Copyright

Mr Dog and the Rabbit Habit, Mr Dog and the Seal Deal and Mr Dog and a Hedge Called Hog first published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2019, 2019 and 2019 Published in this ebook pack edition in 2020 HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd, HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

The HarperCollins Children’s Books website address is www.harpercollins.co.uk

Text copyright © Ben Fogle 2019

Cover design copyright © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019 Illustrations copyright © Nikolas Ilic 2019

Ben Fogle and Nikolas Ilic assert the moral right to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work respectively.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBNs: 9780008306366 (Mr Dog and the Rabbit Habit), 9780008306397 (Mr Dog and the Seal Deal) and 9780008306427 (Mr Dog and a Hedge Called Hog) Ebook Edition © March 2020 ISBN: 9780008402204 Version: 2020-02-14

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Dedication

Mr Dog and the Rabbit Habit

Mr Dog and the Seal Deal

Mr Dog and a Hedge called Hog

Also By

Keep Reading

About the Author

About the Publisher

To Ludo and Iona.

A life of love and respect for all

animals great and small.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Dedication

Map

Chapter One: Mr Dog and Mother Rabbit

Chapter Two: White Rabbit

Chapter Three: The Story of Socks

Chapter Four: Digging Deep

Chapter Five: Under the Fence

Chapter Six: The Black Cat

Chapter Seven: Trapped!

Chapter Eight: The Search

Chapter Nine: Rabbit Treasure

Chapter Ten: New Beginnings

Notes from the Author

Map

Chapter One
MR DOG AND MOTHER RABBIT

The rabbit was running as fast as she could. The dog was gaining on her. Her fluffy white tail bobbed about as she darted left and right, trying to give him the slip. But the dog was too fast.

The rabbit rolled over on to her back as a long furry snout loomed above her …

‘Tag! You’re it!’ The dog nudged the bunny’s belly with his nose and snorted. ‘Now it’s your turn to catch me – if you can!’

‘Wait!’ snuffled the rabbit. ‘I’m all puffed out.’

‘Very well. I shall wait.’ The dog sat down for three seconds, then jumped straight up again, panting. ‘There! Ready to play now?’

The rabbit thumped a hind leg in excitement. Most dogs she’d met were scary and chased you because they wanted to get you. This dog was different.

He was a scruffy, scraggy mutt, his coat black except for his white nose and front paws. In place of a collar he had a red and white hanky tied round his neck. His long tail swished all about, busy as a broom, and his shaggy eyebrows were full of expression.

‘What’s your name?’ asked the curious rabbit.

‘Mr Dog,’ the dog replied. ‘What’s yours?’

‘Mother Rabbit.’ She paused, whiskers twitching. ‘If you don’t mind me saying so, Mr Dog is a funny name.’

‘No, no, no. Figgy-Jig is a funny name.’ Mr Dog danced a small jig on his hind legs. ‘Bafflehonk, Wiggy and Dumpy-Drawers are all funny names. But Mr Dog is … elegant.’ He bowed his head. ‘Rather like myself!’

‘Did your owners name you Mr Dog?’

‘Owners?’ Mr Dog’s eyes widened. ‘I don’t have owners. I’ve had a few pet humans, if that’s what you mean. But I prefer the travelling life. Right now I’m staying in a garden.’ He licked his nose. ‘Perfectly nice woman who lives in the house, but she will insist on throwing away perfectly good balls, however many times I take them back.’

‘Well, I’ve never gone further than this field,’ Mother Rabbit admitted. ‘I was born here, and so were my own bunnies. They’re sleeping in their nest right now.’ She got up and stretched. ‘I have to wait until dusk before I go back to feed them. I’d hate to lead something hungry and horrible there.’

‘Quite right.’ Mr Dog snuffled at her. ‘So … another game of tag, then?’

‘No, thank you.’ Mother Rabbit wrinkled her nose. ‘I need my strength to mind my little ones. I’m hungry – and my nose smells fresh carrots!’

‘Carrots?’ Mr Dog looked around. There was only grass in the big field for as far as he could see … grass that was surrounded by two big green hedges and one solid wooden fence. Beyond the fence, Mr Dog could just see the tops of some tents and caravans. ‘There aren’t any carrots growing around here, Mother Rabbit. But maybe there are humans eating carrots behind that fence?’

‘The Big New Fence, you mean? Goodness knows what happens behind there.’ Mother Rabbit’s ears waggled and she shook her head. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, Mr Dog, my nose is extra-clever when it comes to carrots. I can smell them … this way!’ And off she hopped towards the nearest hedgerow.

Mr Dog watched her go. ‘Ah well,’ he said. ‘There are loads of other rabbits here. Maybe one or two of them would like to play?’

But the next moment his ragged ears pricked straight up at a squeak of dismay from the hedgerow. It was Mother Rabbit, he realised, and ran off to investigate.

Soon he saw what Mother Rabbit had not – there was a trap hidden in the long grass. As she’d run inside it to get the carrot she must have knocked a stick holding the trap door up. Now it had snapped down, and she was caught inside.

