Winnie-the-Pooh

A.A.Milne

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Winnie-the-Pooh

TextbyA.A.Milnecopyright©TrusteesofthePoohPropertiesLineillustrationscopyright©E.H.ShepardColouringoftheillustrationscopyright©1970E.H.ShepardandEgmontUKLimitedand©1973E.H.ShepardandEgmontUKLimited

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TOHERHandinhandwecomeChristopherRobinandI

Tolaythisbookinyourlap.

Sayyou’resurprised?Sayyoulikeit?

Sayit’sjustwhatyouwanted?

Becauseit’syours—Becauseweloveyou.

INTRODUCTION

If you happen to have read another book about Christopher Robin, you mayrememberthatheoncehadaswan(ortheswanhadChristopherRobin,Idon’tknowwhich),andthatheusedtocallthisswanPooh.Thatwasalongtimeago,andwhenwesaidgood-bye,wetookthenamewithus,aswedidn’t think theswanwouldwantitanymore.Well,whenEdwardBearsaidthathewouldlikeanexcitingnamealltohimself,ChristopherRobinsaidatonce,withoutstoppingtothink,thathewasWinnie-the-Pooh.Andhewas.So,asIhaveexplainedthePoohpart,Iwillnowexplaintherestofit.

Youcan’tbeinLondonforlongwithoutgoingtotheZoo.TherearesomepeoplewhobegintheZooatthebeginning,calledWAYIN,andwalkasquicklyastheycanpasteverycageuntil theyget totheonecalledWAYOUT,but thenicest people go straight to the animal they love themost, and stay there. SowhenChristopherRobingoestotheZoo,hegoestowherethePolarBearsare,and he whispers something to the third keeper from the left, and doors areunlocked,andwewanderthroughdarkpassagesandupsteepstairs,untilatlastwe come to the special cage, and the cage is opened, and out trots somethingbrownandfurry,andwithahappycryof‘Oh,Bear!’ChristopherRobinrushesintoitsarms.Nowthisbear’snameisWinnie,whichshowswhatagoodnameforbearsitis,butthefunnythingisthatwecan’trememberwhetherWinnieiscalled after Pooh, or Pooh after Winnie. We did know once, but we haveforgotten.…

Ihadwrittenasfaras thiswhenPiglet lookedupandsaid inhissqueakyvoice,‘WhataboutMe?’‘MydearPiglet,’Isaid,‘thewholebookisaboutyou.’‘SoitisaboutPooh,’hesqueaked.Youseewhatitis.HeisjealousbecausehethinksPoohishavingaGrandIntroductionalltohimself.Poohisthefavourite,of course, there’s no denying it, but Piglet comes in for a goodmany thingswhichPoohmisses;becauseyoucan’t takePooh to schoolwithout everybodyknowing it, but Piglet is so small that he slips into a pocket,where it is verycomforting to feel him when you are not quite sure whether twice seven istwelveortwenty-two.Sometimesheslipsoutandhasagoodlookintheink-pot,and in thiswayhehasgotmoreeducation thanPooh,butPoohdoesn’tmind.Somehavebrains,andsomehaven’t,hesays,andthereitis.

Andnow,all theothersaresaying,‘WhataboutUs?’Soperhaps thebestthingtodoistostopwritingIntroductionsandgetonwiththebook.

A.A.M.

TableofContents

CoverPageTitlePageCopyrightToHerIntroductionMapChapterOneChapterTwoChapterThreeChapterFourChapterFiveChapterSixChapterSevenChapterEightChapterNineChapterTenMap

CHAPTERONEinwhichweareintroducedto

Winnie-the-PoohandsomeBees,andthestoriesbegin

HereisEdwardBear,comingdownstairsnow,bump,bump,bump,onthebackofhishead,behindChristopherRobin.Itis,asfarasheknows,theonlywayofcoming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is anotherway, ifonlyhecouldstopbumpingforamomentandthinkofit.Andthenhefeelsthatperhapsthereisn’t.Anyhow,hereheisatthebottom,andreadytobeintroducedtoyou.Winnie-the-Pooh.

When I first heard his name, I said, just as you are going to say, ‘But Ithoughthewasaboy?’

‘SodidI,’saidChristopherRobin.‘Thenyoucan’tcallhimWinnie?’‘Idon’t.’‘Butyousaid—’‘He’sWinnie-ther-Pooh.Don’tyouknowwhat“ther”means?’‘Ah,yes,nowIdo,’Isaidquickly;andIhopeyoudotoo,becauseitisall

theexplanationyouaregoingtoget.Sometimes Winnie-the-Pooh likes a game of some sort when he comes

downstairs,andsometimeshelikestositquietlyinfrontofthefireandlistentoastory.Thisevening—‘Whataboutastory?’saidChristopherRobin.

‘Whataboutastory?’Isaid.‘CouldyouverysweetlytellWinnie-the-Poohone?’‘IsupposeIcould,’Isaid.‘Whatsortofstoriesdoeshelike?’‘Abouthimself.Becausehe’sthatsortofBear.’‘Oh,Isee.’‘Socouldyouverysweetly?’‘I’lltry,’Isaid.SoItried.

Onceuponatime,averylongtimeagonow,aboutlastFriday,Winnie-the-

PoohlivedinaforestallbyhimselfunderthenameofSanders.(‘Whatdoes“underthename”mean?’askedChristopherRobin.‘Itmeanshehadthenameoverthedooringoldlettersandlivedunderit.’‘Winnie-the-Poohwasn’tquitesure,’saidChristopherRobin.‘NowIam,’saidagrowlyvoice.‘ThenIwillgoon,’saidI.)

Onedaywhenhewasoutwalking,hecametoanopenplaceinthemiddleoftheforest,andinthemiddleofthisplacewasalargeoak-tree,and,fromthetopofthetree,therecamealoudbuzzing-noise.

Winnie-the-Poohsatdownatthefootofthetree,puthisheadbetweenhispaws,andbegantothink.

First of all he said tohimself:That buzzing-noisemeans something.Youdon’t get a buzzing-noise like that, just buzzing and buzzing, without itsmeaningsomething. If there’sabuzzing-noise, somebody’smakingabuzzing-noise,andtheonlyreasonformakingabuzzing-noisethatIknowofisbecauseyou’reabee.

Thenhethoughtanotherlongtime,andsaid:‘AndtheonlyreasonforbeingabeethatIknowofismakinghoney.’

Andthenhegotup,andsaid:‘AndtheonlyreasonformakinghoneyissoasIcaneatit.’Sohebegantoclimbthetree.

Heclimbedandheclimbedandheclimbed,andasheclimbedhesangalittlesongtohimself.

Itwentlikethis:

Isn’titfunnyHowabearlikeshoney?Buzz!Buzz!Buzz!

Iwonderwhyhedoes?

Thenhe climbed a little further…and a little further…and then just a littlefurther.Bythattimehehadthoughtofanothersong.

It’saveryfunnythoughtthat,ifBearswereBees,They’dbuildtheirnestsatthebottomoftrees.Andthatbeingso(iftheBeeswereBears),

Weshouldn’thavetoclimbupallthesestairs.

Hewasgettingrather tiredbythis time,so that iswhyhesangaComplainingSong.Hewasnearlytherenow,andifhejuststoodonthatbranch.…

Crack!‘Oh,help!’saidPooh,ashedroppedtenfeettothebranchbelowhim.

‘If only I hadn’t—’ he said, as he bounced twenty feet on to the nextbranch.

‘Yousee,whatImeanttodo,’heexplained,asheturnedhead-over-heels,andcrashedontoanotherbranchthirtyfeetbelow,‘whatImeanttodo—’

‘Of course, it was rather—’ he admitted, as he slithered very quicklythroughthenextsixbranches.

‘Itallcomes,Isuppose,’hedecided,ashesaidgood-byetothelastbranch,spun round three times,and flewgracefully intoagorse-bush, ‘it all comesoflikinghoneysomuch.Oh,help!’

Hecrawledoutofthegorse-bush,brushedthepricklesfromhisnose,andbegantothinkagain.AndthefirstpersonhethoughtofwasChristopherRobin.

(‘Wasthatme?’saidChristopherRobininanawedvoice,hardlydaringtobelieveit.

‘Thatwasyou.’ChristopherRobinsaidnothing,buthiseyesgotlargerandlarger,andhis

face got pinker and pinker.) So Winnie-the-Pooh went round to his friendChristopherRobin,wholivedbehindagreendoorinanotherpartoftheForest.

‘Goodmorning,ChristopherRobin,’hesaid.‘Goodmorning,Winnie-ther-Pooh,’saidyou.‘Iwonderifyou’vegotsuchathingasaballoonaboutyou?’‘Aballoon?’‘Yes, I just said tomyself comingalong: “Iwonder ifChristopherRobin

has such a thing as a balloon about him?” I just said it tomyself, thinkingofballoons,andwondering.’

‘Whatdoyouwantaballoonfor?’yousaid.Winnie-the-Pooh looked round to see that nobody was listening, put his

pawtohismouth,andsaidinadeepwhisper:‘Honey!’‘Butyoudon’tgethoneywithballoons!’‘Ido,’saidPooh.Well, it just happened that you had been to a party the day before at the

houseofyourfriendPiglet,andyouhadballoonsattheparty.Youhadhadabiggreenballoon;andoneofRabbit’srelationshadhadabigblueone,andhadleftitbehind,beingreallytooyoungtogotoapartyatall;andsoyouhadbroughtthegreenoneandtheblueonehomewithyou.

‘Whichonewouldyoulike?’youaskedPooh.Heputhisheadbetweenhispawsandthoughtverycarefully.

‘It’slikethis,’hesaid.‘Whenyougoafterhoneywithaballoon,thegreatthing is not to let the bees know you’re coming. Now, if you have a greenballoon,theymightthinkyouwereonlypartofthetree,andnotnoticeyou,andifyouhaveablueballoon,theymightthinkyouwereonlypartofthesky,andnotnoticeyou,andthequestionis:Whichismostlikely?’

‘Wouldn’ttheynoticeyouunderneaththeballoon?’youasked.‘Theymightortheymightnot,’saidWinnie-the-Pooh.‘Younevercantell

withbees.’He thought foramomentandsaid: ‘Ishall try to look likeasmallblackcloud.Thatwilldeceivethem.’

‘Then you had better have the blue balloon,’ you said; and so it wasdecided.

Well,youbothwentoutwiththeblueballoon,andyoutookyourgunwithyou,justincase,asyoualwaysdid,andWinnie-the-Poohwenttoaverymuddyplacethatheknewof,androlledandrolleduntilhewasblack

allover;and then,when theballoonwasblownupasbigasbig,andyouandPoohwere both holding on to the string, you let go suddenly, andPoohBearfloatedgracefullyup into the sky, and stayed there– levelwith the topof thetreeandabouttwentyfeetawayfromit.

‘Hooray!’youshouted.‘Isn’t that fine?’ shoutedWinnie-the-Poohdown to you. ‘What do I look

like?’‘Youlooklikeabearholdingontoaballoon,’yousaid.‘Not,’saidPoohanxiously,‘—notlikeasmallblackcloudinabluesky?’‘Notverymuch.’‘Ah,well,perhapsfromuphereitlooksdifferent.And,asIsay,younever

cantellwithbees.’Therewasnowind toblowhimnearer to the tree so therehe stayed.He

couldsee thehoney,hecouldsmell thehoney,buthecouldn’tquite reach thehoney.

Afteralittlewhilehecalleddowntoyou.‘ChristopherRobin!’hesaidinaloudwhisper.‘Hallo!’‘Ithinkthebeessuspectsomething!’‘Whatsortofthing?’‘Idon’tknow.Butsomethingtellsmethatthey’resuspicious!’‘Perhapstheythinkthatyou’reaftertheirhoney?’‘Itmaybethat.Younevercantellwithbees.’Therewasanotherlittlesilence,andthenhecalleddowntoyouagain.‘ChristopherRobin!’‘Yes?’‘Haveyouanumbrellainyourhouse?’‘Ithinkso.’‘Iwishyouwouldbringitouthere,andwalkupanddownwithit,andlook

upatmeeverynowandthen,andsay“Tut-tut,itlookslikerain.”Ithink,ifyoudidthat,itwouldhelpthedeceptionwhichwearepractisingonthesebees.’

Well,you laughed toyourself,SillyoldBear!butyoudidn’t say it aloudbecauseyouweresofondofhim,andyouwenthomeforyourumbrella.

‘Oh,thereyouare!’calleddownWinnie-the-Pooh,assoonasyougotbacktothetree.‘Iwasbeginningtogetanxious.IhavediscoveredthatthebeesarenowdefinitelySuspicious.’

‘ShallIputmyumbrellaup?’yousaid.‘Yes, but wait a moment. We must be practical. The important bee to

deceive is the Queen Bee. Can you see which is the Queen Bee from downthere?’

‘No.’‘Apity.Well,now, ifyouwalkupanddownwithyourumbrella,saying,

‘Tut-tut,itlookslikerain,’IshalldowhatIcanbysingingalittleCloudSong,suchasacloudmightsing…Go!’

So,whileyouwalkedupanddownandwonderedifitwouldrain,Winnie-

the-Poohsangthissong:

HowsweettobeaCloudFloatingintheBlue!Everylittlecloud

EverylittlecloudAlwayssingsaloud.

HowsweettobeaCloudFloatingintheBlue!

ItmakeshimveryproudTobealittlecloud.

Thebeeswerestillbuzzingassuspiciouslyasever.Someofthem,indeed,lefttheirnestsandflewallroundthecloudasitbeganthesecondverseofthissong,andonebeesatdownon thenoseof thecloudforamoment,and thengotupagain.

‘Christopher–ow!–Robin,’calledoutthecloud.‘Yes?’‘Ihave justbeen thinking, and Ihavecome toavery importantdecision.

Thesearethewrongsortofbees.’‘Arethey?’‘Quitethewrongsort.SoIshouldthinktheywouldmakethewrongsortof

honey,shouldn’tyou?’

‘Wouldthey?’‘Yes.SoIthinkIshallcomedown.’‘How?’askedyou.Winnie-the-Pooh hadn’t thought about this. If he let go of the string, he

wouldfall–bump–andhedidn’tliketheideaofthat.Sohethoughtforalongtime,andthenhesaid:‘ChristopherRobin,youmustshoottheballoonwithyourgun.Haveyougotyourgun?’

‘OfcourseIhave,’yousaid.‘ButifIdothat,itwillspoiltheballoon,’yousaid.

‘But ifyoudon’t,’saidPooh,‘Ishallhaveto letgo,andthatwouldspoilme.’

Whenheputitlikethis,yousawhowitwas,andyouaimedverycarefullyattheballoon,andfired.

‘Ow!’saidPooh.‘DidImiss?’youasked.‘Youdidn’texactlymiss,’saidPooh,‘butyoumissedtheballoon.’‘I’m so sorry,’ you said, and you fired again, and this time you hit the

balloon,andtheaircameslowlyout,andWinnie-the-Poohfloateddowntotheground.

Buthisarmsweresostiff fromholdingon to thestringof theballoonallthat time that they stayed up straight in the air for more than a week, andwheneveraflycameandsettledonhisnosehehadtoblowitoff.AndIthink–butIamnotsure–thatthatiswhyhewasalwayscalledPooh.

‘Isthattheendofthestory?’askedChristopherRobin.

‘That’stheendofthatone.Thereareothers.’‘AboutPoohandMe?’‘AndPigletandRabbitandallofyou.Don’tyouremember?’‘Idoremember,andthenwhenItrytoremember,Iforget.’‘ThatdaywhenPoohandPiglettriedtocatchtheHeffalump—’‘Theydidn’tcatchit,didthey?’‘No.’‘Poohcouldn’tbecausehehasn’tanybrain.DidIcatchit?’‘Well,thatcomesintothestory.’ChristopherRobinnodded.‘Ido remember,’he said, ‘onlyPoohdoesn’tverywell, so that’swhyhe

likes having it told to him again.Because then it’s a real story and not just aremembering.’

‘That’sjusthowIfeel,’Isaid.Christopher Robin gave a deep sigh, picked his Bear up by the leg, and

walkedofftothedoor,trailingPoohbehindhim.Atthedoorheturnedandsaid,‘Comingtoseemehavemybath?’

‘Imight,’Isaid.‘Ididn’thurthimwhenIshothim,didI?’‘Notabit.’He nodded and went out, and in a moment I heard Winnie-the-Pooh –

bump,bump,bump–goingupthestairsbehindhim.

CHAPTERTWOinwhichPoohgoesvisitingandgetsintoatightplace

EdwardBear,knowntohisfriendsasWinnie-the-Pooh,orPoohforshort,waswalkingthroughtheForestoneday,hummingproudlytohimself.Hehadmadeup a little hum that verymorning, as hewas doing hisStoutnessExercises infrontoftheglass:Tra-la-la,tra-la-la,ashestretchedupashighashecouldgo,and thenTra-la-la, tra-la – oh,help! – la, as he tried to reach his toes.Afterbreakfast he had said it over and over to himself until he had learnt it off byheart,andnowhewashummingitrightthrough,properly.Itwentlikethis:

Tra-la-la,tra-la-la,Tra-la-la,tra-la-la,Rum-tum-tiddle-um-tum.Tiddle-iddle,tiddle-iddle,Tiddle-iddle,tiddle-iddle,Rum-tum-tum-tiddle-um.

