Part 6

"Put them in, Paul," said Uncle Henry.

Paul did, and the figure of Boötes grew to look like this.

"But he hasn't any arms!" said Peter.

"Yes, he has," explained Uncle Henry, "his left one is up in the air, and his right one holds a shepherd's crook upon his right shoulder. Like this."

Uncle Henry added pebbles and lines until Boötes was finished.

"What awful short legs he has!" criticised Betty.

"That must be why he's never caught the great bear," smiled Uncle Henry.

"What's he shaking his fist for?" inquired Paul, pointing to the herdsman's left hand. "Is he so mad because he can't catch Ursa Major?"

Uncle Henry did not reply, but drew two long lines from the uplifted hand downward to a point just below the end of the big bear's tail.

"Oh, I know!" piped Betty, and throwing herself on her back, she began to star-gaze industriously.

Peter and Paul looked at each other inquiringly.

"The dogs!" said Peter. "Betty's looking for them. They're on leash of course. Those lines are the leashes."

Uncle Henry smiled his pleasure.

"The hunting dogs--or, as you would say it in Latin, Canes Venatici, are largely imaginary. There are six stars--three in each dog, and all faint except one, named Cor Caroli."

"I see the bright one!" said Peter, and put down a fair-sized pebble to represent it. When the children had found the five other faint stars and Uncle Henry had finished drawing the dogs, Boötes and his hunting hounds, Asterion and Chara, looked like this.

"Why do they call the bright star at the tail of Chara, Cor Caroli, Uncle Henry?" asked Paul.

"It is Latin for 'heart of Charles,'" said Uncle Henry, "and the Charles they mean is Charles the Second of England, but don't ask me why, for I don't know. Perhaps the dog Chara ran away with Cor Caroli. I understand that Charles the Second lost his heart pretty often, and perhaps one time he didn't get it back. Beware, Paul! I am Father William out of Alice in Wonderland; 'you have asked me three questions and that is enough.'"

"Are you going to make a poem for us to-night, too?" inquired Betty hopefully.

"Let me see," said Uncle Henry thoughtfully. "Great bear, Boötes, pronounced B[=o]-[=o]-tees, and two dogs--they ought to make some kind of a poem. How's this? I'll let you name it after you've heard it."

"The big bear runs, the herdsman runs, His dogs, they both are chasing.

While Ursa growls, Boötes howls, His dogs, they both are barking.

For Ursa stole Boötes' bowl Of hot milk, set acooling.

His mouth burns yet, the bowl's upset, The milky way is streaming."

"The milky way to catch a bear," suggested Paul, as a name for the poem.

"Who spilt the milk?" volunteered Peter.

"The herdsman hasn't ever caught Ursa Major," said Betty reflectively, "so he's wasting his time chasing him. 'Don't cry over spilt milk' would be a good title, I think. He ought to be tending his silly sheep, if he has any."

"I've got it!" exclaimed Peter, "'Ursa was a big bear; Ursa was a thief.' Like 'Taffy the Welshman,' you know."

Since no one else had a better title, the "Society of Star-Gazers," as Paul had named it, let it go at that, and allowed Boötes to persist in his pursuit of the great bear for his ancient mischief.