“Nobody could see on a day like this, Roo,” said Rabbit. “I don’t expect we shall get very far, and then this afternoon we’ll all—we’ll all—we’ll—ah, Tigger, there you are. Come on. Goodbye, Roo! This afternoon we’ll—come on, Pooh! All ready? That’s right. Come on.”
So they went. At first Pooh and Rabbit and Piglet walked together, and Tigger ran round them in circles, and then, when the path got narrower, Rabbit, Piglet and Pooh walked one after another, and Tigger ran round them in oblongs, and by-and-by, when the gorse got very prickly on each side of the path, Tigger ran up and down in front of them, and sometimes he bounced into Rabbit and sometimes he didn’t. And as they got higher, the mist got thicker, so that Tigger kept disappearing, and then when you thought he wasn’t there, there he was again, saying “I say, come on,” and before you could say anything, there he wasn’t.
Rabbit turned round and nudged Piglet.
“The next time,” he said. “Tell Pooh.”
“The next time,” said Piglet to Pooh.
“The next what?” said Pooh to Piglet.
Tigger appeared suddenly, bounced into Rabbit, and disappeared again. “Now!” said Rabbit. He jumped into a hollow by the side of the path, and Pooh and Piglet jumped after him. They crouched in the bracken, listening. The Forest was very silent when you stopped and listened to it. They could see nothing and hear nothing.
“H’sh!” said Rabbit.
“I am,” said Pooh.
There was a pattering noise … then silence again.
“Hallo!” said Tigger, and he sounded so close suddenly that Piglet would have jumped if Pooh hadn’t accidentally been sitting on most of him.
“Where are you?” called Tigger.
Rabbit nudged Pooh, and Pooh looked about for Piglet to nudge, but couldn’t find him, and Piglet went on breathing wet bracken as quietly as he could, and felt very brave and excited.