Well, he was humming this hum to himself, and walking gaily along,wonderingwhateverybodyelsewasdoing,andwhatitfeltlike,beingsomebodyelse,whensuddenlyhecametoasandybank,andinthebankwasalargehole.

‘Aha!’ said Pooh. (Rum-tum-tiddle-um-tum.) ‘If I know anything aboutanything, that holemeans Rabbit,’ he said, ‘and Rabbitmeans Company,’ hesaid,‘andCompanymeansFoodandListening-to-Me-Hummingandsuchlike.Rum-tum-tum-tiddle-um.’

Sohebentdown,puthisheadintothehole,andcalledout:‘Isanybodyathome?’

Therewasasuddenscufflingnoisefrominsidethehole,andthensilence.‘WhatIsaidwas,“Isanybodyathome?”’calledoutPoohveryloudly.‘No!’saidavoice;andthenadded,‘Youneedn’tshoutsoloud.Iheardyou

quitewellthefirsttime.’‘Bother!’saidPooh.‘Isn’tthereanybodyhereatall?’‘Nobody.’Winnie-the-Poohtookhisheadoutofthehole,andthoughtforalittle,and

hethoughttohimself,‘Theremustbesomebodythere,becausesomebodymusthave said “Nobody.”’ So he put his head back in the hole, and said: ‘Hallo,Rabbit,isn’tthatyou?’

‘No,’saidRabbit,inadifferentsortofvoicethistime.‘Butisn’tthatRabbit’svoice?’‘Idon’tthinkso,’saidRabbit.‘Itisn’tmeanttobe.’

‘Oh!’saidPooh.Hetookhisheadoutofthehole,andhadanotherthink,andthenheputit

back,andsaid:‘Well,couldyouverykindlytellmewhereRabbitis?’‘HehasgonetoseehisfriendPoohBear,whoisagreatfriendofhis.’‘ButthisisMe!’saidBear,verymuchsurprised.‘WhatsortofMe?’‘PoohBear.’‘Areyousure?’saidRabbit,stillmoresurprised.‘Quite,quitesure,’saidPooh.‘Oh,well,then,comein.’

SoPoohpushedandpushedandpushedhisway through thehole, andatlasthegotin.

‘Youwerequiteright,’saidRabbit,lookingathimallover.‘Itisyou.Gladtoseeyou.’

‘Whodidyouthinkitwas?’‘Well, I wasn’t sure. You know how it is in the Forest. One can’t have

anybodycomingintoone’shouse.Onehastobecareful.Whataboutamouthfulofsomething?’

Poohalwayslikedalittlesomethingateleveno’clockinthemorning,andhewasverygladtoseeRabbitgettingouttheplatesandmugs;andwhenRabbitsaid,‘Honeyorcondensedmilkwithyourbread?’hewassoexcitedthathesaid,‘Both,’andthen,soasnottoseemgreedy,headded,‘Butdon’tbotheraboutthebread, please.’And for a long time after that he said nothing… until at last,hummingtohimselfinaratherstickyvoice,hegotup,shookRabbitlovinglybythepaw,andsaidthathemustbegoingon.

‘Mustyou?’saidRabbitpolitely.‘Well,’saidPooh,‘Icouldstayalittlelongerifit–ifyou—’andhetried

veryhardtolookinthedirectionofthelarder.‘Asamatteroffact,’saidRabbit,‘Iwasgoingoutmyselfdirectly.’‘Ohwell,then,I’llbegoingon.Good-bye.’

‘Well,good-bye,ifyou’resureyouwon’thaveanymore.’‘Isthereanymore?’askedPoohquickly.Rabbittookthecoversoffthedishes,andsaid,‘No,therewasn’t.’‘Ithoughtnot,’saidPooh,noddingtohimself.‘Well,good-bye.Imustbe

goingon.’Sohestarted toclimboutof thehole.Hepulledwithhisfrontpaws,and

pushedwith his backpaws, and in a littlewhile his nosewas out in the openagain…andthenhisears…andthenhisfrontpaws…andthenhisshoulders…andthen—

‘Oh,help!’saidPooh.‘I’dbettergoback.’‘Oh,bother!’saidPooh.‘Ishallhavetogoon.’‘Ican’tdoeither!’saidPooh.‘Oh,helpandbother!’Now,bythistimeRabbitwantedtogoforawalktoo,andfindingthefront

doorfull,hewentoutbythebackdoor,andcameroundtoPooh,andlookedathim.

‘Hallo,areyoustuck?’heasked.

‘N-no,’ said Pooh carelessly. ‘Just resting and thinking and humming tomyself.’

‘Here,giveusapaw.’PoohBearstretchedoutapaw,andRabbitpulledandpulledandpulled.…‘Ow!’criedPooh.‘You’rehurting!’‘Thefactis,’saidRabbit,‘you’restuck.’‘Itallcomes,’saidPoohcrossly,‘ofnothavingfrontdoorsbigenough.’‘It all comes,’ said Rabbit sternly, ‘of eating too much. I thought at the

time,’saidRabbit,‘onlyIdidn’tliketosayanything,’saidRabbit,‘thatoneofuswaseatingtoomuch,’saidRabbit,‘andIknewitwasn’tme,’hesaid.‘Well,well,IshallgoandfetchChristopherRobin.’

ChristopherRobinlivedat theotherendof theForest,andwhenhecamebackwithRabbit, and saw the fronthalfofPooh,he said, ‘SillyoldBear,’ insuchalovingvoicethateverybodyfeltquitehopefulagain.

‘I was just beginning to think,’ said Bear, sniffing slightly, ‘that Rabbitmightneverbeabletousehisfrontdooragain.AndIshouldhatethat,’hesaid.

‘SoshouldI,’saidRabbit.‘Usehisfrontdooragain?’saidChristopherRobin.‘Ofcoursehe’llusehis

frontdooragain.’‘Good,’saidRabbit.‘Ifwecan’tpullyouout,Pooh,wemightpushyouback.’Rabbitscratchedhiswhiskersthoughtfully,andpointedoutthat,whenonce

Poohwaspushedback,hewasback,andofcoursenobodywasmoregladtoseePooh than he was, still there it was, some lived in trees and some livedunderground,and—‘YoumeanI’dnevergetout?’saidPooh.

‘Imean,’saidRabbit,‘thathavinggotsofar,itseemsapitytowasteit.’ChristopherRobinnodded.‘Thenthere’sonlyonethingtobedone,’hesaid.‘Weshallhavetowaitfor

youtogetthinagain.’‘Howlongdoesgettingthintake?’askedPoohanxiously.‘Aboutaweek,Ishouldthink.’‘ButIcan’tstayhereforaweek!’‘Youcanstayhereallright,sillyoldBear.It’sgettingyououtwhichisso

difficult.’‘We’llreadtoyou,’saidRabbitcheerfully.‘AndIhopeitwon’tsnow,’headded.‘AndIsay,oldfellow,you’retaking

upagooddealofroominmyhouse—doyoumindifIuseyourbacklegsasatowel-horse?Because,Imean,theretheyare–doingnothing–anditwouldbeveryconvenientjusttohangthetowelsonthem.’

‘Aweek!’saidPoohgloomily.‘Whataboutmeals?’‘I’m afraid no meals,’ said Christopher Robin, ‘because of getting thin

quicker.Butwewillreadtoyou.’Bearbegan tosigh,and then foundhecouldn’tbecausehewasso tightly

stuck; and a tear rolled down his eye, as he said: ‘Then would you read aSustaining Book, such as would help and comfort a Wedged Bear in GreatTightness?’

SoforaweekChristopherRobinreadthatsortofbookattheNorthendofPooh,andRabbithunghiswashingontheSouthend…

andinbetweenBearfelthimselfgettingslendererandslenderer.AndattheendoftheweekChristopherRobinsaid,‘Now!’

SohetookholdofPooh’sfrontpawsandRabbittookholdofChristopherRobin, and allRabbit’s friends and relations tookholdofRabbit, and they allpulledtogether.…

AndforalongtimePoohonlysaid‘Ow!’.…And‘Oh!’.…Andthen,allofasudden,hesaid‘Pop!’justasifacorkwerecomingout

ofabottle.AndChristopher Robin andRabbit and all Rabbit’s friends and relations

went head-over-heels backwards…and on the top of them cameWinnie-the-Pooh–free!

So,withanodof thanks tohisfriends,hewentonwithhiswalk throughtheforest,hummingproudlytohimself.ButChristopherRobinlookedafterhimlovingly,andsaidtohimself,‘SillyoldBear!’

CHAPTERTHREEinwhichPoohandPigletgohuntingandnearlycatchaWoozle

The Piglet lived in a very grand house in themiddle of a beech-tree, and thebeech-treewasinthemiddleoftheForest,andthePigletlivedinthemiddleofthe house. Next to his house was a piece of broken board which had:‘TRESPASSERSW’ on it.When Christopher Robin asked the Piglet what itmeant,hesaid itwashisgrandfather’sname,andhadbeen in thefamilyforalong time. Christopher Robin said you couldn’t be called TrespassersW, andPiglet said yes, you could, because his grandfather was, and it was short forTrespassersWill,whichwasshortforTrespassersWilliam.Andhisgrandfatherhadhadtwonamesincasehelostone–Trespassersafteranuncle,andWilliamafterTrespassers.

‘I’vegottwonames,’saidChristopherRobincarelessly.‘Well,thereyouare,thatprovesit,’saidPiglet.Onefinewinter’sdaywhenPigletwasbrushingawaythesnowinfrontof

hishouse,hehappened to lookup, and therewasWinnie-the-Pooh.Poohwaswalkingroundandroundinacircle,thinkingofsomethingelse,andwhenPigletcalledtohim,hejustwentonwalking.

‘Hallo!’saidPiglet,‘whatareyoudoing?’‘Hunting,’saidPooh.‘Huntingwhat?’‘Trackingsomething,’saidWinnie-the-Poohverymysteriously.‘Trackingwhat?’saidPiglet,comingcloser.‘That’sjustwhatIaskmyself.Iaskmyself,What?’‘Whatdoyouthinkyou’llanswer?’‘IshallhavetowaituntilIcatchupwithit,’saidWinnie-the-Pooh.‘Now,

lookthere.’Hepointedtothegroundinfrontofhim.‘Whatdoyouseethere?’‘Tracks,’ saidPiglet. ‘Paw-marks.’Hegavea little squeakof excitement.

‘Oh,Pooh!Doyouthinkit’sa–a–aWoozle?’

‘Itmaybe,’saidPooh.‘Sometimesitis,andsometimesitisn’t.Younevercantellwithpaw-marks.’

Withthesefewwordshewentontracking,andPiglet,afterwatchinghimforaminuteortwo,ranafterhim.Winnie-the-Poohhadcometoasuddenstop,andwasbendingoverthetracksinapuzzledsortofway.

‘What’sthematter?’askedPiglet.‘It’saveryfunnything,’saidBear,‘butthereseemtobetwoanimalsnow.

This–whatever-it-is–hasbeenjoinedbyanother–whatever-it-is–andthetwoof them are now proceeding in company.Would you mind coming with me,Piglet,incasetheyturnouttobeHostileAnimals?’

Pigletscratchedhisearinanicesortofway,andsaidthathehadnothingtodountilFriday,andwouldbedelightedtocome,incaseitreallywasaWoozle.

‘Youmean, in case it really is twoWoozles,’ saidWinnie-the-Pooh, andPiglet said that anyhow he had nothing to do until Friday. So off they wenttogether.

Therewasasmallspinneyof larch-trees justhere,anditseemedas if thetwoWoozles, if that iswhat theywere,hadbeengoing round thisspinney;soroundthisspinneywentPoohandPigletafter them;PigletpassingthetimebytellingPoohwhathisgrandfatherTrespassersWhaddonetoRemoveStiffnessafterTracking,andhowhisgrandfatherTrespassersWhadsufferedinhislateryears from Shortness of Breath, and other matters of interest, and Poohwondering what a grandfather was like, and if perhaps this was TwoGrandfathers theywere after now, and, if so,whetherhewouldbe allowed totakeonehomeandkeepit,andwhatChristopherRobinwouldsay.Andstillthetrackswentoninfrontofthem.…

SuddenlyWinnie-the-Poohstopped,andpointedexcitedlyinfrontofhim.‘Look!’

‘What?’ said Piglet,with a jump.And then, to show that he hadn’t beenfrightened,hejumpedupanddownonceortwicemoreinanexercisingsortofway.

‘Thetracks!’saidPooh.‘Athirdanimalhasjoinedtheothertwo!’‘Pooh!’criedPiglet.‘DoyouthinkitisanotherWoozle?’‘No,’ said Pooh, ‘because it makes different marks. It is either Two

Woozlesandone,as itmightbe,Wizzle,orTwo,as itmightbe,Wizzlesandone,ifsoitis,Woozle.Letuscontinuetofollowthem.’

Sotheywenton,feelingjustalittleanxiousnow,incasethethreeanimalsin frontof themwereofHostile Intent.AndPigletwishedverymuch thathisgrandfatherT.W.werethere,insteadofelsewhere,andPoohthoughthowniceitwouldbeif theymetChristopherRobinsuddenlybutquiteaccidentally,andonly because he likedChristopherRobin somuch.And then, all of a sudden,Winnie-the-Pooh stopped again, and licked the tip of his nose in a coolingmanner, for hewas feelingmore hot and anxious than ever in his life before.Therewerefouranimalsinfrontofthem!

‘Doyousee,Piglet?Lookat their tracks!Three,as itwere,Woozles,andone,asitwas,Wizzle.AnotherWoozlehasjoinedthem!’

And so it seemed to be. Therewere the tracks; crossing over each otherhere,gettingmuddledupwitheachotherthere;but,quiteplainlyeverynowand

then,thetracksoffoursetsofpaws.‘Ithink,’saidPiglet,whenhehadlickedthetipofhisnosetoo,andfound

that it brought very little comfort, ‘I think that I have just rememberedsomething.IhavejustrememberedsomethingthatIforgottodoyesterdayandshan’tbeabletodoto-morrow.SoIsupposeIreallyoughttogobackanddoitnow.’

‘We’lldoitthisafternoon,andI’llcomewithyou,’saidPooh.‘It isn’tthesortofthingyoucandointheafternoon,’saidPigletquickly.

‘It’saveryparticularmorningthing,thathastobedoneinthemorning,and,ifpossible,betweenthehoursof–Whatwouldyousaythetimewas?’

‘Abouttwelve,’saidWinnie-the-Pooh,lookingatthesun.‘Between,asIwassaying,thehoursoftwelveandtwelvefive.So,really,

dearoldPooh,ifyou’llexcuseme–What’sthat?’Pooh looked up at the sky, and then, as he heard the whistle again, he

lookedupintothebranchesofabigoak-tree,andthenhesawafriendofhis.‘It’sChristopherRobin,’hesaid.

‘Ah,thenyou’llbeallright,’saidPiglet.‘You’llbequitesafewithhim.Good-bye,’andhetrottedoffhomeasquicklyashecould,verygladtobeOutofAllDangeragain.

ChristopherRobincameslowlydownhistree.‘SillyoldBear,’hesaid,‘whatwereyoudoing?Firstyouwentroundthe

spinney twice by yourself, and then Piglet ran after you and you went roundagaintogether,andthenyouwerejustgoingroundafourthtime—’

‘Waitamoment,’saidWinnie-the-Pooh,holdinguphispaw.

Hesatdownandthought,inthemostthoughtfulwayhecouldthink.ThenhefittedhispawintooneoftheTracks…andthenhescratchedhisnosetwice,andstoodup.

‘Yes,’saidWinnie-the-Pooh.‘Iseenow,’saidWinnie-the-Pooh.‘IhavebeenFoolishandDeluded,’saidhe,‘andIamaBearofNoBrainat

All.’‘You’retheBestBearinAlltheWorld,’saidChristopherRobinsoothingly.‘AmI?’saidPoohhopefully.Andthenhebrightenedupsuddenly.‘Anyhow,’hesaid,‘itisnearlyLuncheonTime.’Sohewenthomeforit.

CHAPTERFOURinwhichEeyorelosesatailandPoohfindsone

TheOldGreyDonkey,Eeyore,stoodbyhimselfinathistlycorneroftheForest,hisfrontfeetwellapart,hisheadononeside,andthoughtaboutthings.

Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, ‘Why?’ and sometimes he thought,‘Wherefore?’andsometimeshethought,‘Inasmuchaswhich?’–andsometimeshe didn’t quite knowwhat hewas thinking about. So whenWinnie-the-Poohcame stumping along, Eeyorewas very glad to be able to stop thinking for alittle,inordertosay‘Howdoyoudo?’inagloomymannertohim.

‘Andhowareyou?’saidWinnie-the-Pooh.Eeyoreshookhisheadfromsidetoside.‘Not very how,’ he said. ‘I don’t seem to have felt at all how for a long

time.’‘Dear,dear,’saidPooh,‘I’msorryaboutthat.Let’shavealookatyou.’So Eeyore stood there, gazing sadly at the ground, andWinnie-the-Pooh

walkedallroundhimonce.

‘Why,what’shappenedtoyourtail?’hesaidinsurprise.‘Whathashappenedtoit?’saidEeyore.‘Itisn’tthere!’‘Areyousure?’‘Well,eitheratailisthereoritisn’tthere.Youcan’tmakeamistakeabout

it,andyoursisn’tthere!’

