er? Is there an earthquake?"

Though Snowball looked all about he couldn't see the speaker anywhere.

Meanwhile there sounded a _patter, patter! patter!_ which came from
hurrying feet in the pasture. And there sounded a _click! click! click!_
which came from scrambling feet climbing over the wall. And there
sounded further _thuds_ which came from those same feet as they
thundered down upon the ledge.

At last the slowest sheep had joined Snowball. He still searched for the
squeaky voice.

"This is queer!" Snowball murmured. "I don't see where that odd voice
came from!"

He soon found out. For as he picked his way to the foot of the ledge, to
nibble at the grass that grew down below, he saw peering out of a hole
in the ground the face of a fat old gentleman whom he had sometimes met
in the pasture.

This person's name was Uncle Jerry Chuck. And he looked terribly scared.
His teeth were chattering. His nose was twitching.

Somehow Uncle Jerry's fright seized Snowball, too. With a bleat of
terror he turned and fled up the ledge, scurried over the wall, and ran
back where he had just come from.

Like one sheep the whole flock turned tail and followed Snowball with
frantic _baas_.

XIV

TEASING UNCLE JERRY

Farmer Green's flock of sheep had followed Snowball over the stone wall
and back into the pasture. And soon every one of them was grazing again
as if nothing had happened.

Now, Snowball was greatly pleased. It was the first time he had ever
started that game called Follow My Leader. And there wasn't a sheep nor
a lamb that hadn't gone chasing after him when he showed them the way.

Snowball saw many merry games ahead of him. "I'll give them some good
runs!" he promised himself.

And he did. Before that morning was over he led the flock up to the
furthest corner of the pasture in a mad scramble. And before the
afternoon was over he took them on a brisk run to the bars.

That made three times for the day.

On each summer's day that followed Snowball played Follow My Leader
oftener than he had the day before. So it happened that by the end of a
week, when evening came, the older sheep were weary from all the running
they had done, all the scrambling over the stone wall. For Snowball's
favorite trick was to lead the sheep over the wall and into the tangle
of raspberry bushes where Uncle Jerry Chuck lived.

Snowball had soon learned that there was nothing to fear over there. He
discovered that i