He was game, all right, however bumptious and
self-satisfied. He set up a tremendous _ca-a-a-ing_, as a signal for
all the crows within hearing to come to the rescue, and then made a
sudden, savage side swoop at the foe.
"Taken thoroughly by surprise, the rat was toppled from his unsteady
perch and fell among the strawberries. His head ringing from the
stroke of that sturdy black wing, his plump flank smarting and bleeding
from a fierce jab of that pointed beak of the imp's, he squeaked with
rage and clambered up again to the battle. Mr. Rat, you know, is no
coward and no quitter.
"And now he was more dangerous, because he was ready. He sat warily on
his haunches, squeaking angrily, and turning his sharp head from side
to side as he followed every swoop and rush of the He imp, snapping so
dangerously that the latter did not dare come quite close enough to
deliver another really effective blow. At the same time, being very
clever indeed, the rat kept tugging, tugging, tugging at the cord. And
the She imp, being quite gone out of her mind with the terror of that
clutch on her leg, kept flapping crazily at the end of the cord instead
of turning to, like a sensible crow, and helping her brother in the
fight.
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