‘Thenwhatis?’‘Nothing.’‘Let’shavea look,’ saidEeyore,andhe turnedslowly round to theplace

wherehistailhadbeenalittlewhileago,andthen,findingthathecouldn’tcatchitup,heturnedroundtheotherway,untilhecamebacktowherehewasatfirst,andthenheputhisheaddownandlookedbetweenhisfrontlegs,andatlasthesaid,withalong,sadsigh,‘Ibelieveyou’reright.’

‘OfcourseI’mright,’saidPooh.‘That Accounts for a Good Deal,’ said Eeyore gloomily. ‘It Explains

Everything.NoWonder.’‘Youmusthaveleftitsomewhere,’saidWinnie-the-Pooh.

‘Somebodymusthavetakenit,’saidEeyore.‘HowLikeThem,’headded,afteralongsilence.

Poohfelt thatheought tosaysomethinghelpfulabout it,butdidn’tquiteknowwhat.Sohedecidedtodosomethinghelpfulinstead.

‘Eeyore,’ he said solemnly, ‘I, Winnie-the-Pooh, will find your tail foryou.’

‘Thankyou,Pooh,’answeredEeyore.‘You’rearealfriend,’saidhe.‘NotLikeSome,’hesaid.

SoWinnie-the-PoohwentofftofindEeyore’stail.It was a fine spring morning in the Forest as he started out. Little soft

cloudsplayedhappily inabluesky,skippingfromtimeto timeinfrontof thesunasiftheyhadcometoputitout,andthenslidingawaysuddenlysothatthenext might have his turn. Through them and between them the sun shonebravely;andacopsewhichhadwornitsfirsalltheyearroundseemedoldanddowdynowbesidethenewgreenlacewhichthebeecheshadputonsoprettily.Through copse and spinney marched Bear; down open slopes of gorse andheather,overrockybedsofstreams,upsteepbanksofsandstoneintotheheatheragain;andsoatlast,tiredandhungry,totheHundredAcreWood.ForitwasintheHundredAcreWoodthatOwllived.

‘Andifanyoneknowsanythingaboutanything,’saidBeartohimself,‘it’sOwl who knows something about something,’ he said, ‘or my name’s notWinnie-the-Pooh,’hesaid.‘Whichitis,’headded.‘Sothereyouare.’

OwllivedatTheChestnuts,anold-worldresidenceofgreatcharm,whichwasgrander than anybodyelse’s, or seemed so toBear, because it hadboth aknockerandabell-pull.Underneaththeknockertherewasanoticewhichsaid:

PLESRINGIFANRNSERISREQIRD

Underneaththebell-pulltherewasanoticewhichsaid:

PLEZCNOKEIFANRNSRISNOTREQID.

These notices had beenwritten byChristopher Robin,whowas the onlyonein theforestwhocouldspell; forOwl,wisethoughhewasinmanyways,able toreadandwriteandspellhisownnameWOL,yetsomehowwentall topiecesoverdelicatewordslikeMEASLESandBUTTEREDTOAST.

Winnie-the-Poohreadthetwonoticesverycarefully,firstfromlefttoright,and afterwards, in case he hadmissed some of it, from right to left. Then, to

makequitesure,heknockedandpulledtheknocker,andhepulledandknockedthebell-rope,andhecalledoutinaveryloudvoice,‘Owl!Irequireananswer!It’sBearspeaking.’Andthedooropened,andOwllookedout.

‘Hallo,Pooh,’hesaid.‘How’sthings?’‘TerribleandSad,’saidPooh,‘becauseEeyore,whoisafriendofmine,has

losthistail.Andhe’sMopingaboutit.Socouldyouverykindlytellmehowtofinditforhim?’

‘Well,’saidOwl,‘thecustomaryprocedureinsuchcasesisasfollows.’‘WhatdoesCrustimoneyProseedcakemean?’saidPooh.‘ForIamaBear

ofVeryLittleBrain,andlongwordsBotherme.’‘ItmeanstheThingtoDo.’‘Aslongasitmeansthat,Idon’tmind,’saidPoohhumbly.‘Thethingtodoisasfollows.First,IssueaReward.Then—’‘Justamoment,’saidPooh,holdinguphispaw.‘Whatdowedotothis–

whatyouweresaying?Yousneezedjustasyouweregoingtotellme.’‘Ididn’tsneeze.’‘Yes,youdid,Owl.’‘Excuseme,Pooh,Ididn’t.Youcan’tsneezewithoutknowingit.’‘Well,youcan’tknowitwithoutsomethinghavingbeensneezed.’‘WhatIsaidwas,“FirstIssueaReward”.’‘You’redoingitagain,’saidPoohsadly.‘AReward!’saidOwlveryloudly.‘Wewriteanoticetosaythatwewill

givealargesomethingtoanybodywhofindsEeyore’stail.’‘I see, I see,’ said Pooh, nodding his head. ‘Talking about large

somethings,’ hewent on dreamily, ‘I generally have a small something aboutnow–aboutthistimeinthemorning,’andhelookedwistfullyatthecupboardinthe corner of Owl’s parlour; ‘just amouthful of condensedmilk or what-not,withperhapsalickofhoney—’

‘Well,then,’saidOwl,‘wewriteoutthisnotice,andweputitupallovertheForest.’

‘Alickofhoney,’murmuredBeartohimself,‘or–ornot,asthecasemaybe.’And he gave a deep sigh, and tried very hard to listen towhatOwlwassaying.

ButOwlwent on and on, using longer and longerwords, until at last hecamebacktowherehestarted,andheexplainedthatthepersontowriteoutthisnoticewasChristopherRobin.

‘Itwashewhowrotetheonesonmyfrontdoorforme.Didyouseethem,Pooh?’

ForsometimenowPoohhadbeensaying‘Yes’and‘No’inturn,withhiseyesshut,toallthatOwlwassaying,andhavingsaid,‘Yes,yes,’lasttime,hesaid,‘No,notatall,’now,withoutreallyknowingwhatOwlwastalkingabout.

‘Didn’tyouseethem?’saidOwl,alittlesurprised.‘Comeandlookatthemnow.’

Sotheywentoutside.AndPoohlookedattheknockerandthenoticebelowit,andhelookedatthebell-ropeandthenoticebelowit,andthemorehelookedatthebell-rope,themorehefeltthathehadseensomethinglikeit,somewhereelse,sometimebefore.

‘Handsomebell-rope,isn’tit?’saidOwl.Poohnodded.‘It remindsmeofsomething,’hesaid, ‘but Ican’t thinkwhat.Wheredid

yougetit?’‘I just came across it in the Forest. It was hanging over a bush, and I

thought at first somebody lived there, so I rang it, and nothing happened, andthen I rang it again very loudly, and it came off inmy hand, and as nobodyseemedtowantit,Itookithome,and—’

‘Owl,’saidPoohsolemnly,‘youmadeamistake.Somebodydidwantit.’‘Who?’‘Eeyore.MydearfriendEeyore.Hewas–hewasfondofit.’‘Fondofit?’‘Attachedtoit,’saidWinnie-the-Poohsadly.

Sowith thesewords he unhooked it, and carried it back toEeyore; andwhen

ChristopherRobinhadnaileditoninitsrightplaceagain,Eeyorefriskedabouttheforest,wavinghistailsohappilythatWinnie-the-Poohcameoverallfunny,andhadtohurryhomeforalittlesnack

ofsomethingtosustainhim.And,wipinghismouthhalfanhourafterwards,hesangtohimselfproudly:WhofoundtheTail?‘I,’saidPooh,‘Ataquartertotwo(Onlyitwasquartertoelevenreally),IfoundtheTail!’

CHAPTERFIVEinwhichPigletmeetsaHeffalump

One day, when Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet were alltalkingtogether,ChristopherRobinfinishedthemouthfulhewaseatingandsaidcarelessly:‘IsawaHeffalumpto-day,Piglet.’

‘Whatwasitdoing?’askedPiglet.‘Justlumpingalong,’saidChristopherRobin.‘Idon’tthinkitsawme.’

‘Isawoneonce,’saidPiglet.‘Atleast,IthinkIdid,’hesaid.‘Onlyperhapsitwasn’t.’

‘SodidI,’saidPooh,wonderingwhataHeffalumpwaslike.‘Youdon’toftenseethem,’saidChristopherRobincarelessly.‘Notnow,’saidPiglet.‘Notatthistimeofyear,’saidPooh.Then theyall talkedabout somethingelse,until itwas time forPoohand

Piglettogohometogether.Atfirstastheystumpedalongthepathwhichedgedthe Hundred AcreWood, they didn’t saymuch to each other; but when theycame to the stream,andhadhelpedeachother across the stepping stones, andwere able towalk sideby side againover theheather, theybegan to talk in afriendlywayaboutthisandthat,andPigletsaid,‘IfyouseewhatImean,Pooh,’andPoohsaid,‘It’sjustwhatIthinkmyself,Piglet,’andPigletsaid,‘But,ontheother hand, Pooh, we must remember,’ and Pooh said, ‘Quite true, Piglet,

althoughIhadforgottenitforthemoment.’Andthen,justastheycametotheSixPineTrees, Pooh looked round to see that nobody elsewas listening, andsaidinaverysolemnvoice:

‘Piglet,Ihavedecidedsomething.’‘Whathaveyoudecided,Pooh?’‘IhavedecidedtocatchaHeffalump.’Poohnoddedhisheadseveraltimesashesaidthis,andwaitedforPigletto

say‘How?’or‘Pooh,youcouldn’t!’orsomethinghelpfulofthatsort,butPigletsaidnothing.ThefactwasPigletwaswishingthathehadthoughtaboutitfirst.

‘Ishalldoit,’saidPooh,afterwaitingalittlelonger,‘bymeansofatrap.AnditmustbeaCunningTrap,soyouwillhavetohelpme,Piglet.’

‘Pooh,’ said Piglet, feeling quite happy again now, ‘Iwill.’ And then hesaid,‘Howshallwedoit?’andPoohsaid,‘That’sjustit.How?’Andthentheysatdowntogethertothinkitout.

Pooh’s first ideawas that they should dig aVeryDeepPit, and then theHeffalumpwouldcomealongandfallintothePit,and—

‘Why?’saidPiglet.‘Whywhat?’saidPooh.‘Whywouldhefallin?’Poohrubbedhisnosewithhispaw,andsaidthat theHeffalumpmightbe

walkingalong,hummingalittlesong,andlookingupatthesky,wonderingifitwould rain, and so hewouldn’t see theVeryDeep Pit until hewas half-waydown,whenitwouldbetoolate.

Piglet said that thiswas a very goodTrap, but supposing itwere rainingalready?

Pooh rubbedhis nose again, and said that hehadn’t thoughtof that.Andthenhebrightenedup, and said that, if itwere raining already, theHeffalumpwouldbelookingattheskywonderingifitwouldclearup,andsohewouldn’tseetheVeryDeepPituntilhewashalf-waydown.…Whenitwouldbetoolate.

Pigletsaidthat,nowthatthispointhadbeenexplained,hethoughtitwasaCunningTrap.

Poohwas very proudwhen he heard this, and he felt that theHeffalumpwasasgoodascaughtalready,buttherewasjustoneotherthingwhichhadtobethoughtabout,anditwasthis.WhereshouldtheydigtheVeryDeepPit?

PigletsaidthatthebestplacewouldbesomewherewhereaHeffalumpwas,justbeforehefellintoit,onlyaboutafootfurtheron.

‘Butthenhewouldseeusdiggingit,’saidPooh.‘Notifhewaslookingatthesky.’‘HewouldSuspect,’saidPooh,‘ifhehappenedtolookdown.’Hethought

for a long time and then added sadly, ‘It isn’t as easy as I thought. I supposethat’swhyHeffalumpshardlyevergetcaught.’

‘Thatmustbeit,’saidPiglet.Theysighedandgotup;andwhentheyhadtakenafewgorsepricklesout

ofthemselvestheysatdownagain;andallthetimePoohwassayingtohimself,‘Ifonly Icould thinkof something!’Forhe felt sure thataVeryCleverBraincouldcatchaHeffalumpifonlyheknewtherightwaytogoaboutit.

‘Suppose,’hesaid toPiglet, ‘youwanted tocatchme,howwouldyoudoit?’

‘Well,’ said Piglet, ‘I should do it like this. I shouldmake aTrap, and IshouldputaJarofHoneyintheTrap,andyouwouldsmellit,andyouwouldgoinafterit,and—’

‘AndIwouldgoinafterit,’saidPoohexcitedly,‘onlyverycarefullysoasnottohurtmyself,andIwouldgettotheJarofHoney,andIshouldlickroundtheedgesfirstofall,pretendingthattherewasn’tanymore,youknow,andthenIshouldwalkawayandthinkaboutitalittle,andthenIshouldcomebackandstartlickinginthemiddleofthejar,andthen—’

‘Yes,wellnevermindabout that.Thereyouwouldbe,andthereIshouldcatchyou.Nowthefirstthingtothinkofis,WhatdoHeffalumpslike?Ishouldthinkacorns,shouldn’tyou?We’llgetalotof–Isay,wakeup,Pooh!’

Pooh,whohadgoneintoahappydream,wokeupwithastart,andsaidthatHoneywasamuchmoretrappythingthanHaycorns.Pigletdidn’tthinkso;andtheywerejustgoingtoargueaboutit,whenPigletrememberedthat,iftheyputacornsintheTrap,hewouldhavetofindtheacorns,butiftheyputhoney,thenPoohwouldhavetogiveupsomeofhisownhoney,sohesaid,‘Allright,honeythen,’ just as Pooh remembered it too, and was going to say, ‘All right,haycorns.’

‘Honey,’ said Piglet to himself in a thoughtful way, as if it were nowsettled.‘I’lldigthepit,whileyougoandgetthehoney.’

‘Verywell,’saidPooh,andhestumpedoff.

Assoonashegothome,hewenttothelarder;andhestoodonachair,andtookdownaverylargejarofhoneyfromthetopshelf.IthadHUNNYwrittenonit,but,justtomakesure,hetookoffthepapercoverandlookedatit,anditlooked just like honey. ‘But you never can tell,’ said Pooh. ‘I remember myunclesayingoncethathehadseencheesejustthiscolour.’Soheputhistonguein,andtookalargelick.‘Yes,’hesaid,‘itis.Nodoubtaboutthat.Andhoney,Ishould say, right down to the bottom of the jar. Unless, of course,’ he said,‘somebodyputcheeseinatthebottomjustforajoke.PerhapsIhadbettergoalittlefurther…justincase…incaseHeffalumpsdon’tlikecheese…sameasme…Ah!’Andhe gave a deep sigh. ‘Iwas right. It is honey, right thewaydown.’

Having made certain of this, he took the jar back to Piglet, and Pigletlookedup from thebottomofhisVeryDeepPit,andsaid, ‘Got it?’andPoohsaid,‘Yes,butitisn’tquiteafulljar,’andhethrewitdowntoPiglet,andPiglet

said,‘No,it isn’t!Is thatallyou’vegot left?’andPoohsaid,‘Yes.’Becauseitwas.SoPigletputthejaratthebottomofthePit,andclimbedout,andtheywentoffhometogether.

‘Well,goodnight,Pooh,’saidPiglet,whentheyhadgot toPooh’shouse.‘Andwemeetatsixo’clockto-morrowmorningbythePineTrees,andseehowmanyHeffalumpswe’vegotinourTrap.’

‘Sixo’clock,Piglet.Andhaveyougotanystring?’‘No.Whydoyouwantstring?’‘Toleadthemhomewith.’‘Oh!…IthinkHeffalumpscomeifyouwhistle.’‘Somedoandsomedon’t.YounevercantellwithHeffalumps.Well,good

night!’‘Goodnight!’AndoffPiglet trotted tohis houseTRESPASSERSW,whilePoohmade

hispreparationsforbed.Somehourslater,justasthenightwasbeginningtostealaway,Poohwoke

upsuddenlywithasinkingfeeling.Hehadhadthatsinkingfeelingbefore,andheknewwhatitmeant.Hewashungry.Sohewenttothelarder,andhestoodonachairandreacheduptothetopshelf,andfound–nothing.

‘That’s funny,’he thought. ‘IknowIhada jarofhoney there.A full jar,full of honey right up to the top, and it had HUNNYwritten on it, so that Ishouldknowitwashoney.That’sveryfunny.’Andthenhebegantowanderupanddown,wonderingwhere itwasandmurmuringamurmur tohimself.Likethis:

It’svery,veryfunny’CosIknowIhadsomehoney;

’Cosithadalabelon,SayingHUNNY.

Agoloptiousfull-uppottoo,AndIdon’tknowwhereit’sgotto,No,Idon’tknowwhereit’sgone–

Well,it’sfunny.

Hehadmurmuredthistohimselfthreetimesinasingingsortofway,whensuddenly he remembered. He had put it into the Cunning Trap to catch theHeffalump.

‘Bother!’saidPooh.‘ItallcomesoftryingtobekindtoHeffalumps.’Andhegotbackintobed.

Buthecouldn’tsleep.Themorehetriedtosleep,themorehecouldn’t.HetriedCountingSheep,whichissometimesagoodwayofgettingtosleep,and,asthatwasnogood,he triedcountingHeffalumps.And thatwasworse.BecauseeveryHeffalumpthathecountedwasmakingstraightforapotofPooh’shoney,and eating it all. For someminutes he lay theremiserably, butwhen the fivehundredandeighty-seventhHeffalumpwaslickingitsjaws,andsayingtoitself,‘Verygoodhoneythis,Idon’tknowwhenI’vetastedbetter,’Poohcouldbearitnolonger.Hejumpedoutofbed,heranoutofthehouse,andheranstraighttotheSixPineTrees.

