HENS 41 



It seemed as if every single hen had been mul- 

 tiplied by ten, shedding shrieks, squawks,feathers, 

 dust, and scratches ; and as I pursued that gor- 

 geous devil up, over, round, and through the pen, 

 I was bombarded with hens. One frantic biddy 

 collided with my best stiff hat so violently that it 

 was knocked off, stepped on, and ruined, before 

 I was aware of its loss. Another nearly blinded 

 me as I unexpectedly intercepted its arrow-like 

 flight from one roost to another; the number of 

 times I bumped my head against those roosts 

 was beyond computation ; I stepped on the edge 

 of a large, deep tin pan filled with water, and the 

 same promptly reared aloft and cast its contents 

 over my soiled, dusty, and feather-covered per- 

 son. Two hens escaped by dashing bodily through 

 the windows, which I had neglected to. have 

 properly protected by wire ; but at last I caught 

 that infernal gamecock by the legs, whereupon, 

 finding itself caught, it stopped squawking, 

 reached for my unoccupied hand, and with its 

 iron beak gouged a segment therefrom and 

 struggled to bring its sharp spurs to play. 



"When, after rescuing the mangled remains 

 of my hat and immuring the murderer in a sepa- 

 rate prison, I returned to my family I was an 

 appalling sight. I was festooned with cobwebs, 

 downy with feathers, covered with dust, and 

 drenched with water. One side of my face was 



