
the others following in single
file.</p>
<p class='pindent'>When they reached the pond of
Paddy the Beaver they found it
covered with smooth ice. The
snow had fallen before the pond
had frozen over. Little Joe made
three or four jumps and then threw
himself flat on his stomach and
away he slid on the smooth ice.
As soon as he stopped sliding he
scrambled to his feet and did the
same thing again. The others did
just as he did. They squealed with
delight. It was great fun. And
it was surprising how fast they
went across the pond of Paddy the
Beaver. When they got to the
other side the young Otters didn’t
want to leave that pond. They
wanted to slide some more.</p>
<p class='pindent'>But they had been well brought
up, and when Little Joe promised
them that they should have more
sliding before they reached the
end of their journey they said
nothing more. Into the woods,
plowing through the snow, Little
Joe led the way. Every time there
was a little slope he would slide
down to the bottom. Of course
all the others did the same. Sometimes
where it was level he would
make a few swift jumps and then
slide on his stomach.</p>
<p class='pindent'>The young Otters were much
excited. It was the first time they
had been any distance from the
Laughing Brook. Everything was
strange and new and wonderful.
They wanted to stop to examine
everything. They startled Jumper
the Hare, and as he bounded away
the young Otters started after him
and couldn’t understand why Little
Joe and Mrs. Otter called them
back. Mrs. Grouse whirred out
from under a low hemlock tree and
gave them a great fright. Both
jumped at the roar of those stout
wings. Then, as they saw that
their father and mother hadn’t
even turned their heads, they
looked a little ashamed.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Little Joe Otter chose the easiest
way. If he could slip under a
log instead of climbing over it,
he did so. When he couldn’t slip
under it he went around it. But
though he made a trail that was
very winding, he always kept to
a certain direction. It was clear
that he knew exactly where he
was heading for.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Now Otters have short legs, and
traveling in the soft snow was tiresome,
even though they could slide
now and then. So at last the two
young Otters began to lag a little.
Traveling was becoming more work
than fun. Little Joe knew just
how they felt. He hadn’t forgotten
his first journey when he
was a youngster. So when at last
he came to a great upturned tree,
he dived into the snow and disappeared.
In a moment he poked
his head out of the hole he had
made.</p>
<p class='pindent'>“We’ll stop here for a rest,” said
he, and once more disappeared.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Mrs. Otter and the two young
Otters followed him. They found
him in the snuggest, warmest little
cave under the roots of that old
tree. It was just the place to rest
and sleep. In two minutes those
young Otters were curled up and
sound asleep. Little Joe and Mrs.
Otter talked for a few minutes, and
then they, too, curled up.</p>
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