Speaker 1: Chapter seven of Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milney.
This liveryvox recording is in the public domain. Chapter seven,
in which Kanga and baby Roo come to the forest
and Piglet has a bath. Nobody seemed to know where
they came from, but there they were in the forest,
Kanga and baby Roo. When Pooh asked Christopher Robin, how
did they come here? Christopher Robin said, in the usual way,
if you know what I mean. Pooh and Pooh, who didn't,
said oh. Then he nodded his head twice and said
in the usual way. Aw. Then he went to call
upon his friend Pickelet to see what he thought about it,
And at Pickleth's house he found Rabbit. So they all
talked about it together. What I don't like about it
is this, said rabbit. Here are we you Pooh, and you,
Piglet and me, And suddenly and your said Pooh and ere,
And then suddenly and all said Pooh and owl, And
then all of us sudden oh and ere said Pooh.
I wish forgetting him. Here we are, said rabbit, very
slowly and carefully, all of us. And then suddenly we
wake up one morning, and what do we find we
find a strange animal among us, an animal of whom
we have never even heard before, an animal who carries
her family about with her in her pocket. Suppose I
carried my family about with me in my pocket? How
many pockets should I want? Sixteen? Said Picklet. Seventeen, isn't it,
said rabbit? And one more for our handkerchief. That's eighteen
eighteen pockets in one suit. I haven't time. There was
a long and thoughtful silence, and then Pooh, who had
been frowning very hard for some minutes, said I make
it fifteen? What said rabbit? Fifteen? Fifteen? What your family?
What about them? Pooh rubbed his nose and said that
he thought Rabbit had been talking about his family? Did I,
said rabbit carelessly? Yes, you said never mind, Pooh, said
Picklet impatiently. The question is what are we to do
about Kanga oh I see, said Pooh. The best way,
said Rabbit, would be this. The best way would be
to steal baby Roo and hide him. And then when
Tanga says where's baby Roo? We say ah ah ha,
said Pooh, practicing ah how uh haw. Of course, he
went on, we could say ah haw even if we
hadn't stolen baby Roo, Pooh said Rabbit. Kindly, you haven't
any brain, I know, said Pooh, humbly. We say aha
so that Kanga knows that we know where baby Roo is.
Aha means we'll tell you where baby Roo is if
you promised to go away from the forest and never
come back. Now, don't talk while I think Pooh went
into a corner and try saying aha in that sort
of voice. Sometimes it seemed to him that it did
mean what Rabbit said, and sometimes it seemed to him
that it didn't. I suppose it's just practice, he thought.
I wonder if Kanga will have to practice too, so
west to understand it. There's just one thing, said Picklet,
fidgeting a lot. I was talking to Christopher Robin, and
he said that a kanga was generally regarded as one
of the fiercer animals. I am not frightened the fierce
animals in the ordinary way, but it is well known
that if one of the fiercer animals is deprived of
its young, it becomes as fierce as two of the
fiercer animals, in which Kai saha is perhaps a foolish
thing to say, Pillot said, rabbit taking out a pencil
and licking the in of it. You haven't any pluck.
It's hard to be brave, said Pilet, sniffling slightly, when
you're only a very small animal. Rabbit, who had begun
to write very busily, looked up and said, it is
because you are a very small animal that you will
be useful in the adventure before us. Piglet was so
excited at the idea of being useful that he forgot
to be frightened any more. And when Rabbit went on
to say that kangas were only fierce during the winter months,
being at other times of an affectionate disposition, he could
hardly sit still. He was so eager to begin being
useful at once. What about me, said Pooh sadly. I
suppose I shan't be useful. Never mind, Pooh, said Picklet comfortingly.
Another time, perhaps without Pooh, said Rabbit solemnly, as he
sharpened his pencil, the adventure would be impossible, Oh, said Picklet,
and tried not to look disappointed. But Pooh went into
a corner of the room and said proudly to himself,
impossible without me, that sort of bear. Now listen, all
of you said Rabbit when he had finished writing, and
Pooh and Piglet sat listening very eagerly with their mouths open.
This was what Rabbit read out plan to capture baby Rou.
One general remarks, Kanga runs faster than any of us,
even me. Two more general remarks, Kanga never takes her
eye off baby Ru except when he safely buttoned up
in her pocket. Rie. Therefore, if we are to capture
baby Roo, we must get a long start, because Kanga
runs faster than any of us, even me. See one
four A thought. If Ru had jumped out of Kanga's
pocket and Picklet had jumped in, Kanga wouldn't know the difference,
because Piglet is a very small animal five like Ru. Six.
But Kanga would have to be looking the other way first,
so as not to see Picklet jumping in seven c
two eight. Another thought, But if Pooh were talking to
her very excitedly, she might look the other way for
a moment nine, and then I could run away with
Rue ten quickly eleven, and Kanga wouldn't discover the difference
until afterwards. Well, Rabbit read this out proudly, and for
a little while after he had read it, nobody said anything.