‘Help!’ Mother Rabbit was hopping about anxiously. ‘I can’t get out! What is this thing?’

‘I’m afraid it’s a rabbit trap.’ Mr Dog pushed his muzzle up against the catch on the door, but it was on a steel spring and wouldn’t open. He batted at it with both paws, but soon his tail drooped. ‘It’s no good. I can’t get you out!’

‘Oh no.’ Mother Rabbit looked at Mr Dog with wide eyes.

‘So many bunnies have gone missing from these fields ever since the Big New Fence went up. I thought they’d just hopped away. They must have been caught, like me!’

‘But why?’ Mr Dog felt sad. ‘What harm can rabbits be doing running around and burrowing in a field?’

‘I just don’t know.’ Mother Rabbit shook her head. ‘Oh, Mr Dog! What about my poor little bunnies, asleep in our burrow? They’re only two weeks old! What will become of them if I never come back?’

Mr Dog knew the answer, and it wasn’t good. ‘You will come back. There must be a way to open this rotten thing … He closed his jaws round the wire of the trap door and rattled it. ‘Come on, come on …’

‘Oi, dog! Get away from that rabbit!’

Busily trying to force open the cage, Mr Dog hadn’t noticed a young man with dark hair and muddy clothes close by. ‘Where did you come from?’ he woofed in surprise.

Of course, the man didn’t understand him. He just picked up the trap with Mother Rabbit in it and turned away.

‘Dear me, what shocking manners you have.’ Mr Dog grabbed the leg of the man’s jeans in his jaws and tugged very hard. ‘Mmm, but what tasty trousers!’

‘Hey, get off – WHOA!’ The man tried to pull away but overbalanced and fell to his knees. He put down the trap. ‘Silly dog!’

‘Close, but my first name is Mister, thank you very much!’ Mr Dog scrabbled again at the door to the trap, trying desperately to pull it open.

‘Mr Dog!’ Mother Rabbit spoke quickly. ‘You can’t help me, but please help my little ones. If you find another mother rabbit with a litter like me, perhaps she’ll take them in? Follow the Big New Fence towards the road,’ she went on. ‘You’ll find our burrow there.’

‘I promise I’ll help.’ Mr Dog looked into her dark and frightened eyes. ‘I’ll get you out. You’ll see.’

By now the man had got back to his feet and was glaring down at Mr Dog. He reached for the spotted hanky round Mr Dog’s neck. ‘Aha, no collar on you – just a neckerchief – which means that you probably don’t have an owner. And if you don’t have an owner, then it’s the dog pound for you …’

The man’s fingers seized hold of the fabric. Now Mr Dog was trapped too!

Chapter Two
WHITE RABBIT

‘Unhand me, sir!’

Mr Dog barked.

Desperately he turned in a tight circle to break the man’s grip on his neckerchief and then sprang backwards. The man reached out to try to catch him, but Mr Dog ran away as fast as a racehorse – if not slightly faster.

‘I’ll be back!’ Mr Dog panted. ‘Keep your furry chin up, Mother Rabbit!’ He looked over his shoulder and was pleased to see that the man wasn’t following him. Even so, Mr Dog kept running. I can’t take any chances, he thought. If anything happens to me now, I’ll never reach those poor bunnies …

Suddenly, something in the ground sprayed jets of cold water all round, splashing him all over. ‘UGH!’ Mr Dog was soaked in a second, and quickly changed direction, running for shelter in the nearest long grass. ‘Whatever was that?’

As he looked back, Mr Dog saw that the powerful spray had sent some rabbits running away too. He realised he’d seen something like it before in a garden he’d stayed in. ‘Must be a sprinkler that goes off to scare any animal that comes near.’ He licked his nose, still panting for breath. ‘But who would leave such a thing out here?’

Peering through the tall grass, Mr Dog saw a long hosepipe snaking from the water sprinkler. It stretched all the way to the Big New Fence. Across the field, the man from before was walking towards the fence with the trap containing Mother Rabbit in his arms.

A door swung open in the fence and both man and trap went through it.

‘Most mysterious,’ mused Mr Dog. ‘Whoever’s behind the Big New Fence, it seems they really don’t like rabbits. But why?’ He got to his feet. ‘Well, I’ll just have to find out. I wonder if there’s a sneaky hound-shaped back way in …?’

But as Mr Dog began trotting across the field towards the fence – being careful to avoid the water sprinkler – he spotted something that surprised him. (And Mr Dog was surprisingly hard to surprise.)

Sitting by the corner of the fence in the field was a rabbit who looked very different from all the other rabbits he’d ever met in the wild. It was bigger, white and fluffy, with enormous lop ears.

‘That’s an angora rabbit. A pet rabbit!’

Confused, Mr Dog scratched the side of his head with his back leg. Whatever was a pet rabbit doing out here? Perhaps, he thought, it belongs to someone who lives behind the Big New Fence? He jumped up in sudden excitement. ‘If the rabbit’s found a way out, perhaps I can use it as a way in – and reach Mother Rabbit!’ Mr Dog stood up on his back legs and waved his paws.’ Hey, you – white and fluffy! Over here!’

