bout three weeks' time; and
shooting some of the creatures in the daytime, I set my dog to guard it
in the night, tying him up to a stake at the gate, where he would stand
and bark all night long; so in a little time the enemies forsook the
place, and the corn grew very strong and well, and began to ripen apace.

But as the beasts ruined me before, while my corn was in the blade, so
the birds were as likely to ruin me now, when it was in the ear; for,
going along by the place to see how it throve, I saw my little crop
surrounded with fowls, of I know not how many sorts, who stood, as it
were, watching till I should be gone. I immediately let fly among them,
for I always had my gun with me. I had no sooner shot, but there rose up
a little cloud of fowls, which I had not seen at all, from among the corn
itself.

This touched me sensibly, for I foresaw that in a few days they would
devour all my hopes; that I should be starved, and never be able to raise
a crop at all; and what to do I could not tell; however, I resolved not
to lose my corn, if possible, though I should watch it night and day. In
the first place, I went among it to see what damage was already done, and
found they had spoiled a good deal of it; but that as it was yet too
green for them, the loss was not so great but that the remainder was
likely to be a good crop if it could be saved.

I stayed by it to load my gun, and then coming away, I could easily see
the thieves sitting upon all the trees about me, as if they only waited
till I was gone away, and the event proved it to be so; for as I walked
off, as if I was gone, I was no sooner out of their sight than they
dropped down one by one into the corn again. I was so provoked, that I
could not have patience to stay till more came on, knowing that every
grain that they ate now was, as it might be said, a peck-loaf to me in
the consequence; but coming up to the hedge, I fired again, and killed
three of them. This was what I wished for; so I took them up, and served
them as we serve notorious thieves in England--hanged them in chains, for
a terror to others. It is impossible to imagine that this should have
such an effect as it had, for the fowls would not only not come at the
corn, but, in short, they forsook all that part of the island, and I
could never see a bird near the place as long as my scarecrows hung
there. This I was very glad of, you may be sure, and about the latter
end of December, whic