Early one morning Peter opened the gate and walked out into the big green meadow.

On a branch of a big tree set a little bird, Peters friend.

“All is quiet, ” chirped the bird happily.

Just then a duck came waddling round.

She was glad that Peter had not closed the gate, and decided to take a nice swim in the deep pond in the meadow.

Seeing the duck, the little bird flew down upon the grass, settled next to her and shrugged his shoulders.

“What kind of bird are you, if you cant fly?

” said he.

To this the duck replied: “What kind of bird are you if you can't swim?

” and dived into the p They argued and argued the duck e pond and the little bird hopping along the shore.

Suddenly, something caught Peters attention.

He noticed a cat crawling through the grass.

The cat thought: “The little bird is busy arguing.

Ill just grab him.

” Stealthily, she crept towards him on her velvet paws.

“Look out!

” shouted Peter, and the bird immediately flew up into the tree... while the duck quacked angrily at the cat from the middle of the pond.

The cat walked round the tree and thought: “Is it worth climbing up so high?

By the time I get there, the bird will have flown away.

” Just then, Grandfather came out.

He was angry because Peter had gone into the meadow.

“It is a dangerous place.

If a wolf should come out of the forest then what would you do?

” Peter paid no attention to his grandfather's words.

Boys like him are not afraid of wolves.

But Grandfather took Peter by the hand, locked the gate and led him home.

No sooner had Peter gone then a big grey wolf came out of the forest.

In a twinkling, the cat climbed up the tree.

The duck quacked, and in her excitement jumped out of the pond.

But no matter how hard the duck tried to run, she couldn't escape the wolf.

He was getting nearer... nearer... catching up with her... ...and then he got her, and with one gulp swallowed her.

And now, this is how things stood.

The cat was sitting on one branch...

The bird on another... not too close to the cat.

And the wolf walked round and round the tree looking at them with greedy eyes.

in the meantime, Peter, without the slightest fear, stood behind the closed gate, watching all that was going on...

He ran home, got a strong rope and climbed up the high stone wall... One of the branches of the tree, round which the wolf was walking stretched out over the wall...

Grabbing hold of the branch... Peter lightly climbed over onto the tree... Peter said to the bird: “Fly down and circle around the wolfs head; only take care of that he doesn't catch you.

” The bird almost touched the wolf's head with his wings while the wolf snapped angrily at him from this side and that.

How the bird did worry the wolf!

How he wanted to catch him!

But the bird was clever and the wolf simply couldn't do anything about it.

Meanwhile, Peter made a lasso and carefully letting it down... caught the wolf by the tail and pulled with all his might.

Feeling himself caught, the wolf began to jump wildly trying to get loose.

But Peter tied the other end of the rope to the tree... and the wolf's jumping only made the rope round his tail tighter.

Just then... the hunters came out of the woods... following the wolf's trail and shooting as they went.

But Peter sitting in the tree said: “Don't shoot!

Birdie and I have caught the wolf.

Now help us take them to the zoo.

” And there... imagine the triumphant procession... Peter at the head... after him the hunters leading the wolf... And winding up the procession, Grandfather and the cat.

Grandfather shook his head discontentedly: “Well, and if Peter hadn't caught the wolf?

What then?

Above them flew Birdie chirping merrily: “My, what brave fellows are Peter and I!

Look what we have caught!

” And if one would listen very carefully, he could hear the duck quacking inside the wolf: because the wolf in his hurry had swallowed her alive.