wball. He gave one frightened bleat. And
then he tore off towards the pasture as fast as he could run. He didn't
even wait to see if Johnnie Green would give him a treat of cracked
corn.

As he ran he said to himself, "There may have been a tiger inside that
thing. . . . I don't know! . . . I wouldn't join the circus for all the
cracked corn in the world!"

XIII

FOLLOW MY LEADER

There was one game of which Farmer Green's sheep never seemed to tire.
They called it "Follow My Leader." And even the oldest members of the
flock played it every day. Though they had grand-children--many of
them--and were quite solemn and sedate, they still continued to run
anywhere whenever somebody happened to lead the way.

You wouldn't suppose they could have enjoyed leaving good pasturage to
go tearing off to goodness knows where, just because some empty-headed
sheep chanced to break into a run.

When Snowball first joined the flock in the pasture he tried to do just
as every one else did. So whenever he saw the flock get under way
suddenly he hastened to keep up with the rest.

At first Snowball was curious to know why they were all running. But
nobody could tell him the reason. And in time he ceased to wonder.

At last he decided, one day, to see if the flock would follow him. He
looked about at his neighbors. They were feeding quietly.

"I hope they'll play the game when I start it," Snowball said under his
breath.

And then, _baaing_ his loudest, he began to run.

The flock stopped eating instantly. For a moment nobody moved.

"They aren't going to play!" thought Snowball.

But an old ewe suddenly wheeled about and followed him.

That was enough for the others. Out of the corner of his eye Snowball
could see them all jump and come crowding after him.

He was headed for the stone wall. Beyond it lay a rough, rocky stretch
of waste land, covered by a tangle of raspberry bushes.

"I wonder if they'll follow me over the wall!" Snowball muttered.

He didn't jump the wall. It was too high for that. But he scrambled over
it without any trouble, for his little feet found plenty of footholds
amid the jutting rocks.

Snowball had already landed on the further side of the wall when _thud!
thud! thud!_ other members of the flock came thumping down upon the
ledge beside him. He moved aside a little way, because he didn't want
to be stepped on.

Then, all at once, a squeaky, frightened voice cried, "What's the
matt