At the sight of Mr Dog, the big white rabbit turned and bolted away.

‘Wait!’ Mr Dog barked. ‘I only want to talk to you!’

He ran after the big rabbit, but by the time he’d reached the corner of the fence it had vanished from sight. Mr Dog knew that there was a rabbit warren full of tunnels in the long grass. Perhaps one of the holes led under the fence to whatever was on the other side?

Or perhaps it might go to Mother Rabbit’s little bunnies! Mr Dog remembered that she didn’t want to lead predators to her tiny ones, and so wouldn’t return until dusk.

‘I shall stand a stick in front of every rabbit hole,’ Mr Dog decided, ‘then I’ll come back at sunset. If the stick’s been knocked aside, I’ll know a mummy bunny has called by. If the stick is still standing there, it means no one’s been in or out. That hole might lead to Mother Rabbit’s home … and have hungry little ones inside!’

Mr Dog fetched several sticks and placed one outside every rabbit hole he could see. Then he left the field and went back to his adopted garden.

When he returned at sundown with a belly full of food – a fitting reward, he felt, for all the balls he’d had to chase and fetch – Mr Dog surveyed the burrows in the gathering dark. All of the sticks he’d placed at the entrance to the rabbit holes had been pushed aside – except one.

Mr Dog felt a pang of sadness at the thought of what he had to tell the little bunnies within. He crossed over to that particular hole in the grass and pushed his head inside. ‘Hello?’ he called. ‘Anyone home?’ His ears were folded down over his head, but still Mr Dog could hear little whimpers and shivering bodies. He blinked, his keen eyes growing accustomed to the dark. ‘I’m terribly sorry, but your mother has had to, er, go away for a bit. I’m here to help you find a new place to stay.’

‘Mama’s gone?’ came a quiet high-pitched voice.

‘Mama’s left us?’ came another.

‘She didn’t want to go.’ Mr Dog’s heart felt as heavy as an elephant. ‘Don’t worry. I’m going to do my very best to get you all back together again.’

A third voice came out of the darkness. ‘But why would a dog help a rabbit?’ It sounded deeper than the first two. ‘Dogs hunt rabbits. Dogs eat rabbits.’

‘Well, Mr Dog doesn’t!’ growled Mr Dog indignantly.

‘Mr Dog? Why should we trust you?’

‘Because D-O-G is the first part of DO GOOD – and that’s this mutt’s motto!’ He grinned. ‘I’m going to pull my head out of your home now, and wait for you all to come and join me.’

Mr Dog carefully wriggled free and checked to make sure that there weren’t any dangers about. There were lots of other rabbits in the fields, some watching him warily, so he gave them his cheeriest smile. He wondered if any would be willing to make space for a couple more bunnies in their burrows.

He waited for several minutes and eventually a very small rabbit, barely bigger than a tennis ball, crawled cautiously from the burrow. She was brown with tiny ears and big black eyes. Behind her came another small brown bunny, a boy, smaller than his sister and sleepier too. A second girl soon followed, the smallest of all. The siblings sat side by side, looking up at Mr Dog.

‘Are you sure you won’t eat us?’ whimpered the tiny girl bunny.

‘Certain,’ said Mr Dog.

The bunny’s big sister turned back to the burrow. ‘It’s all right,’ she squeaked, ‘we haven’t been eaten. You can come out too.’

Another rabbit emerged from behind the brother and sister. Only this one was easily twice their size with white fur, floppy ears and a pink twitching nose.

Mr Dog’s eyes grew wider. ‘That angora rabbit I saw – it’s you!’

Chapter Three
THE STORY OF SOCKS

‘Angora? What are you talking about?’ The white rabbit shook his head. ‘I’m just a regular wild rabbit like, er, my brother and sisters here.’

Mr Dog’s shaggy eyebrows shot up into the air. ‘Your brother and sisters?’ he spluttered. ‘You can’t fool me!’

‘It’s true, mister.’ The littlest girl bunny wiggled her tail. ‘He’s been in our burrow for as long as I can remember.’

‘And how long is that?’

‘Since yesterday,’ squeaked the little boy bunny.

‘Day before yesterday,’ said the elder girl bunny proudly.

The white rabbit whimpered. ‘See? Proof positive that we all have the same mum. Now, where is she? We little babies can’t look after ourselves, you know.’

‘Babies?’ Mr Dog boggled. This rabbit was big – at least two years old. What was he up to? ‘Do you think we might have a talk in private, Mr …?’

‘Socks,’ squeaked the Angora. ‘My name is Socks. All right, then, Mr Dog. A private word. But just quickly.’ He turned to the baby bunnies. ‘Hop back inside your burrow. I’ll join you in a minute.’

‘Okay, Socks.’ The bunnies hopped inside.

Mr Dog lay down beside the Angora rabbit so that they were eye to eye. ‘So, tell me, Socks,’ he said. ‘Why are you pretending that you belong with these wild rabbits?’