The Sun was still in bed, but there was a lightness in the sky over theHundredAcreWoodwhich seemed to show that itwaswakingupandwouldsoonbekickingofftheclothes.Inthehalf-lightthePineTreeslookedcoldandlonely, and the Very Deep Pit seemed deeper than it was, and Pooh’s jar ofhoneyatthebottomwassomethingmysterious,ashapeandnomore.Butashegotnearertoithisnosetoldhimthatitwasindeedhoney,andhistonguecameoutandbegantopolishuphismouth,readyforit.

‘Bother!’ said Pooh, as he got his nose inside the jar. ‘AHeffalump hasbeeneatingit!’Andthenhethoughtalittleandsaid,‘Oh,no,Idid.Iforgot.’

Indeed,hehadeatenmostofit.Buttherewasalittleleftattheverybottomofthejar,andhepushedhisheadrightin,andbegantolick.…

ByandbyPigletwokeup.Assoonashewokehe said tohimself, ‘Oh!’Then he said bravely, ‘Yes,’ and then, still more bravely, ‘Quite so.’ But hedidn’tfeelverybrave,forthewordwhichwasreallyjiggetingaboutinhisbrainwas‘Heffalumps.’

WhatwasaHeffalumplike?WasitFierce?Diditcomewhenyouwhistled?Andhowdiditcome?WasitFondofPigsatall?IfitwasFondofPigs,diditmakeanydifferencewhatsortofPig?SupposingitwasFiercewithPigs,woulditmakeanydifferenceifthePig

hadagrandfathercalledTRESPASSERSWILLIAM?Hedidn’tknowtheanswertoanyofthesequestions…andhewasgoingto

seehisfirstHeffalumpinaboutanhourfromnow!OfcoursePoohwouldbewithhim, and itwasmuchmoreFriendlywith

two.ButsupposeHeffalumpswereVeryFiercewithPigsandBears?Wouldn’titbebettertopretendthathehadaheadache,andcouldn’tgouptotheSixPineTreesthismorning?Butthensupposethatitwasaveryfineday,andtherewasno Heffalump in the trap, here he would be, in bed all the morning, simplywastinghistimefornothing.Whatshouldhedo?

AndthenhehadaCleverIdea.HewouldgoupveryquietlytotheSixPineTreesnow,peepverycautiouslyintotheTrap,andseeiftherewasaHeffalumpthere. And if there was, he would go back to bed, and if there wasn’t, hewouldn’t.

Sooffhewent.At firsthe thought that therewouldn’tbeaHeffalump intheTrap,andthenhethoughtthattherewould,andashegotnearerhewassurethattherewould,becausehecouldhearitheffalumpingaboutlikeanything.

‘Oh,dear,oh,dear,oh,dear!’saidPiglettohimself.Andhewantedtorun

away. But somehow, having got so near, he felt that hemust just seewhat aHeffalumpwaslike.SohecrepttothesideoftheTrapandlookedin.…

AndallthetimeWinnie-the-Poohhadbeentryingtogetthehoney-jaroffhis head. The more he shook it, the more tightly it stuck. ‘Bother!’ he said,inside the jar, and ‘Oh, help!’ and, mostly, ‘Ow!’ And he tried bumping itagainst things,butashecouldn’tseewhathewasbumpingitagainst, itdidn’thelphim;andhetriedtoclimboutoftheTrap,butashecouldseenothingbutjar, andnotmuchof that, he couldn’t findhisway.So at last he lifteduphishead,jarandall,andmadealoud,roaringnoiseofSadnessandDespair…anditwasatthatmomentthatPigletlookeddown.

‘Help, help!’ cried Piglet, ‘a Heffalump, a Horrible Heffalump!’ and hescampered off as hard as he could, still crying out, ‘Help, help, a HerribleHoffalump! Hoff, Hoff, a Hellible Horralump! Holl, Holl, a HoffableHellerump!’ And he didn’t stop crying and scampering until he got toChristopherRobin’shouse.

‘Whatever’s the matter, Piglet?’ said Christopher Robin, who was justgettingup.

‘Heff,’saidPiglet,breathingsohardthathecouldhardlyspeak,‘AHeff–aHeff–aHeffalump.’

‘Where?’‘Upthere,’saidPiglet,wavinghispaw.‘Whatdiditlooklike?’‘Like–like–Ithadthebiggestheadyoueversaw,ChristopherRobin.A

great enormous thing, like – like nothing.A huge big –well, like a – I don’tknow–likeanenormousbignothing.Likeajar.’

‘Well,’saidChristopherRobin,puttingonhisshoes,‘Ishallgoandlookatit.Comeon.’

Pigletwasn’tafraidifhehadChristopherRobinwithhim,soofftheywent.…

‘Icanhearit,can’tyou?’saidPigletanxiously,astheygotnear.‘Icanhearsomething,’saidChristopherRobin.ItwasPoohbumpinghisheadagainstatree-roothehadfound.‘There!’ saidPiglet. ‘Isn’t itawful?’Andheheldon tight toChristopher

Robin’shand.SuddenlyChristopherRobinbegan to laugh…andhe laughed…andhe

laughed…andhe laughed.Andwhilehewasstill laughing–Crashwent theHeffalump’sheadagainstthetree-root,Smashwentthejar,andoutcamePooh’sheadagain.…

ThenPigletsawwhataFoolishPiglethehadbeen,andhewassoashamedofhimself thathe ranstraightoffhomeandwent tobedwithaheadache.ButChristopherRobinandPoohwenthometobreakfasttogether.

‘Oh,Bear!’saidChristopherRobin.‘HowIdoloveyou!’‘SodoI,’saidPooh.

CHAPTERSIXinwhichEeyorehasabirthdayandgetstwopresents

Eeyore, the old grey Donkey, stood by the side of the stream, and looked athimselfinthewater.

‘Pathetic,’hesaid.‘That’swhatitis.Pathetic.’He turnedandwalkedslowlydown thestreamfor twentyyards, splashed

acrossit,andwalkedslowlybackontheotherside.Thenhelookedathimselfinthewateragain.

‘As I thought,’ he said. ‘No better from this side. But nobody minds.Nobodycares.Pathetic,that’swhatitis.’

Therewasacracklingnoiseinthebrackenbehindhim,andoutcamePooh.‘Goodmorning,Eeyore,’saidPooh.‘Good morning, Pooh Bear,’ said Eeyore gloomily. ‘If it is a good

morning,’hesaid.‘WhichIdoubt,’saidhe.‘Why,what’sthematter?’

‘Nothing,PoohBear,nothing.Wecan’tall,andsomeofusdon’t.That’sallthereistoit.’

‘Can’tallwhat?’saidPooh,rubbinghisnose.‘Gaiety.Song-and-dance.Herewegoroundthemulberrybush.’‘Oh!’ said Pooh. He thought for a long time, and then asked, ‘What

mulberrybushisthat?’‘Bonhommy,’ went on Eeyore gloomily. ‘French word meaning

bonhommy,’heexplained.‘I’mnotcomplaining,butThereItIs.’

Pooh satdownona large stone, and tried to think thisout. It sounded tohimlikeariddle,andhewasnevermuchgoodatriddles,beingaBearofVeryLittleBrain.SohesangCottlestonPieinstead:

Cottleston,Cottleston,CottlestonPie,Aflycan’tbird,butabirdcanfly.AskmeariddleandIreply:‘Cottleston,Cottleston,CottlestonPie.’

Thatwasthefirstverse.Whenhehadfinishedit,Eeyoredidn’tactuallysaythathedidn’tlikeit,soPoohverykindlysangthesecondversetohim:

Cottleston,Cottleston,CottlestonPie,Afishcan’twhistleandneithercanI.AskmeariddleandIreply:‘Cottleston,Cottleston,CottlestonPie.’

Eeyore still said nothing at all, so Pooh hummed the third verse quietly tohimself:

Cottleston,Cottleston,CottlestonPie,Whydoesachicken,Idon’tknowwhy.AskmeariddleandIreply:‘Cottleston,Cottleston,CottlestonPie.’

‘That’sright,’saidEeyore.‘Sing.Umty-tiddly,umpty-too.HerewegogatheringNutsandMay.Enjoyyourself.’

‘Iam,’saidPooh.‘Somecan,’saidEeyore.

‘Why,what’sthematter?’‘Isanythingthematter?’‘Youseemsosad,Eeyore.’‘Sad?WhyshouldIbesad?It’smybirthday.Thehappiestdayoftheyear.’‘Yourbirthday?’saidPoohingreatsurprise.‘Of course it is.Can’t you see?Look at all the presents I have had.’He

waved a foot from side to side. ‘Look at the birthday cake.Candles and pinksugar.’

Poohlooked–firsttotherightandthentotheleft.‘Presents?’saidPooh.‘Birthdaycake?’saidPooh.‘Where?’‘Can’tyouseethem?’‘No,’saidPooh.‘NeithercanI,’saidEeyore.‘Joke,’heexplained.‘Haha!’Poohscratchedhishead,beingalittlepuzzledbyallthis.‘Butisitreallyyourbirthday?’heasked.‘Itis.’‘Oh!Well,manyhappyreturnsoftheday,Eeyore.’‘Andmanyhappyreturnstoyou,PoohBear.’‘Butitisn’tmybirthday.’‘No,it’smine.’‘Butyousaid“Manyhappyreturns”–’‘Well,whynot?Youdon’talwayswanttobemiserableonmybirthday,do

you?’‘Oh,Isee,’saidPooh.‘It’s bad enough,’ said Eeyore, almost breaking down, ‘being miserable

myself,whatwithnopresentsandnocakeandnocandles,andnopropernoticetakenofmeatall,butifeverybodyelseisgoingtobemiserabletoo–’

ThiswastoomuchforPooh.‘Staythere!’hecalledtoEeyore,asheturnedandhurriedbackhomeasquickashecould; forhe felt thathemustgetpoorEeyoreapresentofsomesortatonce,andhecouldalwaysthinkofaproperone

afterwards.OutsidehishousehefoundPiglet,jumpingupanddowntryingtoreachthe

knocker.‘Hallo,Piglet,’hesaid.‘Hallo,Pooh,’saidPiglet.‘Whatareyoutryingtodo?’‘Iwastryingtoreachtheknocker,’saidPiglet.‘Ijustcameround–’

‘Letmedoitforyou,’saidPoohkindly.Sohereachedupandknockedatthedoor.‘IhavejustseenEeyore,’hebegan,‘andpoorEeyoreisinaVerySadCondition,becauseit’shisbirthday,andnobodyhastakenanynoticeofit,andhe’sveryGloomy–youknowwhatEeyoreis–andtherehewas,and–Whatalongtimewhoeverliveshereisansweringthisdoor.’Andheknockedagain.

‘ButPooh,’saidPiglet,‘it’syourownhouse!’‘Oh!’saidPooh.‘Soitis,’hesaid.‘Well,let’sgoin.’Sointheywent.ThefirstthingPoohdidwastogotothecupboardtoseeif

hehadquiteasmalljarofhoneyleft;andhehad,sohetookitdown.‘I’mgivingthistoEeyore,’heexplained,‘asapresent.Whatareyougoing

togive?’

‘Couldn’tIgiveittoo?’saidPiglet.‘Frombothofus?’‘No,’saidPooh.‘Thatwouldnotbeagoodplan.’‘Allright,then,I’llgivehimaballoon.I’vegotoneleftfrommyparty.I’ll

goandgetitnow,shallI?’‘That,Piglet,isaverygoodidea.ItisjustwhatEeyorewantstocheerhim

up.Nobodycanbeuncheeredwithaballoon.’SooffPiglet trotted;and in theotherdirectionwentPooh,withhis jarof

honey.Itwasawarmday,andhehadalongwaytogo.Hehadn’tgonemorethan

half-waywhenasortoffunnyfeelingbegantocreepalloverhim.Itbeganatthetipofhisnoseandtrickledallthroughhimandoutatthesolesofhisfeet.Itwasjustas if somebody insidehimweresaying, ‘Nowthen,Pooh, time fora littlesomething.’

‘Dear, dear,’ said Pooh, ‘I didn’t know it was as late as that.’ So he satdownandtookthetopoffhisjarofhoney.‘LuckyIbroughtthiswithme,’hethought. ‘Many a bear going out on a warm day like this would never havethoughtofbringingalittlesomethingwithhim.’Andhebegantoeat.

‘Nowletmesee,’hethought,ashetookhislastlickoftheinsideofthejar,‘wherewasIgoing?Ah,yes,Eeyore.’Hegotupslowly.

And then, suddenly, he remembered. He had eaten Eeyore’s birthdaypresent!

‘Bother!’saidPooh.‘WhatshallIdo?Imustgivehimsomething.’

Foralittlewhilehecouldn’tthinkofanything.Thenhethought:‘Well,it’saverynicepot,evenifthere’snohoneyinit,andifIwasheditclean,andgotsomebody towrite “AHappyBirthday” on it, Eeyore could keep things in it,whichmightbeUseful.’So,ashewasjustpassingtheHundredAcreWood,hewentinsidetocallonOwl,wholivedthere.

‘Goodmorning,Owl,’hesaid.‘Goodmorning,Pooh,’saidOwl.‘ManyhappyreturnsofEeyore’sbirthday,’saidPooh.‘Oh,isthatwhatitis?’‘Whatareyougivinghim,Owl?’‘Whatareyougivinghim,Pooh?’‘I’mgivinghimaUsefulPottoKeepThingsIn,andIwantedtoaskyou—’‘Isthisit?’saidOwl,takingitoutofPooh’spaw.‘Yes,andIwantedtoaskyou—’‘Somebodyhasbeenkeepinghoneyinit,’saidOwl.‘Youcankeepanything in it,’ saidPoohearnestly. ‘It’sVeryUseful like

that.AndIwantedtoaskyou—’‘Yououghttowrite“AHappyBirthday”onit.’‘Thatwaswhat Iwanted toaskyou,’ saidPooh. ‘Becausemyspelling is

Wobbly. It’s good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrongplaces.Wouldyouwrite“AHappyBirthday”onitforme?’

‘It’sanicepot,’saidOwl, lookingat itall round.‘Couldn’tIgive it too?Frombothofus?’

‘No,’saidPooh.‘Thatwouldnotbeagoodplan.NowI’lljustwashitfirst,andthenyoucanwriteonit.’

Well,hewashedthepotout,anddriedit,whileOwllickedtheendofhispencil,andwonderedhowtospell‘birthday’.

‘Canyouread,Pooh?’heaskeda littleanxiously. ‘There’sanoticeaboutknockingand ringingoutsidemydoor,whichChristopherRobinwrote.Couldyoureadit?’

‘ChristopherRobintoldmewhatitsaid,andthenIcould.’‘Well,I’lltellyouwhatthissays,andthenyou’llbeableto.’

SoOwlwrote…andthisiswhathewrote:

HIPYPAPYBTHUTHDTHTHUTHDABTHUTHDY.

Poohlookedonadmiringly.‘I’mjustsaying“AHappyBirthday”,’saidOwlcarelessly.‘It’sanicelongone,’saidPooh,verymuchimpressedbyit.‘Well,actually,ofcourse, I’msaying“AVeryHappyBirthdaywith love

fromPooh.”Naturallyittakesagooddealofpenciltosayalongthinglikethat.’‘Oh,Isee,’saidPooh.Whileallthiswashappening,Piglethadgonebacktohisownhousetoget

Eeyore’s balloon. He held it very tightly against himself, so that it shouldn’tblowaway,andheranasfastashecouldsoastogettoEeyorebeforePoohdid;forhethoughtthathewouldliketobethefirstonetogiveapresent,justasifhe

had thought of it without being told by anybody. And running along, andthinkinghowpleasedEeyorewouldbe,hedidn’t lookwherehewasgoing…andsuddenlyheputhisfootinarabbithole,andfelldownflatonhisface.

BANG!!!???***!!!

Pigletlaythere,wonderingwhathadhappened.Atfirsthethoughtthatthewholeworldhadblownup;andthenhethoughtthatperhapsonlytheForestpartofithad;andthenhethoughtthatperhapsonlyhehad,andhewasnowaloneinthe moon or somewhere, and would never see Christopher Robin or Pooh orEeyoreagain.Andthenhethought,‘Well,evenifI’minthemoon,Ineedn’tbefacedownwardsallthetime,’sohegotcautiouslyupandlookedabouthim.

HewasstillintheForest!‘Well, that’sfunny,’hethought.‘Iwonderwhat thatbangwas.Icouldn’t

havemadesuchanoisejustfallingdown.Andwhere’smyballoon?Andwhat’sthatsmallpieceofdampragdoing?’

Itwastheballoon!‘Oh,dear!’saidPiglet.‘Oh,dear,oh,dearie,dearie,dear!Well,it’stoolate

now.Ican’tgoback,andIhaven’tanotherballoon,andperhapsEeyoredoesn’tlikeballoonssoverymuch.’

So he trotted on, rather sadly now, and down he came to the side of thestreamwhereEeyorewas,andcalledouttohim.

‘Goodmorning,Eeyore,’shoutedPiglet.‘Goodmorning, Little Piglet,’ said Eeyore. ‘If it is a goodmorning,’ he

said.‘WhichIdoubt,’saidhe.‘Notthatitmatters,’hesaid.‘Manyhappyreturnsoftheday,’saidPiglet,havingnowgotcloser.Eeyore stopped looking at himself in the stream, and turned to stare at

Piglet.

