ing of the clay.

'Aren't you going to skin it?' cried Dick, who had been watching his
brother scout's doings with deep interest.

'I am,' said Chippy, 'but not now--leastways, it'll skin itself when
the time comes.'

Soon Chippy held in his hands a great ball of clay, inside which the
hedgehog lay like a kernel in a nut. The fury of the fire had passed
by now, and the small beech logs were heaped in a glowing mass of fiery
embers. With a spare log Chippy drew the embers aside, and laid his
ball of clay on the heated ground, and raked the ashes into place again.

'Now,' said he, 'when we're ready for supper, that theer 'ull be ready
for us.'

'It doesn't look as if our supper was going to cost us much,' laughed
Dick. Chippy looked up with his dry, quiet smile.

'As it's runnin' so cheap,' he said, 'we might goo in for suthin'
extra. Wot d'yer say to a drop o' milk in the tea?'

'Where are we going to get it?' cried Dick.

'When I was down theer'--and Chippy jerked his head towards the
river--'I seen a house acrost the fields. If ye'll turn me up a copper
ot o' the cash-box I'll tek' a billy an' buy a pennorth.'

Dick laughed and turned out a penny, and away went Chippy after the
milk, while Dick watched the fire and the haversacks they had piled
beside it.

While Chippy was away an old man came up-stream whipping it with a
fly-rod. The time of the evening rise was coming on, but very few
circles broke the surface of the smoothly running river. Dick went
over and asked him what luck he had had.

'Only two, an' them little uns,' said the old man. 'You see, this is a
free stretch for about a couple o' miles, an' it gets fished a lot too
much. There are some in it, an' big uns too, but they'm too wide awake
to tek' the fly.'

When Chippy came back Dick reported this. 'Not much chance for you,
old chap,' said Dick; 'the old fellow had got a good fly-rod and fine
gut, and he could do little or nothing, so it isn't likely we shall get
trout for breakfast in the morning.'

But Chippy's calm was quite undisturbed. 'Said as there wor' some
about, an' big uns too, did he?' remarked the Raven. 'That's good
enough fer me. Shouldn't wonder but wot I'll yank one or two on 'em
out yet.'

He set the billy down beside the fire, and Dick cried out in wonder.
'By Jingo, Chippy, what a jolly lot of milk! You made that penny go a
tremendous long way. You must have dropped across a good sort.'

'Just wot I d