‘But I do belong with them!’ Socks began. ‘I know I look larger than them, but I’m just big boned—’

‘Come off it, Socks!’ Mr Dog shook his head sternly. ‘Admit it. You’re not a wild rabbit – you’re a pet!’

‘No, no, I …’ His whiskers drooped and he sighed. ‘Oh, all right, it’s true. I am.’ He looked up sadly at Mr Dog. ‘What gave me away?’

Mr Dog cocked his head to one side, considering. ‘Oooh, not much. Apart from just about everything. What are you up to? I thought perhaps you came from the other side of the Big New Fence.’

‘Oh no,’ Socks said quickly. ‘I come from a hutch inside a house with a nice garden. I’m not sure where it is. But my owners broughtme out here a few days ago … and turned me loose.’

‘What?’ Mr Dog’s ears stood up straight. ‘How could they do such a thing? A pet can’t survive in the wild!’

‘I’m sure they didn’t mean to leave me.’ Socks washed his whiskers. ‘I think they were probably just letting me have a bit of a run around. But then they just got back into the car and … well, I suppose they forgot that they hadn’t picked me up. They drove away without me.’ He smiled bravely. ‘They’ll be back, though! I watch the road each day waiting for their car. It was red, I think. Or green …’

Mr Dog looked sadly at the deflated rabbit. He knew that unwanted pet rabbits were sometimes released into the wild. The human owners thought they were doing a nice thing – but they weren’t.

‘Now I see why you’re here,’ said Mr Dog. ‘Pet rabbits need looking after, so you’re trying to fit in with Mother Rabbit’s little ones.’

‘I thought that she might look after me along with her real bunnies,’ Socks admitted. ‘She lost three of her little ones when a fox raided the warren. I thought having me to look after would make her feel better. But now you say she’s gone …?’

‘Taken away in a cage by a muddy man,’ Mr Dog agreed. ‘Socks, you have to understand: even if she did look after you, young bunnies in the wild only stay with their mothers for a few weeks. You’d soon end up on your own again.’

‘Yes, but by then my owners would have come back for me,’ Socks said, although he did look a little uncertain. ‘They wouldn’t leave me out here for ever. Would they?’

Mr Dog didn’t reply. He had the saddest feeling that Socks’s owners were never coming back.

Suddenly, a scent was carried to him on the air and his ears pricked up. Rabbits were scattering all about and in the distance he could see a torch bobbing. Then, through the twilight gloom, he saw the sleek frame of another dog running towards the warren. As it got closer Mr Dog could see it was a lurcher.

‘It’s a hunting dog, after rabbits!’ Mr Dog batted Socks towards the burrow with his scruffy tail. ‘Quick! Get out of sight. Baby bunnies have no scent but you do!’

‘Eeek!’ Quick as a flash, Socks shot back inside the rabbit hole. ‘I hate the wild. I’m never coming out again!’

Mr Dog was already down on his haunches, moving in a commando crawl towards the cover of some bushes so he could keep an eye on what was going on, while staying out of sight. The lurcher was running at incredible speed – it had been trained to catch rabbits, and that’s what it was out to do! With horror, Mr Dog saw that the hunting hound was headed for a bunch of bunnies who were oblivious to the danger.

What could he do?

Desperately, making all the noise he could muster, Mr Dog burst from the bushes and ran for the rabbits himself, woofing at the top of his lungs. The rabbits jumped in the air and fled.

The lurcher arrived on the scene a moment later, panting for breath. ‘You fool!’ he snarled at Mr Dog. ‘You scared them all away before I could even catch one!’

Mr Dog assumed an innocent air. ‘My dear fellow, I’m so very sorry. I was trying to hunt those rabbits myself, but I’m afraid I’m not very good at it. Not like you – you seem to bea real expert.’

‘Well, yes, I am, since you happen to mention it.’ The lurcher looked at him suspiciously. ‘Why are you here? Where’s your owner?’

‘Oh, somewhere about,’ Mr Dog said vaguely. ‘He set me loose to catch a rabbit but, well – I’m no lurcher, am I? I nearly got one but it ended up getting caught in a trap! Then a man took it away through the Big New Fence.’

‘Yes, I’m sure,’ said the lurcher. ‘They’ve got dozens of rabbits caged up in there.’

‘Why do you think that is?’ Mr Dog asked him. ‘What are they up to?’

‘Digging, my owner says.’ The lurcher looked back as his owner called to him. ‘She’ll be cross with me now. All the rabbits have scattered and I haven’t caught a single one.’

‘I can’t say sorry enough,’ said Mr Dog, hiding his smile. ‘But I’m sure you’ll be back.’

‘Not for much longer,’ the lurcher said. ‘The people digging behind the fence are trying to control the rabbits with traps and scarers and clever hunting dogs like me, but it’s not working. My owner says they’re going to deal with them permanently.’

‘Permanently?’ echoed Mr Dog. ‘You mean for ever, for good, no turning back? Why, whatever could they be planning?’

