hat.

The rooster had followed him across the farmyard in order to look on and
listen while Turkey Proudfoot spoke to the geese. And his surprise was
as great as Turkey Proudfoot's.

"Surely!" he muttered to Turkey Proudfoot, "you aren't going to let
these geese go unpunished. They've insulted you."

"Ha! I _thought_ they had," Turkey Proudfoot exclaimed. "And I'm glad to
know that you agree with me. There's no doubt that they deserve a severe
beating."

"Ah!" the rooster cried. "Now we'll see some fun."

"Yes!" said Turkey Proudfoot. "I expect we'll have a merry time." Still
he made no move to attack the geese, who stood motionless, facing him
like soldiers.

"Well!" the rooster said impatiently. "Aren't you going to punish these
geese?"

"Certainly not!" Turkey Proudfoot cried. "Why did you tag after me
across the yard if it wasn't to fight them? I've often heard that you
were usually spoiling for a fight. So here's your chance!"

It was true, in a way, that the rooster was always ready to fight. Not
one of the cockerels on the farm dared to speak to him. But he always
took care to fight only such as he knew he could whip. Certainly he had
no desire to fight six geese all by himself. He drew back a little and
shook his head.

"This is not my quarrel," he declared.

"But you suggested it," Turkey Proudfoot reminded him. "And now I
suggest that you take it up. I did my part. You must do yours."

A wild look came into the rooster's eyes. He wanted to run away. But he
was a proud bird. He thought a great deal of the _looks_ of things. And
he didn't know just what to do.

Then something happened that suddenly made him act--and act quickly. The
six geese all took one step forward.

The rooster turned tail and dashed around the barn, out of sight. And
Turkey Proudfoot found himself facing the six geese, who soon took one
more step towards him and hissed louder than ever.

He had never felt so ill at ease in all his life. But he remembered that
he was the ruler of the turkey flock and the handsomest bird on the
farm. It would never do to have it said that he ran away from six silly
geese.

"I'll scare 'em," he thought. Thereupon he burst into a deafening gobble
and took one step towards the geese.

He had fully expected to see them fall back. What they actually did was
most annoying. Every one of them took another step towards him.

V

A SAFE PERCH

As Turkey Proudfoot faced the six geese in