And then Picclet, who had been opening and shutting his
mouth without making any noise, managed to say, very huskily,
and afterwards, how do you mean when Kanga does discover
the difference, then we all say ah ha, all three
of us. Yes, Oh, why what's the trouble, Piclet, Nothing,
said Picklet. As long as we all three say it.
As long as we all three say it, said Picklet.
I don't mind, he said, But I shouldn't care to
say aha by myself. It wouldn't sound nearly so well
by the way, he said, you are quite sure about
what you said about the winter months the winter months, Yes,
only being fierce in the winter months. Oh, yes, yes,
that's all right. Well, pooh you see what you have
to do? No, said pooh Bear, Not yet, he said.
What do I do? Well, you just have to talk
very hard to Kanga so she doesn't notice anything. Oh
what about anything you like? You mean, like, uh, telling
her a little bit of poetry or something. That's it,
said Rabbit splendid. Now come along, so they all went
out to look for Kanga. Kanga and Rue were spending
a quiet afternoon in a sandy part of the forest.
Maybe Ru was practicing very small jumps in the sand
and falling down mouse holes and climbing out of them,
and Kanga was fidgeting about and saying, just one more jump, dear,
and then we must go home. And at that moment
who should come stumping up the hill but Pooh, good afternoon, Kangle,
Good afternoon, Pooh. Look at me jumping, sweet Rue and
fell into another mousehole. Hallo, Rue, my little fellow. We
were just going home, said Kanga. Good afternoon, Rabbit, Good afternoon, Picklet.
Rabbit and Picklet, who I had now come up from
the other side of the hill, said good afternoon and
hello Ru. And Ru asked them to look at him jumping,
so they stayed and looked, and Kanga looked too. Oh,
Kanga said Pooh, after Rabbit had winked at him twice.
I don't know if you were interested in poetry at all.
Hardly at all, said Kanga. Oh, said Pooh, Ru deer,
just one more jump and then we must go home.
There was a short silence while Rue fell down another mousehole.
Go on, said Rabbit, in a loud whisper behind his paw.
Talking of poetry, said Pooh, I made up a little
piece's eye was coming along. It went like this. Uh. Now,
let me see fancy, said Keanka. Now, ru deer, you'll
like this piece of poetry, said rabbit. You love it,
said Picklet. You must listen very carefully, said rabbit, so
is not to miss any of it, said Picklet. Oh, yes,
said Keanka, But she still looked at baby room. How
did it go? Pooh? Said rabbit. Pooh gave a little
cough and began lines written by a bear of very
little brain. On Monday, when the sun is hot, I
wonder to myself a lot. Now, is it true or
is it not? That what is which? And which is what?
On Tuesday, when it hails and snows, the feeling on
me grows and grows that hardly anybody knows if those
are these are? These are those? On Wednesday, when the
guy is blue and I have nothing else to do,
I sometimes wonder if it's true that who is what?
And what is who? On Thursday, when it starts to
freeze and woar, frost twinkles on the trees, how very
readily one sees that these are whose? And whose are these?
On Friday? Yes it is, isn't it? Said Kanga, Not
waiting to hear what happened on Friday. Just one more job, Ruder,
and then we really must be going. Rabbit gave Pooh
a hurrying up sort of nudge, talking of poetry, said Pooh, quickly,
have you ever known noticed that tree right over there? Where?
Said Keangum? Now Ru right over there, said Pooh, pointing
behind Kanga's back. No, said Kenkum. Now jump in root
ear and we'll go home. You ought to look at
that tree right over there, said Rabbit. Shall I lift
you in Ru? And he picked up Ru in his paws.
I can see a bird in it from here, said Pooh.
Or is it a fish? You ought to see that
bird from here, said rabbit. Unless it's a fish, it
isn't a fish, it's a bird, said Piglet. So it is,
said Rabbit. Is it a starling or a blackbird? Said Pooh.
That's the whole question, said rabbit. Is it a blackbird
or a starling? And then at last Kanga did turn
her head to look, and at the moment that her
head was turned, Rabbit said, in a loud voice, in
you go, Rue, and in jumped Piglet into Kanga's pocket
and off scampered rabbit with ruin his paws as fast
as he could. Why where's rabbit, said Kanga, turning round again.
Are you all right, rue deer? Piglet made a squeaky
rue noise from the bottom of Keanga's pocket. Rabbit had
to go away, said Pooh. I think he thought of
something he had to go and see about. Suddenly, and Picklet,
I think Piglet thought of something at the same time. Suddenly. Well,
we must be getting home, said Kangum. Goodbye, Pooh, and
in three large jumps she was gone. Pooh looked after
her as she went. I wish I could jump like that,
he thought. Some can and some can't. Ah, that's how
it is. But there were moments when Piclet wished that
Kanga couldn't. Often, when he had had a long walk
home through the forest, he had wished that he were
a bird. But now he thought, jerkily to himself at
the bottom of Kanga's pocket, this takes if is shell
really too flying? I never it. And as he went
up in the air he said ooh, And as he
came down he said oh. And he was saying ooh,
ow ooh, ow ooh ow all the way to Kanga's house.
