e terror into his doggish heart, but his nerve was still good and
he barked to the limit of his lungs.

The steers came on faster.

Jane's breath grew quick and short as she watched them. The children
were too far from either fence to escape the steers by flight. Even if
she were alone, she could not hope to outrun them, and with Jilly, the
case would be hopeless. There was only one thing to be done. She had
seen enough of cattle during the past three years to know exactly what
that was--she must drive them back. Putting Jilly behind her, she
gathered up some loose stones and commenced to hurl them at the
advancing steers.

"Hi there! Hi, hi!" she yelled fiercely, starting toward them
brandishing her arms. The cattle paused, wavered, might have turned, but
Huz, being thus reinforced, barked lustily again. The steers edged
forward as if fascinated by this small, noisy object.

"Huz, Huz, why can't you be still?"

Gathering up Jilly in her arms and bidding her hold tight and be very
quiet, Chicken Little started on the run to Huz and speedily cuffed him
into silence. But the steers were still curious and resentful. As she
started to walk on, with Huz slinking crestfallen at her heels, the
cattle moved after them.

"I'll have to get him out of sight!"

She picked him up by the scruff of his neck and put him into Jilly's
chubby arms.

"Here, Honey, you hold Huz, and slap him hard if he barks. Bad Huz to
bark!"

Jilly hugged the dog tight. "Huz bark, Jilly sap," she remarked
complacently.

The cattle stopped when the dog disappeared from the ground. Chicken
Little started toward them carrying her double burden and yelling "Hi,
hi!" until they gave back a little. She persisted until she succeeded in
heading them away from the road. Then she started on across the pasture
still carrying Jilly and Huz, afraid to set either of them down lest
they should attract the cattle.

But the herd's curiosity had been thoroughly aroused. They were uneasy,
and by the time Chicken Little had walked a hundred yards further on,
they had faced toward her again and stood with heads up and tails
waving, watching her. She began to walk rapidly, not daring to run lest
she should give out under the child's weight. Another twenty yards and
the steers were following slowly after her. She quickened her pace; the
herd also came faster. Chicken Little knew cattle were often stampeded
by mere trifles. Jilly, seeing the bristling horns approa