00:00The Happy Hunter by Roger DeVoyson
00:29Mr. Bobbin lived in a little house at the edge of the forest.
00:40He loved to sit on the bench by his door and watch the hills, the sky, and the wild animals.
00:50When the forest turned yellow, he watched the hunters go by in their big yellow caps
00:55and big yellow coats, big black boots with yellow stockings, big brown belts with rows
01:02of cartridges, and big shiny guns under their arms.
01:06They looked like knights in armor as they went in search of little rabbits, partridges,
01:11and pheasants.
01:13It must be nice, thought Mr. Bobbin, to look so big and bold and to walk through the forest,
01:22across fields, up the hills, and down the valleys.
01:27It would be nice to have a fine gun to clean and polish.
01:31So Mr. Bobbin bought himself a big yellow cap and a big yellow coat, big black boots
01:37with yellow stockings, a big brown belt with rows of cartridges, and a big gun to carry
01:43under his arm.
01:45And Mr. Bobbin went hunting.
01:50When Mr. Bobbin saw a little rabbit chewing dried grass behind a clump of weeds, he raised
01:56his gun and peeped through the sight, and peeped, and peeped, and peeped.
02:03And then he put his gun down and coughed.
02:07The rabbit looked up and said, Heavens, a hunter!
02:11And in three strides he was off in the tall grass.
02:15That was a quick little rabbit, said Mr. Bobbin with a smile, and wiped his shiny gun
02:20with his handkerchief.
02:25When Mr. Bobbin saw a squirrel cracking a nut on a stone, he crouched behind a honeysuckle
02:31with his fine gun up to his eye and aimed, and aimed, just aimed.
02:37And then he sang a little tune, ta-dum, ta-dum.
02:41The squirrel dropped his nut and said, Whoops, a hunter hunting, and in one jump he was up
02:47a tree.
02:48A clever little squirrel, said Mr. Bobbin, and sat down for a picnic lunch.
02:56Mr. Bobbin came home late that evening.
02:59He was tired but happy.
03:02Hunting is not quite what I thought, he said, but still it was a lovely hunting day.
03:07I had a nice walk through the fields.
03:11And he polished his fine gun and went to bed, after a good meal of Boston beans and tea.
03:20When Mr. Bobbin went hunting next time, he saw a pheasant picking grapes in the wood.
03:26He hid behind a rock and held up his polished gun very still, very still, just very still.
03:34And then he whistled, oh, dear me, shrieked the pheasant.
03:40A hunter with a gun!
03:42And with heavy wing-beats he flew off among the trees.
03:46That was a specially beautiful bird, but a noisy one, said Mr. Bobbin happily, and picked
03:52a feather to stick in his cap.
03:57When Mr. Bobbin saw a little duck swallowing a bug by the green pond in the valley, he
04:03laid down with his gun behind a fallen tree and watched, and watched, just watched.
04:09And then he took out his handkerchief and blew his nose.
04:12Quack, quack, quack, cried the little duck, choking on a bug.
04:16A hunter, let's not tarry here.
04:20And with a bow he dived into the pond.
04:23Ducks are lovely birds, said Mr. Bobbin.
04:29Mr. Bobbin was happier than ever when he went home that night.
04:33Hunting is nice, he said.
04:35I had a wonderful walk down the valley.
04:38He polished his shiny gun and ate a hearty meal of pancakes and milk.
04:47When the frost was in the air the next year, Mr. Bobbin went hunting again.
04:52He saw a fox sunning himself atop a stone wall, and he leaned against a tree to hold
04:57his gun steady, very steady, very steady.
05:03And then he sneezed, ah-choo, ah-choo.
05:07Well, said the fox, looking sideways, if it isn't Mr. Bobbin with his shiny gun.
05:13And he yawned and went to sleep.
05:15That's the fattest, foxiest fox of the forest, said Mr. Bobbin, very pleased with the encounter.
05:25When Mr. Bobbin saw an opossum munching crab apples at the edge of the stream, he propped
05:30himself against an old fence and shouldered his shiny gun gently, carefully.
05:36Very carefully.
05:38And suddenly slapped his cheek.
05:40Ouch!
05:41A bee stung me.
05:43Bah, said the opossum, too busy to look up.
05:47Here comes Mr. Bobbin.
05:49I wonder why he takes his gun when he goes hunting.
05:53And he went on picking the choicest apples.
05:55That's a wise possum, said Mr. Bobbin.
05:59He eats well before winter comes.
06:04Well, said Mr. Bobbin, going home that night, that was another beautiful hunting day.
06:10I had a lovely walk through the forest.
06:13And he put away his big yellow cap and his big yellow coat, his big black boots and yellow
06:19stockings, his big brown belt with rows of cartridges, and his big shiny gun.
06:25Then he had a delicious meal of noodles, applesauce, and hot chocolate.
06:33Every year for many years, when the leaves turned yellow, Mr. Bobbin went hunting, through
06:39the forest, across the fields, and up the hills.
06:43He knew all the woods and the streams and the animals.
06:48But one year he found it was too hard to walk all day with his big yellow cap and big yellow
06:52coat, his big black boots with yellow stockings, his big brown belt with rows of cartridges,
07:00his big shiny gun under his arm.
07:03Perhaps Mr. Bobbin had become too old.
07:05He was very sad.
07:10Now all the animals wondered what had become of Mr. Bobbin.
07:14Why doesn't he hunt anymore, asked the duck.
07:18I miss him so.
07:20Perhaps he has moved away, said the rabbit.
07:24Perhaps he is sick, said the pheasant.
07:26I'll tell you, said the fox.
07:29Mr. Bobbin has become too old to hunt.
07:32He just sits on the bench by his door.
07:35Then let's visit him, said the bear.
07:41So the bear, the deer and the fox, the raccoon, the rabbit, the woodchuck, the squirrel and
07:47the opossum, the pheasant, the partridge and the quail, came in the afternoons to sit with
07:53Mr. Bobbin by the door of his little house.
07:56So the years were still full of happy days for Mr. Bobbin.
08:06I hope you enjoyed that story.
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08:12And don't forget to check out all the other stories that are already uploaded.
08:16Thank you so much for watching.
