They were all delighted to see Mr. Bushy Tail but very sorry to hear that his winter provisions had given out. However Mr. Chipmunk had a very large supply, and he at once filled his friend’s bag full of corn, rolled oats and dried peas. Willingly would he have given him twice as much, had Mr. Bushy Tail been able to carry it. [Illustration] The family urged him to stay to dinner, but the sky looked grey and threatening, and Bushy Tail had a long journey before him, so he ate a hasty luncheon, thanked Mr. Chipmunk once more for his kindness, and with his heavy bag over his shoulder, he scurried off as fast as he could go. Very soon the snow began to fall, first, in large single flakes, and then faster and thicker. Scarcely could Mr. Bushy Tail see the way; and after bumping into first a tree, and then a big bush, he lost his footing, scrambled about for a minute in the deep snow, and then sank _down_, ~down~, DOWN, and landed kerplunk! [Illustration] For an instant he was half-stunned, then he sat up and looked about him. “Thank goodness, my bag is safe,” thought he, as he spied it in a corner, where it had rolled. “What should I have done if I had lost that? I could not possibly have walked up that toboggan slide to find it.” Then he saw that he was sitting in a bed of soft ashes, and realized that he had fallen down somebody’s chimney. “Lucky there wasn’t a fire,” said he, to himself, “or there would have been toasted squirrel for supper.” [Illustration] On the Wings of the North Wind [Illustration] [Illustration: Chapter IV _On the Wings of the North Wind_--] When Mr. Bushy Tail scrambled out of the fire-place, he found himself in a strange little underground room, from which low passage ways branched out in every direction. He ran down one of the passage ways, but finding no one, he came back and tried another. At the end of this one, in a cosy little room, he came unexpectedly upon an old acquaintance, Mrs. Mole, who was taking a comfortable afternoon nap. She awoke with such a start of surprise at seeing Mr. Bushy Tail, that she nearly fell out of her rocking-chair. “I did not hear you knock,” said she. [Illustration] “I did not knock, I dropped,” said he. Then he told her of his accident, and apologized most politely, for falling so unceremoniously down her chimney. Mrs. Mole assured him that he was a welcome visitor at any time, and only regretted that her chimney had tripped him up. She was very sorry that her husband and sons were away on business, but urged him strongly to stay to supper. With many thanks Mr. Bushy Tail was obliged to decline her polite invitation, but he assured her that, considering his hungry family, he must hurry home with his bag of food as soon as possible, and begged her to kindly show him the nearest way out of her maze-like house.