‘Justsaythatagain,’hesaid.‘Manyhap—’‘Waitamoment.’

Balancingonthreelegs,hebegantobringhisfourthlegverycautiouslyuptohisear.‘Ididthisyesterday,’heexplained,ashefelldownforthethirdtime.‘It’squiteeasy.It’ssoasIcanhearbetter.…There,that’sdoneit!Nowthen,whatwereyousaying?’Hepushedhisearforwardwithhishoof.

‘Manyhappyreturnsoftheday,’saidPigletagain.‘Meaningme?’‘Ofcourse,Eeyore.’‘Mybirthday?’‘Yes.’‘Mehavingarealbirthday?’“Yes,Eeyore,andI’vebroughtyouapresent.’Eeyoretookdownhisrighthooffromhisrightear,turnedround,andwith

greatdifficultyputuphislefthoof.‘Imusthavethatintheotherear,’hesaid.‘Nowthen.’‘Apresent,’saidPigletveryloudly.‘Meaningmeagain?’‘Yes.’‘Mybirthdaystill?’‘Ofcourse,Eeyore.’‘Megoingonhavingarealbirthday?’‘Yes,Eeyore,andIbroughtyouaballoon.’‘Balloon?’ saidEeyore. ‘Youdid sayballoon?Oneof thosebigcoloured

thingsyoublowup?Gaiety,song-and-dance,hereweareandthereweare?’‘Yes, but I’m afraid – I’m very sorry, Eeyore – butwhen Iwas running

alongtobringityou,Ifelldown.’‘Dear, dear, how unlucky! You ran too fast, I expect. You didn’t hurt

yourself,LittlePiglet?’‘No,butI–I–oh,Eeyore,Ibursttheballoon!’Therewasaverylongsilence.‘Myballoon?’saidEeyoreatlast.

Pigletnodded.‘Mybirthdayballoon?’

‘Yes,Eeyore,’ saidPiglet, sniffing a little. ‘Here it is.With–withmanyhappyreturnsoftheday.’AndhegaveEeyorethesmallpieceofdamprag.

‘Isthisit?’saidEeyore,alittlesurprised.Pigletnodded.‘Mypresent?’Pigletnoddedagain.‘Theballoon?’‘Yes.’‘Thankyou,Piglet,’saidEeyore.‘Youdon’tmindmyasking,’hewenton,

‘butwhatcolourwasthisballoonwhenit–whenitwasaballoon?’‘Red.’‘I justwondered…Red,’hemurmured tohimself. ‘My favouritecolour.

…Howbigwasit?’‘Aboutasbigasme.’‘Ijustwondered.…AboutasbigasPiglet,’hesaidtohimselfsadly.‘My

favouritesize.Well,well.’Piglet felt very miserable, and didn’t know what to say. He was still

openinghismouthtobeginsomething,andthendecidingthatitwasn’tanygoodsayingthat,whenheheardashoutfromtheothersideoftheriver,andtherewasPooh.

‘Many happy returns of the day,’ called out Pooh, forgetting that he hadsaiditalready.

‘Thankyou,Pooh,I’mhavingthem,’saidEeyoregloomily.‘I’vebroughtyoualittlepresent,’saidPoohexcitedly.‘I’vehadit,’saidEeyore.PoohhadnowsplashedacrossthestreamtoEeyore,andPigletwassittinga

littlewayoff,hisheadinhispaws,snufflingtohimself.

‘It’s a Useful Pot,’ said Pooh. ‘Here it is. And it’s got “A Very HappyBirthdaywithlovefromPooh”writtenonit.That’swhatallthatwritingis.Andit’sforputtingthingsin.There!’

WhenEeyoresawthepot,hebecamequiteexcited.‘Why!’hesaid.‘IbelievemyBalloonwilljustgointothatPot!’‘Oh, no,Eeyore,’ saidPooh. ‘Balloons aremuch too big to go intoPots.

Whatyoudowithaballoonis,youholdtheballoon—’‘Not mine,’ said Eeyore proudly. ‘Look, Piglet!’ And as Piglet looked

sorrowfully round, Eeyore picked the balloon upwith his teeth, and placed itcarefullyinthepot;pickeditoutandputitontheground;andthenpickeditupagainandputitcarefullyback.

‘Soitdoes!’saidPooh.‘Itgoesin!’‘Soitdoes!’saidPiglet.‘Anditcomesout!’‘Doesn’tit?’saidEeyore.‘Itgoesinandoutlikeanything.’‘I’mveryglad,’saidPoohhappily, ‘that I thoughtofgivingyouaUseful

Pottoputthingsin.’‘I’mveryglad,’saidPiglethappily,‘thatIthoughtofgivingyouSomething

toputinaUsefulPot.’ButEeyorewasn’t listening.Hewastakingtheballoonout,andputtingit

backagain,ashappyascouldbe.…

‘Anddidn’tIgivehimanything?’askedChristopherRobinsadly.‘Ofcourseyoudid,’Isaid.‘Yougavehim–don’tyouremember–alittle–

alittle—’‘Igavehimaboxofpaintstopaintthingswith.’‘Thatwasit.’‘Whydidn’tIgiveittohiminthemorning?’‘Youweresobusygettinghispartyreadyforhim.Hehadacakewithicing

onthetop,andthreecandles,andhisnameinpinksugar,and—’‘Yes,Iremember,’saidChristopherRobin.

CHAPTERSEVENinwhichKangaandBabyRoocometotheForest,andPiglethasabath

Nobody seemed to know where they came from, but there they were in theForest:KangaandBabyRoo.WhenPoohaskedChristopherRobin, ‘Howdidtheycomehere?’ChristopherRobinsaid,‘IntheUsualWay,ifyouknowwhatImean,Pooh,’andPooh,whodidn’t,said‘Oh!’Thenhenoddedhisheadtwiceandsaid,‘IntheUsualWay.Ah!’ThenhewenttocalluponhisfriendPiglettoseewhathethoughtaboutit.AndatPiglet’shousehefoundRabbit.Sotheyalltalkedaboutittogether.

‘WhatIdon’tlikeaboutitisthis,’saidRabbit.‘Herearewe–you,Pooh,andyou,Piglet,andMe–andsuddenly—’

‘AndEeyore,’saidPooh.

‘AndEeyore–andthensuddenly—’‘AndOwl,’saidPooh.‘AndOwl–andthenallofasudden—’‘Oh,andEeyore,’saidPooh.‘Iwasforgettinghim.’‘Here–we–are,’saidRabbitveryslowlyandcarefully,‘all–of–us,and

then, suddenly, we wake up one morning, and what do we find? We find aStrangeAnimalamongus.Ananimalofwhomwehadneverevenheardbefore!An animal who carries her family about with her in her pocket! Suppose Icarriedmy family about with me inmy pocket, how many pockets should Iwant?’

‘Sixteen,’saidPiglet.‘Seventeen,isn’tit?’saidRabbit.‘Andonemoreforahandkerchief–that’s

eighteen.Eighteenpocketsinonesuit!Ihaven’ttime.’Therewasa longandthoughtfulsilence…andthenPooh,whohadbeen

frowningveryhardforsomeminutes,said:‘Imakeitfifteen.’

‘What?’saidRabbit.‘Fifteen.’‘Fifteenwhat?’‘Yourfamily.’‘Whataboutthem?’Pooh rubbed his nose and said that he thought Rabbit had been talking

abouthisfamily.‘DidI?’saidRabbitcarelessly.‘Yes,yousaid—’‘NevermindPooh,’saidPigletimpatiently.‘Thequestionis,Whatarewe

todoaboutKanga?’‘Oh,Isee,’saidPooh.‘Thebestway,’saidRabbit,‘wouldbethis.Thebestwaywouldbetosteal

BabyRooandhidehim,andthenwhenKangasays,“Where’sBabyRoo?”wesay,“Aha!”’

‘Aha!’ said Pooh, practising. ‘Aha! Aha!…Of course,’ hewent on, ‘wecouldsay“Aha!”evenifwehadn’tstolenBabyRoo.’

‘Pooh,’saidRabbitkindly,‘youhaven’tanybrain.’‘Iknow,’saidPoohhumbly.‘We say “Aha!” so thatKanga knows thatwe knowwhereBabyRoo is.

“Aha!”means “We’ll tell youwhereBabyRoo is, if youpromise to go awayfromtheForestandnevercomeback.”Nowdon’ttalkwhileIthink.’

Pooh went into a corner and tried saying ‘Aha!’ in that sort of voice.SometimesitseemedtohimthatitdidmeanwhatRabbitsaid,andsometimesitseemedtohimthatitdidn’t.‘Isupposeit’sjustpractice,’hethought.‘IwonderifKangawillhavetopractisetoosoastounderstandit.’

‘There’s just one thing,’ said Piglet, fidgeting a bit. ‘I was talking toChristopherRobin,andhesaidthataKangawasGenerallyRegardedasOneoftheFiercerAnimals.IamnotfrightenedofFierceAnimalsintheordinaryway,butitiswellknownthatifOneoftheFiercerAnimalsisDeprivedofItsYoung,it becomes as fierce as Two of the FiercerAnimals. Inwhich case “Aha!” isperhapsafoolishthingtosay.’

‘Piglet,’ said Rabbit, taking out a pencil, and licking the end of it, ‘youhaven’tanypluck.’

‘It ishard tobebrave,’ saidPiglet, sniffing slightly, ‘whenyou’reonlyaVerySmallAnimal.’

Rabbit, who had begun to write very busily, looked up and said: ‘It isbecause you are a very small animal that youwill beUseful in the adventurebeforeus.’

Piglet was so excited at the idea of being Useful that he forgot to befrightened anymore, andwhenRabbitwent on to say thatKangaswere onlyFierce during the winter months, being at other times of an AffectionateDisposition, he could hardly sit still, hewas so eager to begin beinguseful atonce.

‘Whataboutme?’saidPoohsadly.‘IsupposeIshan’tbeuseful?’‘Nevermind,Pooh,’saidPigletcomfortingly.‘Anothertimeperhaps.’‘Without Pooh,’ said Rabbit solemnly as he sharpened his pencil, ‘the

adventurewouldbeimpossible.’‘Oh!’saidPiglet,andtriednottolookdisappointed.ButPoohwentintoa

corner of the room and said proudly to himself, ImpossiblewithoutMe!ThatsortofBear.

‘Nowlistenallofyou,’saidRabbitwhenhehadfinishedwriting,andPoohand Piglet sat listening very eagerly with their mouths open. This was whatRabbitreadout:

PLANTOCAPTUREBABYROO

1.GeneralRemarks.KangarunsfasterthananyofUs,evenMe.

2.More General Remarks. Kanga never takes her eyes off Baby Roo,exceptwhenhe’ssafelybuttonedupinherpocket.

3.Therefore. If we are to capture Baby Roo, wemust get a Long Start,

becauseKangarunsfasterthananyofUs,evenMe.(See1.)

4.A Thought. If Roo had jumped out of Kanga’s pocket and Piglet hadjumped in,Kangawouldn’tknow thedifference,becausePiglet isaVerySmallAnimal.

5.LikeRoo.

6.ButKangawouldhavetobelookingtheotherwayfirst,soasnottoseePigletjumpingin.

7.See2.

8. Another Thought. But if Pooh was talking to her very excitedly, shemightlooktheotherwayforamoment.

9.AndthenIcouldrunawaywithRoo.

10.Quickly.

11.AndKangawouldn’tdiscoverthedifferenceuntilAfterwards.

Well, Rabbit read this out proudly, and for a little while after he had read itnobodysaidanything.AndthenPiglet,whohadbeenopeningandshuttinghismouth without making any noise, managed to say very huskily: ‘And –Afterwards?’

‘Howdoyoumean?’‘WhenKangadoesDiscovertheDifference?’‘Thenweallsay“Aha!”’‘Allthreeofus?’‘Yes.’‘Oh!’‘Why,what’sthetrouble,Piglet?’‘Nothing,’saidPiglet,‘aslongasweallthreesayit.Aslongasweallthree

sayit,’saidPiglet,‘Idon’tmind,’hesaid,‘butIshouldn’tcaretosay“Aha!”bymyself. Itwouldn’tsoundnearly sowell.By theway,’hesaid, ‘youarequitesureaboutwhatyousaidaboutthewintermonths?’

‘Thewintermonths?’‘Yes,onlybeingFierceintheWinterMonths.’‘Oh,yes,yes,that’sallright.Well,Pooh?Youseewhatyouhavetodo?’‘No,’saidPoohBear.‘Notyet,’hesaid.‘WhatdoIdo?’‘Well, you just have to talk very hard toKanga so as she doesn’t notice

anything.’‘Oh!Whatabout?’‘Anythingyoulike.’‘Youmeanliketellingheralittlebitofpoetryorsomething?’‘That’sit,’saidRabbit.‘Splendid.Nowcomealong.’SotheyallwentouttolookforKanga.Kanga and Roo were spending a quiet afternoon in a sandy part of the

Forest.BabyRoowaspractisingverysmalljumpsinthesand,andfallingdownmouse-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 thatmomentwhoshouldcomestumpingupthehillbutPooh.

‘Goodafternoon,Kanga.’‘Goodafternoon,Pooh.’‘Lookatmejumping,’squeakedRoo,andfellintoanothermouse-hole.‘Hallo,Roo,mylittlefellow!’‘Wewere just going home,’ saidKanga. ‘Good afternoon, Rabbit. Good

afternoon,Piglet.’Rabbit andPiglet,whohadnowcomeup from the other side of the hill,

said ‘Good afternoon,’ and ‘Hallo, Roo,’ andRoo asked them to look at himjumping,sotheystayedandlooked.

AndKangalookedtoo.…‘Oh, Kanga,’ said Pooh, after Rabbit had winked at him twice, ‘I don’t

knowifyouareinterestedinPoetryatall?’‘Hardlyatall,’saidKanga.‘Oh!’saidPooh.‘Roo,dear,justonemorejumpandthenwemustgohome.’TherewasashortsilencewhileRoofelldownanothermouse-hole.‘Goon,’saidRabbitinaloudwhisperbehindhispaw.‘TalkingofPoetry,’ saidPooh, ‘Imadeup a littlepiece as Iwas coming

along.Itwentlikethis.Er–nowletmesee—’‘Fancy!’saidKanga.‘NowRoo,dear—’‘You’lllikethispieceofpoetry,’saidRabbit.‘You’llloveit,’saidPiglet.‘Youmustlistenverycarefully,’saidRabbit.‘Soasnottomissanyofit,’saidPiglet.‘Oh,yes,’saidKanga,butshestilllookedatBabyRoo.‘Howdiditgo,Pooh?’saidRabbit.Poohgavealittlecoughandbegan.

LINESWRITTENBYABEAROFVERYLITTLEBRAIN

OnMonday,whenthesunishotIwondertomyselfalot:‘Nowisittrue,orisitnot,

‘Thatwhatiswhichandwhichiswhat?’

OnTuesday,whenithailsandsnows,Thefeelingonmegrowsandgrows

ThathardlyanybodyknowsIfthosearetheseorthesearethose.

OnWednesday,whentheskyisblue,AndIhavenothingelsetodo,Isometimeswonderifit’strue

Thatwhoiswhatandwhatiswho.

OnThursday,whenitstartstofreezeAndhoar-frosttwinklesonthetrees,

HowveryreadilyoneseesThatthesearewhose–butwhosearethese?

OnFriday—

‘Yes, it is, isn’t it?’saidKanga,notwaiting tohearwhathappenedonFriday.‘Justonemorejump,Roo,dear,andthenwereallymustbegoing.’

RabbitgavePoohahurrying-upsortofnudge.‘Talking of Poetry,’ said Pooh quickly, ‘have you ever noticed that tree

rightoverthere?’

‘Where?’saidKanga.‘Now,Roo—’‘Rightoverthere,’saidPooh,pointingbehindKanga’sback.‘No,’saidKanga.‘Nowjumpin,Roo,dear,andwe’llgohome.’‘Youought to look at that tree right over there,’ saidRabbit. ‘Shall I lift

youin,Roo?’AndhepickedupRooinhispaws.‘Icanseeabirdinitfromhere,’saidPooh.‘Orisitafish?’‘Yououghttoseethatbirdfromhere,’saidRabbit.‘Unlessit’safish.’‘Itisn’tafish,it’sabird,’saidPiglet.‘Soitis,’saidRabbit.‘Isitastarlingorablackbird?’saidPooh.‘That’sthewholequestion,’saidRabbit.‘Isitablackbirdorastarling?’AndthenatlastKangadidturnherheadtolook.Andthemomentthather

headwas turned,Rabbit said ina loudvoice ‘Inyougo,Roo!’and in jumpedPigletintoKanga’spocket,andoffscamperedRabbit,withRooinhispaws,asfastashecould.

‘Why,where’sRabbit?’saidKanga,turningroundagain.‘Areyouallright,Roo,dear?’

PigletmadeasqueakyRoo-noisefromthebottomofKanga’spocket.‘Rabbithadtogoaway,’saidPooh.‘Ithinkhethoughtofsomethinghehad

togoandseeaboutsuddenly.’‘AndPiglet?’‘IthinkPigletthoughtofsomethingatthesametime.Suddenly.’‘Well,wemust be gettinghome,’ saidKanga. ‘Good-bye,Pooh.’And in

threelargejumpsshewasgone.Poohlookedafterherasshewent.‘I wish I could jump like that,’ he thought. ‘Some can and some can’t.

