It came very rapidly right down the path toward Kate.
"If it comes all the way," thought Kate, "I shall have to jump." But it did not come all the way, and Kate remained quiet.
For some time no living creatures, except butterflies and other insects, showed themselves.

Then, all of a sudden, there popped into the middle of the path, not very far from Kate, a real, live rabbit! It was quite a good-sized rabbit, and Kate trembled from head to foot.
Here was a chance indeed! To carry home a fat rabbit would be a triumph.

She aimed the gun as straight toward the rabbit as she could, having shut the wrong eye several times before she got the matter arranged to her satisfaction.
Then she remembered that she had not cocked the gun, and so she had to do that, which, of course, made it necessary for her to aim all over again.
She cocked only one hammer, and she did it so gently that it did not frighten the rabbit, although he flirted his ears a little when he heard the "click, click!" Everything was so quiet that he probably thought he heard some insect, probably a young or ignorant cricket that did not know how to chirp properly.
So he sat very still and nibbled at some leaves that were growing by the side of the path.

He looked very pretty as he sat there, taking his dainty little bites, and jerking up his head every now and then, as if he were expecting somebody.
"I must wait till he's done eating," thought Kate.

"It would be cruel to shoot him now." Then he stopped nibbling all of a sudden, as if he had just thought of something, and as soon as he remembered what it was, he twisted his head around and began to scratch one of his long ears with his hind foot.