But the lurcher had sprinted away at its owner’s call, leaving Mr Dog alone – and feeling very, very worried.

Chapter Four
DIGGING DEEP

It proved to be a busy evening for Mr Dog.

The lurcher and his owner ended up hanging around for hours, trying to catch rabbits or simply chasing them into nets. Mr Dog had to sneak about pulling the nets off or scaring the bunnies away without being spotted.

At last, the lurcher and his owner gave up and went away … through the same door in the Big New Fence.

Exhausted, Mr Dog went back to the burrow.

Socks nervously pushed his head out. ‘What happened back there?’

‘The people behind that fence have really got it in for rabbits …’ Mr Dog explained what he’d done and all he’d seen.

‘So, the rabbits are going to be dealt with p-p-permanently?’ Socks twitched his little pink nose in alarm. ‘That’s awful. What if my owners haven’t come back to me by then?’

‘And what about all the rabbits in these fields?’ Mr Dog lay down again, shaking his head. ‘Somehow I’ve got to find Mother Rabbit, put her back with her bunnies, and help all the other rabbits too—’

‘Including me?’ Socks said hopefully.

Mr Dog looked at him and smiled. ‘Yes, I’d like to help you too, Socks.’

‘Brilliant!’ Socks hopped up and down. ‘But why would you help us? You’re a free dog – you could go anywhere you like.’

‘And leave animals in danger without at least trying to help them?’ Mr Dog tutted. ‘That’s just not me. No, no, that wouldn’t do at all. What if I were the one in danger? I’d like to think other animals would help me if I were in trouble.’ He looked pointedly at Socks. ‘Animals like you – you’ll help me, won’t you?’

Socks looked nervous. ‘Er … What are you going to do?’

‘Isn’t it obvious?’ Mr Dog grinned. ‘The answers – and the rabbits – lie behind the Big New Fence. Somehow we have to get inside!’

The young bunnies and Socks needed their sleep. Mr Dog lay outside their burrow like a guard dog until the dawn scattered its light on the world. The birds began to call and, like the other beasts, the rabbits began to busy themselves with grooming and feeding.

Mr Dog could tell that Mother Rabbit’s bunnies were very hungry. They were too young to eat solid food – they needed milk. Mr Dog knew that if they went without it much longer they’d grow dehydrated and die.

‘My tummy hurts,’ said the older girl bunny.

‘Mine hurts more,’ said the boy.

‘Mine hurts most,’ squeaked their little sister.

‘I had hoped to leave you bunnies behind in your burrow and bring your mother back to you,’ said Mr Dog. ‘But that might take too long – you need her milk now. You’ll just have to come with us.’

‘Come with you where, Mr Dog?’ asked the boy, sleepy-eyed.

‘Where?’ Mr Dog struck a heroic pose. ‘Why, behind the fence, of course!’

‘Eeek!’ Socks jumped in the air. ‘That sounds scary!’

‘I think you mean exciting, Socks.’ Mr Dog gave him a stern look. ‘Now, young bunnies, we’re going on an adventure, and I may need to speak to you quickly. I can’t be saying, “Hey, there, boy bunny!” or “Watch out there, girl bunny!” What are your names?’

‘Mother hasn’t named us yet.’ The elder girl bunny wiggled her nose. ‘Why don’t you give us names, Mr Dog?’

Mr Dog considered. ‘Well, in keeping with the footwear theme started by Socks, how about I call you Sneaker, your brother Shoe, and your little sister Flip-Flop?’

The bunnies laughed. ‘Flip-Flop!’ squeaked Flip-Flop.

‘Sneaker!’ said Shoe.

‘Shoe!’ said Sneaker.

‘We had all better “shoo”!’ Mr Dog stretched, shook his fur to straighten the hanky round his neck and then padded over to the huge fence. Going over it was not an option … but perhaps they could tunnel under it?

‘Any good at burrowing, Socks?’ Mr Dog began scuffing at the turf around the base of the fence. ‘The quickest way to get in is to go right under here.’

‘Before the people wake up?’ Socks said, nodding. ‘Good idea. People stay asleep for ages.’

‘Right.’ Mr Dog began digging with his front paws, spraying dirt in all directions. ‘We can have a good nose about and won’t be noticed.’

Socks joined in the digging. Sneaker, Shoe and Flip-Flop tried too, but kept falling over clods of earth.

‘Something’s wrong.’ Mr Dog peered down at the hole they were making. ‘Our tunnel’s not getting any deeper.’

‘Something’s blocking the way down there.’ Socks jumped in and cooed. ‘Oooh! It’s like the front of my old hutch. Happy days …’

Mr Dog sighed. ‘It’s chicken wire.’

‘I didn’t know chickens made wire,’ said Shoe.

‘They don’t. They make eggs. Anything else would be eggs-tremely silly.’ Mr Dog nudged Socks out of the hole with his nose. ‘The builders of this fence have obviously put chicken wire underground to stop you rabbits digging underneath it.’

‘Sneaky devils.’ Socks clambered up a small hillock and looked towards the distant road. ‘Oh well. Let’s give up and wait for my owners to arrive.’