That’showitis.’But thereweremomentswhen Pigletwished thatKanga couldn’t.Often,

whenhehadhada longwalkhome through theForest,hehadwished thathe

were a bird; but now he thought jerkily to himself at the bottom of Kanga’s

pocket,‘IfthisisflyingIshallneverreallytaketoit’

Andashewentupintheairhesaid,‘Ooooooo!’andashecamedownhesaid ‘Ow!’And hewas saying, ‘Ooooooo-ow,Ooooooo-ow,Ooooooo-ow’ allthewaytoKanga’shouse.

Of course as soon as Kanga unbuttoned her pocket, she saw what hadhappened.Justforamoment,shethoughtshewasfrightened,andthensheknewshewasn’t; for she felt sure thatChristopherRobinwouldnever let anyharmhappentoRoo.Soshesaidtoherself,‘Iftheyarehavingajokewithme,Iwillhaveajokewiththem.’

‘Nowthen,Roo,dear,’shesaid,asshetookPigletoutofherpocket,‘Bed-time.’

‘Aha!’ saidPiglet,aswellashecouldafterhisTerrifyingJourney.But itwasn’taverygood‘Aha!’andKangadidn’tseemtounderstandwhatitmeant.

‘Bathfirst,’saidKangainacheerfulvoice.

‘Aha!’ said Piglet again, looking round anxiously for the others. But theothersweren’tthere.RabbitwasplayingwithBabyRooinhisownhouse,andfeeling more fond of him every minute, and Pooh, who had decided to be aKanga,wasstillatthesandyplaceonthetopoftheForest,practisingjumps.

‘Iamnotatallsure,’saidKangainathoughtfulvoice,‘thatitwouldn’tbeagoodideatohaveacoldbaththisevening.Wouldyoulikethat,Roo,dear?’

Piglet,whohadneverbeenreallyfondofbaths,shudderedalongindignantshudder,andsaidinasbraveavoiceashecould:‘Kanga,Iseethatthetimehascometospleakpainly.’

‘FunnylittleRoo,’saidKanga,asshegotthebath-waterready.‘IamnotRoo,’saidPigletloudly.‘IamPiglet!’‘Yes,dear,yes,’saidKangasoothingly.‘AndimitatingPiglet’svoicetoo!

Socleverofhim,’shewenton,asshetookalargebarofyellowsoapoutofthecupboard.‘Whatwillhebedoingnext?’

‘Can’tyousee?’shoutedPiglet.‘Haven’tyougoteyes?Lookatme!’‘Iamlooking,Roo,dear,’saidKangaratherseverely.‘Andyouknowwhat

Itoldyouyesterdayaboutmakingfaces.IfyougoonmakingfaceslikePiglet’s,youwillgrowuptolooklikePiglet–andthenthinkhowsorryyouwillbe.Nowthen,intothebath,anddon’tletmehavetospeaktoyouaboutitagain.’

Before he knew where he was, Piglet was in the bath, and Kanga wasscrubbinghimfirmlywithalargelatheryflannel.

‘Ow!’criedPiglet.‘Letmeout!I’mPiglet!’‘Don’t open the mouth, dear, or the soap goes in,’ said Kanga. ‘There!

WhatdidItellyou?’‘You–you–youdiditonpurpose,’splutteredPiglet,assoonashecould

speakagain…andthenaccidentallyhadanothermouthfuloflatheryflannel.‘That’sright,dear,don’tsayanything,’saidKanga,andinanotherminute

Pigletwasoutofthebath,andbeingrubbeddrywithatowel.‘Now,’saidKanga,‘there’syourmedicine,andthenbed.’‘W-w-whatmedicine?’saidPiglet.‘Tomakeyougrowbigandstrong,dear.Youdon’twanttogrowupsmall

andweaklikePiglet,doyou?Well,then!’Atthatmomenttherewasaknockatthedoor.‘Comein,’saidKanga,andincameChristopherRobin.

‘Christopher Robin, Christopher Robin!’ cried Piglet. ‘Tell Kanga who Iam!ShekeepssayingI’mRoo.I’mnotRoo,amI?’

ChristopherRobinlookedathimverycarefully,andshookhishead.‘Youcan’tbeRoo,’hesaid,‘becauseI’vejustseenRooplayinginRabbit’s

house.’‘Well!’saidKanga.‘Fancythat!Fancymymakingamistakelikethat.’‘Thereyouare!’saidPiglet.‘Itoldyouso.I’mPiglet.’ChristopherRobinshookhisheadagain.‘Oh, you’re not Piglet,’ he said. ‘I know Piglet well, and he’s quite a

differentcolour.’Pigletbegantosaythatthiswasbecausehehadjusthadabath,andthenhe

thought that perhapshewouldn’t say that, and as heopenedhismouth to saysomethingelse,Kangaslippedthemedicinespoonin,andthenpattedhimonthebackandtoldhimthatitwasreallyquiteanicetastewhenyougotusedtoit.

‘Iknewitwasn’tPiglet,’saidKanga.‘Iwonderwhoitcanbe.’‘Perhapsit’ssomerelationofPooh’s,’saidChristopherRobin.‘Whatabout

anepheworanuncleorsomething?’Kangaagreedthatthiswasprobablywhatitwas,andsaidthattheywould

havetocallitbysomename.‘IshallcallitPootel,’saidChristopherRobin.‘HenryPootelforshort.’Andjustwhenitwasdecided,HenryPootelwriggledoutofKanga’sarms

andjumpedtotheground.TohisgreatjoyChristopherRobinhadleftthedooropen.NeverhadHenryPootelPiglet run so fast ashe ran then, andhedidn’tstop running until he had got quite close to his house. But when he was ahundredyardsawayhestoppedrunning,androlledtherestofthewayhome,soastogethisownnicecomfortablecolouragain.…

SoKangaandRoostayedintheForest.AndeveryTuesdayRoospentthedaywithhisgreat friendRabbit,andeveryTuesdayKangaspent thedaywithhergreatfriendPooh,teachinghimtojump,andeveryTuesdayPigletspentthedaywithhisgreatfriendChristopherRobin.Sotheywereallhappyagain.

CHAPTEREIGHTinwhichChristopherRobinleadsanexpotitiontotheNorthPole

OnefinedayPoohhadstumpedup to the topof theForest tosee ifhis friendChristopherRobinwas interested inBears at all.At breakfast thatmorning (asimple meal of marmalade spread lightly over a honeycomb or two) he hadsuddenly thoughtof anew song. It began like this: ‘SingHo! for the lifeof aBear.’

Whenhehadgotas far as this,he scratchedhishead,and thought tohimself,That’s a very good start for a song, butwhat about the second line?He triedsinging‘Ho,’twoorthreetimes,butitdidn’tseemtohelp.‘Perhapsitwouldbebetter,’he thought, ‘if IsangHifor the lifeofaBear.’Sohesang it…but itwasn’t.‘Verywellthen,’hesaid,‘Ishallsingthatfirstlinetwice,andperhapsifIsingitveryquickly,IshallfindmyselfsingingthethirdandfourthlinesbeforeIhavetimetothinkofthem,andthatwillbeaGoodSong.Nowthen:’

SingHo!forthelifeofaBear!SingHo!forthelifeofaBear!

Idon’tmuchmindifitrainsorsnows,‘CosI’vegotalotofhoneyonmynicenewnose!Idon’tmuchcareifitsnowsorthaws,

‘CosI’vegotalotofhoneyonmynicecleanpaws!SingHo!foraBear!SingHo!foraPooh!

AndI’llhavealittlesomethinginanhourortwo!

Hewas sopleasedwith this song that he sang it all theway to the topof theForest,‘andifIgoonsingingitmuchlonger,’hethought,‘itwillbetimeforthelittlesomething,andthenthelastlinewon’tbetrue.’Soheturneditintoahuminstead.

ChristopherRobinwassittingoutsidehisdoor,puttingonhisBigBoots.Assoon as he saw the Big Boots, Pooh knew that an Adventure was going tohappen, and he brushed the honey off his nosewith the back of his paw, andsprucedhimselfupaswellashecould,soastolookReadyforAnything.

‘Goodmorning,ChristopherRobin,’hecalledout.‘Hallo,PoohBear.Ican’tgetthisbooton.’‘That’sbad,’saidPooh.‘Doyouthinkyoucouldverykindlyleanagainstme,‘cosIkeeppullingso

hardthatIfalloverbackwards.’Pooh sat down, dug his feet into the ground, and pushed hard against

ChristopherRobin’sback,andChristopherRobinpushedhardagainsthis,andpulledandpulledathisbootuntilhehadgotiton.

‘Andthat’sthat,’saidPooh.‘Whatdowedonext?’‘WeareallgoingonanExpedition,’saidChristopherRobin,ashegotup

andbrushedhimself.‘Thankyou,Pooh.’‘GoingonanExpotition?’saidPooheagerly.‘Idon’tthinkI’veeverbeen

ononeofthose.WherearewegoingtoonthisExpotition?’‘Expedition,sillyoldBear.It’sgotan“x”init.’‘Oh!’saidPooh.‘Iknow.’Buthedidn’treally.‘We’regoingtodiscovertheNorthPole.’‘Oh!’saidPoohagain.‘WhatistheNorthPole?’heasked.‘It’sjustathingyoudiscover,’saidChristopherRobincarelessly,notbeing

quitesurehimself.‘Oh!Isee,’saidPooh.‘Arebearsanygoodatdiscoveringit?’‘Of course they are. And Rabbit and Kanga and all of you. It’s an

Expedition.That’swhatanExpeditionmeans.Alonglineofeverybody.You’d

bettertelltheotherstogetready,whileIseeifmygun’sallright.AndwemustallbringProvisions.’

‘Bringwhat?’‘Thingstoeat.’‘Oh!’ said Pooh happily. ‘I thought you said Provisions. I’ll go and tell

them.’Andhestumpedoff.ThefirstpersonhemetwasRabbit.‘Hallo,Rabbit,’hesaid,‘isthatyou?’‘Let’spretenditisn’t,’saidRabbit,‘andseewhathappens.’

‘I’vegotamessageforyou.’‘I’llgiveittohim.’‘We’reallgoingonanExpotitionwithChristopherRobin!’‘Whatisitwhenwe’reonit?’‘Asortofboat,Ithink,’saidPooh.‘Oh!thatsort.’‘Yes.Andwe’regoingtodiscoveraPoleorsomething.OrwasitaMole?

Anyhowwe’regoingtodiscoverit.’‘Weare,arewe?’saidRabbit.‘Yes.Andwe’vegottobringPro-thingstoeatwithus.Incasewewantto

eatthem.NowI’mgoingdowntoPiglet’s.TellKanga,willyou?’HeleftRabbitandhurrieddowntoPiglet’shouse.ThePigletwassittingon

the ground at the door of his house blowing happily at a dandelion, andwonderingwhetheritwouldbethisyear,nextyear,sometime,ornever.Hehadjustdiscoveredthatitwouldbenever,andwastryingtorememberwhat‘it’was,andhopingitwasn’tanythingnice,whenPoohcameup.

‘Oh!Piglet,’saidPoohexcitedly,‘we’regoingonanExpotition,allofus,withthingstoeat.Todiscoversomething.’

‘Todiscoverwhat?’saidPigletanxiously.‘Oh!justsomething.’‘Nothingfierce?’‘ChristopherRobindidn’tsayanythingaboutfierce.Hejustsaidithadan

“x”.’‘It isn’t their necks Imind,’ said Piglet earnestly. ‘It’s their teeth. But if

ChristopherRobiniscomingIdon’tmindanything.’In a little while they were all ready at the top of the Forest, and the

Expotition started. First came Christopher Robin and Rabbit, then Piglet andPooh; thenKanga,withRoo in her pocket, andOwl; thenEeyore; and, at theend,inalongline,allRabbit’sfriends-and-relations.

‘I didn’t ask them,’ explained Rabbit carelessly. ‘They just came. Theyalwaysdo.Theycanmarchattheend,afterEeyore.’

‘WhatIsay,’saidEeyore,‘isthatit’sunsettling.Ididn’twanttocomeonthisExpo–whatPoohsaid.Ionlycametooblige.ButhereIam;andifIamtheend of theExpo –whatwe’re talking about – then letmebe the end.But if,everytimeIwanttositdownforalittlerest,IhavetobrushawayhalfadozenofRabbit’ssmallerfriends-and-relationsfirst,thenthisisn’tanExpo–whateveritis–atall,it’ssimplyaConfusedNoise.That’swhatIsay.’

‘I see what Eeyoremeans,’ said Owl. ‘If you askme— ‘I’m not askinganybody,’ saidEeyore. ‘I’m just tellingeverybody.Wecan look for theNorthPole,orwecanplay“HerewegogatheringNutsandMay”withtheendpartofanants’nest.It’sallthesametome.’

Therewasashoutfromthetopoftheline.

‘Comeon!’calledChristopherRobin.‘Comeon!’calledPoohandPiglet.‘Comeon!’calledOwl.‘We’restarting,’saidRabbit.‘Imustgo.’Andhehurriedofftothefrontof

theExpotitionwithChristopherRobin.‘Allright,’saidEeyore.‘We’regoing.OnlyDon’tBlameMe.’So off they all went to discover the Pole. And as they walked, they

chatteredtoeachotherof thisandthat,allexceptPooh,whowasmakingupasong.

‘Thisisthefirstverse,’hesaidtoPiglet,whenhewasreadywithit.‘Firstverseofwhat?’‘Mysong.’‘Whatsong?’‘Thisone.’‘Whichone?’‘Well,ifyoulisten,Piglet,you’llhearit.’‘HowdoyouknowI’mnotlistening?’Poohcouldn’tanswerthatone,sohebegantosing.

TheyallwentofftodiscoverthePole,OwlandPigletandRabbitandall;

It’saThingyouDiscover,asI’vebeentoleByOwlandPigletandRabbitandall.Eeyore,ChristopherRobinandPoohAndRabbit’srelationsallwenttoo—

AndwherethePolewasnoneofthemknew.…SingHey!forOwlandRabbitandall!

‘Hush!’saidChristopherRobin,turningroundtoPooh,‘we’rejustcomingtoaDangerousPlace.’

‘Hush!’saidPooh,turningroundquicklytoPiglet.‘Hush!’saidPiglettoKanga.‘Hush!’saidKangatoOwl,whileRoosaid‘Hush!’severaltimestohimself

veryquietly.‘Hush!’saidOwltoEeyore.‘Hush!’saidEeyoreinaterriblevoicetoallRabbit’sfriends-and-relations,

and‘Hush!’ theysaidhastilytoeachotheralldowntheline,until itgot tothelastoneofall.Andthelastandsmallestfriend-and-relationwassoupsettofindthatthewholeExpotitionwassaying‘Hush!’tohim,thatheburiedhimselfheaddownwards in a crack in the ground, and stayed there for two days until thedangerwasover,andthenwenthomeinagreathurry,andlivedquietlywithhisAuntever-afterwards.HisnamewasAlexanderBeetle.

Theyhadcometoastreamwhichtwistedandtumbledbetweenhighrockybanks,andChristopherRobinsawatoncehowdangerousitwas.

‘It’sjusttheplace,’heexplained,‘foranAmbush.’‘Whatsortofbush?’whisperedPoohtoPiglet.‘Agorse-bush?’‘MydearPooh,’ saidOwl in his superiorway, ‘don’t youknowwhat an

Ambushis?’‘Owl,’ saidPiglet, looking round at him severely, ‘Pooh’swhisperwas a

perfectlyprivatewhisper,andtherewasnoneed—’‘AnAmbush,’saidOwl,‘isasortofSurprise.’‘Soisagorse-bushsometimes,’saidPooh.‘AnAmbush,as Iwasabout toexplain toPooh,’saidPiglet, ‘isasortof

Surprise.’‘Ifpeoplejumpoutatyousuddenly,that’sanAmbush,’saidOwl.‘It’s an Ambush, Pooh, when people jump at you suddenly,’ explained

Piglet.Pooh, who now knew what an Ambush was, said that a gorse-bush had

sprung at him suddenly onedaywhenhe fell off a tree, andhe had taken sixdaystogetallthepricklesoutofhimself.

‘Wearenottalkingaboutgorse-bushes,’saidOwlalittlecrossly.‘Iam,’saidPooh.Theywereclimbingverycautiouslyupthestreamnow,goingfromrockto

rock,andaftertheyhadgonealittlewaytheycametoaplacewherethebankswidenedoutateachside,sothatoneachsideofthewatertherewasalevelstripof grass on which they could sit down and rest. As soon as he saw this,ChristopherRobincalled‘Halt!’andtheyallsatdownandrested.

‘I think,’ saidChristopherRobin, ‘thatweought to eat all ourProvisionsnow,sothatweshan’thavesomuchtocarry.’

‘Eatallourwhat?’saidPooh.‘Allthatwe’vebrought,’saidPiglet,gettingtowork.‘That’sagoodidea,’saidPooh,andhegottoworktoo.‘Haveyouallgotsomething?’askedChristopherRobinwithhismouthfull.‘Allexceptme,’saidEeyore. ‘AsUsual.’He lookedroundat theminhis

melancholyway.‘Isupposenoneofyouaresittingonathistlebyanychance?’‘IbelieveIam,’saidPooh.‘Ow!’Hegotup,andlookedbehindhim.‘Yes,

Iwas.Ithoughtso.’‘Thank you, Pooh. If you’ve quite finishedwith it.’ Hemoved across to

Pooh’splace,andbegantoeat.

