How
the young hens would giggle if I did, and how the old ones would
cackle! No!"

All this time King Albus never moved; he still held his wattles close
to the ground, and still looked at his rival with one eye, only
sometimes he turned his head and looked with the other.

"He is pretending not to see me," he continued.

"He is afraid. I'll wager my wattles he's afraid. But--what?--do my
eyes deceive me? No, he really has two lovely pure--white hens lying
beside him. That seals his fate. If any one in the world ought to
have white hens as companions, it is myself, because I am pure white.
So he must die."

Now, although King Crevecoeur's back was turned to his rival, he could
see him with the side of his eye, and besides, his two hens told him
what the silly old Spaniard was doing.

"He's afraid to come on, I think," said one.

"Don't be too hard on him," said the other.

"A deal depends," replied Crevecoeur, shaking his head. "I have never
insulted him; I can't help being bigger and handsomer and richer than
he is; he has no right to go on envying me as he does. He deserves to
be punished. He is mean, that is what he is. Stop, I'll give him a
little encouragement--Cock-a-doodle-do-o!"

"It needed but that," cried King Albus.

He advanced speedily as he spoke, along by the side of the mill lead.

"Run away, my dears," said the Creve to his two hens, "the battle is
about to commence."

One hen went; the other declared she would stand by him as long as
she lived.

Now, it was a very remarkable thing, but no sooner had King Albus got
close up behind King Creve, and was just about to strike the blow,
that might or might not have both begun and ended the fight, than
all his courage at once oozed out at his toes, and he really didn't
feel he had pluck enough to raise his foot to strike, or even to keep
his tail erect.

"I feel very faint," he said to himself, "I think I'll just take a
run home and have a few crumbs of food, and then come back again."

He turned as he spoke and began to move off.

"Cock-a-doodle-do-o-o!" roared the cock with the plumes.

[Illustration: "HE BEGAN TO MOVE OFF" (_p. 277_).]

SITUATION THIRD.

Now, this was more than the meanest-spirited cock that ever crowed
could stand.

He raised his tail again, wheeled suddenly round and faced his foe.
The other cock or king also wheeled round, and so with ruffles raised
and wings half spread, and with fire flashing from their eyes