Part 44

"I'm sorry to hear that," says the pigeon; "but don't let me detain you, for water with the dew in it is the best thing to get a bean out of the throat; and let me advise you to make haste, for the bloodhound is going to lap at the spring, and he'll trouble the water. So run along, and here, take with you my blue velvet neck-ribbon, and give it to Hen-alie with my love, and I hope she'll soon be better."

"Oh, what a nice pair of garters this will make for Hen-alie!" exclaimed Cock-alu, and went on his way.

He had not gone far before he met the wild-cat. "Good morning, friend," says Cock-alu, "and where may you be going this morning?"

"I'm going to get a young wood-pigeon for my breakfast, while the mother is gone to the pea-field," says the wild-cat; "and where may you be traveling to this morning, Cock-alu?"

"I'm going to the silver-spring in the Beech-wood," replied Cock-alu, "to get a drop of water for my little wife Hen-alie, who has got a bean in her throat."

"That's a bad business," says the wild-cat, "but a drop of water with the dew in it is the right remedy; so don't let me keep you; and you had better make haste, for the woodman is on his way to fell a tree by the spring, and if a branch falls into it, the water will be troubled; so off with you! But carry with you a flash of green fire from my right eye, and give it to Hen-alie with my love, and I hope she'll soon be better."

"Oh, what a beautiful green light, like the green on my best tail-feathers! I'll keep it for myself; it's fitter for me than for Hen-alie!" said Cock-alu.

So he hung the green light on his tail-feathers, which made them very handsome, and he went on his way.

He had not gone far before he met with the sheep-dog. "Good morning, sheep-dog," says Cock-alu; "where are you going?"

"I'm going to hunt up a stray lamb for my master," says the sheep-dog, "and what brings you abroad?"

"I'm going to the silver-spring in the Beech-wood, to get a drop of water for my little wife Hen-alie, who has got a bean in her throat," says Cock-alu.

"Then why do you stop talking to me?" says the sheep-dog, in his short way; "your wife's bad enough, I'll warrant me; and a drop of water with the dew in it is the thing to do her good. Be off with you! The farmer is coming to lay the spring dry this morning. I left him sharpening his mattock when I set out. You'll be too late, if you don't mind!" and with that the sheep-dog went his way.

"An unmannerly fellow," says Cock-alu, and stood looking after him; "I'll not go at his bidding, not I!" So he clapped his wings and crowed in the wood, just to show that he set light by his advice. "And never to give me anything for poor Hen-alie, that lies sick at home with a bean in her throat! The ill-natured churl!" cried Cock-alu to himself, and then he stood and crowed again with all his might.

After that he marched on, and before long reached the Beech-wood, but as the silver-spring lay yet a good way off, he had not gone far in the wood before he met the squirrel.

"Good morning, squirrel," says he; "what brings you abroad so early?"

"Early do you call it, Cock-alu?" says the squirrel; "why, I've been up these four hours; I just stopped to give the young ones their breakfasts, and then set off to silver-spring for a drop of water while the dew was in it; I've got it here in a cherry-leaf. And pray you, what business may take you abroad, Cock-alu?"

"The same as yours," replied Cock-alu; "I'm going for water, too, for my wife Hen-alie, who has got a bean in her throat."

"Ah, well-a-day!" says the squirrel, "that's a bad thing! But run along with you; for the old sow is coming down with her nine little pigs, and if they trouble the water it will be all too late for poor little Hen-alie!"

And with that the squirrel leaped up into the oak-tree above where Cock-alu stood, for that was her way home, and left him without further ceremony.

"Humph!" said Cock-alu; "she might have given me some of the water out of her cherry-leaf for my poor little Hen-alie!" And so saying, he walked on through the Beech-wood, and as he met no more creatures he soon reached the silver-spring.

But it was now noon-day, and there was not a drop of dew in the water, and the bull had been down and drunk, and the bloodhound had lapped, and the old sow and her nine little pigs had wallowed in it, so the water was troubled, and besides that the woodman had felled the tree which now lay across the spring, and the farmer was digging the new watercourse, so the spring was getting lower every minute. Cock-alu had come quite too late; there was not a drop left for poor little Hen-alie.

When Cock-alu saw this he was very much disconcerted; he did not know what to do, he stood a little while considering, and then he set off as hard as he could go to the squirrel's house to beg a drop of water from her. But the squirrel lived a long way off in the wood, and thus it was a considerable time before he got there.

When he reached the squirrel's house, however, nobody was at home. He knocked and knocked for a long time, and at last he walked in, but they were all gone out; he peeped therefore into the pantry to see if he could find the water; there was plenty of hazel-nuts and beech-nuts, heaps and heaps of them all laid up in store for winter, but no water; at length he saw the curled-up cherry-leaf, like a water-jug, standing at the squirrel's bed-side, but it was empty; there was not a single drop in it.

"This is bad business!" said Cock-alu to himself, and turned to leave the house. At the squirrel's door he met a woodpecker.

"Woodpecker," says he, "where is the squirrel gone to? I want to beg a drop of water from the silver-spring for my wife Hen-alie, who has got a bean in her throat!"

"Lack-a-day!" said the woodpecker, "the old squirrel drank every drop, and drained the jug into the bargain; he lay sick in bed this morning, but there was such virtue in the water that he got well as soon as he drank it; and now he has taken his wife and the little ones out for an airing; they will not be back till night, I know. But if you will leave any message with me I will be sure and deliver it, for the squirrel and I are very neighborly."

"Oh!" groaned Cock-alu; "but what would be the use of leaving a message if they have no water to give me!"

With that he came down from the old pine tree where the squirrel lived, set out on his way home again, and came at length out of the Beech-wood, but it was then getting toward evening.