‘Itdoesn’tdothemanyGood,youknow,sittingonthem,’hewenton,ashelookedupmunching.‘TakesalltheLifeoutofthem.Rememberthatanothertime,allofyou.AlittleConsideration,alittleThoughtforOthers,makesallthedifference.’

As soon as he had finished his lunch Christopher Robin whispered toRabbit,andRabbitsaid‘Yes,yes,ofcourse,’andtheywalkedalittlewayupthestreamtogether.

‘Ididn’twanttheotherstohear,’saidChristopherRobin.‘Quiteso,’saidRabbit,lookingimportant.‘It’s – Iwondered– It’s only –Rabbit, I supposeyou don’t know.What

doestheNorthPolelooklike?’‘Well,’saidRabbit,strokinghiswhiskers,‘nowyou’reaskingme.’‘I did know once, only I’ve sort of forgotten,’ said Christopher Robin

carelessly.‘It’sfunnything,’saidRabbit,‘butI’vesortofforgottentoo,althoughIdid

knowonce.’‘Isupposeit’sjustapolestuckintheground?’‘Sure tobeapole,’saidRabbit, ‘becauseofcalling itapole,and if it’sa

pole, well, I should think it would be sticking in the ground, shouldn’t you,becausethere’dbenowhereelsetostickit.’

‘Yes,that’swhatIthought.’‘Theonlything,’saidRabbit,‘is,whereisitsticking?’‘That’swhatwe’relookingfor,’saidChristopherRobin.They went back to the others. Piglet was lying on his back, sleeping

peacefully. Roo was washing his face and paws in the stream, while Kanga

explainedtoeverybodyproudlythatthiswasthefirsttimehehadeverwashedhisfacehimself,andOwlwastellingKangaanInterestingAnecdotefulloflongwordslikeEncyclopediaandRhododendrontowhichKangawasn’tlistening.

‘I don’t hold with all this washing,’ grumbled Eeyore. ‘This modernBehind-the-earsnonsense.Whatdoyouthink,Pooh?’

‘Well,’saidPooh,‘Ithink—ButweshallneverknowwhatPoohthought,fortherecameasuddensqueakfromRoo,asplash,andaloudcryofalarmfromKanga.

‘Somuchforwashing,’saidEeyore.‘Roo’sfallenin!’criedRabbit,andheandChristopherRobincamerushing

downtotherescue.‘Lookatme swimming!’ squeakedRoo from themiddleofhispool, and

washurrieddownawaterfallintothenextpool.

‘Areyouallright,Roo,dear?’calledKangaanxiously.‘Yes!’ said Roo. ‘Look at me sw-’ and down he went over the next

waterfallintoanotherpool.Everybodywasdoingsomethingtohelp.Piglet,wideawakesuddenly,was

jumpingupanddownandmaking‘Oo,Isay’noises;OwlwasexplainingthatinacaseofSuddenandTemporaryImmersiontheImportantThingwastokeeptheHeadAboveWater;Kangawas jumpingalong thebank,saying‘Areyousureyou’reallright,Roodear?’towhichRoo,fromwhateverpoolhewasinatthemoment,wasanswering‘Lookatmeswimming!’Eeyorehadturnedroundand

hung his tail over the first pool intowhichRoo fell, andwith his back to theaccidentwas grumbling quietly to himself, and saying, ‘All thiswashing; butcatchon tomy tail, littleRoo, andyou’ll be all right’; andChristopherRobinandRabbitcamehurryingpastEeyore,andwerecallingouttotheothersinfrontofthem.

‘Allright,Roo,I’mcoming,’calledChristopherRobin.‘Getsomethingacrossthestreamlowerdown,someofyoufellows,’called

Rabbit.But Poohwas getting something. Two pools belowRoo hewas standing

witha longpole inhispaws, andKangacameupand tookoneendof it, andbetween them they held it across the lower part of the pool; and Roo, stillbubbling proudly, ‘Look atme swimming,’ drifted up against it, and climbedout.

‘Did you see me swimming?’ squeaked Roo excitedly, while Kangascoldedhimand rubbedhimdown. ‘Pooh, did you seeme swimming?That’scalled swimming, what I was doing. Rabbit, did you see what I was doing?Swimming. Hallo, Piglet! I say, Piglet! What do you think I was doing!Swimming!ChristopherRobin,didyouseeme—’

ButChristopherRobinwasn’tlistening.HewaslookingatPooh.‘Pooh,’hesaid,‘wheredidyoufindthatpole?’Poohlookedatthepoleinhishands.‘Ijustfoundit,’hesaid.‘Ithoughtitoughttobeuseful.Ijustpickeditup.’‘Pooh,’saidChristopherRobinsolemnly,‘theExpeditionisover.Youhave

foundtheNorthPole!’‘Oh!’saidPooh.Eeyorewassittingwithhistailinthewaterwhentheyallgotbacktohim.

‘TellRootobequick,somebody,’hesaid.‘Mytail’sgettingcold.Idon’twanttomentionit,butIjustmentionit.Idon’twanttocomplain,butthereitis.Mytail’scold.’

‘HereIam!’squeakedRoo.‘Oh,thereyouare.’‘Didyouseemeswimming?’Eeyoretookhistailoutofthewater,andswisheditfromsidetoside.

‘AsIexpected,’hesaid.‘Lostallfeeling.Numbedit.That’swhatit’sdone.Numbedit.Well,aslongasnobodyminds,Isupposeit’sallright.’

‘PooroldEeyore!I’lldryitforyou,’saidChristopherRobin,andhetookouthishandkerchiefandrubbeditup.

‘Thank you, Christopher Robin. You’re the only one who seems tounderstandabouttails.Theydon’tthink–that’swhat’sthematterwithsomeoftheseothers.They’venoimagination.Atailisn’tatailtothem,it’sjustaLittle

BitExtraattheback.’‘Nevermind,Eeyore,’saidChristopherRobin,rubbinghishardest.‘Isthat

better?’‘It’sfeelingmorelikeatailperhaps.ItBelongsagain,ifyouknowwhatI

mean.’‘Hullo,Eeyore,’saidPooh,cominguptothemwithhispole.‘Hullo,Pooh.Thankyouforasking,butIshallbeabletouseitagainina

dayortwo.’‘Usewhat?’saidPooh.‘Whatwearetalkingabout.’‘Iwasn’ttalkingaboutanything,’saidPooh,lookingpuzzled.‘Mymistakeagain. I thoughtyouwere sayinghowsorryyouwereabout

mytail,beingallnumb,andcouldyoudoanythingtohelp?’‘No,’saidPooh.‘Thatwasn’tme,’hesaid.Hethoughtforalittleandthen

suggestedhelpfully:‘Perhapsitwassomebodyelse.’‘Well,thankhimformewhenyouseehim.’PoohlookedanxiouslyatChristopherRobin.‘Pooh’sfoundtheNorthPole,’saidChristopherRobin.‘Isn’tthatlovely?’Poohlookedmodestlydown.‘Isthatit?’saidEeyore.‘Yes,’saidChristopherRobin.‘Isthatwhatwewerelookingfor?’‘Yes,’saidPooh.‘Oh!’saidEeyore.‘Well,anyhow–itdidn’train,’hesaid.Theystuckthepoleintheground,andChristopherRobintiedamessageon

toit:NORTHPOLEDISCOVEREDBy

POOHPOOHFOUNDIT

Then theyallwenthomeagain.AndI think,but Iamnotquitesure, thatRoohadahotbathandwentstraighttobed.ButPoohwentbacktohisownhouse,and feeling very proud ofwhat he had done, had a little something to revivehimself.

CHAPTERNINEinwhichPigletisentirelysurroundedbywater

Itrainedanditrainedanditrained.Piglettoldhimselfthatneverinallhislife,andhewasgoodnessknowshowold–three,wasit,orfour?–neverhadheseensomuchrain.Daysanddaysanddays.

‘Ifonly,’hethought,ashelookedoutofthewindow,‘IhadbeeninPooh’shouse,orChristopherRobin’shouse,orRabbit’shousewhen itbegan to rain,then I shouldhavehadCompanyall this time, insteadofbeinghereall alone,withnothingtodoexceptwonderwhenitwillstop.’AndheimaginedhimselfwithPooh,saying,‘Didyoueverseesuchrain,Pooh?’andPoohsaying,‘Isn’titawful,Piglet?’andPigletsaying,‘Iwonderhowit isoverChristopherRobin’sway,’andPoohsaying,‘IshouldthinkpooroldRabbitisaboutfloodedoutbythis time.’Itwouldhavebeenjollyto talklikethis,andreally, itwasn’tmuchgood having anything exciting like floods, if you couldn’t share them withsomebody.

Foritwasratherexciting.ThelittledryditchesinwhichPiglethadnosedabout so often had become streams, the little streams across which he hadsplashedwererivers,andtheriver,betweenwhosesteepbankstheyhadplayedsohappily,hadsprawledoutof itsownbedandwas takingupsomuch roomeverywhere, that Pigletwas beginning towonderwhether itwould be comingintohisbedsoon.

‘It’s a little Anxious,’ he said to himself, ‘to be a Very Small AnimalEntirely Surrounded byWater. Christopher Robin and Pooh could escape byClimbingTrees,andKangacouldescapebyJumping,andRabbitcouldescapebyBurrowing,andOwlcouldescapebyFlying,andEeyorecouldescapeby–byMakingaLoudNoiseUntilRescued,andhereamI,surroundedbywaterandIcan’tdoanything.’

Itwentonraining,andeverydaythewatergotalittlehigher,untilnowitwasnearlyuptoPiglet’swindow…andstillhehadn’tdoneanything.

‘There’s Pooh,’ he thought to himself. ‘Pooh hasn’t much Brain, but henevercomestoanyharm.Hedoessilly thingsandtheyturnoutright.There’s

Owl.Owlhasn’texactlygotBrain,butheKnowsThings.HewouldknowtheRightThingtoDowhenSurroundedbyWater.There’sRabbit.Hehasn’tLearntinBooks,buthecanalwaysThinkofaCleverPlan.There’sKanga.She isn’tClever,Kangaisn’t,butshewouldbesoanxiousaboutRoothatshewoulddoaGood Thing to Do without thinking about it. And then there’s Eeyore. AndEeyoreissomiserableanyhowthathewouldn’tmindaboutthis.ButIwonderwhatChristopherRobinwoulddo?’

Then suddenly he remembered a storywhichChristopherRobin had toldhimaboutamanonadesert islandwhohadwrittensomething inabottleandthrownitintothesea;andPigletthoughtthatifhewrotesomethinginabottleandthrewitinthewater,perhapssomebodywouldcomeandrescuehim!

Heleftthewindowandbegantosearchhishouse,allofitthatwasn’tunderwater,andatlasthefoundapencilandasmallpieceofdrypaper,andabottlewithacorktoit.Andhewroteononesideofthepaper:HELP!

PIGLIT(ME)

andontheotherside:

IT’SMEPIGLIT,HELPHELP!

Thenheputthepaperinthebottle,andhecorkedthebottleupastightlyashecould,andheleantoutofhiswindowasfarashecouldleanwithoutfallingin,andhethrewthebottleasfarashecouldthrow–splash!–andinalittlewhileitbobbed up again on thewater; and hewatched it floating slowly away in thedistance,untilhiseyesachedwithlooking,andsometimeshethoughtitwasthebottle,andsometimeshethoughtitwasjustarippleonthewaterwhichhewasfollowing,andthensuddenlyheknewthathewouldneverseeitagainandthathehaddoneallthathecoulddotosavehimself.

‘So now,’ he thought, ‘somebody else will have to do something, and Ihope theywill do it soon,because if theydon’t I shall have to swim,which Ican’t,soIhopetheydoitsoon.’Andthenhegaveaverylongsighandsaid,‘IwishPoohwerehere.It’ssomuchmorefriendlywithtwo.’

WhentherainbeganPoohwasasleep.Itrained,anditrained,anditrained,andhesleptandhesleptandheslept.Hehadhadatiringday.Yourememberhowhe discovered the North Pole; well, he was so proud of this that he askedChristopherRobin if therewereanyotherPolessuchasaBearofLittleBrainmightdiscover.

‘There’s a South Pole,’ said Christopher Robin, ‘and I expect there’s an

EastPoleandaWestPole,thoughpeopledon’tliketalkingaboutthem.’Poohwasveryexcitedwhenheheardthis,andsuggestedthattheyshould

haveanExpotitiontodiscovertheEastPole,butChristopherRobinhadthoughtofsomethingelsetodowithKanga;soPoohwentouttodiscovertheEastPolebyhimself.Whetherhediscovereditornot,Iforget;buthewassotiredwhenhegothomethat,intheverymiddleofhissupper,afterhehadbeeneatingforlittlemore thanhalf-an-hour,he fell fastasleep inhischair,andsleptandsleptandslept.

Thensuddenlyhewasdreaming.HewasattheEastPole,anditwasaverycold pole with the coldest sort of snow and ice all over it. He had found abeehive to sleep in, but there wasn’t room for his legs, so he had left themoutside.AndWildWoozles,suchasinhabittheEastPole,cameandnibbledallthefuroffhis legstomakeNestsfortheirYoung.Andthemoretheynibbled,thecolderhis legsgot,until suddenlyhewokeupwithanOw!–and therehewas,sittinginhischairwithhisfeetinthewater,andwaterallroundhim!

Hesplashedtohisdoorandlookedout.…‘ThisisSerious,’saidPooh.‘ImusthaveanEscape.’Sohetookhislargestpotofhoneyandescapedwithittoabroadbranchof

histree,wellabovethewater,andthenheclimbeddownagainandescapedwithanotherpot…andwhenthewholeEscapewasfinished,therewasPoohsittingonhisbranch,danglinghislegs,andthere,besidehim,weretenpotsofhoney.…

Twodayslater,therewasPooh,sittingonhisbranch,danglinghislegs,andthere,besidehim,werefourpotsofhoney.…

Threedays later, therewasPooh, sittingonhisbranch,danglinghis legs,andtherebesidehim,wasonepotofhoney.

Fourdayslater,therewasPooh.…And it was on the morning of the fourth day that Piglet’s bottle came

floating past him, and with one loud cry of ‘Honey!’ Pooh plunged into thewater,seizedthebottle,andstruggledbacktohistreeagain.

‘Bother!’saidPooh,asheopenedit.‘Allthatwetfornothing.What’sthatbitofpaperdoing?’

Hetookitoutandlookedatit.‘It’saMissage,’hesaidtohimself,‘that’swhatitis.Andthatletterisa‘P’,

and so is that, and so is that, and ‘P’means ‘Pooh’, so it’s a very importantMissage tome, and I can’t read it. I must find Christopher Robin or Owl orPiglet,oneof thoseCleverReaderswhocanread things,and theywill tellmewhatthismissagemeans.OnlyIcan’tswim.Bother!’

Thenhehadanidea,andIthinkthatforaBearofVeryLittleBrain,itwasagoodidea.Hesaidtohimself:‘Ifabottlecanfloat,thenajarcanfloat,andifajarfloats,Icansitonthetopofit,ifit’saverybigjar.’

Sohetookhisbiggestjar,andcorkeditup.‘Allboatshavetohaveaname,’hesaid,‘soIshallcallmineTheFloating

Bear.’Andwiththesewordshedroppedhisboatintothewaterandjumpedinafterit.

ForalittlewhilePoohandTheFloatingBearwere

uncertainastowhichofthemwasmeanttobeonthe

top,butaftertryingoneortwodifferentpositions,

they settled downwith The Floating Bear underneath and Pooh triumphantlyastrideit,paddlingvigorouslywithhisfeet.

Christopher Robin lived at the very top of the Forest. It rained, and itrained,anditrained,butthewatercouldn’tcomeuptohishouse.Itwasratherjollytolookdownintothevalleysandseethewaterallroundhim,butitrainedsohardthathestayedindoorsmostofthetime,andthoughtaboutthings.Everymorninghewent outwith his umbrella andput a stick in the placewhere thewatercameupto,andeverynextmorninghewentoutandcouldn’tseehisstickanymore,soheputanotherstickintheplacewherethewatercameupto,andthenhewalkedhomeagain,andeachmorninghehadashorterwaytowalkthanhehadhadthemorningbefore.Onthemorningofthefifthdayhesawthewaterallroundhim,andknewthatforthefirsttimeinhislifehewasonarealisland.Whichwasveryexciting.

ItwasonthismorningthatOwlcameflyingoverthewatertosay‘Howdoyoudo?’tohisfriendChristopherRobin.

