to the silver-spring in the Beech-wood, to get a drop of
water for my little wife Hen-alie, who has got a bean in her throat,"
says Cock-alu.

"Then why do you stop talking to me?" says the sheep-dog, in his short
way; "your wife's bad enough, I'll warrant me; and a drop of water with
the dew in it is the thing to do her good. Be off with you! The farmer
is coming to lay the spring dry this morning. I left him sharpening his
mattock when I set out. You'll be too late, if you don't mind!" and with
that the sheep-dog went his way.

"An unmannerly fellow," says Cock-alu, and stood looking after him;
"I'll not go at his bidding, not I!" So he clapped his wings and crowed
in the wood, just to show that he set light by his advice. "And never to
give me anything for poor Hen-alie, that lies sick at home with a bean
in her throat! The ill-natured churl!" cried Cock-alu to himself, and
then he stood and crowed again with all his might.

After that he marched on, and before long reached the Beech-wood, but as
the silver-spring lay yet a good way off, he had not gone far in the
wood before he met the squirrel.

"Good morning, squirrel," says he; "what brings you abroad so early?"

"Early do you call it, Cock-alu?" says the squirrel; "why, I've been up
these four hours; I just stopped to give the young ones their
breakfasts, and then set off to silver-spring for a drop of water while
the dew was in it; I've got it here in a cherry-leaf. And pray you, what
business may take you abroad, Cock-alu?"

"The same as yours," replied Cock-alu; "I'm going for water, too, for my
wife Hen-alie, who has got a bean in her throat."

"Ah, well-a-day!" says the squirrel, "that's a bad thing! But run along
with you; for the old sow is coming down with her nine little pigs, and
if they trouble the water it will be all too late for poor little
Hen-alie!"

And with that the squirrel leaped up into the oak-tree above where
Cock-alu stood, for that was her way home, and left him without further
ceremony.

"Humph!" said Cock-alu; "she might have given me some of the water out
of her cherry-leaf for my poor little Hen-alie!" And so saying, he
walked on through the Beech-wood, and as he met no more creatures he
soon reached the silver-spring.

But it was now noon-day, and there was not a drop of dew in the water,
and the bull had been down and drunk, and the bloodhound had lapped, and
the old sow and her nine little pigs had wallowed in it, so t