‘I think we’ll be waiting a long time,’ Mr Dog growled. ‘Besides, I don’t like giving up. Did Wellington give up? Did Lincoln? Did Churchill?’

‘Who are they?’ asked Sneaker.

‘These three Labradors I met once. When they got a bone, they never gave it up. Most inspiring!’ He gave an encouraging grin. ‘Come on, let’s go right the way round this fence, looking for a better way in. Perhaps they haven’t laid chicken wire all the way around …’

The curious-looking group made their way along the fence as the sun began its slow ascent into the sky. Mr Dog tried digging down at various points, but each time he came up against the same thing – more dreaded chicken wire.

‘I’m still hungry,’ said Flip-Flop.

‘Me too,’ said Shoe.

‘Try grass,’ said Socks, munching on a slender stem.

‘No, don’t!’ Mr Dog barked. ‘That could be bad for your tummies. Your mum’s milk is super-nutritious; it gives you all you need to get by. I don’t think you’re ready to start eating grass yet.’

Sneaker gave a little sigh. ‘How come you know so much about it, Mr Dog?’

‘Well, a doctor makes people well – and the D-O-G in my name is short for dog-tor!’ He licked his sore claw. ‘Well, maybe. Come along. We must stay busy – that will help keep your minds off your tummies.’

‘I thought my mind was in my head,’ said Flip-Flop.

‘What mind?’ teased Shoe.

Socks nudged all three bunnies along. ‘Come on, let’s speed this up.’

Following the fence, they came to another sharp corner. As they turned it, a shadow fell over them and Socks gave a loud squeak of horror. It was the shadow of a hunting bird!

‘Behind me, everyone!’ cried Mr Dog, standing up on his back legs. Socks gasped, squashed, as the little rabbits bundled up around him.

Snarling, Mr Dog studied the sky. There was no hunting bird to be seen – and yet the shadow was still visible on the grass by the fence.

Then he saw that the shadow was being cast by a flat metal cut-out of a bird hanging from a wire wrapped round a wooden post in the ground.

‘Phew!’ Mr Dog dropped back to all fours and turned to his party of rabbits. ‘It’s all right. It’s just a sort of scarecrow to scare you little furry foragers away.’

‘People are mean,’ said Sneaker sadly.

‘So mean,’ Flip-Flop agreed.

‘And my tummy still hurts,’ added Shoe.

‘After the way you charged into me, so does mine!’ said Socks.

‘Hush now, children.’ Mr Dog was eyeing the post. ‘If the scarecrow has been placed here, perhaps the chicken wire hasn’t? Let’s find out.’

His front legs were aching by now, but Mr Dog dutifully dug once again in the wavering shadow of the make-believe bird of prey. ‘Don’t be scared of the scarecrow,’ he panted as he worked. ‘Remember, it can’t hurt you.’

It wasn’t long before Mr Dog struck wire netting again. Feeling cross, he moved a few metres along and tried digging again. Surely there had to be some part of the Big New Fence that was unprotected? The shadow of the hunting bird flitted around him in a circle, but he took no notice.

For at least three seconds.

That was when he realised he had moved well away from the scarecrow silhouette of the bird of prey. So how could it still be hanging over him?

With a gasp of horror Mr Dog looked up. The silhouette had been joined by a real hunting bird. A red kite was swooping down towards the bunnies, its deadly talons outstretched to snatch them up!

Chapter Five
UNDER THE FENCE

Even as Mr Dog opened his jaws to bark a warning, he knew it was too late. The red kite was a swift and powerful hunter. As it dropped from the sky to make a catch, its curved beak opened, ready to bite down on the baby bunnies.

But Socks had seen the danger already. His powerful hind legs propelled him forward and he knocked Shoe, Sneaker and Flip-Flop flying. The red kite caught only grass in its talons and rose up again into the sky.

Mr Dog barked, ‘Quick! Hide in the hole!’

All four rabbits ducked into the dip in the ground and Mr Dog lay down over them, hiding them from view. The red kite circled once more, then tipped away, looking for easier prey elsewhere.

‘That was close!’ came Sneaker’s muffled voice.

‘Sneaker, you’re sitting on my head,’ snuffled Shoe.

‘Who’s sitting on mine?’ sniffed Flip-Flop. ‘I don’t dare open my eyes!’

‘I think I am,’ said Socks. ‘Sorry. I’m shaking all over.’

Mr Dog quickly got off and smiled down at Socks. ‘Well, if you stop shaking, I’ll shake your paw! You were very brave, Socks. You saved those bunnies’ lives!’

‘Did I?’ Socks seemed in a daze as he climbed out. ‘Well, I had to do something … We’re family, aren’t we?’

‘Right!’ Shoe hopped out of the hole with Flip-Flop and they both nudged up to him.

But Sneaker didn’t follow. ‘Hey, Socks,’ she squeaked from somewhere in the hole, ‘did you burrow further down?’

‘I did,’ Socks agreed. ‘I didn’t know what else to do.’

