Winnie-the-Pooh

Some have brains, and some haven't, he says, and there it is.

And now all the others are saying, "What about _Us_?" So perhaps the
best thing to do is to stop writing Introductions and get on with the
book.

                                                                A. A. M.




                                CONTENTS


        I. IN WHICH WE ARE INTRODUCED TO WINNIE-THE-POOH AND SOME
           BEES, AND THE STORIES BEGIN

       II. IN WHICH POOH GOES VISITING AND GETS INTO A TIGHT PLACE

      III. IN WHICH POOH AND PIGLET GO HUNTING AND NEARLY CATCH A
           WOOZLE

       IV. IN WHICH EEYORE LOSES A TAIL AND POOH FINDS ONE

        V. IN WHICH PIGLET MEETS A HEFFALUMP

       VI. IN WHICH EEYORE HAS A BIRTHDAY AND GETS TWO PRESENTS

      VII. IN WHICH KANGA AND BABY ROO COME TO THE FOREST, AND
           PIGLET HAS A BATH

     VIII. IN WHICH CHRISTOPHER ROBIN LEADS AN EXPOTITION TO THE
           NORTH POLE

       IX. IN WHICH PIGLET IS ENTIRELY SURROUNDED BY WATER

        X. IN WHICH CHRISTOPHER ROBIN GIVES A POOH PARTY, AND WE SAY
           GOOD-BYE




                            WINNIE-THE-POOH




                               CHAPTER I

                      IN WHICH WE ARE INTRODUCED TO
                     WINNIE-THE-POOH AND SOME BEES,
                          AND THE STORIES BEGIN


Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the
back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows,
the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there
really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and
think of it. And then he feels that perhaps there isn't. Anyhow, here he
is at the bottom, and ready to be introduced to you. Winnie-the-Pooh.

When I first heard his name, I said, just as you are going to say, "But
I thought he was a boy?"

"So did I," said Christopher Robin.

"Then you can't call him Winnie?"

"I don't."

"But you said----"

"He's Winnie-ther-Pooh. Don't you know what '_ther_' means?"

"Ah, yes, now I do," I said quickly; and I hope you do too, because it
is all the explanation you are going to get.

Sometimes Winnie-the-Pooh likes a game of some sort when he comes
downstairs, and sometimes he likes to sit quietly in front of the fire
and listen to a story. This evening----

"What about a story?" said Christopher Robin.

"_What_ about a story?" I said.

"Could you very sweetly tell Winnie-the-Pooh one?"

"I suppose I could," I said. "What sort of stories does he like?"

"About himself. Because he's _that_ sort of Bear."

"Oh, I see."

"So could you very sweetly?"

"I'll try," I said.

So I tried.

                 *        *        *        *        *

Once upon a time, a very long time ago now, about last Friday,
Winnie-the-Pooh lived in a forest all by himself under the name of
Sanders.

(_"What does 'under the name' mean?" asked Christopher Robin._

"_It means he had the name over the door in gold letters, and lived
under it._"

_"Winnie-the-Pooh wasn't quite sure," said Christopher Robin._

_"Now I am," said a growly voice._

_"Then I will go on," said I._)

One day when he was out walking, he came to an open place in the middle
of the forest, and in the middle of this place was a large oak-tree,
and, from the top of the tree, there came a loud buzzing-noise.

Winnie-the-Pooh sat down at the foot of the tree, put his head between
his paws and began to think.

First of all he said to himself: "That buzzing-noise means something.
You don't get a buzzing-noise like that, just buzzing and buzzing,
without its meaning something. If there's a buzzing-noise, somebody's
making a buzzing-noise, and the only reason for making a buzzing-noise
that _I_ know of is because you're a bee."

Then he thought another long time, and said: "And the only reason for
being a bee that I know of is making honey."

And then he got up, and said: "And the only reason for making honey is
so as _I_ can eat it." So he began to climb the tree.

He climbed and he climbed and he climbed, and as he climbed he sang a
little song to himself. It went like this:

    Isn't it funny
    How a bear likes honey?
    Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
    I wonder why he does?

Then he climbed a little further ... and a little further ... and
then just a little further. By that time he had thought of another song.

    It's a very funny thought that, if Bears were Bees,
    They'd build their nests at the _bottom_ of trees.
    And that being so (if the Bees were Bears),
    We shouldn't have to climb up all these stairs.

He was getting rather tired by this time, so that is why he sang a
Complaining Song. He was nearly there now, and if he just stood on that
branch ...

_Crack!_

"Oh, help!" said Pooh, as he dropped ten feet on the branch below him.

"If only I hadn't----" he said, as he bounced twenty feet on to the next
branch.

"You see, what I _meant_ to do," he explained, as he turned
head-over-heels, and crashed on to another branch thirty feet below,
"what I _meant_ to do----"