‘Isay,Owl,’saidChristopherRobin,‘isn’tthisfun?I’monanisland!’‘Theatmosphericconditionshavebeenveryunfavourablelately,’saidOwl.‘Thewhat?’‘Ithasbeenraining,’explainedOwl.‘Yes,’saidChristopherRobin.‘Ithas.’‘Theflood-levelhasreachedanunprecedentedheight.’‘Thewho?’‘There’salotofwaterabout,’explainedOwl.‘Yes,’saidChristopherRobin,‘thereis.’‘However, the prospects are rapidly becoming more favourable. At any

moment—’‘HaveyouseenPooh?’‘No.Atanymoment—’‘Ihopehe’sallright,’saidChristopherRobin.‘I’vebeenwonderingabout

him.IexpectPiglet’swithhim.Doyouthinkthey’reallright,Owl?’‘Iexpectso.Yousee,atanymoment—’‘Do go and see,Owl. Because Pooh hasn’t got verymuch brain, and he

mightdosomethingsilly,andIdolovehimso,Owl.Doyousee,Owl?’‘That’sallright,’saidOwl.‘I’llgo.Backdirectly.’Andheflewoff.Inalittlewhilehewasbackagain.‘Poohisn’tthere,’hesaid.‘Notthere?’‘He’sbeenthere.He’sbeensittingonabranchofhistreeoutsidehishouse

withninepotsofhoney.Butheisn’ttherenow.’‘Oh,Pooh!’criedChristopherRobin.‘Whereareyou?’‘HereIam,’saidagrowlyvoicebehindhim.‘Pooh!’Theyrushedintoeachother’sarms.‘How did you get here, Pooh?’ asked Christopher Robin, when he was

readytotalkagain.‘Onmyboat,’saidPoohproudly.‘IhadaVeryImportantMissagesentme

inabottle,andowingtohavinggotsomewaterinmyeyes,Icouldn’treadit,soIbroughtittoyou.Onmyboat.’

WiththeseproudwordshegaveChristopherRobinthemissage.‘Butit’sfromPiglet!’criedChristopherRobinwhenhehadreadit.‘Isn’t there anything about Pooh in it?’ asked Bear, looking over his

shoulder.ChristopherRobinreadthemessagealoud.‘Oh,arethose“P’s”piglets?Ithoughttheywerepooh’s.’‘Wemustrescuehimatonce!Ithoughthewaswithyou,Pooh.Owl,could

yourescuehimonyourback?’‘I don’t think so,’ said Owl, after grave thought. ‘It is doubtful if the

necessarydorsalmuscles—’‘Thenwouldyoufly tohimatonceandsay thatRescue isComing?And

PoohandIwillthinkofaRescueandcomeasquickaseverwecan.Oh,don’ttalk,Owl,goonquick!’And,stillthinkingofsomethingtosay,Owlflewoff.

‘Nowthen,Pooh,’saidChristopherRobin,‘where’syourboat?’‘Iought to say,’explainedPoohas theywalkeddown to the shoreof the

island, ‘that it isn’t just an ordinary sort of boat. Sometimes it’s a Boat, andsometimesit’smoreofanAccident.Italldepends.’

‘Dependsonwhat?’‘OnwhetherI’monthetopofitorunderneathit.’‘Oh!Well,whereisit?’‘There!’saidPooh,pointingproudlytoTheFloatingBear.

Itwasn’twhatChristopherRobinexpected, and themorehe lookedat it,the more he thought what a Brave and Clever Bear Pooh was, and the moreChristopherRobinthoughtthis,themorePoohlookedmodestlydownhisnoseandtriedtopretendhewasn’t.

‘Butit’stoosmallfortwoofus,’saidChristopherRobinsadly.‘ThreeofuswithPiglet.’‘Thatmakesitsmallerstill.Oh,PoohBear,whatshallwedo?’And then this Bear, Pooh Bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, F. O. P. (Friend of

Piglet’s),R.C.(Rabbit’sCompanion),P.D.(PoleDiscoverer),E.C.andT.F.(Eeyore’sComforterandTail-finder)–infact,Poohhimself–saidsomethingsocleverthatChristopherRobincouldonlylookathimwithmouthopenandeyesstaring,wonderingifthiswasreallytheBearofVeryLittleBrainwhomhehadknownandlovedsolong.

‘Wemightgoinyourumbrella,’saidPooh.‘?’‘Wemightgoinyourumbrella,’saidPooh.‘??’‘Wemightgoinyourumbrella,’saidPooh.‘!!!!!!’For suddenly Christopher Robin saw that they might. He opened his

umbrellaandputitpointdownwardsinthewater.Itfloatedbutwobbled.Poohgotin.

Hewasjustbeginningtosaythatitwasallrightnow,whenhefoundthatitwasn’t, so after a short drink,which he didn’t reallywant, hewaded back toChristopherRobin.Thentheybothgotintogether,anditwobblednolonger.

‘IshallcallthisboatTheBrainofPooh,’saidChristopherRobin,andTheBrain of Pooh set sail forthwith in a south-westerly direction, revolvinggracefully.

YoucanimaginePiglet’sjoywhenatlasttheshipcameinsightofhim.Inafter-yearshe liked to think thathehadbeen inVeryGreatDangerduring the

TerribleFlood,buttheonlydangerhehadreallybeeninwasthelasthalf-hourofhis imprisonment,whenOwl,whohadjustflownup,satonabranchofhistreetocomforthim,andtoldhimaverylongstoryaboutanauntwhohadoncelaid a seagull’s eggbymistake, and the storywent on andon, rather like thissentence,untilPigletwhowaslisteningoutofhiswindowwithoutmuchhope,went tosleepquietlyandnaturally,slippingslowlyoutof thewindowtowardsthewateruntilhewasonlyhangingonbyhistoes,atwhichmoment,luckily,asudden loudsquawkfromOwl,whichwas reallypartof thestory,beingwhathisauntsaid,wokethePigletupandjustgavehimtimetojerkhimselfbackintosafetyandsay,‘Howinteresting,anddidshe?’when–well,youcanimaginehisjoywhenat last he saw thegood ship,BrainofPooh (Captain,C.Robin;1stMate,P.Bear)comingovertheseatorescuehim.…

Andasthatisreallytheendofthestory,andIamverytiredafterthatlastsentence,IthinkIshallstopthere.

CHAPTERTENinwhichChristopherRobingivesaPoohParty,andwesaygood-bye

OnedaywhenthesunhadcomebackovertheForest,bringingwithitthescentofmay,andallthestreamsoftheForestweretinklinghappilytofindthemselvestheirownpretty shapeagain, and the littlepools laydreamingof the life theyhadseenand thebig things theyhaddone,and in thewarmthandquietof theForest thecuckoowastryingoverhisvoicecarefullyandlisteningtosee ifhelikedit,andwood-pigeonswerecomplaininggentlytothemselvesintheirlazycomfortableway that it was the other fellow’s fault, but it didn’tmatter verymuch;onsuchadayasthisChristopherRobinwhistledinaspecialwayhehad,andOwlcameflyingoutoftheHundredAcreWoodtoseewhatwaswanted.

‘Owl,’saidChristopherRobin,‘Iamgoingtogiveaparty.’‘Youare,areyou?’saidOwl.‘Andit’stobeaspecialsortofparty,becauseit’sbecauseofwhatPoohdid

whenhedidwhathedidtosavePigletfromtheflood.’‘Oh,that’swhatit’sfor,isit?’saidOwl.

‘Yes,sowillyoutellPoohasquicklyasyoucan,andalltheothers,becauseitwillbeto-morrow?’

‘Oh,itwill,willit?’saidOwl,stillbeingashelpfulaspossible.‘Sowillyougoandtellthem,Owl?’Owltriedtothinkofsomethingverywisetosay,butcouldn’t,soheflew

offtotelltheothers.AndthefirstpersonhetoldwasPooh.‘Pooh,’hesaid.‘ChristopherRobinisgivingaparty.’‘Oh!’saidPooh.AndthenseeingthatOwlexpectedhimtosaysomething

else,hesaid,‘Willtherebethoselittlecakethingswithpinksugaricing?’Owlfeltthatitwasratherbeneathhimtotalkaboutlittlecakethingswith

pinksugaricing,sohetoldPoohexactlywhatChristopherRobinhadsaid,andflewofftoEeyore.

‘ApartyforMe?’thoughtPoohtohimself.‘Howgrand!’AndhebegantowonderifalltheotheranimalswouldknowthatitwasaspecialPoohParty,andifChristopherRobinhad told themaboutTheFloatingBear andTheBrainofPoohandallthewonderfulshipshehadinventedandsailedon,andhebegantothink how awful itwould be if everybody had forgotten about it, and nobodyquiteknewwhatthepartywasfor;andthemorehethoughtlikethis,themorethepartygotmuddled inhismind, likeadreamwhennothinggoesright.Andthedreambegantosingitselfoverinhisheaduntilitbecameasortofsong.ItwasanANXIOUSPOOHSONG

3CheersforPooh!(Forwho?)ForPooh–

(Whywhatdidhedo?)Ithoughtyouknew;

Hesavedhisfriendfromawetting!3CheersforBear!(Forwhere?)ForBear–

Hecouldn’tswim,Butherescuedhim!(Herescuedwho?)Oh,listen,do!

IamtalkingofPooh–(Ofwho?)OfPooh!

(I’msorryIkeepforgetting.)Well,PoohwasaBearofEnormousBrain–(Justsayitagain!)

Ofenormousbrain–

(Ofenormouswhat?)Well,heatealot,

AndIdon’tknowifhecouldswimornot,Buthemanagedtofloat

Onasortofboat(Onasortofwhat?)Well,asortofpot–Sonowlet’sgivehimthreeheartycheers(Sonowlet’sgivehimthreehearty

whiches?)Andhopehe’llbewithusforyearsandyears,Andgrowinhealthandwisdomandriches!

3CheersforPooh!(Forwho?)ForPooh–

3CheersforBear!(Forwhere?)ForBear–

3CheersforthewonderfulWinnie-the-Pooh!(Justtellme,somebody–WHATDIDHEDO?)

Whilethiswasgoingoninsidehim,OwlwastalkingtoEeyore.‘Eeyore,’saidOwl,‘ChristopherRobinisgivingaparty.’‘Veryinteresting,’saidEeyore.Isupposetheywillbesendingmedownthe

oddbitswhichgot troddenon.KindandThoughtful.Notatall,don’tmentionit.’

‘ThereisanInvitationforyou.’‘What’sthatlike?’

‘AnInvitation!’‘Yes,Iheardyou.Whodroppedit?’‘Thisisn’tanythingtoeat,it’saskingyoutotheparty.To-morrow.’

Eeyoreshookhisheadslowly.‘YoumeanPiglet.Thelittlefellowwiththeexcitedears.That’sPiglet.I’ll

tellhim.’

‘No,no,’saidOwl,gettingquitefussy.‘It’syou!’‘Areyousure?’‘OfcourseI’msure.ChristopherRobinsaid“Allofthem!Tellallofthem.”

’‘Allofthem,exceptEeyore?’‘Allofthem,’saidOwlsulkily.‘Ah!’saidEeyore.‘Amistake,nodoubt,butstill,Ishallcome.Onlydon’t

blamemeifitrains.’But it didn’t rain. ChristopherRobin hadmade a long table out of some

longpiecesofwood,andtheyallsatroundit.ChristopherRobinsatatoneend,andPoohsatattheother,andbetweenthemononesidewereOwlandEeyoreandPiglet,andbetweenthemontheothersidewereRabbit,andRooandKanga.AndallRabbit’sfriendsandrelationsspreadthemselvesaboutonthegrass,andwaitedhopefullyincaseanybodyspoketothem,ordroppedanything,oraskedthemthetime.

ItwasthefirstpartytowhichRoohadeverbeen,andhewasveryexcited.Assoonasevertheyhadsatdownhebegantotalk.

‘Hallo,Pooh!’hesqueaked.‘Hallo,Roo!’saidPooh.Roojumpedupanddowninhisseatforalittlewhileandthenbeganagain.‘Hallo,Piglet!’hesqueaked.Pigletwavedapawathim,beingtoobusytosayanything.‘Hallo,Eeyore!’saidRoo.Eeyorenoddedgloomilyathim.‘Itwillrainsoon,youseeifitdoesn’t,’he

said.Roolookedtoseeifitdidn’t,anditdidn’t,sohesaid‘Hallo,Owl!’–and

Owl said ‘Hallo, my little fellow,’ in a kindly way, and went on tellingChristopherRobinaboutanaccidentwhichhadnearlyhappened toa friendofhiswhomChristopher Robin didn’t know, andKanga said to Roo, ‘Drink up

yourmilkfirst,dear,andtalkafterwards.’SoRoo,whowasdrinkinghismilk,triedtosaythathecoulddobothatonce…andhadtobepattedonthebackanddriedforquitealongtimeafterwards.

When theyhadallnearlyeatenenough,ChristopherRobinbangedon thetablewithhisspoon,andeverybodystoppedtalkingandwasverysilent,exceptRoowhowas just finishinga loudattackofhiccupsand trying to lookas if itwasoneofRabbit’srelations.

‘Thisparty,’saidChristopherRobin,‘isapartybecauseofwhatsomeonedid,andweallknowwhoitwas,andit’shisparty,becauseofwhathedid,andI’ve got a present for him and here it is.’ Then he felt about a little andwhispered,‘Whereisit?’

Whilehewaslooking,Eeyorecoughedinanimpressivewayandbegantospeak.

‘Friends,’hesaid,‘includingoddments,it isagreatpleasure,orperhapsIhadbettersayithasbeenapleasuresofar, toseeyouatmyparty.WhatIdidwasnothing.Anyofyou–exceptRabbitandOwlandKanga–wouldhavedonethesame.Oh,andPooh.Myremarksdonot,ofcourse,applytoPigletandRoo,because theyare toosmall.Anyofyouwouldhavedone thesame.But it justhappenedtobeMe.Itwasnot,Ineedhardlysay,withanideaofgettingwhatChristopherRobin is looking fornow’–andheputhis front leg tohismouthandsaid ina loudwhisper, ‘Tryunder the table’–‘that IdidwhatIdid–butbecauseIfeelthatweshouldalldowhatwecantohelp.Ifeelthatweshouldall—’

‘H-hup!’saidRooaccidentally.‘Roo,dear!’saidKangareproachfully.‘Wasitme?’askedRoo,alittlesurprised.‘What’sEeyoretalkingabout?’PigletwhisperedtoPooh.‘Idon’tknow,’saidPoohratherdolefully.‘Ithoughtthiswasyourparty.’‘Ithoughtitwasonce.ButIsupposeitisn’t.’‘I’dsooneritwasyoursthanEeyore’s,’saidPiglet.‘SowouldI,’saidPooh.‘H-hup!’saidRooagain.‘AS – I –WAS – SAYING,’ said Eeyore loudly and sternly, ‘as I was

sayingwhenIwasinterruptedbyvariousLoudSounds,Ifeelthat—’‘Here it is!’ criedChristopherRobin excitedly. ‘Pass it down to silly old

Pooh.It’sforPooh.’‘ForPooh?’saidEeyore.‘Ofcourseitis.Thebestbearinalltheworld.’‘Imighthaveknown,’ saidEeyore. ‘Afterall,onecan’tcomplain. Ihave

myfriends.Somebodyspoketomeonlyyesterday.AndwasitlastweekortheweekbeforethatRabbitbumpedintomeandsaid“Bother!”TheSocialRound.Alwayssomethinggoingon.’

Nobodywaslistening,fortheywereallsaying,‘Openit,Pooh,’‘Whatisit,Pooh?’ ‘I knowwhat it is,’ ‘No, youdon’t,’ andotherhelpful remarksof thissort.AndofcoursePoohwasopeningitasquicklyaseverhecould,butwithoutcuttingthestring,becauseyouneverknowwhenabitofstringmightbeUseful.Atlastitwasundone.

WhenPoohsawwhatitwas,henearlyfelldown,hewassopleased.ItwasaSpecialPencilCase.Therewerepencilsinitmarked‘B’forBear,andpencilsmarked‘HB’forHelpingBear,andpencilsmarked‘BB’forBraveBear.Therewasaknifeforsharpeningthepencils,andindiarubberforrubbingoutanythingwhichyouhadspeltwrong,andarulerforrulinglinesforthewordstowalkon,and inchesmarkedon the ruler incaseyouwanted toknowhowmany inchesanythingwas, andBluePencils andRedPencils andGreenPencils for sayingspecialthingsinblueandredandgreen.AndalltheselovelythingswereinlittlepocketsoftheirowninaSpecialCasewhichshutwithaclickwhenyouclickedit.AndtheywereallforPooh.

‘Oh!’saidPooh.‘Oh,Pooh!’saideverybodyelseexceptEeyore.‘Thank-you,’growledPooh.ButEeyorewassayingtohimself,‘Thiswritingbusiness.Pencilsandwhat-

not.Over-rated,ifyouaskme.Sillystuff.Nothinginit.’Later on, when they had all said ‘Good-bye’ and ‘Thank-you’ to

ChristopherRobin, Pooh and Pigletwalked home thoughtfully together in thegoldenevening,andforalongtimetheyweresilent.

‘Whenyouwakeupinthemorning,Pooh,’saidPigletat last,‘what’sthefirstthingyousaytoyourself?’

‘What’sforbreakfast?’saidPooh.‘Whatdoyousay,Piglet?’‘Isay,Iwonderwhat’sgoingtohappenexcitingto-day?’saidPiglet.Poohnoddedthoughtfully.‘It’sthesamething,’hesaid.

‘Andwhatdidhappen?’askedChristopherRobin.‘When?’‘Nextmorning.’‘Idon’tknow.’‘Couldyouthink,andtellmeandPoohsometime?’‘Ifyouwanteditverymuch.’‘Poohdoes,’saidChristopherRobin.Hegaveadeepsigh,pickedhisbearupby the legandwalkedoff to the

door, trailing Winnie-the-Pooh behind him. At the door he turned and said,‘Comingtoseemehavemybath?’

‘Imight,’Isaid.‘WasPooh’spencilcaseanybetterthanmine?’‘Itwasjustthesame,’Isaid.Henodded andwentout…and in amoment I heardWinnie-the-Pooh–

bump,bump,bump–goingupthestairsbehindhim.