long-legged athletic-looking young cockerel and began 

 to advance against the enemy. As he got nearer 

 he slowed down, and looked first with one eye and then 

 with the other so as to make sure that all was safe, 

 and several times he paused with one foot poised high 

 before deciding to take the next step. My friend 

 was greatly amused to see all the trouble that the fowl 

 was taking to get up to the empty pot, and, for the 

 fun of giving the conceited young cockerel a fright, 

 threw a pebble at him. He was so nervous that when 

 the pebble dropped near him, he gave one great 

 bound and tore off flapping and screaming down the 

 yard as if he thought the old dog was after him. The 

 old fellow himself was startled out of his sleep, and 

 raised his head to see what the row was about ; but, 

 as nothing more happened, he lay down again, and 

 the cockerel, finding also that it was a false alarm, 

 turned back not a bit ashamed for another try. 



The cockerel had not seen the old dog lift his head ; 

 my friend had, and when he looked again he saw that, 

 although the underneath eye half buried in the sand 

 was shut, the top eye was open and was steadily watch- 

 ing the cockerel as he came nearer and nearer to the 

 pot. My friend sat dead still, expecting a rush and 

 another fluttering scramble. At last the cockerel 

 took the final step, craned his neck to its utmost 

 and peered down into the empty pot. The old dog 

 gave two gentle pats with his tail in the sand, and closing 

 his eye went to sleep again. 



Jock had the same sort of trouble. The fowls tried 



9 l 



