mountains as free
as Light-foot the Deer or any other of the Green Forest people,
and with horns so large that they, the Sheep, are called Big-Horns.
From what I have heard my grandfather say, those horns over there of
Mr. Ram's are nothing to brag about. No, Sir, they are nothing to brag
about. One of those wild, free cousins of Mr. Ram over there would
laugh at those horns. But they are funny horns, and they've been
like that always since the days of the first great Ram, the
great-great-ever-so-great-grandfather of all the Sheep, so my
grandfather told me. It was way back in those long-ago days that they
became curved and quite useless for fighting, and all because of old
Big-Horn going about with a chip on his shoulder."

Peter pricked up his ears. "That was a funny thing for Big-Horn to be
doing," said he. "What under the sun did he have a chip on his shoulder
for? And what harm was there in that, even if he did?"

Once more Digger began to laugh. "Peter," said he, "you certainly are
the funniest fellow I know. Of course old Big-Horn didn't really have a
chip on his shoulder. That is just a saying, Peter, just a saying. When
any one goes about looking for trouble and ready to quarrel at the least
pretext, he is said to be carrying a chip on his shoulder and daring
anybody to knock it off."

"Oh!" said Peter.

"And so," continued Digger, "Big-Horn didn't have anything to do with a
really, truly chip, but just went about always trying to get somebody to
fight with him. It wasn't that Big-Horn was ugly. He wasn't. You see Old
Mother Nature had given him great strength. Yes, Sir, for his size
Big-Horn was very strong, and in that strength be took great pride. And
Mother Nature had given him a pair of very large and strong horns with
which to defend himself if there should be need. Those horns were almost
straight, and with Big-Horn's great strength behind them, they were
truly dangerous weapons. He didn't think of that. No, Sir, he didn't
think of that. He was just brimming full of life, and he dearly loved to
try his strength against the strength of others. It got so that the
instant he saw anybody, down would go his head and at them he would go
full tilt.

"It was great fun--for him. Sometimes he got the worst of it, as when
Old King Bear stepped aside at the very last instant and hit him such a
clip with his great paw that Big-Horn was sent rolling over and over and
lost his breath for a few minutes. But usual