‘But how could you? The wire was in the way … wasn’t it?’ Mr Dog padded closer to the hole and smiled. ‘Well, well! Look what’s happened! You’ve found the edge of the netting. There must be a gap before the next stretch of chicken wire starts – that’s why the scarecrow’s here.’

Shoe hopped about excitedly. ‘So we can get under the fence?’

‘We can find our mum?’ asked Flip-Flop.

‘Let’s hope so,’ Mr Dog agreed. ‘Come on, everyone. Let’s get burrowing!’

So quietly, bravely, all four animals dug, delved and burrowed through the mud as best they could. The rabbits went first, making a narrow tunnel beneath the Big New Fence. Then they sat back and caught their breath while Mr Dog took a turn, shovelling with his paws to widen it so that he could fit through too. He kicked up a shower of mud – mud and something else …

‘Ow!’ said Socks. ‘Something just knocked me on the head!’

‘Hey, what’s that?’ said Shoe.

‘It’s shiny!’ said Sneaker.

Flip-Flop licked it. ‘Ugh! It doesn’t taste good.’

‘Let me see.’ Mr Dog turned and frowned at the sight of a small gold disc on the ground. ‘That’s a coin, isn’t it? I wonder what that was doing buried in the mud?’

‘I don’t suppose it was doing much at all,’ said Sneaker wisely.

‘A human must’ve dropped it.’ Socks sniffed at a clod of earth and it crumbled. ‘Look, there are more here.’

Mr Dog examined the coins. They looked to be gold, and very, very old: they were quite wonky.

If we were humans, we could buy milk for the bunnies with these, thought Mr Dog. But coins are useless for animals.

‘Is the tunnel nearly finished?’ asked Sneaker softly.

‘Won’t be long now.’ Mr Dog nibbled some mud from his fur. ‘One last push, and we’ll make it for sure. Here goes …!’

After digging and scrabbling and growling and pushing, Mr Dog finally broke through the ground, snout first.

He gulped down breaths as he looked all about.

He had emerged on the other side of the Big New Fence to discover … mud! Piles and piles of mud lay heaped all round the edges of what seemed to be the ruins of a very old courtyard – the craggy remains of drystone walls half buried in sandy soil. Several pits had been dug inside the crumbling walls, each marked out with lengths of string tied between tent pegs. Wooden racks held old cups and bowls, each carefully labelled. Beyond the mud and the stone ruins stood an old caravan connected to a squat black and green generator that was taking electricity to two large grey Portakabins, a couple of tents and an old snack van, its serving window closed.

‘This is what the humans built their fence round?’ said Socks, struggling through beside him. ‘What a dump!’

Sneaker agreed. ‘It’s just full of dirt and stones and stuff.’

‘There must be a point to this place.’ Mr Dog sniffed the air. ‘The humans wouldn’t go to the trouble of building that fence and trying to deal with you rabbits if it wasn’t important …’

‘Well, no rabbit would come here unless they had to!’ Socks declared. ‘There’s nothing to eat for a start!’

‘But, thank goodness, there is something to drink!’ Mr Dog had spied a small bowl of water on the ground beside the caravan. Perhaps it belonged to the lurcher? He trotted over with some relief. ‘My mouth is as dry as a hamster’s cheek pouch …’ He lapped thirstily at the water. ‘Ahhh, that’s better.’

‘I disagree!’

The voice, cold and supercilious, made Socks and the bunnies duck back into their hole.

Mr Dog froze. Who had discovered them?

Chapter Six
THE BLACK CAT

Mr Dog turned round quickly to find a black cat sauntering out from behind the wheel of the caravan. She was swishing her tail from side to side. Her green eyes glittered.

‘What is that thing?’ squeaked Shoe.

‘It’s a monster!’ Sneaker squealed. ‘Can it fly?’

‘No,’ said Socks, ‘but your fur will if it catches you. It’s a cat. A big horrible cat!’

‘My name is Kitty and this is my site.’ Her green eyes met Mr Dog’s. ‘Who are you?’

Now, Mr Dog didn’t care much for cats, but he tried to treat them with respect, the same as all the animals he met. He’d known some dogs who loved to chase cats, and known several cats who loved to fight back with a serious scratch to the nose. Mr Dog had the feeling that Kitty fell very much into that group – and since he was rather fond of his nose he decided it was best to be friendly. ‘Greetings, Kitty! My name’s Mr Dog, and my rabbity friends are Socks, Shoe, Flip-Flop and Sneaker. So, this is your site, is it? Congratulations – and may I say that your water dish is definitely a sight for sore eyes!’

‘You drank from my dish. Which means you’re a thief as well as an intruder.’ Kitty looked past him and stared at the rabbits. ‘The humans here would go mad if they saw you all running about. None of you should be here.’ Her eyes glittered as she licked her lips. ‘This place is a Site of Great Historical Importance, you know.’

‘A what of who?’ said Socks, baffled.

Kitty gave him a disdainful look. ‘Have you never heard of archaeology?’

