hedge he went headlong amongst them, making the poor timid, stupid
creatures run as fast as their legs would carry them, with their heavy
fleeces touzling and shaking about till each sheep looked like a
magnified thrum mop being shaken to get rid of the water. A fine game
did Dick have of it, for as soon as ever he stopped and gave a farewell
bark--as much as to say, "There, I've done"--and began to retrace his
steps, the sheep would come to a stand-still, stare after him as though
he were some unknown monster, never before seen or heard of, and then
begin to follow him up, slowly at first, but afterwards at a canter.
Now, of course Dick couldn't stand this running away, and all the sheep
apparently in chase of him; so he was obliged to turn round and keep
making charges at the flock; and, consequently, poor Dick, in thus being
so particular about his honour, would never have got out of the field,
for every time he chased the sheep away they followed him up again; and
it was all the fault of one great, black-faced, chuckle-headed wether,
who was so stupid that he couldn't keep quiet, and of course all the
sheep kept following him, for he had a tinkling copper bell attached to
his neck, which seemed to be an especial abhorrence to Dick, from the
way he barked at it. But at last the dog heard a summons that he could
not disobey, namely, a long whistle from his young masters; so making
one last furious charge at the old bell wether, and actually scattering
the forces as he got hold of him by the wool. Dick rushed after his
masters, and caught them at last with a lot of wool in his mouth, which
was entangled in his teeth, and made him cough and sputter dreadfully.

At last they reached the edge of the wood, into which Dick dashed with a
leap and a bound, running his nose down amongst the dead leaves, and
smelling an enemy in every bush, and at last giving chase to a squirrel
which ran across the open to a great beech-tree, up which it scampered
until it reached the forked boughs, where it sat with its tail curled
up, looking tormentingly down upon his pursuer Dick, who rushed headlong
at the tree, scrambled up a couple of feet, and then came down flop upon
his back, without the squirrel of course; but he made up for it by
running round and round the trunk, barking, baying, and snapping in
impotent rage, while little nut-nibbler gave a sort of "skirr," and then
ran up the tree, leaped to the next, and the next, and disapp