THE PHEASANT 
phantly he drove his harem back to the 
farm. 
For a week they skirmished thus, now one and 
now the other claiming advantage, yet neither 
admitting defeat ; yet all the while Creaban 
was so alert that no men saw him, although 
they knew that he was there. The Yellow 
Pullet was content, for all this time she lived 
in the wood. Only, at sunset her courage 
failed. She dared not stay out all night, and 
followed reluctantly after the rest of the 
seraglio. She it was who fomented the feud, 
for she patiently tracked the Pheasant from 
covert to covert, and, as where she went the 
Cock pursued, the combatants constantly 
encountered one another. But so far they 
never fought to the finish, for when the 
" Chickery-Cock " found that he was getting 
the worst of it, he retreated within sight of the 
yard, where Creaban dared not follow ; and 
the Pheasant could at need escape into the 
denser bramble brakes whose geography he 
knew so well, and where the Cock could not 
give his mighty spurs fair play. But each 
armistice only made the rivals hate one another 
more. 
N 
