42 THE STRIKt: AT SHANE'S, 



fields, and I have had about a hundred of my friends 

 at the same work. No wonder the hen has not seen a 

 hawk this week, for no hawk will ever come around 

 where a hundred crows are." 



"You have no doubt seen the result of my work,", 

 said the blackbird. "I have had some hundreds of | 

 my friends at work carrying worms and insects on toj 

 the farm and dropping them. There will be enough 

 worms on the farm within the next week to eat up all 

 the crops this summer." 



"I don't think that is right," said Dobbin, "for; 

 Shane may change his mind before the season is over, \ 

 and then we would be sorry for what we have done." 



"Oh! don't worry about that," said the blackbird. 

 ' ' I have explained the matter to them, and they have \ 

 all agreed to assist in carrying all the worms and insects ^ 

 off again, if events should take a favorable turn for us. 

 We'll make that all right." 



"With that understanding, I consent that the work^ 

 go on," said Dobbin. 



" Tom has been chasing us all the week with his gun, \ 

 but we keep out of his way. It's open war between 

 us from now on, and we'll see which wins,'* said the 

 blackbird. 



The other birds said they had been engaged in simi- 

 lar work, and that there was not now a single bird of 

 any kind on the farm. 



While this meeting was going on, Shane had gone 

 over to the Tracy farm to see if he could not get Mr. 

 Tracy to help him out with his work. 



