AT THE FARM 



121 



tion, when I saw that bag moving about. The 

 very smell of a ferret scares a rat for days. 



Master Billy soon joined them, and they presently 

 disappeared into the cowshed. After a few anxious 

 moments, I heard yells and the smacking of sticks. 

 ' There he goes !' cried someone, and another voice 

 howled out, ' Look out, you pig ! you got me on 

 the shin !' That sort of thing went on for some 

 time, and then they emerged in triumph, carrying 

 by the tail what had once been my friend Ben. 

 Also they carried, apparently by the neck, two 

 terrible ferrets. I hoped that they were going to 

 choke them, but the monsters seemed to prefer that 

 method of being carried, and did not even wriggle. 



After a delay of a few moments, spent in gloat- 

 ing over the solitary victim of their prowess, they 

 set themselves to work again, and this time only 

 one of their number went inside into the stable, 

 carrying in his hands the two ferrets. The others 

 remained outside, because, as I heard them explain 

 to one another, the rats were sure to bolt through 

 one of the two drain-pipes which emerged through 

 the wall, and they wanted a good run in the open. 

 Nothing happened for some time, except that I 

 saw the evil-looking head of one of the ferrets peep 

 out of one of the drain-pipes, and I was beginning 



