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208
Animal Heroes
·
Ernest Thompson Seton
122
Why
should
he
do
this?
Why
should
a
timid
creature
running
for
his
life
thus
proclaim
to
all
the
world
his
name
instead
of
trying
to
hide?
There
must
be
some
good
reason.
It
must
pay,
or
the
Rabbit
would
never
have
done
it.
The
answer
is,
if
the
creature
that
scared
him
up
was
one
of
his
own
kind--i.e.,
this
was
a
false
alarm--then
at
once,
by
showing
his
national
colors,
the
mistake
is
made
right.
On
the
other
hand,
if
it
be
a
Coyote,
Fox,
or
Dog,
they
see
at
once,
this
is
a
Jack-rabbit,
and
know
that
it
would
be
waste
of
time
for
them
to
pursue
him.
They
say
in
effect,
"This
is
a
Jack-rabbit,
and
I
cannot
catch
a
Jack
in
open
race."
They
give
it
up,
and
that,
of
course,
saves
the
Jack
a
great
deal
of
unnecessary
running
and
worry.
The
black-and-white
spots
are
the
national
uniform
and
flag
of
the
Jacks.
In
poor
specimens
they
are
apt
to
be
dull,
but
in
the
finest
specimens
they
are
not
only
larger,
but
brighter
than
usual,
and
the
Little
Warhorse,
gray
when
he
sat
in
his
form,
blazed
like
charcoal
and
snow,
when
he
flung
his
defiance
to
the
Fox
and
buff
Coyote,
and
danced
with
little
effort
before
them,
first
a
black-and-white
Jack,
then
a
little
white
spot,
and
last
a
speck
of
thistledown,
before
the
distance
swallowed
him.
Many
of
the
farmers'
Dogs
had
learned
the
lesson:
"A
grayish
Rabbit
you
may
catch,
but
a
very
black-and-white
one
is
hopeless."
They
might,
indeed,
follow
for
a
time,
but
that
was
merely
for
the
fun
of
a
chivvy,
and
his
growing
power
often
led
Warhorse
to
seek
the
chase
for
the
sake
of
a
little
excitement,
and
to
take
hazards
that
others
less
gifted
were
most
careful
to
avoid.
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