CANNIBALS IN COURT 43 



Watchers kill these hurtful creatures, and so become 

 the guardians of the fields." 



" Oh, do tell us which ones do this and which took 

 Rap's Chickens," said Dodo, forgetting her disappoint- 

 ment for the time. 



" I am going to make a play for you. Some of the 

 Owls and Hawks shall speak for themselves, and tell 

 you about their own habits and customs. In fact, the 

 most familiar of these cannibals shall have a hearing 

 this morning in the wonder room. The American 

 Eagle is to be the judge, and I think that, as you 

 cannot go to the woods, you will like to come into 

 my room to hear what they have to say." 



"Birds talking about themselves in the wonder 

 room ! " said Dodo in a puzzled way. 



" What is a hearing ? " asked Nat. 



" I know what a hearing is," said Rap. " It is 

 where people are accused of doing something wrong 

 and they go down to the courthouse, and the judge 

 hears what they have to say about it; and, if he 

 thinks they have done the things, he binds them over 

 for trial. They often have hearings down in the 

 town hall in the East Village." 



" You are quite right, my boy ; and at this hearing 

 of ours, as the birds are stuffed and cannot speak, I 

 shall speak for them. Even if they could talk, we 

 could not understand them, unless we borrowed 

 Tommy-Anne's magic spectacles. Now, if you will 

 come into the study, you will find them all ready." 



The children did not wait to be asked twice ; Nat 

 and Dodo rushed along the hall, followed by Rap. 



In the study two tables were put together, making 