Of course, as soon as Kanga unbuttoned her pocket, she
saw what had happened. Just for a moment she thought
she was frightened, and then she knew she wasn't, for
she felt quite sure that Christopher Robin would never let
any harm happened to Rue. So she said to herself,
if they are having a joke with me, I will
have a joke with them now then, Rue dear, she said,
as she took pilet out of her pocket. Bedtime, ah
Ha said Picklet as well as he could after his
terrifying journey, but it wasn't a very good aha, and
Kanga didn't seem to understand what it meant. Bath first,
said Kangum in a cheerful voice. Ah Ha said Picklet again,
looking round anxiously for the others, But the others weren't there.
Rabbit was playing with baby rou in his own house
and feeling more fond of him every minute, and Pooh,
who had decided to be a Kanga, was still at
the sandy place on the top of the forest, practicing jumps.
I am not at all sure, said Kanga in a
thought voice, that it wouldn't be a good idea to
have a cold bath this evening. Will you like that?
Rude ear? Piglet, who had never been really fond of baths,
shuddered a long, indignant shudder and said, in as brave
a voice as he could, Kanga, I see that the
time has come to speak plainly, funny little rue, said Kanga,
as she got the bath water ready. I am not rue,
said Picklet loudly. I am Piglet. Yes, dear, yes, said
Kanga soothingly, and imitating Piglet's voice too. So clever of him,
she went on as she took a large boar of
yellow soap out of the cupboard. What will he be
doing next? Can't you see? Shouted Picklet. Haven't you got eyes?
Look at me? I am looking rude, dear, said Kanga
rather severely. And you know what I told you yesterday
about making faces. If you go on making faces like picklets,
you will grow up to look like pilet and then
think how sorry you will be. Now then into the
bath and don't let me have to speak to you
about it again. Before he knew where he was, Piglet
was in the bath and Kanga was scrubbing him firmly
with a large leathery flannel. Oh, cried Piglet. Let me out.
I'm Piglet. Don't open your mouth, dear, or the soap
goes in, said Kanga. There, what did I tell you? You? You?
You did it on purpose, spluttered Piglet as soon as
he could speak again, and then accidentally had another mouthful
of love reflannel. That's right, dear, don't say anything, said Kenka,
and in another minute Piglet was out of the bath
and being rubbed dry with a towel. Now, said Kenka,
there's your medicine, and then bed woo. Whoa? What medicine?
Said Picklet? To make you grow big and strong, dear.
You don't want to grow up small and weak like pilet,
do you. Well? Then at that moment there was a
knock at the door. Come in, said Kenka, and in
came Christopher Robin. Christopher Robin. Christopher Robin cried, Piglet, Tell
Kanga who I am? She keeps saying, I'm rude. I'm
not rue, am I? Christopher Robin looked at him very
carefully and shook his head. You can't be rue, he said,
because I've just seen rue playing in Rabbit's house. Well,
said Kanga. Fancy that. Fancy my making a mistake like that.
There you are, said Picklet. I told you so, I'm Piglet.
Christopher Robin shook his head again. Oh you're not Piglet,
he said, I know Piglet well, and he's quite a
different color. Piglet began to say that this was because
he had just had a bath, and then he thought
that perhaps he wouldn't say that, And as he opened
his mouth to say something else, Kanga slipped the medicine
spoon in and then patted him on the back and
told him that it was really quite a nice taste
when you got used to it. I knew it wasn't Piglet,
said kangam. I wonder who it can be. Perhaps it's
some relations of poos, said Christopher Robin. What about a
nephew or an uncle or something. Kanga agreed that this
was probably what it was, and said that they would
have to call it by some name. I shall call
it poodle, said Christopher Robin, Henry Poodle for short, And
just when it was decided, Henry Poodle wriggled out of
Kanga's arms and jumped to the ground. To his great joy,
Christopher Robin had left the door open. Never had Henry
Poodle Picklet run so fast as he ran then, And
he didn't stop running until he had got quite close
to his house, And when he was one hundred yards away,
he stopped running and rolled the rest of the way
home so as to get his own nice, comfortable color again.
So Kanga and Rue stayed in the forest, and every Tuesday,
Rue spent the day with his great friend Rabbit, and
every Tuesday Kanga spent the day with her great friend Pooh,
teaching him to jump. And every Tuesday Pikelet spent the
day with his great friend Christopher Robin. So they were
all happy again. End of chapter seven