‘Ark-ay-oll-oh-jee?’ Flip-Flop struggled to get her tiny bunny lips around the big word. ‘I’ve never heard of it. Any of you bunnies ever heard of it?’

‘Nope,’ squeaked Sneaker.

‘We’re only two weeks old,’ Shoe explained, ‘we’ve hardly heard of anything!’

‘But I have!’ Mr Dog yelped. ‘Of course. What a silly dog I’ve been!’

‘Keep your woofing down,’ hissed Kitty. ‘Or you’ll wake my servants. Some of them live here on site.’

Mr Dog swung round to Socks and the bunnies, still peeping wide-eyed from the mouth of the tunnel. ‘She doesn’t really have servants. This place is what’s known as a dig. The people in charge here are archaeologists – people who learn about ancient cultures by digging up the things they left behind. Buildings, tools, jewellery …’

‘And old coins! That’s why they were buried in the mud.’ Socks’s nose was twitching with excitement. ‘So, people used to live here long ago?’

Kitty nodded. ‘There was a fort here back in Roman times, so the ground is full of its ruins and old bits and bobs.’

‘But rabbits don’t care about stuff like that, do they?’ Mr Dog reasoned. ‘So why are your “servants” trying to get rid of them?’

‘Because rabbits mess up the whole dig site!’ Kitty glared at Socks, Shoe, Flip-Flop and Sneaker. ‘My servants moan about your lot all the time. Rabbits dig deep into the soil, making their burrows and warrens. That undermines the foundations of the ruins so that they fall apart faster. The different layers of old stuff get jumbled up so it’s harder to know just how things were left and who left them there …’

‘So that’s why they’ve been trying to keep rabbit numbers down.’ Mr Dog gave Kitty what he hoped was his most appealing smile. ‘I saw a rabbit being brought in here yesterday afternoon. Do you know where we can find her?’

‘How dare you ask me to help you!’ Kitty arched her back and hissed. Mr Dog stepped away and the rabbits squealed in harmony. ‘You have a nerve, you scruffy mutt.’

‘Scruffy?’ Mr Dog scratched his ear with his back leg. ‘I’ll have you know my neckerchief is the height of fashion!’

‘You break into MY site, drink from MY water dish, listen to MY explanations without even a thank-you, and THEN you expect favours!’ Kitty smiled and shook her head. ‘If you want to stay here a minute longer, it’s going to cost you … one bunny.’

Mr Dog flattened his ears to his head, horrified. ‘Excuse me?’

Kitty’s green eyes were sparkling. ‘Give me one of the bunnies to play with – just one – and perhaps I’ll tell you more.’

‘I’ll do it!’ Shoe jumped up and down. ‘I love playing!’

‘No,’ said Socks quickly. ‘This is one game you would never win.’

Mr Dog decided it was time to bare his teeth a little. ‘What if we don’t give you a bunny?’

Kitty hissed again and slashed at Mr Dog with her sharp claws. A red strip of fabric was torn clear from his neckerchief collar.

Mr Dog stared down at it and gulped.

‘Just do as I say, or you’ll be sorry. I’ll howl and yowl and wake everyone up.’ Kitty sat beside her water dish and grinned nastily at the rabbits. ‘By the way, if you try to run, remember that I’m faster than you. I’ll quickly catch up, and maybe then I’ll eat two rabbits … or even THREE.’

Mr Dog looked at Socks, Sneaker, Flip-Flop and Shoe, who had started to shiver.

‘I’m afraid we have no choice,’ he said softly. ‘Which of you wants to come and … play with Kitty the cat, here, hmm?’

‘None of us!’ Socks jumped up, appalled. ‘You can’t let this fleabag get her way.’

‘On the contrary,’ said Mr Dog. ‘I’m going to give her what she deserves.’ He winked carefully at the rabbits, then turned to Flip-Flop. ‘Hop over here, little one. Please?’

‘Okay, Mr Dog,’ said Flip-Flop, looking up at him with worried black eyes.

‘It’s all right.’ Mr Dog lifted her gently in his jaws. ‘Just remember – when I drop you, close your eyes.’ He turned and crossed back towards Kitty. ‘Here,’ he growled through a mouthful of fur, ‘will this one do?’

‘Yes!’ Kitty declared, licking her lips as she laughed. ‘It’s skinny and small, but I’ll still have some fun with it!’

‘Don’t forget, though, Kitty,’ Mr Dog added, ‘you should always wash your paws before a meal.’ (‘Get ready, Flip-Flop!’ he whispered.) ‘Here, let us help you out …’

And suddenly, with a flick of his neck, Mr Dog dropped Flip-Flop into the cat’s water dish.

The little rabbit made a big impact, sending cold water flying all over Kitty! Surprised, the cat jumped backwards – straight into the rack of old relics. She struck them hard enough to set the wooden rack rocking, and a bowl rolled off and cracked open on the hard ground. Kitty gave a yowl of horror as she saw shards of priceless pottery all over the floor.

And, just at that moment, a bolt scraped back noisily from the caravan door. Someone was coming out!

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