THE HEN FEVER. 169 



ces3 ! He begrudged the time exacted by eating and sleep- 

 ing; but his vigils were rewarded by the appearance, in 

 due time, of a stout young chick, with the long legs that 

 are a proof of Eastern blood. The bird grew apace ; indeed, 

 almost' as rapidly as Jack's bean-stalk, or the prophet's 

 gourd. But the sailor was mistaken in one thing ; it ate 

 voraciously. Moreover, as it increased in size and strength, 

 the Pagoda exhibited extraordinary pugnacity. It kicked 

 a dozen comrades to death in one night. It even bit the 

 hand of the feeder. Soon it was necessary to confine it in 

 a separate apartment. Its head soon touched the ceiling. 

 What a pity it had no mate ! Sap wrote to a correspond- 

 ent at Calcutta to ship him two pairs of the Great Pagoda 

 birds, without regard to cost. Meanwhile he watched the 

 enormous growth of his single specimen. He kept its ex- 

 istence a profound secret. It was under lock, and key, in 

 a separate apartment, lighted by a large window in the roof. 

 Sap's man-of-all-work wheeled daily two bushels of com 

 and a barrel of water to the door of the apartment, and 

 Green fed them out when no one was looking. Even this 

 supply was scanty ; but, out of justice to his family, Sap 

 was compelled to put the monster bird on allowance. 



" 'Poor thing ! ' he would say, when he saw the creature 



devouring 'broken glass, and even bolting stray nails and 



gravel-stones, ' it cuts me to the soul to see it reduced to 



such extremity. But it 's eating me out of house and home. 



15 



