88 EASY-CHAIR MEMORIES 



defiance, which sounded more like bother- 

 other-otheration than anything else. Presently 

 a hen turkey made her way through a gap in 

 the hedge, and began pecking about in our 

 orchard in a make-believe unconscious way, 

 as though she had a perfect right to be there, 

 but knowing all the time that she was a thief 

 and an intruder. She was immediately followed 

 one by one by the whole family, last of all by 

 the commander-in-chief himself, and they spread 

 out in skirmishing order, pretending to be pick- 

 ing up worms. This was altogether too much 

 for our already-excited Sultan ; it was aggravat- 

 ing enough to have defiance hurled at him over 

 the hedge, but to have his own territory invaded 

 in this impudent way was altogether beyond his 

 Turkish endurance. Foaming with indignation, 

 he shouted his war-cry, and set his army in 

 battle array. He did not form a square, in 

 accordance with the warlike method of his 

 adopted country he preferred the plan of his 

 native land. He disposed his troops in a long 

 single line, and then in a trumpet-like voice : 

 " Show me," said he, " whose men you be, 

 that hunt so boldly here?" 



Meanwhile the wily chief of the opposing 



